I have a old Peugeot that I bought as a fixer-upper (And a practice bike) and I had a few questions about the bike that I need some suggestions on. As you can tell, I was learning how to replace cables, still need to take apart and shorten them. Also I switched out the heavy steel rims with some lightweight alloy rims I had. And did some MAJOR degreaser on the bike.

First, the pics:






Ok, the questions.
1. Any guess on the year and model of it? I know yall hear this question 12 times a day, so this is the 13th The serial # that I found stamped on the rear drop-out is: 655752. The guy I bought it from said that he thinks it is from early/mid 70's. He bought it when he was in college and rode it to school in the 70's for 4 years and it has sat in the garage since then.
Components:
Brakes: Mafac "Racer"
Front Derailer: Simplex
Rear Derailer: Suntour Honor
Lightrace Cranks with 52/40 Nervar Chainrings
And the rear hub is a Normany which he said he thinks is original, but the front is not

I dont know what all components are original and what has been replaced

Question 2: As you can probably tell by the seat, the bike does not fit me. The bars feel way to stretched out when I am riding. (Maybe I need to buy a bike from East Hill, I'm 5'6") So the way I see it, I have 3 options. 1. Try a shorter stem (?) 2. Maybe some mustache bars or something that would put the bars farther back for a more comfortable ride. 3. Ebay/ Craigslist it and make a few bucks and wait for the one in a lifetime chance (in my town) of finding a vintage bike in my size ~52 cm.

Opps, and question 3: Would it be a sin, if I keep the bike, to replace the vintage rack with a new rack with the hooks on the bottom so I can attach some grocery panniers for my commute?

Thanks in advance!!

OK, although I know Gitane's a lot better, I'll stab a few guesses:

1. Early 70's bike book, a base line model (UO-8?), a good, quality bike for the money back then.

2. It's essentially stock, other than the rear dérailleur. Let me guess, sometime in the first two years of original ownership, the stock Simplex Prestige crapped out completely, and was replaced by a SunTour. Very typical upgrade back then. And it's a period upgrade, to boot. The Honor was the basic SunTour back then.

3. The condition doesn't look too bad - that's what I call a 'weekend special': Hopefully find it at a yard sale Saturday morning, have it torn down to the frame by Saturday evening, and by the time I go back to work Tuesday morning, it's clean, adjusted, and ready to either ride or appear in Craigslist.

4. Hey, it's your bike, modify it as you see fit. I've been using those rear racks for years, my usual is to go down to the local Lowe's and pick up a couple of small angle pieces (maybe 1" per side), and drilled on both ends. I bolt the angle to the lower rack mount, and the remaining hole is perfect for the lower mounting point of my bags.

4. Unfortunately, this could all be negated by the size issue. For a bike of this caliber, if it doesn't fit, it's best used as trade bait for something that does fit. I won't do a guess on net worth of the bike as is, but it's certainly worth an even trade for something of the same vintage, same quality, same rank on the manufacturer's line.

Well it's a model UO8 and the decals in conjunction with the chain guard should place it circa 1974. The rear derailleur is a replacement for the original Simplex Prestige.

Do whatever you have to do to make the bicycle suitable for yourself, It's meant to be ridden. But be aware that French stem are slighty smaller in diameter, so to replace it will require one of the correct diameter, or you can sand down a standard stem to fit.

Nice, early 70's UO-8. Too bad you are not closer, I have a white UO-8 of the same era thats too small for me, we could have traded frames. I think it's 52-53cm.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! I think for now I am going to keep it like it is. It is comfortable to ride on the tops of the bars as is. The drops and the hoods are when it gets a little to streched out. I really love the color of the bike so I am kinda hesatent (sp?) on selling it for now. I might sometime "down the road" get some upright bars for it. Or sell the bike when I do find something on CL thats my size.

BTW, Aaron I saw the post (i think that was yours) about the white pug that you killed and bought an identical one on the way home from trashing the dead one! Let me know if you move to Florida, haha

1) It is definitely a UO-8.
2) Brake cables (originally white) and rear derailleur have been replaced.
3) It is at least a 1970 (decals), probably a 1972 or 1973 (chainguard), and no later than a very early 1974 (downtube shift levers).
4) I cannot make sense out of the serial number, which someone may have stamped on the dropout. Is there evidence of a riveted metal plate having been removed from the bottom of the bottom bracket shell?
5) Look for some panniers which will fit over that great period-correct Pletscher mousetrap rack.

Nope, that was not me, that was Wrey, but, some parts of the UO-8 that he parted are now in my stash.
My 53cm White UO-8 was a $20 buy off e-bay. I have a 56-57cm frame coming now to replace it, so I'll either store the small one or trade it off.

1. Downtube shiftlevers went through at least '75.
2. I dont know when that particular chaingaurd was introduced but '81 was the final year.

despite their originality... I'd ditch the cottered cranks
that will lighten the load

the color is the coolest

I looked on the BB and there is 2 small holes down there. Im not sure if they are rivet holes or not. I will post a pic, I'm not sure if you can see it clearly or not, my photog skills are not the best. Also, you can see some of the rougher places on the bike and some places that still need more degreaser. (I think my first pics made it look alot nicer then it is) I dont think Im ready to remove components and individually clean them. And you can see the crushed chainstays from the kickstand that was on there I had a mechanic look at it when I got the headset replaced and he said it was safe to ride on it just looks bad.

Anyways, heres the pic

After closely watching bike auctions on EBay, reading past Bike Forums threads, and 'guestimating' dates for the dealers' brochures on my retropeugeot website; I am beginning to think that the 'pie-plate' chainguard appeared in the U.S. in 1973. However, like everyting else with Peugeots from that era, I am sure there are many exceptions.

????

In Europe, perhaps, but I worked at a Los Angeles area Peugeot/Nishiki dealership from spring 1972 through summer 1974, and that horrid Simplex stem shift system arrived late in my tenure.

Those two rivet holes on the BB are indeed where the original serial number plate was mounted. There is no way to know whether the number stamped into the dropout matched this number or was arbitrarily chosen by a bike shop, a police station, or even a prevoius owner.

Check out the scarring on the bottoms of the chainstays and don't ever again ask me why I detest kickstands.

John, I cant disagree with you on the time frame. The more we research Peugeots the more variations we see. Alot of Peugeots made their way across the Atlantic..

I only need 2 or 3 more catalogs and I'll be able to put together a very accurate model ID/timeline from at least the early 60's through '89.

Wow, thanks alot everyone! I think I am going to settle on it being a '73. Based on the fact that my dad has a Black '73 Porshce 911. Thats also the year that he graduated from highschool. And 9 years before I was even born! :O

Talewinds, is that your "Pug"? I had one years ago and even though I do not fancy having pets, (long story about how I got him) he was the coolest dog I've ever seen.

And about the missing Serial # tag, I do have the original owners email address so I will contact him and see if he remembers what happened to it and if he knows about the numbers stamped on the dropouts.

BTW, does this bike justify a white Selle Italia Turbo seat?

https://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Selle-It...QQcmdZViewItem

Yup, that's my pug, we have a matching set actually, like bookends. They're a pain in the arse, but man they are so much fun.

And unfortunately, I've got to take some of the blame for crushed tubing. Back when I worked at the shop, customers would constantly come in annoyed because their sidestands would be clicking against the crank arm - so the owner instructed us to CLAMP THE D**N THINGS DOWN!

Which meant crushed tubes.

A French black tensioned leather saddle would be correct, but the white Selle Italia might look pretty good with the yellow frame.

Any chance of getting a straight on pic of the headtube?

Here ya go Jim, The best I could get anyways with this indoor light tonight.