mononoke

I just bought this bike off Craigslist for $150 and all I'm able to find out on it is that it's a Peugeot from around '75 - '79. The guy I bought it from restores old bikes for a living and I'm not exactly sure if I overpaid for it or not. I don't know anything about roadbikes and just recently got interested in them. I really wanted to buy an old one and try to restore it myself (it looked fun) but I needed a fully functional one right now to commute to school.

Anyway, I wanted to know if you could tell me how good of a bike it is or if it's worth replacing and buying new components for...I wanted to replace the steel wheels with aluminum ones, but if the bike isn't worth the money that will take, then I won't bother. It's still nice to ride on.

It says "Sports 12" and "CP12" on the frame. The derailleur is a Suntour 7-GT, and it has Shimano brakes...I don't know if that helps any, I dont' know much about bikes yet!

Thanks!

bikemeister

I'm no expert on vintage Peugeot's, but from the parts you listed it sounds like a lower end bike. On the plus side, the pics of it are beautiful. The paint and chrome look in excellent shape. So, the moral of the story is, you probably got what you paid for.
Anything new that you shelled out $150 for would be Chinese. And Peugeot is decent stuff, so you didn't lose anything. But it's not really worth upgrading. Ride it as is - it's a gorgeous ride!

soonerbills

Anything new that you shelled out $150 for would be Chinese. And Peugeot is decent stuff, so you didn't lose anything

Exactly why I don't lose sleep by asking $150 for a lot of my vintage bikes on CL. When you figure the tires,tubes and cables I install not to mention the hours involved in cleaning,servicing and general repairs I feel my buyers are getting a steal.

Grand Bois

It looks later than late '70s to me.

noglider 

It's not a Peugeot! What do the decals say?

miamijim

I think its a Canadian imposter.

mononoke

It's not a Peugeot?? The only decal that indicates it's a peugeot is the rectangular one with the lion on the head tube. there's no decal on the down or top tube. It just says "Sports 12". How can I tell for sure if it's an imposter?

noglider 

They never made a Sports 12 model, and they never had that mix of components. It could be from the 80's, which I am less familiar with, but the style doesn't look very 80's. The whole thing shouts "Japanese bike".

wrk101

Around here, that price would be a little high. Are the rims steel or aluminum?

It does look Japanese, which is not bad either. Is there a decal on the seat tube stating what the frame tubing is made out of?

miamijim

Its a Canadian made Peugeot.

prathmann

I'd ride it as it is - looks excellent for your intended use. The one upgrade I'd consider if you'll be riding it on rainy days is to get an aluminum rim (assuming it's chromed steel now) for the front wheel for the improved braking when wet. The front wheel is the one that's most critical for braking and it's also less expensive to replace.