Chombi

I guess I'm on my way to replace the tired DA components on my Vitus Carbone resto winter project.
At first I was thinking of cleaning up the DA compnents, but I always preferred to do a full French resto on this bike. The original DA stuff might go on a future project.

Main ingredents to the two wheeled souffle, so far:

1) Vitus Carbone plus 7 frame (Everything is off the frame including head races, still lots of cleaning to do)
2) Rubis 23.00mm microadjust seatpost (Original to the bike....do I have any choice at 23mm??)
3) Mavic 500/550 series, 32H hubs
4) Stronglight (new, w/ sealed bearings) A9 headset
5) Mavic (Simplex/Spidel)Retrofriction shifters
6) Spidel/Mafac LS-1 sidepull brakeset (Non-aero)

Added Italian flavors:

1) Selle Italia Turbo Peforated saddle in white. (Trusty old saddle from my PSV. Might consider getting a new, white SM Regal though I'd like to preserve this Turbo)
2) ITM 100mm Vitus engraved stem (Original to the bike)
3) ITM size 42 bars (Original to the bike)
4) Cinelli cork bar tapes in white (wish I could still get it with chrome plugs)

Still hunting for a proper full French drivetrain.......

1) Stronglight or Mavic Crank, RD, FD, Bottom bracket. (still too many options to think about on these, but I have an idea) 53/39 rings, 144BCD, 170 or 172.5 arms, "Starfish" not being considered here)
2) French or italian period rims (tubulars, most likely)
3) Sedisport silver or gold chain (Think these are close to being totally extinct)
4) New Look Sprint or Carbon Keo clpless pedals.
5) tires (still too many options to think about on these, but I hvae an idea)
6) Spidel 700 Professionel freewheel/cogs, 6 or 7(?) speeds

Misc: (still to be found)

1) Period Blackburn tubular aluminum Balckburn Waterbottle cage (In black, of course. Just love the looks of it)
2) Waterbottles (Specialized widemouths, most likeley, in white or clear)
3) Period brake cable casings in clear where silver spring casing is visible. I still can't find these!

My first real serious bike resto project and It's been real fun so far, even with the messy task of cleaning and restoring finishes on the frame and some of the proprietary components that's staying on the bike and the physical/mechanical challenges along the way. Best thing is, I'm learning a lot and it's also an opportunity to use bike mahchanical skills I developed back in my "serious riding" days in the 80's which I'm trying to revive presently, and the resto makes for a good incentive.
Hope the garage does not get too cold so I can keep at this through the winter season and hopefully have it ready to roll by spring.

Chombi
84 Peugeot PSV
85(?) Vitus Carbone Plus 7

Grand Bois

What do you mean by "sealed bearings" on the Stronglight A-9? I've seen some listed as A-9 2008 with cartridge bearings and I've wondered if it's a mistake in the listing. Is that what you have?

Chombi

Well, it turns out the "new" version of the A9 has sealed cartridge bearings in place of the roller bearings. I really don't mind it though, looks like they're good quality cartiriges. It also looks original like the races and needle bearings will still drop right in if I want to revert it back to the "old" style. I've seen needle bearing overhaul kits at eBay that should do this, otherwise you can't even tell it's different. For less than 50 bucks, I thinks it's worth it.

Chombi
84 Peugeot PSV
85(?) Vitus Carbone Plus 7

unworthy1

where do you get the new A-9 for less then $50?

BTW, the brakes look like they are a Modolo product, and that Turbo's Italian, too, not to mention the bar tape and the ITM stem...nothing wrong with anything, just that's not very "tout" French more like a Franco-Italian job.
I reckon it's hard to get a true all-French build when you're concentrating in this era, much easier if back in the earlier years: Mafac, Ideale, Pivo, Philippe, Simplex, Huret, Stronglight, Normandy...that sort of stuff.
If I have a black early Blackburn WB cage, you can have it for postage...I'll PM you.

Chombi

Note that I did say that there's some "Italian flavoring" in this resto.
These Italian items do not really have good French equivalents and I consider them acceptable deviations for my restoration project. Many French Pro team bikes in the 80's have this sort of mix anyway. The real big things that count on the bike will still be French. I thought of calling the resto project as "Franco-Italo" but I think this bike will still be much more French than Italian.
BTW, the brakes are orginally a Mafac product (100% French) and not Modolo. It was included in the 80's Spidel group of components and are branded as such. I prefer these LS-1s over the Modolo brakes in terms of finish. Thought of getting the period Mavic sidepulls but those are just re-branded Italian Modolos.

Chombi
84 Peugeot PSV
85(?) vitus carbone Plus 7

unworthy1

Yes, I see that now...I was just being persnickedy.
More important: where are those A-9s sold?

Grand Bois

Ben's Cycle has the A-9 roller bearings and races for $10 if you wanted to try to replace the cartridges.

I'm curious to know if it's possible, but I don't need any more A-9s.

Chombi

Got them from Ebay from a UK seller. Just do a search for "Stronglight A9" and they should pop up.
Please note that these have sealed ball bearing cartriges now as I have mentioned, but I think they can be reverted back to needle bearings if desired with the bearing/races overhaul kit. The cups and races look identical to the old A9s.

Chombi
84 Peugeot PSV
85(?)Vitus Carbone Plus 7

unworthy1

great, thanks...I see that my old stand-by in France (xx-cycles) still only has the "new" A-9 which is actually a cheepo with regular ball-bearings and black finish only. Cheap price though, only $13.

Grand Bois

That's the A-9ST.

This should confuse the issue:

https://www.bikepro.com/products/head...trong_hst.html

Chombi

Here's some detail pics of the headset:


As you might see, the only difference to the "old version" seems to be the cartridges taking the place of the races and needle bearings, Otherwise the familiar 45 degree tapers are all in there to hold the steel races from a needle bearing overhaul kit. The cartridges are proprietary Stronglight items with 45 degree tapers to sit in and center on to the cups.

84 Peugeot PSV
85(?) Vitus Carbone Plus 7

unworthy1

I'll check out that new A-9, it looks good!
I checked my stash of Blackburn WB cages and have silver, yellow and turquoise blue but no black, sorry.

JohnDThompson 

Don't forget TA.

And you need some Simplex Super LJ derailleurs to go with those shifters. They won't be cheap, though.

Again, don't forget TA!

Chombi

I might also go for the SLJ6600 "Aerodynamique" slant parallelogram RD that usually goes for much less than the older straignt parallelogram Super LJs and shift much better, but first choice I think will be Mavic's "Erector" SSC RD and SSC FD. No matter which one I pick, it will be expensive. The retrofriction shifters will be appropriate for any of those.
Had TA cages back in the 80's, but I really prefer the simplicity and clean lines of the Blackburn.

Chombi
84 Peugeot PSV
85(?) Vitus Carbone Plus 7

Chombi

Here's an update pic of my "Tout French Restoration/Build-up, with the frame all done with headset and fork already installed...... Lest some might doubt that this bike build-up really exisits:

Mavic Crank and Stronglight BB soon to come in! Thought of going with a mavic BB, but I'm a little reluctant to have the BB faces chamfered permanently for it, thus the decision to go with Stronglight for the BB
Decided to go with the Stronglight new style A9 headset with the sealed bearings, because it felt much smoother than the Miche needle bearing headset I also had available for the build....never know, I might need it for a future Cilo or Bador resto project too!
I'm still in the hunt for some good Mavic tubular rims, but the cost might make me decide to go with the GL330 wheelset I already have and reserve the NOS mavic hubs for a later wheelbuilding project. The Mavic handlebars were a great catch! The pics in the auction for them seem to indicate used bars, but it turned out to be NOS with just some tape residue from a plastic wrap that it must have had in the past. The Look Classic pedals were on clearance sale at the local PBS and I snatched them up before they ran out of stock for the winter. The clamp-on Mavic SSC FD was missing from the pic because I have it all apart right now for some needed cleaning and lubing.
I might be riding this bike shortly after the new year, if everything works out!
Really happy how it's looking so far.

Chombi
84 Peugeot PSV
85(?) Vitus Plus Carbone 7 (Almost done!)

Chombi

Mavic GEL280/Mavic rim 550/500 hub DT 14/15/14 DB SS spokes. All NOS!
First wheelset I ever completely built, trued dished and tensioned myself!

A little extra icing on the restoration with an NOS Vitus waterbottle I dug up by chance from the bottom of a LBS waterbottle bin. Thought of trying to find one for the bike some weeks ago and just dove into that bin on a whim not really thinking that I'll ever find one



Even had to replace the special seatpost "grub" screw. Old one was worn out bad and lucked out when one went on auction at eBay. The thing is almost unobtainium out there, same with the goofy sized 23mm Rubis/Vitus seatpost that was in OK shape and cleaned up well. Decided to strip off the black accents on it. the post looks classier anyway in just all plished alloy finish.

All Mavic 851 SSC and 630 drivetrain, with Sedis Pro SL narrow chain and Malliard 700 Super Compact freewheel with seven speed 12/19 "corncob" cogset


All topped off last week with the completion of the Mavic GEL280 wheelset buildup and the dry install of the Schwalbe Milano tubular tires last night.
I can't wait to ride this thing, but I would like to have good weather to do so, It's been raining here in the bay area.
I have two complete bikes now, never had more than one at the same time. Now I have to decide whether I should take on another project because I don't really have enough space in the house for the two I already have.
Forgot to mention, final wieght for the bike came in at 17.5 pounds as weighed on my digital scale this morning. thought it was going to weigh more because of the robust looking design of some of the Mavic drivetrain components, specially the crank and hubs.

Chombi
84 Peugeot PSV
85 Vitus Plus Carbone 7

EjustE

That looks like an Eye-talian saddle to me and that tape sure looks Eye-talian as well... Shame

Great restoration. Love the corncob back there, btw.

Chombi

Here's a pic of the NOS TA 41T/144BCD inner chainring which I couldn't resist buying from an LBS that dug it up from the bottom of their chainring stock. 41T/144BCD chainrings are gettting as rare as hen's teeth. But this one being French closed the deal for me on the spot regardless of the highish price I paid for it.

Here's a good shot of the Spidel LS brakeset I decided to use on the bike in lieu of a Mavic period brakeset which were really re-branded Italian Modolos or Diacompes a couple of years later.
Couldn't post these in my last post because of limit set for number of images per post.

Chombi
84 Peugeot PSV
85 Vitus Plus Carbone 7

Chombi

Well it can't be all 100% French cause there was no French Equivalent to the Turbos, which, by the way, was used by many French teams like Gitane/Renault with Bernard Hinault, Laurent Fignon and none other than Greg LeMond in those years. The ITM Stem had to be retained too because of it's "Vitus" engraving. At least the bar is an NOS model 350 Mavic....Cinelli just made the best bar tapes back then so it was a given.

Chombi
84 Peugeot PSV
85 Vitus Plus Carbone 7

zonatandem

'Tout' French buildup?
The word 'tout' translated to English is "all" . . . your language skills are a bit lacking!
No Pivo stem? Tressostar hb tape?
Schwalbe tires and not the French Hutchinsons? Yikes!
You use non-French stuff and still call it 'tout' French?!
C'est domage!

dphi 

Way to re-hash the first couple of posts, guys

Bike looks great, Chombi.

Chombi

Thanks DPHI,
There will always be super purists that will never be satisfied. I think I did OK where it counts anyway, specially considering that this is my first ground-up restoration project ever......Tires, tape and saddles are incidental to me and as I already explained, the Vitus engraved stem is a no-brainer decision to keep. Heck even Mavic rim/hub combinations aren;t as common as you would think. many GL330 and GEL280 wheelsets were more often laced up with Shimano and Campy hubs. Even the equivalent to this bike, 1985 Peugeot PY10-FC had non-french stuff on it because that time marks the era of the last gasp by the French manufacturers to put out an all French gruppo with Spidel and Mavic fighting an already losing battle. That's why a lot of top model French bikes ended up with DA groups and not quite French components. As it is, this bike started with a full Shimano DA 7400 series group on it. An already typical specification for high line French bikes in the mid 80's. If anything, this bike might represent the end of an era for French bikes

Chombi
84 Peugeot PSV
85 Vitus Plus Carbone 7

unworthy1

oo-la-la! very nice job! I sure like the SSC crank more than the "starfish"...anybody want to trade?

bigvegan

That came out REALLY nice.

I agree with you on the chrome bar end plugs. I think it might be worth the few $ to order some, even if they lack the Cinelli logo. https://www.bikepartsusa.com/cgi-bin/...source=froogle

Chombi

Actually, I do have a pair of chromed plastic Cinelli bar end plugs, but one of them found it's way on to my Honda VFR motorcycle head tube to replace the ugly plastic plug that Honda provided on the bike.

It's that shiney thing in the middle of the triple clamp.
It's been there for over ten years, I think, but I guess I can finally reunite it with it's other half that's just rolling around my junk drawers. Had the plugs and the yellow Cinelli cork tape since the late 80's/early nineties (I've just been too chicken to put the yellow bar tape on my PSV all these years!) . I guess it's about time that some of that bar tape set finds it's way on a bike after all these years!
The VFR will get one of the new black Cinelli plugs that came with the new with cork bar tape set I bought for the Vitus.
BTW, i tried finding chromed Cinelli plugs from the LBSs, but no dice....

Chombi