Mine, Mine, Mine.
I know this is overkill but It may be getting some campy chorus wheels with wolber Aspin super champion rims.
I just do not have another bike that they will fit on right now, and I want them on something I ride.

I have a 110mm french one, from VO that I never used. I may part with it..I dont know..maybe..

Just need that Huret suicide shifter now... this little project has come together so nicely and the bike is an absolute joy to ride.

This looks beautiful!! Now I want one.

Finally finished up this early 70s UO8 rebuild, my first French project. Velo Orange BB, Shimano 600 Arabesque group with Shimano HG 6-speed freewheel, MKS Touring pedals, Weinmann Centerpulls with Kool Stop Continental pads and Tektro cross levers, new 27" alloy wheels with Panaracer Paselas, reissue Turbo saddle.

How does it ride? It looks nifty.

Don... I love the green and the bike looks beautiful.

I got a green bike today and it too is French... and came with an extra set of pedals and an extra saddle.

Smooth! I've always been reluctant to deal with French bikes, but I really like the ride.


Thanks! That Gitane tandem is cool.

Nice! I really like that - it looks about the same size as my UO - 62ish cm? That's how I'd eventually like to do mine, but we'll see how funds hold out after the g/f's birthday present, and a bunch of other projects. Being a rider (and fixed gear - I kinda like it that way), it's down on the list...

Beautiful bike, what size/width are the tyres? And also how does the arabesque rear derailleur cope with the 6speed?

Here's the UO-18 I built my once-girlfriend,

The 600 Arabesque can handle a 6 speed with a 28 if the derailleur claw is long enough although it is probably rated for 26 teeth max and could handle 7 if the maximum cog capacity was not exceeded.

Later Shimano derailleurs with the sprung pivot at the pinch bolt can be a pita to use with more than 6 speeds and can require an inordinate amount of lever travel because of their lower actuation ratio.

The Arabesque is a pretty little derailleur and once set up they work rather nicely but the Suntour derailleurs of this period were so much better... would always take a Mk1 Cyclone to almost any friction derailleur ever made.

27 x 1 1/4 tires. The 600 RD did take a bit of tinkering to get set up nicely, but it works. It does ride pretty close to the 28 though.

Point taken. I'm a stickler for keeping groups together (I have the same parts on my Lotus) but I do have a good pile of various Suntour stuff waiting for future projects, including the Cyclone you mentioned.

I got a Suntour AR rear off of a 48cm Nishiki that I got for parts. I put it on my Peugeot before making it a fixed gear, and it quickly became my favorite derailer. Smooth, silent, and very easy to shift correctly. There was no fumbling around with trim or anything with that.

That being said, I put it on my g/f's road bike, as she hadn't ever ridden a roadie, nor had she ever used friction. As ham-fisted as she was at the beginning, even then it never ever chattered. Amazing stuff.

I too like matching groups... have collected a lot of 600 Arabesque and as soon as I get a non drive crank arm I will have another complete group plus a ton of spare bits.

the reason I have so much Arabesqure is because I keep setting bikes up with Suntour groups instead... I do use an Arabesqe crank and brake levers on my 1973 Raleigh Gran Sport... it is gorgeous stuff.

Was really happy the other day as I matched up the VX group on my touring bike... the AR front d I was using was nice (as Suntour front derailleurs are) but the Vx I just installed is quite a few degrees better... I have a Vx GT in the rear and there is areason these are considered to be one of the finest touring derailleurs ever made.

Blue UO8? I picked up not too long ago, just finished bringing it back to road going condition.

Nice looking bike. Is that an original UO-8 pump? And how is it hung there behind the ST? It looks too big to be original.

There is aesthetic value in consistency but my real reaction is "Group? What group?" The point being, back in the old days only the high-end bikes were consistent in having all Campy or Zeus. As I recall, my UO-8 came with Normandy hubs, Rigida rims, Hutchinson tires, Atom skewers, Atom freewheel, Normandy pedal (I think), Nervar crank, chain unknown, Simplex derailleurs, AVA stem, unknown bar, Mafac brakes. On a different brand bike the derailleurs might have been Huret. Or the brakes or rims Weinmann. Okay so mine were all French, but there the commonality stops. As the bike aged and components were replaced there was no motivation to stick to a "group" because there was none to start with other than the "French group". In 1980 one would have been silly to replace the RD with another Simplex when Suntour was available, better, and inexpensive.

[RANT]
I am prompted to post these thoughts partly by the thread defining a "Fred" in another forum (probably Road Cycling). The two inconsistencies of ideas are disturbing.

First, a bike is nothing if not practical. Everything on it has a purpose and is the way it is for a reason, even if the reasons are minor and change over time as experience, technology, and materials improve. Some details are so minor that one will never notice them one way or the other unless many ounces add up to pounds. If components are chosen for aesthetics, then that's a valid reason too. After all, some of us drive 40-year-old cars with original components for the same aesthetics. Yet derision apparently exists in some corners of bike culture for people whose bikes have mismatched components, but without regard for or even knowledge of why the mismatch exists. (I have Vx derailleurs matched to Dura-Ace DT levers on a British frame! The reason is lost in antiquity, I'm afraid, but most likely it is because someone gave me the levers or they were already on the frame when I got it.)

Second and more bothersome is the contradiction between posting occasionally that it doesn't matter what others think while maintaining a convention which criticizes others because their equipment or clothing choices differ from the norm, i.e. from what the Fred-caller thinks they should be. Heaven forbid someone would mix blue bar tape and a red jersey.

I'll ride what I own, mismatched levers and all, wear what I like (mostly for sun protection and visibility), and secretly think those plastic sloped-DT bikes look like kids' bikes. But I won't tell their owners that because I respect the technology and their right to make their own choices and because it will be strictly my preference which I am perfectly free to entertain. Aesthetics is in the mind of the viewer, rider, or thinker.
[/RANT]

Now, if someone were to give me a set of Suntour DT levers I might take the time to swap them. For now though, it ain't broke so I ain't gonna' fix it (yet).

i found this thing on a flea market for 20€... took it because i liked some of the details, and it was fit enough to be ridden home, even the lights worked

i think it is an "8" of some sort.

Looks like a UE-8? Or at least something very similar. Probably heavy, but totally awesome

Is that a bottle generator on the right side rear? Could you post a pic of how it fits under the fender?

^That's a really cool find, and I think it might be an older mid range rando/touring bike, rather than a UO-8/UE-8.

Is there any indication of frame material (type of steel) or date/serial number?

That chain wheel guard appeared in the early 70's ('73 iirc) and believe you have an AE8... these were fitted with wing nuts at the hub and did not have chromed fork legs like the UE8 but are essentially the same bicycle.

The decals place it as being a 74-76 model.

Don;t know if the chain guard was original as this is not shown in Peugeot brochures I have looked at... the UP41 5 speed townie was fitted with the half guard as a stock fitting.

The AE and AO are the chrome-less versions of the UO and UE and are fitted out in a nearly identical manner... the AE has the same half step close ratio which was a little odd for a touring bike.

Found a lovely Suntour 13-26 6 speed freewheel last night to replace the Shimano HG 14-28 as my little Huret Svelto does not like the 28... will also be installing some Marathons to replace the Ultra Sports as I find them to be the most dependable tyre and have some in a 27 inch size.

Ran into a fellow with an 83ish UO4 yesterday... Canadian made model with no chrome on the forks and Sachs Huret running gear... it was in pretty minty shape and he said he just loved it.

Said he bought it at the last police auction and am guessing he got it for pocket change.

What was the gearing on the AO-8 through the years?

Aha. I did think something was up with the lack of chrome. Chalked it up to differences in year models. Still a great specimen.