damulta

Ok, so I'm really new into bike riding. I have been riding a old-school vintage womens bike that I half way fixed up with a working 3-speed hub.

BUT I have found two old Peugeot UO-8 bikes. One that is made for a 7 foot man that I have no business even trying to ride. I will be selling that one.

Both have aged on the bad side, but the frame has stayed in good condition.
I need a new Derailleur, wheels, tires, and would like to replace the old crankset.

That's what is really getting me is the crankset. I have no idea of which ones I could install in it.

back gears/wheels all that should be easy. Do 700c fit on this bike?


If anyone could help with the info towards installing a modern crankset I would be thrilled. I guess Shimano would be the way to go? I don't want to spend a $$$ on it. I just bike ride maybe 20 miles a week....

AZORCH

Post some pics - that would help a lot! Do you know what year UO-8 you have? That would make recommendations easier.

damulta

left it big so one could look around on it. I'm not 100% sure that's what kind of bike they are. The serial code plate on the bottom looks like they have been removed at one point in time. I read online this is how you tell what model it is.

Anything to really look at/take pics of to tell what year it is?

jimmuller 

Hard to say what components you have now without seeing them or knowing the years. But you can make them good bikes by installing good components. That means a decent alloy crank, wheels with alloy rims, and decent Suntour or Shimano derailleurs. The bar is probably steel so it could be replaced just to save a bit of weight, but you may need (or want) to replace the stem too. In any case, that's not a functional issue.

Pick a decent saddle. Don't know when things might have changed, but in the early 70's they used a straight seat post. It was the same small diameter as seat clamps, not the larger diameter of the the seat tube. They made it fit by putting a collar in the top of the seat tube. The problem (besides the fact that the steel tube was heavy) was that the seat clamp could slide down the tube if not tightened well. So you may want to get a seat post too, of the correct diameter of course.

Of all these things, the seat can make the bike most uncomfortable, but if it is not a problem I'd start with the wheels, crank, and derailleurs. They become very good bikes with these changes.

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

Early to mid 70's. I'm not sure when they stopped making cranks like those. Those are called Cottered Cranks.

Not spending a lot of $$ on this bike is a smart call. A new crankset can be had for 20-30 bux on ebay and a replacement bottom bracket IS 49 bux (DANG that is expensive!) https://store.velo-orange.com/index.p...y-cups-26.html

alternatively you can get a square taper spindle for a couple of bux on amazon.com and just swap the old cottered spindle out for a new square taper one to match your crankset of choice.

but seriously, don't spend a ton of $$$ on it. Better off spending a ton of $$$ on a better bike that's already got those upgrades.
also read this re: your stem https://www.sheldonbrown.com/velos.html

damulta

So do I need to rip out the crank to be able to tell which model it is? Or do I just need to just take more pics of this bike?

I really appreciate the help a lot!

Like I said I'm new at this, and I know(I think I know) I can just order new 27'' wheels, but I don't know if I can install 700c wheels(or if in fact they are the same anyhow.

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

nope yours are cottered. no need to ID them any further. Pick a new crankset if you wanna replace them but you are definitely gonna have to do something to the Bottom Bracket as well. No way around that.

damulta

The crank works, but I would like new modern front gears so to say. IDK I could spend money on it...just not half a grand so to say.


I typed in what you said in google, and it popped up with this on amazon. I think it's just another crank(don't think it would fit). Yet, your saying there are adapters that let you modern sets?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QSW4A0

So if I wanted to use the parts off of this so to say(not that I would pick this one....just using it for reference)
https://www.amazon.com/Shimano-FC-M44...369879&sr=1-37

damulta

Sorry for being a noob....

https://store.velo-orange.com/index.p...y-cups-26.html

So this is more or less the crank? Doing this would convert it too newer style? Do you happen to know what size I would need, or how to I go about mersuring that out?

big chainring 

Keep the cranks. Nothing wrong with a good cottered crank. Even the wheels unless they are bent are OK as is.

I'd connect that rear brake and ride it a while before I made any changes. You may find its very acceptable as is.
UO-8's are nice bikes with a nice set of parts. Yours looks pretty original except for rear derailleur.

If you make changes its usually cheaper to buy another whole bike and swap out the parts from it.

I put a bunch of miles on this UO-8. Swapped out the bars for mustache bars and put an old Brooks saddle on it.
The rest was original and worked just fine. Even the Simplex derailleurs worked well.

AZORCH

Pretty sure that's an AVA stem. I have one on my PX-10 that has served me well, but the reputation for this stem is pretty grim. (See Sheldon's site and look up "death stem") Also, check to see if your seat post and/or stem are "frozen" in place. That is a deal breaker right off the bat. The bottom bracket is French thread; judging by the graphics and the hubs, your bike is probably pre-'72-ish. The cranks, too, will be French thread, as will the headset. You'll need a "claw" to hang whatever rear derailleur you plan to use, too. I've rebuilt quite a few French bikes from this era and it can be done, but your best bet is to have a "donor" bike for parts because they are getting pretty hard to find. It's also kind of a PIA to deal with cottered cranksets if you've never done it before... this is definitely NOT a beginner project for a full rebuild! You will spend a lot of money on this and wind up with a bike that will NOT be as valuable as your investment. If you really want a UO-8, watch e-Bay and get one that is already in good riding condition. Or, if you really want a Peugeot - and personally, I love 'em - look for a mid-80's vintage bike, which will have more universally useful threading and then you can build it up with whatever components you like. I have a 1984 P8, a lowly "gas pipe" Peugeot model. It's been built up with Shimano 600 throughout, a wider and more modern handlebar, and other more modern components... it was much easier to put together than my updated PX-10.

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

Thats the bottom bracket and you'll need to change that in order to put new cranks on. Your bike is french and has a french threaded bottom bracket for which there are very limited options. That Velo Orange bottom bracket in that link is basically the only option. Once you replace the bottom bracket you can put just about any modern crank on provided it fits a "Square Taper" spindle.

you need to order the Bottom Bracket in the correct length. That's dependent on your cranks. Pick out your cranks and that will give you the Bottom Bracket length to order.

I agree with the above posters, leave it alone and just ride it. Get something better to spend money on.

damulta

Yea I have a donor bike...It's the same, but only taller, but the back deraler was shot on it also.. That derailer above is from a huffy walmart bike lol...yea it's going to get replaced, and I just installed it to see if I really wanted to put some effort into getting this bike how I would want it. Test ride so to say....

Both bikes the seat shaft was not frozen at all.


I just got to say I like the ventage frames a lot, and to me it would be worth spending the money on instead of buying a new bike.....I do have my eye on a new Giant Bike I have to admit though. IDK I thought this could be fun if I could grasp what I needed to do, and what parts I needed to buy to do it with.


Above the Velo Orange I'm just loooking at the outside correct? Not the center? It's not a total unit crank? Also what does it mean about spinal length? Any example I could base it on so I could get a clear pic in my head? I'm not so up to terms on bikes about what part name does this or that so to say.

mickey85

IMO, I'd say ditch the entire BB. Chances are if you get a Japanese cotterless bottom bracket spindle, you can reuse the cups, but even if not, put in a $40 V-O BB and be done with it.

Swap the wheels for alloy 27" or 700c.

Leave the Mafac Racers where they are, but go with adjustable cable stops and switch to aero brake levers

Go with a newer alloy handlebar. You can get them fairly cheap, depending on the location

Ditch the stem - buy a new one and sand it down to fit. You're only talking .2mm difference

Go with newer derailers and shifters. Downtube shifters can be had for $10, and you can nab newer Shimano parts for about $10 per derailer, if you don't mind the modern look. Otherwise, look on Ebay.

I've got a UO-8 that I bought from a guy who kept it all original. Two weeks later, the Simplex shifters snapped. A week after that, the front derailer imploded. The steel rims drove me crazy with the sound every time you stop, and the teeny tiny narrow handlebars were nearly impossible.

I made it a fixed gear.

damulta

Yea I have no plans on making this look like a vintage bike at all. I would replacec all the parts with modern parts with no issues. I am in no way trying to preserve history on this frame so to say.

jimmuller 

(Those pics weren't there when I posted my previous reply.)
I agree with most of what mickey85 says except ditching the Mafac levers. I'd ditch the "safety levers", a.k.a. turkey wings, and ditch the entire levers only if you can't use them with the turkey wings off. Those Mafac brakes were very powerful.

No need to keep it original. But the frame is a nice rider for an inexpensive bike. With alloy crank and wheels and better derailleurs it is quite a nice machine indeed.

mickey85

Jim, I really like the Mafac brakes, but the reason I said to ditch the levers (while keeping the calipers) is that every turkey-wing lever I've ever encountered would have to be violently modified (i.e. have a stub hack-sawed off) to make it usable with a brake hood, and even then, with the Mafacs, good luck finding a set that fit well. It'd be less of a hassle to just spring $20 for a set of inexpensive aero levers.

damulta

So like me be clear about this VV-BB I'm going to order.

It's the center unit to the crank with the bike? It will give me standard square lugs(cups?) to tie on about any crank I want too? I don't have to really pay attention to size so to say? I have no clue what it means when it comes to length, but the site suggested I buy the 122mm one?

When I look at this crank the spindle length is listed as 122 so I guess so?
https://www.amazon.com/Shimano-Acera-...399034&sr=8-16

Thanks for the help again

gbalke

I'm a bit puzzled. If you want to replace the wheels, tires, bottom bracket and crank set, why didn't you buy a bike that had what you wanted instead of
this Peugeot in the first place? Unless you were given the bikes, you may be tossing good money after bad, spending more money for your upgrades that
the bike is actually worth.

mcgreivey

Because he likes the way it looks, and wants to ride it. Nothing wrong with that. It's worth it if it's the bike he wants to ride.

I say, replace the things that don't work (or don't work well) now, and the things that make the bike uncomfortable. Do other things as you find the right parts, if you want to. If the BB spins freely, you can leave it alone (for now?). But $40 for the modern replacement isn't bad, and gives you crankset options, if you think you'll want to change it.

Sounds like you'd want to replace the seat, for comfort. Cables and chain, so the bike can actually be ridden. Beyond that -- do the wheels spin freely? THe freewheel? If not, it may just be a matter of repacking the wheel bearings and lubing the freewheel, for now, so it's ridable. Is the rear derailleur broken, or rusty? If it really needs to be replaced, a Suntour VGT or VXGT would work. They're cheap and reliable.

Once you get the bike in riding shape, you can do other things at your leisure, as you get the money, and as you find the right parts. Or you may decide that you don't need to.

Road Fan

If you want to use 700c instead of 27 inch, you'll have to be able to adjust the brake shoe positions each downward by 4 mm, to account for the slightly smaller rim diameter. If you just get a set of alloy 700c rims (and modern stainless spokes) installed on your existing hubs (and rebuild/overhaul the hubs), you'll have a really nice set of wheels that will roll well, and will last a long time depending on how well they're built.

If you want to replace the wheels, modern wheels are made to fit between frame ends spaced at 130 mm. You Peug is spaced (at least was, when new) at 120 mm. 7-speed setups are spaced at 126. It's not too hard to muscle apart the 120s to fit a 126 wheel each time you install it, but I find it gets old. To have a good shop permanently reset the bend (cold-setting) at 126 will cost you about $40, and then it will just slip into place, like new. Cold-setting from 120 to 130 is not that common - it might be possible or not. As an owner you can do this all yourself - Sheldon Brown created on-line instructions. But it can be done wrong.

If the crank and BB you have work well, the only reasons to replace them are cosmetics and weight. Not urgent issues, and they don't affect bike safety or anything else critical. I replaced my old crank with a Shimano 600, using the original cups. I replaced the old cottered axle with the original (for a Trek frame) Shimano square-taper axle, and it spins great, and it's somewhat lighter.

I'd leave the original Mafac brakes as they are,but overhaul the calipers if they don't move freely. Dirt can cause problems. I would remove those chicken levers. I'd eventually change the handlebars to a lighter set of steel ones, but that's not urgent.

You can certainly upgrade anything else you need to as time goes on, but 10-speed rear ends might be forever out of reach.

Back in the '70s and '80s we often took medium and lower-grade frames and "upgraded" them to full road-race groupsets. But the difference in cost could have been used for a top-grade frame, and then the remainder used for better parts. It's really better to have the better frame.

Not that I don't like the UO-8s - I have one! But it's never going to be a Colnago.

peugoted

I have the same Mafac Brake Levers on my UO-8, what other levers are compatible besides the aeros? Thanks!

exmechanic89

^This is by far the best advice in this thread..

altenwrencher

Don't spend money on parts just yet. Do what needs to be done so you can ride it and just ride it. UO-8 was my first bike as an adult, ca. 1972, just like yours. It looks like the rear derailleur has been changed and is a metal Shimano, in place of the original delrin Simplex, but the chain now needs to be lengthened a few links. The Simplex down tube shifters are kind of flexy and that takes some precision away from the shifting, but if the derailleurs and brakes are adjusted OK, wheels pretty true, tires OK and pumped up, saddle height about right, etc., etc. just ride it day after day and fiddle with its adjustments and learn about it and how well it works and especially how well it fits you.

capnjonny 

The first thing you should do is find a local bike co op and get to know them. They are likely to have all the used parts you will need to upgrade your bike at very reasonable prices. They will also have the expertise to help you when you encounter problems.


If I were you I would strip the bike down to the frame, leaving the crank in place , taking pictures of each step and bagging and labeling everything, then re assemble everything with new bearings and grease, new cables and covers, new(used) aluminum wheels and tires, and a nice saddle, preferably a brooks b 17 I would replace the freewheel with a shimano 14-28 hyperglide and a new chain to match. If you are a casual rider I would recommend you consider changing to upright bars , (I like the north road style ) with sunrace friction thumb shifters and your choice of brake levers. At this point you will have a nice looking , easy shifting, comfortable bike that will be a joy to ride. If you want to upgrade the derailleurs look for a Suntour vx long cage rear. and corresponding front, some of the best ones made.


All this will cost you less than $200 if you buy good used parts from the co op. If you hang around there you will probably learn a lot about wrenching and might try volunteering with them .