Hello,

This is my first post.

I bought a bicycle from everyone's favourite auction site: eBay. It's my first bicycle since childhood and my first ever road bike — you must recoil at the familiarity of this sentence.



I was fortunate as much of the frame and components are in reasonable condition, with all in working order.

I'm unenlightened about its history, only gleaning it's had a home paint job at some stage. Unfortunately, this has covered much of the identifiers, at least those areas I've been told by the internet to look for frame and serial numbers.



Does anyone haver experience identifying such a frame? I've attached as many photographs as I thought necessary. Please tell me if a more telling angle exists and I'll upload it.

I agree, looks like it had a bad red repaint at one time. Looks to be a typical entry level, internally brazed frame that Peugoet sold form the 80's to the early 90's. The semi sloping fork crown tells me it's at least mid 80's or later, most likely made from Peugeot "HLE" high tensiile steel tubing.
A good solid looking Peugoet from that time, but I do want to note that the addition of that big alen headded bolt under the bottombraket is a crappy thing to do to the bike. See if you can take it off. Please note that the rear derailleur cable should be moved over to it's own BB guide groove. that lines up with the bottom of the right chainstay. It might have popped off its groove when the bike was shipped. The cables will start fraying if you don't put them on their separate guide grooves asap.
BTW, what's that weird thing that looks like a bolt on the left side of the head tube, a "ZerK" fitting to grease the steering bearings??. Most likely a mod by the PO, as I never saw that on any Peugeot.....uhmmmmm........ there could be a pound of grease between the head tube and steerer tube that you really do not want in there. I'd check the head tube if this is the case and avoid using that Zerk fitting to grease the head bearings. Just leave it on there as a "conversation piece".......... Is that grease coating that bolt and the bottom of the BB???..... Now I'm wondering if the PO added that big allen headed bolt to the BB to seal the drain hole to keep in the grease that might have worked it's way downward from the head area to the BB shell. there had been many cases of C&Ver's finding pounds and pounds of grease in their frames from goofy, misguided mods like the Zerk fitting on the head tube. A full exploratory dissasembly of the bike asap, would be prudent.
Don't worry, the fork's not bent, frame looks straight and the bike's complete. I think can easily be cleaned and adjusted to ride for many more years on the road!

Have fun with the Peugeot!

Chombi

It's shocking to read such elementary observations, corrections that neither me nor the local bicycle shop that today performed a service spotted.

I removed the large allen-headed screw. A wall of grease confronted me. I suspect your observation about the screw on the left side of the head tube is correct — to lubricate the steering. I removed much excess from its joint with the front fork.

I full strip may well be worthwhile. Alas, I do not have the space and knowledge to accomplish this.

Is there free online source for a guide to complete this?

+1.

bemico, this website is you free online source.

you can mount a bell on your headtube.

Am I wrong or is it a hodgepodge of parts as well? those brakes look much older than the bike,

Why "bad red repaint"? It's had touch-ups I can see, but the paint doesn't look so bad.

You are correct. The grease on the BB shell fooled me first to think that the whole frame was re-painted with a brush as you see done on the seat cluster. It looks like most of the repaint was made only in that area. The rest looks to be original. The OP's bike lock chain and/or pump mount must have really scratched up the seat cluster area.

Chombi

I'm slowly coming to terms with cleaning up the bike. I took it for a modest ride today and enjoyed it. If I am to continue enjoying it a little TLC seems appropriate.

It is a mongrel bike with non-standard parts everywhere. It's a restorers nightmare, but an unnecessary worry when your main aim is riding.

Is there a link a thread giving a step-by-step teardown?

Welcome to the forum! I like your bike. The Peugeot lion on the fork is a nice touch. The only thing I see that needs to be done is to put that shifter cable in the right groove, and that's an easy task. Once you've done that I'd just clean it, give it a wax and ride away. I'm fond of CLB brakes, and they're French so they match the bike regardless of their originality. Now, if it were mine, I think I'd lose the reflectors, change up the bar tape and saddle and go for something like this:

But that's aesthetics, not function. Have fun riding your new bike!

There must be some sort of Youtube video guide on how to fix things on your bike, but I strongly suggest you get a book on bicycle maintenance to use as a general guide, and just use the videos as a back up for any clarifications. The books should also give you an idea on what basic tools you will need to do your basic teardown and maintenance.
Many cylcist like me learned through doing it ourselves gradually, not by choice but by neccesity becuase we could not afford to go to the bike shop to fix or adjust our bikes back in college. There's no rushing on how you learn how to work on your bikes, but in the end you will realize that you will end up mostly trusting only yourself to do most, if not all the work on your bikes.
Remember, adjusting and maintaining your bike directly translate on how safe it will be to ride on the roads, so doing so should not be taken lightly and it is good that you are seeking information and guidance on it instead of just jumping in and turniing wrenches......like unfortunately, as we can see, the PO might have done on some things on your bike.

Chombi