Help with a Peugeot that needs some help!
 

Hey cool cats,
First time posting after many years of reading. Yesterday I picked up an orange Peugeot frame at a yard sale for $40. I'm pretty sure it is a UO8 but can't tell. It's just frame and fork. I'm guessing its the UO8 due to the forks being silver on the bottom half. It has a 7 number serial that is stamped into a plate which is attached under the frame, beneath the bottom bracket.

I'm currently on a Raleigh Olympus and will be transferring whatever parts I can. I'm not super educated on bikes so I'm asking for your help. I know I need a French threaded bottom bracket and a smaller stem. I'm wondering what else would be compatable from an English bike. I may try and sand down the stem to make it fit. Also, in my research I've noticed that Velo Orange has a French threaded bottom bracket that would accept "better" cranks. Whats the story there? I used to own a Motobecane (which I loved and unfortunately had to sell) and the only problem I ever had with it was the cotter pin crank so if it's possible to avoid that on this bike I'd like to.

Basically I want this to be an everyday rider and don't need much flash. It's an orange frame for Pete's sake, it has enough flash. There are numerous co ops near me that may have parts so I'm keeping that in mind too though I would like to reuse whatever I can from the Raleigh and then I'll probably sell off that frame/fork set.

Thanks for the help,
Joe

You may be able to transfer the derailleurs. If you have a claw type (no hanger) type rear derailleur that should transfer. If you have a front derailleur that you can tighten down to 28.0mm you can transfer that also (metric tubing you see 28.0mm). The wheelset and handlebars as well as the shifters and brake levers/calipers will work. The only thing that you will need, apart from the crankset, headset and bottom bracket, is the 22.0 stem. You should be able to find a 22.0mm stem at just about any LBS or on EBay. HTH!

Thanks. I think I'll be able to find most of the parts I need used around town. BB being my biggest concern. Would I also need a new seat post? And to clarify, am I stuck with a pinned crank on this or is there a way to put something more stable on there?

Sure, but you will need a new crank and bottom bracket. Depending on era, your bottom bracket is probably french, which will cost more than the standard ones, but not too bad. Seat posts come in a lot of different sizes, and yes, you will need one sized to fit the UO8. I forget the size right now. French stem is a different size, so is the french headset. Peugeot used a somewhat unique shift lever set up, your Raleigh parts won't work.

French bikes have a lot of idiosyncracies. That means finding parts will take more time and cost more $. The co-op is a great place to start, that should save you a lot of money.

If the bearing cups are in good shape you can install a standard square-taper crank, no problem. Be aware that if your bike is early enough (70's?) then the right cup will be right-hand threads (like the left) and is best not removed unless you can torque it back in really tight. And both side are likely French threads.

As always, pics or it didn't happen!

The headset and race and all that are still attached and fine. The bottom bracket is completely gone. It seems to be early 70's so I'm anticipating it being a French thread which is why I'm thinking that Velo cartridge I mentioned in the first post might be a good bet. The shops around here have lots of parts and knowledgable employees. Plus a friend has boxes of parts and bike tools that I don't have. I just wanted to have some set ideas and understanding in mind.
Thanks everyone.