G1nko

I've wanted one of these builds for awhile now, and when a '75 Peugeot UO-8 came my way super cheap, I figured it was time.

This bike was a complete disassemble, clean, and rebuild. I replaced the chain ring and the crank arms because they were shot on the original. It seemed a good idea to put in a sealed cartridge BB at the same time. I converted the bike to a five-speed.

Some purists may squawk at my conversion, but it was what I wanted. It's a UO-8; not a thousand-dollar collectible and I stored all the original parts in a marked box in the cellar just in case.

New parts:
VO Montmartre handlebars
Dia-compe reverse levers
Temple bell
VO Sealed bottom bracket
46t chain ring w/170mm crank arms
VO Plume Alaire chain guard
VO 45mm hammered fenders
VO porteur rack
Kool-stop dual compound brake pads
Schwalbe HS 159 tires

Original parts:
Suntour 7-GT RD
Simplex downtube shifters
27" Rigida rims
Normandy high-flange hubs
Norex seat
Mafac brakes
Maillard 5-speed free wheel
Atax non-stem-o'-death stem
Nice shiny chrome dork disk

In retrospect, I may have gone a little over the top with the VO swag. I really liked the Plume Alaire pics on VO's website; I don't really like it on the bike.

southpawboston

Don't let the purists rain on your parade, I think these old French road bike conversions have the capacity to come out great, as it looks like your has! It appears to have fairly low trail to handle a front load well, and those old french bikes just tend to ride so nicely. I think your build list is practical and well thought out. Well done.

I did a very similar poseur-porteur build of a Jeunet, and I still look forward to hopping on it every day as my daily commuter:

jeirvine 

Nicely done. I have nothing against VO-style bikes, other than the cost of components really adding up if you're not careful. I've done a few, but have gotten parts cheap at the VO annual garage sale - living not too far from the shop helps.

Grand Bois

That derailer is at an extreme angle! Are you sure it's mounted correctly?

Grand Bois

I think the Peugeot looks great. What is "Plume Alaire"?

southpawboston

I figured you'd chime in on that. The tension plate is missing. I keep meaning to look for one but keep forgetting. This boat anchor of delrin and steel SX410 is shot anyway, I'll be replacing it with another NOS crap Simplex in my parts bin, after this winter's salt treatment finally destroys this one. Funny, though, it shifts quite well despite the angle.

southpawboston

That's VO's new chain guard:

Velognome 

UO-8's have such nice manners, good to see one getting a new lease on life.

Grand Bois

That bike deserves nothing less than a Super LJ.

John E

The SunTour rear derailleur is a huge improvement over the original Simplex. I have a short cage Cyclone II on my UO-8 and a Shimano Titlist front derailleur, along with a 13-26 ultra-spaced 6-speed freewheel.

anixi

Nice bike! But, you sure spent a lot of dough: the French BB is $50 all by itself! Yowsers...

G1nko

Yeah, I'm into it a few bucks, but I really wanted a porteur build and I'm not looking to flip. On the other hand, the only parts acquired directly from VO are the bars, the brakes, and the BB; the rest was scavenged or bought cheap off eBay over time. Even the Plume Alaire chain guard was had less expensively through a 3rd party.

DW99

Very nice looking bikes, G1nko and Southpaw!

southpawboston

I have a NOS Super LJ 5500 which is why I had inquired about how to mount it to a claw, but in the end, why would I want such a high-zoot derailleur on my city bike which I leave locked up outdoors in almost all weather? I wouldn't subject collectible, valuable pieces like that to northeast salty winters. That's why I have my disposable crap Simplexes. The other French parts on this bike aren't nearly as collectible, so I don't mind seeing them get worn.

Sometimes I think of converting it back to a road bike, in which case it would get a matching set of Super LJ mechs.

jptwins

I've also got a UO-8 conversion, but went a bit of a different direction than you did. I needed a gravel dirt-road bike, and with some 40mm knobby tires, it looks like this:


in the end, I'm gonna trade out the moustache bars for something different, and see how she behaved then. i expect this will also be my snow bike...

Billy Bankers

Hi guys. Fantastic looking bikes above, nice jobs all round.

My first foray into this forum, which I found by Googling Peugeot Porteur.

I've just inherited a Porteur from my grandpa. 21 years its been sat in a shed, untouched, under a tarp.

Here's a picture (which doesn't do her justice at all):


My project and refurb starts from here. I'm going to clean her up first, put some new white wall tyres on, add a black leather, sprung Brookes saddle, and then take a good pause before doing anything else.

I ride her to work each day - 1 mile through the middle of London - and she's got great manners. Awesome riding position and visibility, compared to my race bike (Trek Madone), and the Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub gears are spot on.

Very excited to bring her back to life, and interested to hear any suggestions.

Billy Bankers

Slowly bringing this girl back to life.

Spit, polish, new Brookes saddle and some TLC were the first steps.

I think she looks a load better already.

Not sure about how to replace the handle bar grips. I've seen some very nice black leather wraps with aluminium ends in a local Dutch bike shop.

non-fixie 

Nice bike already. I wouldn't mind riding it just the way it is.

BTW, welcome to the forums!

noglider 

I think you'll enjoy that. It looks like it's from about 1982, n'est-ce pas?

Shp4man

Nice bikes! I will admit that I'm not really that fanatical about keeping bikes completely original myself. Unless it's a really rare or historic one. Just last night I put a 7 speed freewheel on this.


Just had to adjust the Cyclone II (that's a piece of Japanese engineering right there) and Shazam! 14 speeds!

Billy Bankers

Thanks non-fixie... love the username btw. You wouldn't catch me riding such a thing!

Billy Bankers

I haven't been able to trace that properly yet, noglider. But, I reckon it's there or thereabouts. My grandpa bought it pretty much new ~23-25 years ago, to ride around the Sussex countryside and go to his local pubs. In the end he found it a bit too much hard work and just (drunk) drove instead! That would put her somewhere in the mid-80s. I'll do some more digging.

Otherwise, apart from adding a Brookes saddle, I've just bought some new bar grips and tyres.
- https://twitter.com/billybankers/sta...66873665675264
- https://www.wallbike.com/sites/defaul...full/hs158.jpg (gumwall not white wall for my girl)

Wasn't easy to get hold of 26 x 1 1/2 x 1 5/8 (in old money) or 650B 44 x 584 (in new money) tyres though. I've emailed 6 bike UK bike specialists to see who can get them for me, and I'll then get some rim tape at the same time.

One more thing I found out last week, she basically will not stop in the wet! After using trainers to break and not hit a blind pedestrian getting out of a taxi, I'm going to get some new pads and overhaul the brakes.

bikemig 

I like the UO-8 conversion. It is such a versatile bike and well worth fixing up. I just need to find a frame; I have a lot of old french parts lying around that need a home,

Billy Bankers

Checking in with a couple more photos of new bits and bobs for my Porteur.

Gumwall tyres, courtesy of SJS cycles in the UK, I could literally find them nowhere else... and these guys have a reputation for being able to help with such tasks. Tyres now on, looking nice and have improved the handling too. The old ones were so soft after 22+ years the side wall practically had no strength at all.



Other minor addition - new grips to replace tired old rubber ones. Some nice all in one Brookes leather wrapped stainless add-ons would not fit. 22m diameter moustache bars a bit wide compared to modern versions apparently. So I've wrapped 6 inches of Brookes black grip tape with cork and wood ends. In the end I think this has come out better anyway.



Well, the weather's nice in London for once, so off to take her round some cafes and markets!

non-fixie 

Looking sharp!