SvenMN 

Not wanting to hijack the discussion of gomango’s beautiful Croll gravel build, I have been asked to start one for my retro-fitted Peugeot gravel racer.

Pics first!



During a spin workout with the cycling club last winter the gauntlet was laid down… “Why don’t we sign up for the Almanzo 100 mile gravel race? Registration is about to close.” Naively I agreed. When I grabbed the mailing address for the registration post card I glanced at the website… hmmmm, this will be a challenge…

OK, so what to ride? My friend will be on his almost new full carbon Fuji CX bike.

I know, I know!! My recently acquired 1985 Peugeot PSN-10 road bike might work, especially with the noodley 60 cm Super Vitus 980 frame and fork to soak up the bumps ☺ There it hung in the stand, box stock, completely renovated and detailed, awaiting my Twin Cities Bike Swap quest for a set of appropriate handlebars to replace the slightly tweaked originals.

After scoping out the SV 980 frame and fork it looked like some decent gravel tire clearance could be had. Test fitted some 32mm CX tires with no issues… sweet! Downside is no possibility of cantilever brakes without major surgery. Think positive… maybe it won’t rain…

So, all the cleaned-lubed-adjusted bits came off, down to the SV frame-fork-Stronglight headset (4 lbs 2 oz BTW). All the parts were zip-lock bagged and tucked away in my “retain for someday back to original” storage box. The proverbial clean slate.

Besides being a functional gravel grinder, build goals included:
• No alterations to the original bike so it could be “flipped” back in a few hours if I want to upgrade to a real gravel frame set
• Keep the cost down by using parts I already have tucked away
• Hunt down other needed parts from the Twin Cities bike swap
• Patronize the local bike shop as much as possible
• Don’t deviate too far from a C&V flavor.

Here’s what it all came together as:
• ’85 Peugeot Super Vitus 980 frameset with original quill seatpost and Stronglight headset
• Mavic Open Pro-Shimano 600 Tricolor wheelset, 10 speed adapter -126 mm (parts bin and bartered LBS wheel build)
• Challenge Almanzo 30mm gravel tires, race light Kenda tubes (LBS)
• Shimano Ultegra STI levers, brakes, FD, and long-cage RD (TC bike swap)
• New SRAM drive components including Rival 50/34 compact 170mm crankset -black only ☹- and bottom bracket, SRAM Rival 11-34 cassette, SRAM chain (LBS)
• Cinelli 1A 90mm stem, Nitto 42cm bars (TC bike swap)
• Oval saddle (bike swap)
• Cables, housings, Lizard Skin bar wrap (LBS)
• seat bag, computer (parts bin)
• Shimano XT SPD pedals (LBS)

Bathroom scale weight, with cages, pedals, and bag with spares is just over 22 pounds.

Initial ride was a month or so ago with some old Turbo road tires mounted. Good fun.

Mounted up a new set of Conti GP 4000s for the real inaugural test ride… the MN Ironman. Sweet! A couple of club rides before hand, and then thoroughly enjoyed the 109 mile tour through the river bluff country around Stillwater. Used the bailout 34 cog on a couple of climbs, and the frameset absorbed potholes and cracks during the rapid descents into Stillwater on the winter ravaged pavement (my riding mates on their full carbon modern rides complained of sore wrists afterward, no issues for me). Post ride inspection afterward revealed no problems except a slightly loose NDS crank, and the need to watch the spoke tension on the freshly laced wheels. I would describe the ride as compliant, not too flexy, and not too stiff.

In preparation for the Almanzo 100 we have shifted to gravel rides. Did the initial 52 miler last Sunday and thoroughly enjoyed it!! Whether flying in the gutter, or up on the washboard, stability is confidence inspiring. No doubt a good deal of the credit goes to the Challenge Almanzo tires, which seem to like about 50 psi on the gravel. With the forgiving frame and the tires the ride is surprisingly smooth. When you watch the front hub when hitting the washboard sections I swear the fork drops are moving at least a half inch (no interest in watching the rear hub when in the bumps).

Now I am really looking forward to the gravel race on Saturday, May 18th Unless rain and/or snow is in the forecast Bike will be disassembled, cleaned, lubed and re-assembled with blue Loctite as appropriate.

And we have a group going down for the Horribly Hilly Hundreds 200K in mid-June. I am thinking I will move the 11-34 cassette over and ride my Zipp 303/Conti GP4000 tubular wheelset. That will bring the weight below 20 lbs.

What a versatile machine!

Bryan

SvenMN 

Some more pics. These were taken tonight during a 36 mile gravel ride.







And one from first gravel ride on Sunday after arriving back home.

gomango

That's a great build.

I'm amazed you could shoehorn in that much tire in those stays.

I've got very little wiggle room on my Croll, so if the wheel goes out of true by much, I'm walking.

I've done a fair amount of farm roads this spring and our bikes have an advantage over cyclocross bikes.

The wheelbase is a little longer and that helps over the choppy surface.

I like your bike quite a bit and I know we'll have a blast at the Almanzo if the nice weather holds.

Congrats on your project!

Italuminium

Things are surely heating up in the Gravel Grinder corner of Minnesota I really dig this build too. Just two questions:

-The stem seems rather short; have you build this bike with a shorter TT+stem combo than your usual rides? There seem to be two schools of thought at play in the GG world, one all for long reach for more comfort and one for short reach for more control.
-How are those tires handling rock-strewn paths in comparison to 26" MTB tires?

Thanks and have fun on the Almanzo!

SvenMN 

The longer wheelbase may indeed provide more stability while in the washboard bumps. I've removed the adjusters from the rear drops and have the wheel back farther than its original position, both for stability and for tire clearance. I was surprised by how much taller the gravel tires were.

Through the years these mid-80s 60cm Peugeot frames have provided me a comfortable but aggressive position with the seat post at its minimum insertion point using the standard 120mm stems. My height is 6'0" (183 cm), but my Scandinavian influenced build has very long femurs with a very short torso. This is the first ever STI shifting bike I have ridden, so I spent a fair amount of time just sitting on the trainer adjusting the stem height, bar position and STI lever position. I felt like I was reaching a little too far to ride the hoods comfortably and decided to shorten the reach some... The 30mm shorter stem gives me a slightly more upright riding position for the long hauls, I can comfortably ride the hoods, and I may have inadvertently stumbled into a more stable front end on the gravel by moving my center-of-gravity back slightly.

The tires seem to work great in the loose rocks as long as I relax and let the front end go and keep the power on. Standing on the steeper climbs does give me some rear wheel spin, but not excessive. My MTB riding experience is very limited... while probably not close to the traction of MTB tires, these 30mm 700c Almanzos are significantly better than expected.

Thanks for your comments... I am a gravel grinder newbie and open to any suggestions!

Bryan

Italuminium

Thanks Brian!

bikemig 

I always thought these were nice bikes and a really good deal when they came out. It would not be my first choice for a gravel beater but what the heck, you clearly had fun building it and I'm impressed that you managed to shoehorn a 30c tire on this bike. Nice job on the bike.

SvenMN 

Wouldn't be my first choice either bikemig . And if we have mud it may become my last choice . I am looking forward to checking out the other bikes at Almanzo... should be a good education for me.

The frame set is anything but pristine. Straight but plenty of paint and decal issues.

And there is always the option of keeping it a roadie, or putting it back to original and moving on to another frame set.

sternzeit

I have a PSN-10 in black. It's my daily rider and I love the frame. How did you get a 10 speed cassette on a 126mm hub? I want to upgrade from the crappy Helicomatic hub but I'm not sure if I want to spread the rear stays out to 130mm or try to stay with 126.

JAG410

Great build! I'm looking forward to seeing it at Almanzo!

SvenMN 

Depends on how far you want to go on an upgrade...

I had a new Shimano FH-1056 FreeHub Body and fixing bolt that let me upgrade the buttery 7 speed Shimano 600 tricolor hub to accept the 8-9-10 speed cassettes. After adjusting the axle position and fitting to the frame I decided to give the 126mm set up a try... it works, and chain line is reasonable. I was glad I didn't have to go to the 130mm axle, and then have to deal with issues spreading or cold-setting. Of course my Zipp wheel set has a 130mm rear but it goes in with minimal effort.

I have a '86 PSN-10T that I am running with period correct Campagnolo Record hubs with a 6 speed freewheel... Works quite well if you just want to get away from the Helico. (Personally. I have run the Helico hubs for years with no issues except sourcing parts.) I know there are plenty of other options out there but don't have first-hand experience so won't comment.

sternzeit

I guess I don't really have a problem with the Hilico hub in general but my chain doesn't want to engage the top three cogs cleanly when shifting. I have to mess with the shifter to get the chain onto the cogs and that's a little unsettling while on the road at speed.

I just remembered that I have a Shimano Exage hub on a MTB that I could probably reuse. Those are 126mm correct?

SvenMN 

sternzeit: Sounds more like an adjustment and/or worn chain issue. And I am clueless about MTN hubs... I thought they were at least 130mm. I believe the general advice here is to find a used period correct non-Helico wheel set and appropriate freewheel.

zandoval 

Great ride - Would also suggest using blue painters tape over the wheel facing surfaces of your down tube and bottom bracket - It can really cut down on chips to that great paint job without adding weight - After your ride just peal it off...

SvenMN 

Excellent suggestion! Thanks! A club friend has a graphic design company heavy into signs... he has rolls of clear and has offered some up for that exact purpose. In my haste to get this on the road I totally forgot about it. Will need to do that next week when I race prep the bike.

balindamood

Make me really miss my PSN. Great bike!

SvenMN 

OK, with good comments about shoehorning in the 30mm tires I figured I'd give some more info. Sorry in advance about the filthy bike... been riding it!

Minimum clearance is, as expected, at the chain stays... I measured 4mm on each side. If I have a rear wheel come way out of true I may have to do some truing on the course, and need to put a spoke wrench in my tool bag. The brake pads will rub first, but I have the adjusters all the way out to allow some quick loosening and facilitate wheel removal past the pads if needed.


Brake assembly clearance seems to be adequate, unless of course there is MUD!



Chainline and 126mm rear hub setup:

SvenMN 

With the Almanzo 100 gravel race behind us, I have re-configured my "versatile" Peugeot PSN-10 for the Horribly Hilly Hundreds 200K (no gravel).



While the Almanzo went quite well, the 17% climb up Oriole Road at mile 95 left me wanting a bail-out gear from my intended 32 cog bail-out. HHH promises 12,000 feet of climbing, another 4,000 over Almanzo, So I went for broke and installed a 12-36 cassette. 40 mile test ride tonight on the biggest hills we have, and it works just fine.

Weight is 19.71 pounds (LBS digital scale). 303 wheel set with 23mm Conti 4K tubulars and Speedplay Zero stainless pedals account for the weight reduction... all rotational. The bike is noticeably "livelier" while accelerating and climbing. And the SV980 steel frame is so comfortable for these longer rides!

I know, I know... getting farther and farther from true C&V. Given a couple of hours I can switch it back to it out-of-the box 1985 configuration I am in awe of those taking on a challenge like HHH on a true C&V ride... maybe I need to set a goal of riding the L'Eroica on my PX-10

Bryan

JAG410

This is my favorite Peugeot ever, it looks equally impressive with the gravel tires as it does with the Zipps!

gomango

Bryan,

Looks fantastic. It was great to see you at Almanzo. You really impressed me with your bike and your eventual event times.

Pays to have focus and you were ready to go.

As you know, some of us lacked focus and eventually started fly fishing for German Brown trout at the 81 mile mark.

....and fishing was superb.

I'm sure your times at the HHH will exceed your expectations.

Again, the bicycle looks great.

gomango

I was just thinking the same thing!

......and you did a great job at Almanzo as well.

Fun day, wasn't it!

SvenMN 

Thanks Jason. Admittedly, it looks kind of goofy with the pie-plate 36 cog on the rear. And I've never had as many comments on any bike I've owned than those on course at the Almanzo. The GG crowd is certainly tuned into steel!

SvenMN 

A truly memorable experience Grady. One I will never forget. And kicking back and fishing some of those scenic streams after 81 miles of gravel would be a memorable experience as well... honoring what the real goal is... to have FUN. That's an awesome job!

gomango

It was a great day and we certainly lucked out on the weather, didn't we!

Parts of Spring Valley flooded the next day I read.

Yeah, we had a blast, but next year I'll be in much better condition.

Maybe fast enough to keep up with you for the full 105 mile course.

whatwolf

Seeing your Peugeot as a gravel grinder gives me much to think about w/r/t my own Peugeot's uncertain future. I think it would fit 700x30s as well