hokie cycler

I spent the last few days working on the front wheel. Pulled off the rotted tire, tube and the rim tape fell off. I used some metal polish and a cloth and a brass brush to shine it up. I also took off the front brake and cleaned that a little. The pads look fine and I will probably keep them. The pictures may not show it but the front wheel looks awesome.



I also removed the seat post and was surprised at how easily it came off. Next up is the rear wheel and rear brake.

Grand Bois

Nice work. The aluminum parts will look even better if you use some polish. Wax the rims to prevent rust, but avoid the braking surfaces. Your spokes don't appear to have any rust and that's rare.

hokie cycler

I finally finished this over the holidays. The work included new tires (Michelin, it is a French bike after all), tubes, cables, housing and bar tape. One broken spoke was replaced on the rear wheel (by a bike shop, that is beyond my abilities). The saddle was cleaned with saddle soap. The brakes, chain, cranks, pedals and chain rings were removed and cleaned. I chose the brown bar tape to compliment the saddle and side walls of the tires. I believe black would be more historically correct but I was with my daughter and I asked her opinion and she liked the brown. I really like the brown. I considered stripping and repainting the frame but decided against it. It's an old bike and it should look like one. The seat is raised to the max to fit me as I am 6'-4" and the saddle to BB distance is the same as my 60 cm Madone. This is my first project and the first time I have done cables so be gentle on me!

hokie cycler

One more thing, the Simplex FD was cracked and I found an exact replacement on ebay for $10 and another $10 shipping from France.

Sixty Fiver

We need to do something in the winter besides riding our bikes in the snow...

Peugeot bicycles were very popular here in Canada and as such, I have seen a lot of them and done some research on models / decals and have also dicovered that the catalogues are not always accurate as Peugeot equipped bicycles differently depending on the market.

The bike looks great and if I was keeping it would replace the jockey wheels on the rear d with some Suntours as they are almost 40 years old and are prone to breaking... the Prestige actually works quite well when you do not push it past it's limits and don't smash it on anything.

For daily drivers I usually swap these out for better quality Suntour parts and do have rebuild kits for the front and rear d when keeping things original is desirable... have also been collecting old Simplex and French parts for a while so have spares since I ride a '57 PLX8 and a '76 AO8.

Upgrading the wheels with alloy rims makes the most difference in performance, especially in the braking department... the steel patterned rims are only good when it is dry.

auchencrow

Holkie -
Your restoration looks great! +1 for the brown bar tape, and to Sixty's recommendation to go with alloy hoops. Your bike is worth it!
You will do well to keep an eye on that "new" Simplex FD. They are notorious for cracking and and you don't want it ending up in your chain-wheel.
Just one more suggestion, though some people route their brake cables as you did, IMO the flow looks more natural routed behind the bars.

Bianchigirll 

Congrats this old bike looks minty fresh and showroom new!! Great results for a first timer

Grand Bois

Looks great, except that the cables should go behind the bars.

Gdando

Hokie,
What cables did you use?

campngolf

Looks very nice. An inspiration for me to finish the one that's collecting a little dust on my patio.

Sixty Fiver

I think that it depends on the set-up... if putting the cables behind the bars gives them too acute a bend they are better up front... that rear brake housing could also be cut down as it is a little long.

hokie cycler

Shimano with Jagwire housing.

hokie cycler

Good comment and I was wondering about that. The old cables were routed that way and it would allow the front brake housing to seat itself in the guide on the head tube.

hokie cycler

Thanks. The paint job is dinged and scratched but it does look better with a little elbow grease.

dddd

This vintage of "O"-series Peugeots, i.e. UO8, UO9, AO8, etc, have a relatively layed-back seat-tube angle, combined with a steeper head-tube angle (frames larger than 21" or so).
This makes the bikes feel shorter out on the road, since the top-tube is somewhat pulled back (due to the more-rearward seat-tube angle).
So decide first whether the frame size is still reasonable for your efforts, since a longer stem's "quill" will likely have to be filed-to-fit into the smaller, 22mm ID steer tube opening.

Post-1979 UO-series Peugeots reversed their traditional frame geometry, steepening the seat-tube angle while relaxing the head-tube angle, much as early triathlon/multisport bike frames would later use(!). Thus begat the first use (by Peugeot) of the "Super Sport" moniker on the 1979 UO9.

A 1977 UO8 or UO9 would have by then come with Simplex ratcheting (in both directions!(?)) stem shifters and a metal-clad rear derailer.

The hollow-extension French "death stems" are not so stiff or strong, but for gentle use with an average-sized rider (and using the stock, narrow bars), should be reasonably safe imo.

markk900

Good advice, but I was able to find a number of SR stems in a variety of lengths at the local used bike emporium so that might not be necessary.

To OP: lovely restoration....You can actually also get wing nuts for the rear wheel if you wanted them - but if you do beware as the one on the derailleur side is slightly different than the other 3, based on my experience with a slightly older AO-8.

bikemig 

This bike came out great; it is also one of my favorite bikes. It had a long production run and it was a solid bike. You'll enjoy it.

Grand Bois

Those cables belong behind the bars.