andrew.waye

This is a touring bike bought in Germany in 85 or 86. The serial number is 4800046 (I think, kinda faded...). Also on the sticker is the model and size PXR80 57. I have had no luck finding an old catalog for this bike, nor any information at all about Peugeot making a PXR80 model.

I've found the following resources, but they have provided no insight.
https://www.peugeotshow.com/
https://cyclespeugeot.com/ModelID.html
https://mysite.verizon.net/vzerndgo/index.html

markf

How about a picture of the bike, maybe some details about the components?

I'm pretty sure Peugeot made different bikes for different markets back then, maybe you should try to find a German cycle forum or website to help you out.

andrew.waye

I believe it is this bike, but the shifters are on the bar ends and there is also a safety brake handle. The frame is dark blue and with the rainbow decals (red to white) on top and seat tubes and white checkers on either side of the "Peugeot" logo on the down tube.

https://www.re-cycle.com/images/Peuge...ch/1985_09.jpg

I'd like to know some general stuff. Has anyone toured with a similar bike, what kind of quality is it, can i expect trouble from components despite having been ridden very little by its previous owner.

tacomee

First off, I've heard a lot about *barely ridden* old bikes. It's hardly ever true. Bikes get ridden, parts wear out. Most 80's bikes take $100 worth of parts to get them road worthy...plus you'll need tools and know how if you want to do it yourself. It's not rocket science and many folks find it fun and rewarding. People roll 80's bikes into bike shops all the time...and drop $$$$ getting them fixed. A good shop in Seattle or SF will charge $300 + to rehab an older bike.

The Peugeot your looking at is a cool funky bike.....but it's not a new bike. Ride an old 80s clunker and then go to a bike shop and ride a new bike. Big, big difference. If the old bikes were so great....why don't companies make them anymore?

Don't get me wrong...old bikes are really fun and rewarding. I've owed a whole lot of them, spent a lot of time and money messing with them. Pure fun. But it's possible to buy new touring bikes for less than $1200 now, and those bikes are better than anything vintage, performance wise.

The Surly LHT (or the other low budget touring bikes out now) are the best value in cycling...ever!

markf

The bike in the link you provide is offered in 3 frame sizes, which does not suggest a high quality bicycle. A better quality bike frame would be offered in more sizes to ensure a better fit. If the "safety brake handle" you refer to is the "suicide lever" brake lever extension that I remember from the '70s, then that's one more indication that this is not an especially high quality bike. Once again, pictures of your bike might help a little more than pictures from a catalog.

I'm inclined to agree with tacomee that this is probably a cool looking old bike, great for errands and shopping and maybe commuting, but something a little more modern might offer better shifting, braking and dependability.

andrew.waye

Thanks for the input guys.

I got this bike for the sole purpose of doing some light-medium camping touring (weekends with maybe one trip from Ottawa to Halifax next summer). I plan on using the winter months to learn the bike inside out and do any upgrades that are necessary.

I already have my cool/interesting early 80s Raleigh for commuting/errands. For the fast-paced daytime sorties, I use my '09 DeVinci Imola.

The guy who bought this bike originally is the person I bought it from. He wasn't that knowledgeable about the bike, nor had he put any significant mileage on it (still had original tires).

I'm out of town right now, but as soon as I get back, I will be putting some pictures up for you to take a look at.

I've read that one problem with the French bikes is their "uniqueness" so when something does go, good luck finding a way to replace it in the middle of Northern Ontario.

I do have one question though regarding the fork material that I haven't had much luck researching online: what is the difference in a chrome fork vs. let's say chromoly.

If you think I'm being unreasonable at all for thinking about a 2000km tour on this bike, I'd appreciate to hear from the experts rather than realizing it stranded in a mining town surrounded by trees and moose! I just don't have the cash to go and put $2000 into a tour.

Doug64

I have toured several thousand miles on a 1974 Puegeot PX10 which was designed or geared for touring at all. I used it because that is what I had at the time. I had some great trips on it. You are correct though about Puegeots' uniqueness; they are French threaded so parts are hard to find. I still have it, and just went through it, If it was the only bike I had, I would not hesitate to take it on a tour. Try not to sink too much into it, but make sure it is in good mechaincal shape with good tires and try it out. You will get a good idea of how well it performs on some shorter tours.

Doug64

PS. My first sentence should read "was not designed.............................

markf

Just about any bike would be fine for light-medium weekend camping tours, just travel light. See for yourself how it works and what changes need to be made.

The "uniqueness" of French bikes refers to the threading on the bottom bracket, headset and rear hub (if the bike has a freewheel instead of a cassette). The French bike industry used a different thread pattern than the rest of the bicycle world, which can make replacing these parts difficult.

The rear hub is another issue. Bikes back then used a freewheel that screwed onto the rear hub, and tightened as you rode. Modern bikes use a cassette, a collection of cogs that slide onto a splined fitting on the rear hub and are held in place by a lock ring. Freewheels are getting hard to find, and cassette style hubs tend to be much less vulnerable to broken axles. If your bike has a freewheel, I would suggest a new rear wheel with a cassette hub as one of your first upgrades. You may have to cold-set the rear triangle (spread the rear dropouts further apart) to get a new cassette to fit.

If your bike has steel rims, a set of alloy rims would be lighter and more durable.

A chrome fork is a steel fork with chrome plating. The chrome is nice and shiny and doesn't chip or scratch as easily as paint. Chromoly is an alloy of steel, chrome and molybdenum, which is very strong. Chromoly is used in lots of bicycle frames and forks.

Here's a good source for all kinds of information about bikes, including the vagaries of French bikes, old bikes and old French bikes:
https://sheldonbrown.com/harris/

tacomee

Not to pick fights with anybody....but there is an endless supply of freewheels. The old style freehub isn't near as strong as the new cassette hubs however. Both work for most uses, however.

andrew.waye

So, as long as I bring the necessary tools and the extra parts, I should be good to go. I plan to take the bare minimum along, so there should be plenty of room for a couple extra parts/tools. Also, I'm a pretty lean guy, so the extra weight on the frame isn't too big of an issue since I only weight 160lbs.

tacomee

One thing your favor is that many low end bikes still have freewheels and friction shifting....just like your Peugeot. Parts will be cheap and easy enough to find...

I wouldn't tell anyone to spend much money buying this bike....I think a newer bike would offer better value most of the time. I would, however, encourge anyone to tour on it if they already own the bike. You'll have a lot of fun!

andrew.waye

yeah, i recently got the bike for $150 (there were many interested buyers, so i just paid for it and decided to do the research after the fact... can resell in a second if i decide i can't tour with it this summer).

for a new decent touring bike, i'm looking at $1500 for a LHT. def don't have that kind of cash at the moment. but i don't mind putting a little into this old, albeit little used, bike.

tacomee

$150 wasn't a bad starting point....lots of other 80's touring style bikes are going for much, much more. Add in the massive repair job any 20 year old plus bike needs and these bikes are a terrible value.


I would still guess the bike needs a lot of work...new tires, new cables, new housing, all the bearings cleaned and repacked. Have the chain checked for wear at a bike shop.

Get this book.

https://www.amazon.com/Anybodys-Bike-...9415298&sr=8-1


this book is very good for fixing beater bikes....

Good luck and have fun

andrew.waye

Tacomee, I'm lucky: my roommate works at a bike shop and I've been learning to do all those things myself. I figure a good set of kevlar-beaded tires and maybe a spare bottom bracket, axle, and freewheel (and any special tools required for said French components... probably don't have too much to worry about regarding the headset, eh?) will be my largest investments in the thing (unless the rims are in bad shape, they're brushed aluminum, but still 25 years old). A Brooks saddle, the steel racks, and nice saddlebags I won't count as an investment into "this" bike as I will be able to throw them on any future touring bike I ever own.

I'm looking forward to getting home on Monday night so I can take a very close look at these "problem" components... it is my understanding though that by the mid-late 80's they began to install more "standard" equipment (then again, the bike was built and bought in Europe).

I'll have pics up by Tuesday and look forward to all of your input!

Thanks guys,

Andrew

jmichaeldesign

Some Peugeots have English thread bottom brackets, some have french. Go ahead and take it off. If both sides are right hand thread then it's French, if one is right hand and the other left then it's english (standard). If you need a French thread your choices are a very expensive phil wood, or a reasonably expensive bb from velo-orange.

wrk101

I routinely find barely ridden vintage bikes (25 to 35 years old). About 90% of the vintage bikes I find are in the barely ridden category. Bicycles are like other fitness equipment, most are rarely used. However, a bicycle that has barely been ridden in 25 years is rarely ready to ride. Barely ridden bikes usually have not been maintained in 25 years either, and have been stored in less than ideal conditions.

Such bikes usually require a thorough rehab and complete tear down: bearings, grease, cables, housings, tires, tubes and more. If you do this work yourself, you can rehab a bike at a low cost ($75 or so, of course your time may not be free). Take it to a shop around here, you are talking $300. I call such bikes "projects". Projects rarely make financial sense unless you do the work yourself. Do it yourself, and it can make financial sense. Since you have a friend that can assist on the maintenance, sounds like you are ready to take on a project.

As far as suicide levers (turkey levers), by the 1980s, they just came on low end bikes. Sometimes owners would install them, as in the 1970s, they were common on most bikes (low end and high end). So I would not assume the bike is low end just because it has turkey levers. I have had some pretty nice bikes from the 1980s where prior owners retrofitted turkey levers onto the bikes. The good news is you can buy really nice aerolevers for under $20.

Here's an example of my keeper vintage touring bike, in as found condition. It's a 1987 Miyata 215ST. That model is fairly low in their product line, but still is pretty decent: triple butted cromoly frame, etc. When I got the bike earlier this year, it still had the original tires on it, looked like it had been ridden less than 200 miles total in it's life. It needed the basic maintenance I describe above due to sitting idle for over 20 years.

andrew.waye

Nice bike, wrk101. There have been two really nice Miyata's for sale in this city (Ottawa), both 210s for $180 and $175, but their frames were just a tad too small.

As far as the levers go, I actually have a pair of "aero" ones that have been sitting in my room for a while now, ready to put on my old Raleigh... I might have paid $5 for them at the local bike co-op.

When I bought this bike, a winter project was totally what I had in mind. I don't expect the gears to be in "racing" condition, just able to get me in the lowest gear on the hills, and in a gear I'm happy in on the flats (downhill I'll coast). Cables and housings I plan to replace, as well as clean and take apart and grease all the derailleurs and bearings.

andrew.waye

Finally able to upload some pics. The rear derailleur is a Sachs Huret Duopar-Eco (correct me if I'm wrong about this being a kickass rear derailleur) and the front is a Sach Huret Pilot. Unfortunately, the bike was built in France, so I'm guessing not a whole lot will be standard.