javal

So I finally landed a Puch. I thought it would be a Mistral but it turned out to be a Pacific. I´ve no clue of year of making but it says Made in Austria close to crankset, shifters on stem, Positron rear derailleur (totally smashed), Weinmann rims and breaks, Maillard hubs and that awesome seat telling the rest of the pack theres a Puch in front! I will concentrate on restoring the frame, wheels and stem/bar. I´m gonna leave the seat to a professional for re-clothing. I literally saved this one from becoming metal junk and I had it for free. Next winters project has arrived! So, any ideas about this bike when it was made?

(I know this is a low-end bike, but Puch road bikes are so rare in Sweden one must rescue because...its a Puch!)

evwxxx

Hej pa dej Javal! I would think that this bike would warrant a rescue from the junk yard here in the USA too!! Good find. Unusual to see one with the 3sp,,,

javal

Hej på dig också evwxx! Yes, its unusual in many ways. I think they were considered cheap compared to swedish made and high end brands. Most of them have probably already left the building...

purevl

How about a close-up of the crankset? That thing is crazy looking, like a "drillium" Starfish.

Panthers007

Bravo! You landed a high-end Puch touring bicycle! I have an original ad w/photo of this. Including specifications. I'll go fetch and post. And it appears yours is a 10 or 12spd. See the derailleur folded-up? Very nice!

javal

Panthers007; Thank you - I thought you´d comment my catch! And very nice of you nameing it "high end"; I will keep that in mind while restoring. The derailleur is more than folded - its badly damaged. I only wish I could enlarge your attached catalouge pic to read it! For sure none of the bikes has got my sight-for-sore-eyes-seat! purevl wanted close up on crankset. I cant find any brand on that one - maybe panthers007 can see/read it in your catalouge sheet?

purevl

That thing is totally wacky, I love it. I'd find some cheesy build for it, or make a clock out of it or something.

If you right click an image that is hosted off-site, like that catalog scan, and click "view image" you'll find you can often enlarge them a bit. It's big enough to read that way. I'm thinking maybe it's not the same bike...different market same name perhaps.

Panthers007

I'll see what else I can dredge up on your Pacifica. It's mid-range - but for a PUCH that's good! Even the SEARS imports were worthy in the USA & Canada. You can do the right click/view image trick. It just says it's alloy or something. Those Austrians are a strange & wild bunch! LOL.

Regards rear derailleur - get it a nice replacement. I'm running a Shimano Ultegra on my Puch. Before that I had a Suntour Mountech. My first was a Huret Titanium Duopar.

javal

I havent actually decided what to do with the bike, I certainly haven´t given the crankset any thoughts. But, I do have cranks laying around and the Stronglight (pic) could come in handy if I would re-build. Looking in the catalouge sheet sure differ those Pacificas from one another. The Suntour ARX vs my 10-speed Positron. Mine has got weinmann brakes and rims and that seems not to be the case with the catalouge bike. Shifters on stem is also significant to date year of making. But, the frame and lugs looks pretty identical. It sure would be interesting to get you guys figuring out when (and why) my bike was made... Remember, Made In austria.

Panthers007

I've upgraded my PUCH with many modern components. By 'restore' I mean to get it on the road in the best condition you can. A project if you will.

But even if you get it running fine with cheap components, you can ride it and see if it merits more from you. Many have this done and discovered the odd magic a PUCH invokes. And if you don't like it - by all means consider placing it on the market for someone else to enjoy. PUCH's should never land in a dump.

That's my opinion, and I'm sticking to it.
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javal

Panthers007; I´ve seen your Inter 10 up-grade and generally I tend to think frame matters first and the world is full of components! In this case (considering the state of rear derailleur and the gruppos all over stand) I´ll give it a little make over. Would I keep it the shifters will not be placed on the stem. If I dont keep it I have an Austrian friend who should feel responsible for this bike! This awkward babe will speed anywhere but the dump!

Rober

Here's my Pacifica. I kept all the stock components except the brake levers and cables. It is a great bike! I hope you like yours as much as I do mine. Great find...

javal

Hi robert! Thats a great bike, but it seems to differ from mine. Your crankset (see discussion/pics above), shifters position, tubing (I see you got stickers on forks), Suntour ARX derailleur. Same name but the US Pacifica aimed at an other consumer group?

Rober

Hi Javal -

I'm not really sure what market the Puch Pacifica I have was intended to serve, but I think it must have been aimed at the late 70s and early 80s "bike boom" market in the US. In its day, I am sure it was referred to as a "10-speed" and was used for general cycling (not racing or "serious" road cycling).

Like yours, it has Belgian Weinmann brakes and rims and French Maillard hubs, but the cranks and chain rings are Japanese Silstar. The fork has a sticker on it that says, "High-tensile 2500" and the frame another sticker that says, "Original 2700 Chrome Molybdan Tubing". There is another sticker on the seat tube, near the bottom bracket, that says "Made in Austria." It did not have one of those "Puch" saddles, when I found it.

I find it to be a very "comfortable" bike - maybe its geometry agrees with my body? I can ride it for hours and never feel "beat up" by the bike (I wish I could say that about my other road bike). It is heavy, by "modern" standards, but once it is rolling it seems to maintain momentum very well. By today's standards, the Pacifica is a very heavy bike, but solid and well-constructed. The lug-work and joining/finishing of the frame are flawless.

The shifting is rather "slow," again by modern standards, and there is a lot of room between the ratios on the cluster. The gearing in general feels more like a limited compact than a typical 2 chainring "10-speed."

It was a satisfying project to bring this worthy bike back to life and I love riding it. In fact, the weather seems good enough today to take it on a 25 mile loop, just to get out and ride for a change.

Happy cycling on your Puch! -Robert

PS: The original saddle is a Selle Royal "Sprint." Black suede with alloy rails. I put it back on the bike after trying another saddle I had - the original is much better. -RB

Panthers007

Just to clarify - that's not an Inter 10. The paint says 'Inter 10.' The dropouts are correct for Inter 10. But the geometry of the frame differs quite a bit from an Inter 10. No one has been able to determine it's exact lineage. Best guess was that it may have been a special-order job, but they backed out. It was sold as a one-time deal from Puch to Puch's distributors. It came through Sheldon Brown at Harris Cyclery. No name was given for the frame.

javal

Robert; I fully agree the framework looks solid and geometry of the frame decides the comfort! But hey, does it say Made In Austria on yours too? I thought it had to be Jap-made if it is US sold... Other than that your bike matches the description in panthers007 catalouge. Me, I´m a beginner in Puch so I dont know when they started exporting to the US and who built the bikes. Panthers007 has got one mystery bike and seems to have insights in this matter.

About shifting, this one will have something else than the smashed Positron derailleur and system, but it will stay 10-speed.

Weatherwise we have had snow coming down for 18 straight hours. I just managed to make a 35 km ride before that (on my modern Crescent winter bike). I hope it all melts away fast. I trust you had fantastic ride?

Panthers007; now your bike got even cooler!

Rober

Yes, mine says "Made in Austria." In the US, anything made in Europe is a rarity today. Most everything we have is "Made in China," including most hi-end road bikes.

My Puch looks like the lower picture in the brochure. In fact, I think it is that bike.

Our ride today was pretty fantastic, considering it is still winter. It was overcast and rather dark and cold (cold toes!), but being on the bike after so long off it was worth the minor suffering. I really shouldn't compare winter here in the Western desert with winter in Sweden. I think if most of us had to endure what you live through in winter we would be a much tougher people. As it is, we complain if it snows all morning, and we have more than 3 inches of snow on the ground. We rode for 15 miles along the southern edge of the Great Salt Lake and then back. Lots of birds are already migrating north - spring is almost here...

javal

Rober; yes, yours are identical with the brochure so I gathered it had to be far east made frames. But it seems Puch head started the US market with own making of frames. My guess (and its mostly due to the stem shifter that became popular from mid 80´s when road-looking-bikes became a household must be) is that your Pacifica is meant for a more aware rider. Mine is made for recreational everyday transport. But, as we agree, if you can find the frame, you´ve found the bike!

Spring please come! I can handle cold toes!