ltokuno

I thought I was done buying bikes.
Commute Bike? Check.
Eroica Bike? Check.
Modern Road Bike? Check.
Grail Bike? Check.
French Bike? Wait…. What?
This showed up on Craigslist.

I usually ignore Peugeot's, but I saw those black head lugs.
A romp around the forums confirmed. Yep, it’s a PX-10. Probably a 1972 or 73.

It has the original stem, brakes, crankset, headset, seatpost, and probably bottom bracket.
The shifters were changed to Suntour bar cons, the brake levers are from a Schwinn, RD is a Suntour VX long cage, FD is an old model Suntour sprint. Wheels are built on Campy Tipo hubs witth double butted spokes and a no-name schrader rim. At least they’re 700c. And that’s really good because the tires that were on it left a pile of hardened rubber flakes when I took them off. The chain is just a pile of rust, and it looks like the saddle got wet and remolded to a weird shape.
Whoever cut the notch for the RD did a decent job. It’s a clean rectangular cut into the dropout.
Overall the bike looks like it was ridden, rebuilt, garaged, then left outside for awhile.
Perfect project.
The FD is toast (with butter and jam).
The RD is going to be fun to remove, and might get toasted in the process (no butter or jam).
Thankfully, the seat post and stem were not frozen. Just took some persuading to the stem bolt to free up the stem. Sometimes you get lucky I guess.
So now the hunt for Simplex parts begins.
There’s a strange bracket attached to the front bake. Anyone know what it might be for?

Overall I'm pretty happy to get this. Maybe I'm not allergic to French bikes anymore.



Someone turned this into a triple.





Funny shape for a Brooks

Something strange attached to the front brake.


Thanks to all the members here. (Yes even you!)
By just reading posts here, I was able to find out everything I needed to know about PX-10’s to make an informed decision in buying this one. I never would have gone to look at the bike without the knowledge gained.

xiaoman1 

Great find...never seen a PX with a "triple"! You will like the ride. I don't think any amount of conditioner will bring that saddle back to life.....take your time and use a lot of PB Blaster to loosen the stem and seat post if they are stuck.
Best, Ben
BTW the bracket is not original equipment and was perhaps used as a support for a carrier....but only certain about the non-original aspect...who knows what the previous owner had in mind, if it were mine I would remove it.

SurferRosa

I had a PR10 with worse paint. A lot of it had yellowed. Fine sanding brought a lot of it back, and I painted the rear stays with a brush. And touched up the lugs. It looked really good after a week or two of work.

Unfortunately, I couldn't run Suntour or Campy in the rear on that Simplex dropout. Had a hard time dialing in the Mafacs on that one, too. I love them when you finally get 'em adjusted properly. But they can be buggers.

Pompiere

I would say the bracket on the front is for a headlight. They usually had a tab on the bottom to slip into the bracket. You may find some scratches on the fork or chainstays where a generator was mounted.

top506

You'll love it.
Don't get hung up finding the exact Simplex FD/RD. Anything above Prestige level will do just fine:






Top

rustystrings61 

You know you'll need the correct Stronglight crank tool, oui? The model 93 takes a 23.35 mm, not the 23.0 T.A. extractor on the back of the old Park Tool, and not the conventional 22.0 of everyone else - but the original ones turn up, one just went on the 'Bay for $30 or so, and there's always the Stein reproduction, or maybe there will be a fellow connoisseur nearby ... when you DO get the cranks off, the odds are good that you will find the stock 118 mm BB spindle has been swapped out for a 125 - it looks like someone has used some of the same hardware Raleigh used for their Gran Sport models and sensibly reconfigured things to a triple. One option you could consider is getting one of randyjawa's Red Clover triple-izers that would let you get seriously smaller than the what, 38T inner ring?

This is a cool, cool bike. My initial thought is '72, because the seat angle looks 72 degrees or so, and the head angle, while somewhat steeper, isn't as steep as the 73-74 era models.

Strange question - does this one have the serial number stamped on an aluminum plate mounted parallel to the BB spindle, or does it have a number stamped directly into the BB shell that looks like it could have been done by hand?

bikemig 

Cool bike. A few ideas:

(1) Rustoleum flat white is a really good match for that generation Peugeot. Evaporust gel will take care of the rust. Evaporust will also take care of all the small bits.
(2) The guts of the bike (headset, bottom bracket, and hubs) are quite possibly in good shape. I've taken apart my share of stronglight BBs and HSs as well as tipo hubs. Those are tough parts and they may be fine.
(3) If you want to keep the triple, red clover (run by a forum member) has a stronglight 93 triplizer which is neat because it takes a 74 bcd ring:
122 BCD Triplizer, 42 Teeth
I've seen old racing cranks set up like this as a triple before. The smallest chainring you can run on a 93 is a 37 (again you can buy that from red clover).
5 speed set ups are all about compromises when it comes to gearing. One way to eke out more gears is half step gearing; a close ranging triple like this likely helps as well. You may like the gearing with this triple and decide to keep it. You could run this as a half step plus a 37 tooth granny and get some pretty decent gearing.
(4) If you decide to go to a double and the spindle is any good, I'd likely buy/swap it from you (I have the correct length double in good shape).
(5) I'd definitely find the "right" mafac levers but I'm neutral on whether you need to find simplex derailleurs given that the rear drop out has been modified. Suntour derailleurs shift great. The supply of simplex derailleurs has shrunk and their price has gone up considerably.
(6) Kool stop has replacement pads for those mafacs.
(7) Keep track of all the ferrules. That's a good idea on any bike but these ferrules are 4 mm and replacements can be tough to find.
(8) Velo orange has french threaded headsets and bottom brackets if you need replacements. French threaded cups are available on Amazon.

joesch

J'aime la patine

Korina

Pardon the threadjack, but I'm curious; when the seller says 'Custom Peugeot PX10', do you suppose he means it was powdercoated? It's a beautiful bike, but the paint doesn't look right.

bikemig 

You probably want to start your own thread on this but yeah it's likely a repaint (the seller notes it has had braze ons added). Why not ask the seller? There are a lot of nice parts hanging on this bike if you don't mind the repaint.

ltokuno

At one time I had a Stronglight crank puller, but I have no idea where it ran off to. If I remember right the TA one looked the same but had a T on it someplace. Anyway, a friend offered to sell me his for cheap so I just have to wait till I see him next.
Correct on the 38 teeth on the inner chainring!
Thanks for the info on the spindle. I'll probably be looking to take this back to a double. I mostly ride flats here, and have another bike setup for dragging my butt up hills. =)

I think the geometry helps to settle the year on 72. From what I've seen they used plain lugs in 72 and 73, but if the geometry is different between the two years then it present a strong case for this being a 72. Thanks!

The serial number is on an aluminium plate riveted to the bottom bracket. I'm surprised it's in as good as condition as it is.

ltokuno

Yeah, this is a survivor for sure. I think it deserves to be taken care of. No more left out in the rain.

ltokuno

Hmmm I hadn't thought of a headlight. I think your probably right though. The bracket makes sense. I looked for a place where a generator might have been mounted but didn't see one. Could be it just didn't leave a mark or wasn't on there long.

ltokuno

Thanks for all your info! Much appreciated.
I've never used Evaporust. Gonna give it try.
The headset feels a little rough, but not bad. Probably just needs to be cleaned. The BB is super smooth. Feels like the bearings are running on hot butter. I'll pull it out and make sure it's still got grease in there, but it seems fine or better. I've rebuilt other Campy hubs. I don't think the Tipo's are going to be much of an issue. It may be the one thing I'm kind of familiar with on this bike. lol
I like the looks of the Red Clover stuff. I might go that route if I decide to keep the triple.
Thanks for your offer of a spindle swap. I'll definitely be contacting you if I go the double route. (probable)
Forgot to order Kool Stops. Thanks for the reminder.
Ha! Great advice on the ferrules. Luckily in my laziness I put them all in a little pile. Now they're in a little ziplok.
Good info on Velo Orange. I've had good luck with their stuff so I'll probably go with them if I want to go new on HS and BB.

ltokuno

I might hang the saddle on the wall and have people guess what happened to it when they come over.

ltokuno

Yeah, definitely a repaint. Doesn't look powdercoated to me. In the pick of the RD it looks like paint.
Could be a fun bike if it fits.

dddd

I would be curious if the Tipo hubs and/or the freewheel are French/Metric threaded. Most Tipos seem to be French-threaded, and lots of such hubs got English-threaded freewheels put on, which may not be an actual problem since I have ridden such mis-matches in hilly terrain without any problem actually making itself apparent.

I would call this a 1972 model, good find.

Korina

Nah, just curiosity. Seller's asking $600, more than the parts are worth.

Lascauxcaveman 

Yeah, I'd buy that , too. Unless I already had a big PX 10, which I don't .

KenNC

Nice find, really intrigued by the triple plus the bar end shifters!
I've had good luck touching up two PX-10s with a three dollar container of Rustoleum appliance white from home depot: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rust-Ole...7705/100140693
After dealing with any underlying rust of course, and then with some gentle wet sanding then polishing over the touch-up.
Here's one: https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...storation.html

bikemig 

Given that the OP lives in AZ where there is some real climbing, I'd give a long hard look at keeping the triple set up and going with a half step and a granny (say 52/47/37)(37 being the smallest you can go on a stronglight 93) with a wide ranging freewheel in the back. Alternatively get the 42 tooth triplizer and go with a 52/42/30 plus a decent sized freewheel in the rear. I'd lean towards the triplizer because the gear shifts will be more straightforward than with half step gearing. Just my 2 cents worth.

jonwvara 

As others have said, nice find. My PX-10 is the same size and same year. You don't see many 93s cranks configured as an old-school triple. What is it, 52-45-38? I've never actually seen a 38-tooth Model 93 ring--they're quite scarce. It should work nicely as a 52-38 double. You'll have to replace the spindle with a 118mm one, but those are very common. Enjoy it!

daka

My experience with PX10s is limited but I don't think I've ever seen one with the spot welded cable guides and stops. Being as this is a repaint anyway, do you think it is different frame (like a Peugeot Course) masquerading as a PX10?

Korina

Not a clue. I only call it a Peugeot because that's what the seller calls it. I do know Heuret deraileurs are a thing, that's why I brought it up.

ltokuno

Yep, it's 52-45-38. This is really my first experience with a triple, so my thought was to go back to what I know (double). However, the more I think about it, the more I think it will be fun to tinker with a triple for more gearing options. I might even go up a hill or two.