Sjtaylor

I was recently gifted a 1978 Peugeot UO-10, 25” frame with 27” wheels and a long wheel base, 43-1/4”. Not too much going for it but it’s my size. I’m 6’3”. So far I’ve avoided wrenching on it after reading about incompatibility with easy to get components. I wonder how the long wheel base would ride.

For grins I mounted some 700 wheels with 40mm tires on the UO-10. There’s plenty of room. The center pull brakes have enough adjustment for the different sized rims.

It will take some work and research on the incompatibility issues but I have enough stuff to get pretty far on making the UO-10 pretty gravel road worthy. The biggest hurdle will be modifying the gearing. It came as a ten speed.

Has anyone tried something similar? I’ve read about converting bikes with tire room into gravel bikes. I’m not sure a UO-10 qualifies but I have it and 40c tires fit.

79pmooney

It will serve you well as a gravel bike. Very stable and predictable handling. You won't have a lot of pedal clearance (both low BB height and that very long wheelbase) so consider good, sturdy pedals as they will probably take a good hit or two. Shimano MTB SPD perhaps.

If you really want to get serious, consider a Phil Wood BB and a 110/74 BCD Sugino triple crankset. Phil Wood has no issue with French threads and when this bike dies, contact them for English threaded cups and that BB lives on. 110/74 BCD allows you a wide range of chainrings. I'm guessing Shimano also makes some French threaeded BBs and that wold be a far cheaper way to see what works for chainline, etc. Do that first and if you want to tweak things ot prefect, measure the assembled crankset and BB, do the math to see what length spindle and asymmetry would work better and get that exact BB from Phil Wood. (They are a joy!) Tange should have the headset the UO-8 needs. Mic the fork crown diameter and head headtube diameters and order (or have a shop order) the appropriate headset. (Thank you, Tange for still making probably every threaded headset ever needed to go on a production bike. I revived a trashed fork-less Peugeot 15 years ago with a Japanese (English standard) fork. The English/French hybrid Tange headset was a straight forward order for the shop from their regular supplier. $8 and worked beautifully.) Seatpost will also be an odd French size but I am sure Nitto makes a post that works. I forget what I have but it was an easy order by that same shop.

Once you've done that , you can replace all the rest of the parts with as-original French or much simpler English/Japanese. (If you stay with the fork, it is the French 22.0 mm steerer ID. A standard (English) quill stem will be 22.2 mm. (Try it first. Peugeot slowly adopted English standards but 1978 is early. I"d be very surprised if an English stem fits.) But - if you like that stem and want to use it, it will take you less than an hour to turn it into a French stem with emery cloth. Google it. Been done forever.
Ben

bikemig 

French bikes are surprisingly easy to deal with and the UO 10 does have a lot of room for fat tires. It's easy enough to spread the rear triangle. I'd overhaul the bike first to make sure the bottom bracket and headset are fine. There are replacements out there but hopefully they are in good shape. Replacement parts are available for both BB and HS.

The bike came with a good quality crank, a stronglight 99 with an 86 bcd crank. That is basically a compact crank and chainrings are available. Spa cycles in the UK sells them or you can find them used.

No big deal replacing the stem and handlebar if you need to.

There is no integrated hanger so you will need to run a RD on a claw. The long cage simplex that came stock isn't bad but the best vintage rear derailleur would be a suntour VGT.

I'd replace the existing brake shoes with kool stops.

Fun project.

Sjtaylor

I had already done the bit of sanding to make a quill stem adaptor fit the French steer tube ID. It didn’t take much. I might have access to a PX-10LE that has bar end shifters. I wonder if that frame has similar tire clearance. That frame would be an upgrade to the UO-10.

I have a Novara Safari touring bike with disc brakes, the right gears and lots of tire clearance. Right now that bike has 42mm tires but it also has fenders and racks for four panniers and the gear for bike touring. Along with the butterfly bars and the kit for touring that bike would need a makeover for day rides on nearby gravel. Besides, it’s fun wrenching on vintage bikes.