Schreck83 

I stumbled onto a posting on FB Marketplace Monday that looked promising. A single low-res photo of the non-drive side suggested it was worth seeing in person.
I was able to arrange that yesterday and brought it home. Pictures at 11 (or 12).

rustystrings61 

1972 PX-10E with Nervex DuBois lugs rather than the curly Nervex Professional lugs; replacement saddle and brake levers; replacement wheelset but with what are likely the original (and at one time very pricey and collectable!) rubber-tipped Simplex q/r skewers. I say '72 because that is, to my knowledge, the only year they used the DuBois lugs painted black with the more traditional, slacker geometry.

That's a great find and you're on a roll!

Pcampeau

Good eye! It’s gotta be tough to find a real PX10 buried beneath turkey levers, a kickstand, and that saddle but I concur; it’s in there and likely a 72. So many similar looking Peugeot’s with lesser components fool so many people, but it’s got chrome stays and Reynolds 531. Very nice find.

Salamandrine 

Yeah, 72 PX10 with plain lugs. I had one for a long time. Plus that one has bonus 'safety' levers!

If you're lucky there's a Simplex seat post hiding under that ugly 90s 'gel' saddle.

Hopefully the chainstays aren't too smashed under that kickstand. You'll want to check that out right away.

KenNC

Great find! Nice bike and in relatively good shape, I'll keep my fingers crossed that there is a Simplex seat post under there for you, they are getting quite expensive! Returning to Mafac levers shouldn't be expensive, with used options frequently on eBay, and the Rustine's replacement hoods available on eBay and at Velo Orange. Here is a restoration I did a couple years ago FWIW: https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...storation.html

Schreck83 

That turned out great! Gives me something to aim for.
I do have the Simplex seatpost and the MAFAC levers on on their way from unworthy1

Schreck83 

more better photos:



not sure what my phone was focusing on...


Were Prestige RDs original in 1972?


Rubber Velox bar plugs!


Looks like it escaped the rack. Kickstand damage was limited.



No date code. ball bearing pulleys like the Criterium. Did these have plastic teeth when new?

23" CTT The paint is in good shape. Most of the dark marks are grease or dirt from the road or rims. It should clean up nicely.

Salamandrine 

No, those are toothless wheels. When the teeth wear off by themselves it looks completely different.
I've never seen a Criterium with no teeth. Doesn't mean it didn't exist. I haven't seen everything.

They look like Huret jockey wheels to me. I wonder if these jockey wheels an attempt at hot rodding?


Thanks for sharing the new photos. I agree it's going to clean up nicely. Maybe some 303 would help protect the remaining delrin bits.

rustystrings61 

Those ARE the fancy Simplex skewers - at one point Japanese collectors were paying larger money than made sense. I have a memory of someone 3-D printing or otherwise reproducing the little wingnut cap for the adjuster nut on the skewer, but that was a decade back or so.

It's a lovely bike and a great find, and I think it will clean up nicely! There can't be all that many of the Delrin parallelogram Simplex front derailleurs left in working condition, and the Reynolds stickers may be the cleanest ones I've ever seen on PX-10 since they were new in the shop in the early 70s.

Schreck83 

BITD my UO-8 had these but without the rubber hood. The hubs are dated 87 and 88, but at least they kept the skewers.

WGB 

I had a Peugeot (or in this case a Peugeut) with the same RD with same smooth wheel and also a Raleigh. I had a Gitane with smooth pulleys on an Alvit (Huret) RD. If it was a mod it must've been a popular one.

KenNC

Can't wait to see this cleaned up and some parts swapped, I think it is going to come out great!

Schreck83 

I'm not sure these were original on the Simplex RD. These two wheels came from the same Criterium; only the lower wheel still had plastic teeth. I suspect the sideways force of shifting caused the plastic teeth to wear off from the upper wheel's metal core. The Huret wheels are different - much narrower to fit between the chain sideplates.

Salamandrine 

Yeah, it doesn't look like a Huret wheel, though I don't have one in front of me to compare. Even so, that doesn't look like wear to me. Here's my old campy RD with the wheel teeth worn off for comparison:

unworthy1

Oh so this is where the MAFAC levers are going, good to know, hope they also clean up to match the cleaned-up PX-10. I don't think I have any better half hoods but I DO have a single 170 NDS crank arm for the Stronglight crank, if for some reason you need one, and will make you a deal.

ramzilla

If it's a 72 PX-10e then, it would have tubular rims & "sew up" tires on it. And, it would weigh in at right about 21 pounds. Nice find.

rjhammett

A PX-10 rehab I finished up late last year. The original seatpost was a rusted mess.

dddd

Well done, looks like a '73 or '74 model PX10E having the newly-steepened frame angles, what a sprightly ride those have!


As for the Simplex Criterium pulleys, the teeth don't wear off, but the toothed plastic ring (shown) usually breaks in half and falls free. The toothless hub is then useless as a derailer pulley as it is too wide to center between the inner side plates of the chain.