scapermoya

hey guys,

i've had this bike for a year and a half or so, and am wondering if it's worth it to drop some more money into it or if i should try selling it and starting over.

when i bought it I was told it was an early 80s bike built for sale in the US, but I can't be sure.

the only markings on it are a sticker on the seat tube that says "carbolite 103 tube special by peugeot", a sticker for a chicago bike shop, and a stamp on the bottom that says "Y5C7" and then a serial number. googling for that model brings up zilch.

i recently moved to a really really flat place, and am thinking of turning this baby into a single speed or fixie. any thoughts?

this baby has 27 in wheels and weird ass 120 mm spacing. how hard will it be to convert it?

scapermoya

to help with identifying:

came with 27 x 1 3/4 aluminum rigida wheels
maillaird helicomatic 6 speed rear hub
lyotard pedals
shimano derailleurs
shimano shifters
weinman 750 center pull rear brake
nervar z cranks

any opinions out there on converting this sucka?

threecarjam

Don't know anything about what model/value, but 120mm spacing in the rear is pretty standard for track hubs, also looks to me like you have some room to move your brake pads down a little bit (maybe less so in front), so a fixed/ss conversion and/or conversion to 700c should be pretty straightforward as long as the chainline's close. If the bike fits you and you like to ride it, and you want to try riding fixed, go for it. Easy enough to convert it back, too.

:andrew

I'm pretty sure that it's a 85 Peugeot P8, but pictures of the drive side would help.

auchencrow

What he says. ^
I.e., convert this one and you'll spend a lot of money and end up with a real heavy fixie.
(As-is though, it is a pretty decent riding geared bike.)

big chainring 

Most of my bikes have weird ass 120mm spacing. I dont call them suckas though.

scapermoya

thanks for the input guys.

i knew that carbolite 103 wasn't the model, but didn't know how else to describe this bike.

sounds like the consensus is that i leave this bike as is, and if i want a different set up i should start from scratch.

that being said, can you recommend some cost-effective ways to reduce weight and improve performance? the front wheel is steel, so i have to believe that will be the first thing to go. however since both wheels are 27s, what's the best way to go about this? two new 700s?

below are some additional images.

TugaDude

I used to have a P8 and that was my first thought. Mine was a 1982 and this is a couple of years newer. They might be "low end", but they have an awesome ride quality.

TugaDude

The bike is a decent candidate for FG/SS but as others have said, don't put too much money into it. You can get a nice set of 700c single speed wheels from Velomine for under a $100. You can also get a set of alloy 27" wheels from them for just over a $100 that comes with a rear hub that will work for singlespeed freewheels. If the brakes don't reach, you can always just buy brakes with a longer reach. Look for used ones, you can get them cheap. I agree with the comment above that the rear brake looks to have plenty of room. The front looks close, but there are tricks to get that last little bit of reach, such as notching/filing the slot that hold the shoe just a little. Don't overdo it obviously.

You can use your existing chain if it is OK, just break it and resize it once you put the SS freewheel on.

The frame paint looks good and the lack of downtube braze-ons is a plus.

wrk101

Cost effective on wheels = find a used 27 inch front wheel. You should be able to find a decent one cheap, really cheap. From there, look at anything steel as something to replace. I don't see much steel stuff, but it is hard to tell for sure from the pics.

Performance gains? Focus on the really cheap stuff first: Bearings need to roll free, good lubed chain, cleaned, flushed and lubed freewheel. Do it yourself, and that list costs about $3.

auchencrow

Again Thrifty Bill's advice is right-on. - go for the 27" alloy front wheel - with some good Panaracer Paselas. This will be as good as any 700c-tire combination for a small fraction of the cost.

With a geared arrangement, this will compensate for the weight of frame and the bike will run like a top. (Fixed, not so much ).

jddavin

What do you suggest for the $300 bicycle from BD? Thanks