Wcjuffkins

Not sure if this is the right place for this but I’ll give it a go, if not please let me know! I’ve got at the most £300 to spend and I’d love a Peugeot road bike (or similar bikes of that era/style). Probably looking for at least 58cm frame and don’t want to work on it really. Only problem is I really don’t know what I’m looking for. Was hoping anyone could give me some info about whats the best u can get with that money/what to look for. Thanks In advance!

SurferRosa

Skip the bike purchase and buy a couple pairs of running shoes and use rentals.

With vintage, working on it or paying someone to do it is a requirement. It's no fun riding a bike that's out of tune. Wheels need to be trued, drivetrains and brakesets need to be working smoothly. Tires need to be mounted and properly inflated. You can't really buy a mid-level bike and keep it maintained for 300£.

Also, Motobécane > Peugeot

Mr. 66

Gosh I think a good starting point with your budget, which is really good level, you could be on the lookout for Reynolds 531 tubing construction. A very good consistent product over many years. If not Reynolds, Champion 1 Columbus or another double butted tubing construction is where most will gravitate to.

What kind of riding will you do? Commuting? Do you need a rack? Can you turn your own wrench? or learn how to as a challenge?

I'm not sure I would go with Peugeot. A lot of their stuff is French proprietary. The various threading and parts can be confusing, sometimes difficult. English and Japanese are more consistent and interchangeable as parts go.

noobinsf 

Unless you're interested in this becoming a hobby where you do the work yourself, your best bet is probably to see whether there is a bike co-op near you that fixes up old bikes to sell. As mentioned above, a cheap bike from that era will likely need a good amount of work, and those who restore old bikes charge a premium for the time and effort involved in getting an old bike roadworthy again. A co-op is more likely to emphasize providing a public service (open shop, education, etc) and view renovated bikes as a way to bring in a little extra money, so the prices will be lower.

bikemig 

Most of the posters are based in the US and are not that familiar with UK bike prices. That said $400 US gets you a pretty nice vintage bike in the US and likely should get you a good bike in the UK as well even though my guess is that bike prices are likely higher there than here.

You will need to learn how to do some of your own work to keep costs down. There are youtube videos for pretty much everything and we can talk you through most of what you need.

Vintage Peugeots are fine bikes.

Why not start a post in the C&V valuation forum with some of the bikes you have found and with an idea of location and which sites you are using to find bikes (gumtree?). The posters will quickly sort you out as to which bikes are worth the money and which are not.

Wcjuffkins

hey thanks for the response! I’ve heard about 531 & I’ll be sure to check out the others. Would you be able to tell me how to identify the tubing construction you mentioned?

I’ve moved recently to London so this bike will be a bit general purpose city-riding I suppose. No need got a rack. Also despite my lack of knowledge I’m pretty good at this sort of thing so that shouldn’t be a problem.

is there another brand you might suggest?

Wcjuffkins

thanks I’ll definitely check out motobecane. I’m not looking to do a complete rehaul at all and there are a few on eBay that have been fitted with new parts/cleaned up etc I just want to know what I’m looking for! Thanks

Wcjuffkins

Thanks for the response!

More than happy to do some work, just don’t want to start from zero & yeah there’s a few nicely set up bikes on eBay that’ll I’ll post up soon.

thanks!

bikemig 

eBay tends to be pricier than gumtree but eBay may have more choices.

esasjl

I'd agree with previous posters, it helps to be a DIYer. Older French frame have French threads that can make parts difficult to find. Late '80 onwards tend to be BSC (UK) threaded and more 'standard'. UK Ebay has a 531c Galibier frame for £290, about the going rate. Parts will add quite a lot more, and a period restoration more again. You can get an older complete bike for less, but it will need time and money to be a pleasure to use. Pugs are very enjoyable bikes and I wish you well in this project.

rgvg

Wouldn't there be Raleighs and Dawes in the UK?

big chainring 

I belong to a UK based Carlton bike group on Facebook. Lots of leads on there for finding Carlton and other vintage bikes. Check it out.

merziac

Also be aware of many efbay sellers idea of restored, refurbished, overhauled, etc. can be very suspect, subjective, not what you would hope for.

Wcjuffkins

Whats the name of the group? I'd love to have a look