I need another bike like a hole in the head...
I think I say that every year, and here we are again! I decided when I viewed @
Andy_K 's PX-10 build that I "need" to have a French bike, at least to hang all of my French parts collected over the years (as they were previously relegated to a very crappy and small French bike that I had bought as least desirable one of four bikes for C$100 that I picked up a few years ago to obtain a bike for my younger son). Henceforth, this black rattlecan victim will be known as the "donor bike" which I am valuing at C$25, and yes I am going with "steel is real, right down to the wheels" this year.
After scouring the ads in Vancouver for a good French bike I was unwilling to take anything that was on offer until a 23" Peugeot U-08 frame appeared for C$20. I confirmed with the seller's exhortation that it was straight and not dented and we were off and (soon to be) rolling!
So the plan is to transplant the components from the donor bike to the Pug. However, the fork from the donor bike does not have a long enough steerer for the larger Pug frame, which led me to go through my box of French parts to find a fork from an old Gitane with a perfectly sized steerer, but unfortunately the steerer on that fork is bent, and straightening the steerer (bent at the middle of the steerer tube and not in the direction of a front end collision, which puzzles me a little) is a task I will have to leave for a later revision. For now, I was able to find an old fork with a lot of rake (increases wheelbase from what a friends Peugeot U-08 of the same era by about 10mm) with a good steerer length that I picked up at the Co-op for C$5 because an old Raleigh Superbe I was working on is missing one of its "thimbles". I noted that it already had indication of how many kilometers I needed to ride to complete the challenge!
So we are at C$50 for frame, fork, 27" steel wheels (including near disposal tires and tubes), Mafac racer brakes, Simplex plastic shifters, Huret FD, very well-used Perjohn saddle, genuine Ventolux frame pump and various cable stops, etc. What I had added since the purchase of the donor bike were: Grand Compe 115mm stem (US$10, thanks Bellingham bike co-op, and it allowed the AVA suicide stem to be added to my rogue's gallary of terrible French parts), TA BB cups with Stronglight square taper axle (C$3). Additions to the Pug build were a TA square taper 48-36 crankset that was on a Japanese-built Schwinn World Voyageur that I bought for C$40 that I removed to add a triple crankset and I am valuing this crankset at C$10 for this build, and long-cage a Sachs Huret New Success RD that I bought from the co-op for C$15, along with French bar-end plugs (C$3). The only additions bought to complete this build were: a steel 25.2mm seatpost (Pug was even narrower than the donor bike seat tube), a used chain (C$3), a used Suntour 14-32 6-speed freewheel (C$3) (the French wheels were NOT French threaded), and used platform pedals (C$5). I used recycled bar tape, housings and cables (actually pulled from the garbage and recycling bins - $0).
I add the gratuitous cone with RD shot (TM @
Lascauxcaveman) - I always order black licorice because it is the only flavour that blends with bike grease!
Total costs:
Frame C$20
Donor bike C$25 (wheels, tires, saddle and clamp, shifters, FD, brakes, handlebars, pump)
Fork C$5
Stem US$10
Plugs C$3)
BB C$3
Crankset C$10
RD C$15
Seatpost C$3
Chain C$3
Freewheel C$3
Pedals C$5
Total C$95+US$10 (perilously close to the line, but saved by the annual escalation and the vicissitudes of international finance)
After a very short shakeout ride I found out that the Huret FD was assembled with screws that were threatening to come out and was so loose that it could not shift, that those Huret wing-nuts on the front wheel are probably the source of the eponymous epithet, and steel rims are still as bad I as I remembered. With all three of these "challenges" resolved with tightening on Bastille Day I started on a long ride to complete the challenge and finished the day with 136km ridden. I intended to take photos and mark the remaining distances on the front fork but my camera failed me near the halfway point:
POST CLUNKER CHALLENGE RIDING
None of the bikes in my stable are passengers, so the Pug had to bear the indignity of dragging the trailer with the stryrofoam recycling to the drop-off
You may have noted that having completed this year's challenge I modified the Pug to suit my current needs: another long-haul touring bike, because despite their weight and 50 years of riding, the Peugeot frames are lovely smooth riders.
I replaced the claw on the RD to one that was 6mm longer, making the RD able to handle the 32T lowest gear (the initial 136km ride was without access to my lowest gear) - additional cost C$2
I replaced the steel wheels with some vintage aluminum rim wheels: 700C in the rear, but kept with a 27" front wheel because the brake reach was already at maximum - additional cost about C$40 (eventually with the Gitane fork, I will likely go to a 700C wheel on the front, allowing easier tire options). Now that my tube valves are presta the frame pump is purely ornamental.
I added aluminum fenders, a rack on the back, bottle cages on the down tube and handlebars, and low-riders on the front - additional costs C$10+C$6+C$4+C$6 (along with my Kirtland Tour Pak handlebar bag)
While now somewhat above the clunker threshold, the Pug earned its first tour, a 4-day 400km ride from Vancouver to Hornby Island via Saysutshun, including a 160km final day ride back. While not faltering on the task the Pug demonstrated in Gallic nature by having its drive-side bottom bracket cup come loose just as I was getting home. I am hoping that this will be remedied with some thread locker and greater tightening force!
The final "upgrade" will be to find an aluminum seatpost (at least so it will not slip and require the hose clamp) and replace the very worn Perjohn saddle with a still ancient Nervex saddle that appears to have many more miles remaining. I welcome references to good posts on recovering a dried leather saddle.