Around the holidays, as I was driving to the post office, I spied a bike-shaped object down the road beside a trash pile out by the curb. As I approached, the checkered Peugeot graphics came into view. Figuring it was another rusted out UE-8 or something, I was about to keep rolling. However, the leather saddle and 531 decal jumped out in my periphery, and I quickly got out for a closer look. Thanks to
verktyg , it was confirmed as a 1975 Peugeot PR10-L. Although rusted and neglected, it had a lot of potential. I thought...It's not garbage!
Here are a few
before/as found photos:
I finally had a chance to start working on it earlier this month. As far as I can tell it was in nearly original condition except for the Suntour stem shifters, brake pads/holders, tires, massive 34t Suntour Perfect FW, and probably rear rim. (The front had galvanized spokes laced to a Rigida rim, while the rear had stainless spokes laced to a Super Champion rim. I rebuilt both wheels with stainless spokes, which allowed me better access for polishing the hubs and rims.) I'm not sold on the turkey/safety levers, but I'm trying to give them a shot. This is a bike I could potentially set up for m wife, and she might appreciate them more than I do.
A lot of elbow grease went into this, but not too much else. Along the way, I made a few minor changes. I added some Simplex downtube shifters from my parts bin. Sticking with the tout French build, I swapped the FW from the 34t Suntour Perfect to a 30t Maillard 700 FW and replaced the badly broken Simplex pulleys with Bullseye pulleys (I've been having some other slight issues with the derailleur - more on that later). I also added some fresh rubber, new cables/housing. Oh, I also added the French pump I got from the local co-op a while ago for $3 because it wasn't working at the time, but was able to rehab it. The red Mafac hoods came from @
obrentharris. I didn't really have a purpose in mind when I bought them, more of a backup set, but I think they fit in with the French color theme here. Lastly, I added the Eiffel Tower ornament (a gift from one of my students) to add a bit of...je ne sais quoi..whimsy.
I've given it a few test rides and spent about 30 minutes riding around looking for backdrops. It rides and handles really smoothly. The fit is really good, too. Plus, all my other bikes have clipless pedal systems or clips & straps, so it's nice to have an option to ride with wide tennis shoes and sturdy platform pedals.
Here it is...Voici!
Untitled by
gaucho777, on Flickr
Untitled by
gaucho777, on Flickr
Untitled by
gaucho777, on Flickr
Untitled by
gaucho777, on Flickr
Untitled by
gaucho777, on Flickr