RoadWearier

I can get the World Sport for $60 and the Peugeot for $90. I haven't seen them yet except for pics. I'm leaning toward the Schwinn but the Peugeot seems to get a lot of love too.





https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1093713728515748/?mibextid=dXMIcH

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1883979608785670/?mibextid=dXMIcH

The one thing the Peugeot has going for it is that it sounds like the owner knows about hike maintenance and has new tires and has been maintained. I'm told the Schwinn is 100% but the description in the ad is lacking

bboy314

The Peugeot is more stylish in my opinion, but both are similar quality (lower end) and the Peugeot is more expensive, looks to have steel rims, and probably has a French bottom bracket (pricier to replace) so I’d probably opt for the Schwinn.

RoadWearier

Thanks! How are you able to tell the rims are steel?

bboy314

It’s hard to be sure, but zooming into the pics the rear rim sidewall appears to have the dimpling common on old steel rimmed Peugeots, which is intended to help improve the brake pads’ grip.

Aubergine 

I had a Carbolite Peugeot for several years and loved it. I sold it only because I kept finding bikes with 531 that hogged all my storage space. The red bike looks to be a UO-10 "Course" from the late 70s to early 80s and has aluminum rims, not steel. The bottom bracket, if French, is not that big or expensive a deal to replace if necessary. So . . . Try it out and see what you think.

My 1986 P4 Corbier, made up as I like it:

Aubergine 

I see what you mean. The original rims on the Course models were aluminum, but if they had been replaced with steel on this bike I also would counsel to skip it.

RoadWearier

​​​​​Yeah. 1980 seems a questionable year for Peugeot. I guess there's an issue of "swiss threading" vs "French" vs others. Seems like fixing this bike might be problematic down the road if I were to keep it. Probably just go with the Schwinn as it's a known quantity

Aubergine 

Well, having built up or restored about 20 French bikes I can attest they are not that difficult to deal with. But then, I like to fiddle and tinker, so the small idiosyncrasies of French bikes are endearing, not irritating, to me.


Nice 70s Mercier 100 or 200

Motobecane Grand Touring, too big for me

Almost perfect condition, yclept Purgeot

nomadmax 

The easiest way to tell if a bike has steel rims is to ride it down a steep hill in the rain

plonz 

For me, aluminum rims would be a must. Then it would come down to whether I preferred my shifters to be mounted on the stem or downtube.

RoadWearier

I know downtube shifters are more popular but I never understood why. The only reason is people think they will be impaled on them on the stem. But really, does that happen? I spend much more time biking upright anyway

Aubergine 

at the time stem shifters were frequently paired with turkey levers on the brakes, and the combination led people to hold the bars next to the stem. That led to insufficient leverage to control the bike. So that was the stated reason why stem shifters were looked down on. But to be honest, if you know how to ride and hold the bars properly, stem shifters are fine. IMO, of course.

shelbyfv

There were exceptions but in the 70s stem shifters were usually found only on low end bikes. Lots of junk still out there from the bike boom era, stem shifters are an easy clue that the bike might not be worth fooling with. Stem shifters did appear on some nicer Schwinns but for every fillet-brazed Sports Tourer there are probably hundreds of bottom feeder Varsitys and World Sports.

RoadWearier

Well I went and saw it. First thing the guy says is that "the brake pads may need replacing". They definitely looked old. Tires weren't too bad. Just dirty. But the rear wheel was slightly out of true and rubbing on the brake. I had a small scare when the brakes wouldn't stop the bike as I was riding down his driveway for a test ride. Thanks, dude. I asked him before if it was 100% rideable as is and could I ride it home. He said "Yes." I guess I should have added "safely" to that question.

​​​​​​Anyway, I passed. When I got home I offered $40 and he countered with $50. To be honest, I've had enough fun adjusting and fixing bikes that were supposedly rideable as is. Maybe I'd come back for $40 but after the Trek it just didn't seem like it would be much fun to ride.

wrk101

Stem shifters were an indication of a low end bike. Back in the day, you could get stem shifters on Schwinn Paramounts. But most of the time, it was just another indicator of a low end bike. Realize entry level back in the day was really low end.

On the list of indicators: stamped drop outs, claw RD mount, nutted axles, stem shifters, steel seat post and handlebars, steel rims, steel chain rings. With a trained eye, you can quickly spot these indicators and skip driving to see in person.

One advantage of the softening market is that better bikes can be found at affordable prices.