Narhay

@francophile @bertinjim the offending part was...drumroll please...

The freewheel. For whatever reason it clicked and popped and snapped. I replaced it with a modern sunrace but it meant I had to remove the dropout adjusters for spacing issues. The drivetrain is humming away nicely once again. I took off the chain, pulleys and eventually the freewheel for the second time before finding the problem. At least it is gone and mystery solved.

cadman101

Narhay, she's looking good. Is a regular chain long enough when you go to a long cage RD? Looks like you are in never ending mod mode. Interesting to see the 2 different directions we've gone since starting with pretty much the same bike. I've only done a few things but have the bug now for mods. I recently switched over to a clincher 700 x 32 wheel set, which allows me to run a 6 speed FW. Then I swapped the 42T inner chainring for a 37T Red Clover ring. So far I'm really enjoying the combo.

Narhay

I think other than slight tweaks here and there my modifying is done for now. I would like to address the front brake as it is dropped too low but for now I'll continue riding. I rode it almost completely stock minus the wheels initially but ended up the way it is after deciding that the stock bike wasn't exactly how I wanted it. Maybe one day I'll forget why I changed things and go back to a stock machine but for now I like it the way it is. I took out maybe 3 full links from a new chain to get it to fit properly.

That being said I rode it to work on mostly flat ground with about 200m of climbing and didn't go into the small chainring once.

I have a couple bikes close to original stock but this one just asked for some changes. I've followed your bike and it looks great. A few Px-10s floating around the front page these days.

Narhay

Well a few years later here I am with my PX-10. I moved across the country and there is less climbing to be done around here so the stronglight 93 went back on. The TA crank inner ring bolts started hitting the chainstay for whatever reason. The spindle I got was obviously a bit short.

I put a newer simplex criterium on the rear and had to drill out the red allen key plugs to tension the spring but I think it looks better this way. New chain, some touch up paint and Bob's your uncle.

steve sumner

in Dec. of '71 I special ordered a PX-10 frame from my local bike shop . when it came it was the '72 model
I was so bummed out with the plain lugs (Nervex Dubois) I hadn't been told there was going to be a change.
since it was special order I just accepted it. and I LOVED that bike. many,many happy miles!
might I suggest a non-plastic Simplex front Derailleur to keep the drive train all French. they had models
made for triples...

noobinsf 

...which explains why I just cannot bring myself to sell my Stronglight 93, even though the gearing is useless to me right now. I love the look of your PX with the fenders.

ascherer 

Every time I see a restored early 70's PX, I get a little twitchy. It looks great, Narhay

tgenec86

This was my amazing find in a junky little antique mall in Frankfort NY. Been riding it on and off for only a couple of months but it's become a favorite. I do see the fancy lugs from just one year prior and get a bit wistful, but this PX10 rides so well I would not trade it!

Narhay

Thanks for the comments. I wish mine had the fancy nervex lugs as well but this is what I ended up with and I agree that it just rides well. I had a simplex front derailleur on there initially but it bent itself within the first ride or two so out it went.

jonwvara 

Self-serving of me, but...

122 BCD Triplizer, 42 Teeth

or

122 BCD Conventional Chainring, 37 Teeth

Triplizers include a free bolt kit until July 4.

Just sayin'.

JohnDThompson 

I'll comment that @jonwvara's mod. 93 triplizer ring works very well:

Salamandrine 

Thanks for the update. The Peugeot is looking great. Glad to see it rocking the correct RD.

Hmm, I used to have a '72 with the plain lugs, and I miss that bike. The build quality was much better than my current, earlier, PX10 with fancy nervex lugs. The grass is always greener...

As someone who rode most of my life on 42/53 cranksets, a Stronglight 93 sure seems like a climbing crankset to me. Granted a 45/52 is pretty tough, and that came on many PX10 stock. Mine has an NOS 38 I picked up somewhere a long time ago. That is plenty of gearing for me. If I didn't have that already I'd look at the Red Clover parts. Those are a great option we are lucky to have.

Suntour1985 

Never saw this original thread so thanks for posting recently. You have inspired me to bring my 72 PX-10 back to life. I bought it back around 1988 from the original owner for about $60 (in New York City too!). It was completely stock except for the Campagnolo bar end shifters. I never cared for them so I bought Campy down tube shifters (NR, I think) and added some Dia Compe side pulls and a Sedis Sport chain. I road it for about a 6 months as a "touring bike". My other bike had a tight frame and was not a comfortable ride. It was crashed by a friend and I never bothered to get it fixed. I no longer have the wheels, upgraded side pull brakes or freewheel. Both derailleurs are shot so I need to source those items. I plan on using the original Mafac's. I do have a few questions for you. 1) Why did you go from a Simplex LJ to a 610 and then back to the Competition? Which did you prefer? 2) Are the hoods original? If not, what are they? 3) Why did you replace the Regina freewheel? I'll be looking to get a Mailliard or Cyclo (I still have the original chain and it is in good shape). 4) How did you bring back the finish on the components? They look great and don't look too shiny. I will have to do all the polishing by hand. Again, thanks for a great post.

BertoBerg 

This thread is so helpful! Lets keep those beautiful pictures and stories coming!

Narhay

I had two issues with this bike that sidelined it for some time. One was that I borrowed the chain for a flip bike and never replaced it. The other was that the plastic bushing on the rear MAFAC Racer brake was worn out and the centerpull arms vibrated upon braking. This has rekindled my interest in some brass bushings but the hardware kit commercially available is criminally expensive. I think someone here had found some brass tube stock and was making some.

I found an old, dented Raleigh Gran Sport with a set of gold Simplex Super LJ and MAFAC 2000 brakes and decided to borrow the rear derailleur. Maybe I could use the brakes to solve my problem. Add a new chain, an afternoon of cleaning and I can ride my bike again.

Tottesan

Great looking bike! Picked up a similar one myself today! (: