Peugeot P 531 W "Normandie"
12-08-22, 12:27 PM
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Peugeot P 531 W "Normandie"
There are always lots of old Peugeot bikes for sale in my area, but this is one I hadn't seen before. A 1988 "Normandie".
Seller's pic:
The seller stated a 63cm size, which looked about right - and is my size - so I looked up the Normandie. It appeared to be a fairly rare animal. It was only in the local (French and Dutch) catalogs for two years ('87 and '88) and at NLG 1299 it was decidedly more expensive than both its predecessor (PH 60, NLG 869) and its successor (P 80 Z or Anjou, NLG 999).
That, and the facts that is has a) cantilever brakes and b) a Reynolds 531 main triangle (and fork, if the French catalog is to be believed) got me interested.
From the 1988 French catalog, courtesy of PeugeotShow.com:
So I bought it.
It still looked the same when I got home: lousy paint, ugly eighties decals and no evidence of any recent service.
Having said that, it is nice and big...
... the Weinmann cantilevers are just as lovely as the MAFAC originals ...
... the Deore drive train indestructible ...
... and then there's that Reynolds 531 decal:
All in all, I am quite pleased with it.
I did get one surprise though. After stripping the bike I measured the frame, and in turns out to be a 66cm, rather than a 63cm. With a a 59cm top tube it should still work for me, though. It will just be an "extremely French fit".
Seller's pic:
The seller stated a 63cm size, which looked about right - and is my size - so I looked up the Normandie. It appeared to be a fairly rare animal. It was only in the local (French and Dutch) catalogs for two years ('87 and '88) and at NLG 1299 it was decidedly more expensive than both its predecessor (PH 60, NLG 869) and its successor (P 80 Z or Anjou, NLG 999).
That, and the facts that is has a) cantilever brakes and b) a Reynolds 531 main triangle (and fork, if the French catalog is to be believed) got me interested.
From the 1988 French catalog, courtesy of PeugeotShow.com:
So I bought it.
It still looked the same when I got home: lousy paint, ugly eighties decals and no evidence of any recent service.
Having said that, it is nice and big...
... the Weinmann cantilevers are just as lovely as the MAFAC originals ...
... the Deore drive train indestructible ...
... and then there's that Reynolds 531 decal:
All in all, I am quite pleased with it.
I did get one surprise though. After stripping the bike I measured the frame, and in turns out to be a 66cm, rather than a 63cm. With a a 59cm top tube it should still work for me, though. It will just be an "extremely French fit".
