ehcoplex 

The several threads about vintage French bikes have really re-awakened a dream I had long ago of having one. I did an informal exchange in France in the early 80s and hoped to bring a bike home with me, but $$ didn't end up allowing. Then some years later I took a Cannondale ST600 to Europe to tour with the idea that I'd trade it in/sell it and bring something French home. Alas, the Cannondale was stolen in Toulouse...
Anyway, what looks like a 72 or 73 PX-10 is for sale not terribly far from me, seems in relatively decent shape, maybe just a tiny bit small for me... I'm very tempted.
A couple things I'm wondering about.... it appears to have the plastic Simplex RD. What kind of options are there for replacing that (should it fail) without modifying the frame? Are smaller chainrings available for vintage Stronglight cranks? It is VERY hilly where I live (and I'm getting old...), and I'd need some lower gearing to be able to use the bike. Also wondering what the fattest tires folks have been able to put on a vintage PX-10? I appreciate my comforts....
thx

Classtime 

I put thousands of miles on my already 50 year old "plastic" rear derailleur on my '69 PX-10 with no problems shifting a 13-23. Don't be afraid. I also got a 40 tooth chain ring from someone on here. At one point I had 32mm CX tires on it and there was room to spare. And one last thing, if it is a tiny bit small, there are others that will be a tiny bit big which is better if you are "getting old"

ehcoplex 

I'm going to look at it tomorrow....
From what I can tell, the wheels don't look original, and the brakes with the 'safety' levers don't line up with the info I'm finding online, but the plain lugs and various labelling seem to be '72...

Pcampeau

My 74 PX10 has Simplex SLJ derailleurs and they are fantastic, pricey but fantastic. I got lucky mine had SLJ when I acquired it a few years ago. If those derailleurs hadn’t come with it I’d have happily used the plastic ones until they broke. I fit 32mm tires on mine and I’ve not been tempted to try and get fatter rubber so I can’t say if 35mm will fit or not.

ehcoplex 

And then there's the, uh, interesting positioning of the FD.......!

juvela

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the most striking non-original bit is the wheelset

instead of Normandy Luxe Competition hubs with MAVIC Monthlery tubular rims the cycle is wearing Normandy Sport hubs with RIGIDA Superchromix serrated steel rims. since the valve stems are Schrader the wheel size is likely to be 27" rather than 700c.

the extension brake levers were fitted with a adaptor kit from Bicycle Research Products -






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nlerner

In terms of tire size, one of my first 650B conversions was a '72 PX-10, shown here with 650B x 42mm tires:



I also did one with 590 x 38mm tires:

ehcoplex 

That's excellent. Assuming I get it, new wheels will be in order, and I've been thinking maybe I'll try 650Bs. Did you have to replace the brakes for longer reach? And what's the smaller chainring on that one?

nlerner

Those are Weinmann/DiaCompe 750 center pulls. Chainset is Stronglight 99, which has an 86mm bcd, so it fits rings down to 28 or so, iirc.

ehcoplex 

Cool. Did the 590 conversion work with the stock Mafac brakes? I hadn't thought of that option, but if I can do that and fit 38c tires and fenders I'd be very happy...! (here I am sketching things out for something I don't even own.....!)

nlerner

That one also used Weinmann brakes. I didn’t have any MAFACs to try, but I don’t think they offer enough reach unless you use Raids.

gaucho777 

Even more than the rear derailleur, I would look into replacing the shifters. Those appear to be the Simplex Criterium made of Delrin ("plastic") and a metal sleeve. My eyes aren't so good, so maybe I'm not seeing it correctly. If those are made of Delrin, I hate those shifters, especially if they flex and have gone soft with age. Metal-bodied Simplex Criterium--or better yet, the retrofriction shifters--are a big step forward.

Agreed that the "simple" (i.e., not Nervex) lugs point to '72.

A bike like this should be overhauled thoroughly with fresh grease. With that in mind, you should know these cranks require a special 23.35mm crank puller (https://www.ebay.com/itm/123667643658) in order to remove the crank arms and overhaul the bottom bracket. A standard crank extractor will likely strip the threads. I love old French bikes, but you should be aware of their quirks--different threading and dimensions for stems, bars, clamps, pedal threads, etc. if you plan to make any changes or need certain replacement parts. A great overview: https://www.sheldonbrown.com/velos.html

Replacement stem?

Note the missing front derailleur. Add that to your cost or use as a bargaining chip.

Here's what looks to be a good comp with hi-res photos: https://bikerecyclery.com/58cm-1972-...80s-clinchers/

merziac

That may be the cracked original FD that was moved out of the way instead of taking it off although it looks to have a metal band so....

I would use the RD for now but plan for it to go and many fronts can be used. I would get it going and start the overhaul process asap so you can mitigate any other surprises on your terms. As indicated, it will take some tools as well as patience, skill and likely elbow grease. These are great, fantastic riders and easily one of the most iconic bikes of all time as you know.

Make it so.

3alarmer 

...
....I have done over about ten or a dozen of these Peugeot PX bikes, and I once started a thread on various modifications and upgrades that work well. PX-10 Information Thread. It only ran for a couple of pages before it died out, but you might get some ideas in there about what works. The most solid replacement for the rear derailleur that you can still find at affordable prices on Highbay is probably an early Shimano Crane in the short cage version. But if you are, indeed, concerned about easier gearing, the simplest adaptation is to buy one of the long cage versions, and mount a freewheel with something big on the back, like a 28 or a 32 (I think this will work with a 32 cog, but I've never actually tried it. Suntour made a couple of front derailleurs that have an integral cable housing stop, which work well as replacements.

Most of the Super LJ stuff is pretty pricey on the Bay right now. I'm uncertain why this is so.

As someone has already told you, it's pretty difficult to get a smaller chainwheel for that model of Stronglight, because of the BCD. It is not uncommon to see these modified with Sugino cranks with smaller BCD's, but that's not cheap to do, unless you get lucky. And you have that whole French threading in the BB to deal with.

Here is a French bike with a Nervar crank (similar limitations on chainwheel sizing) and a Simplex rear dropout I recently put together, with a wider gearing range than I normally use. This was done with a Shimano long cage Titlist rear mechanism. They are usually cheaper than the Crane, work about as well, are a little less nice in finish and a few grams heavier.

Schreck83 

Front Derailleur issue to look for
This FD is from a 1972 PX10. It's a parallelogram design rather than the pushrod type, but it shares the cracked Delrin problem


Inset brass nut on NDS is good

but the DS pivot rivet is hollow and the shift cable runs through it, so you have two sets of forces on the plastic body. Dang.

BertoBerg 

I have 32s on my '72 as well. I think I could squeeze 35s on there if I pushed the dropout adjusters all of the way back.

Agreed...SLJs are a godsend.

ehcoplex 

Well OK, I got it.... now what to do with it!




Rims are crap, front derailleur is completely toast (not only is the delrin cracked, the cage is completely bent..). Missing a couple chainring bolts, and the outer chainring appears to be on backwards (I kind of suspect maybe the FD cracked and got sucked into chain/crank... chainrings seem OK though). RD seems OK. Brooks Pro saddle has some cosmetic issues, but is otherwise in really great shape. Frame is straight, chrome pretty good, paint scrapes here and there, decals so-so. Stem seems non-original, but actually the shorter reach on it is probably better for me. Headset and BB seem good. One pedal is missing the cap and both spin less than freely. Got to get rid of those 'safety' levers on the brakes...

Everything will come apart for cleaning, appraisal, greasing, etc. Even though the rims are 27" steel crap, they seem true, so maybe I'll get some better tires for them so I can ride the bike as-is a bit (even as a 5-speed with no FD) to get more of a feel for it and figure out where to go with it. I figure with the already non-original wheels and the less-than-pristine paint I'll go more 'resto-mod'.

I'm sure it'll end up costing me, but $180 seemed like a decent deal.

BertoBerg 

I would’ve definitely bought it for that price. Good find!

ehcoplex 

A couple more photos...









And......

BertoBerg 

She’s a beauty!

jonwvara 

You got a good deal on a nice bike. Well worth putting some money into it, in my opinion. Don't paint the frame! It has a very nice amount of patina right now.

Schreck83 

Wheels look like they came from a UO-8. That spoke protector has sure earned its keep!

3alarmer 

.
...the chrome on it looks surprisingly good, an the saddle looks OK as well. Treat yourself to a couple of Japanese derailleurs, build some decent wheels using something like Sun Ringle rims, clean it up and you're on your way. The original bar and stem were dangerous anyway.

I usually rethread the crank to use standard pedals, then use MKS, which are pretty cheap brand new, and high quality.

ehcoplex 

On further disassembly.... I think I'm right that the FD cracked and got sucked into the crank/chainrings. Outer ring appeared to be on backwards and isn't straight. I might try and bend it back flat, because why not?, but I think it's probably toast. At least the small ring and the rest of the crank are OK. BB spins surprisingly well- though I'll pull it and re-grease.

ehcoplex 

I don't think I will- I appreciate the patina. I'm tempted to try and match the color and touch up some of the long scrapes on the top tube, but matching the color and the time probably ain't worth it. Polish it, wax it, ride it...