Vintage Peugeot conversion help and tips please

You know you can use your current drop bar, but with the brake hood set a bit higher like modern set-up (old one is set quite low), it'll be like a bullhorn bar but with additional drop?

a la this (can do the same with normal bar);

Finally finished my peugeot build and thought id post it up here as this thread was so helpful while i was sorting it all.
Unfortunately, the original paint was in a bad state, so had it stripped back to raw, and clearcoated. I think i will get some peugeot decals made up as looks a bit plain just raw.
And ideally need to get new cranks/bb but current ones are ok for the moment.
Saddle has come down a fair bit since this also, and stems gone up a tad.
Cheers
for some reason having problems linking the photos, but heres the links.
http://s994.photobucket.com/albums/af61/dulfhansen/?action=view&current=P9043553.jpg
http://s994.photobucket.com/albums/af61/dulfhansen/?action=view&current=P9043557.jpg
http://s994.photobucket.com/albums/af61/dulfhansen/?action=view&current=P9043564.jpg

Looks nice without decals TBH, is that the original seatpost? if not WHAT IS IT?!

Finally finished my peugeot build and thought id post it up here as this thread was so helpful while i was sorting it all.
Unfortunately, the original paint was in a bad state, so had it stripped back to raw, and clearcoated. I think i will get some peugeot decals made up as looks a bit plain just raw.
And ideally need to get new cranks/bb but current ones are ok for the moment.
Saddle has come down a fair bit since this also, and stems gone up a tad.
Cheers
for some reason having problems linking the photos, but heres the links.
http://s994.photobucket.com/albums/af61/dulfhansen/?action=view&current=P9043553.jpg
http://s994.photobucket.com/albums/af61/dulfhansen/?action=view&current=P9043557.jpg
http://s994.photobucket.com/albums/af61/dulfhansen/?action=view&current=P9043564.jpg

That looks really nice. Did you just keep the original cranks then? I'm finally due to get delivery of my peugeot on saturday. I've been waiting on it for months now, as it's sitting on my brother's balcony getting even rustier. I can't wait to get stuck into the project.

The clearcoat looks nice. It is quite cool without the decals but they will add to it if you get a nice set (IMO).

ive just resprayed my 30yr old raleigh and the paint is quite weak and easily chipped, even tho i have applied 3 coats of clear laquer, does anyone have any experience of how tough powder coating is or perhaps 3M paint protection film?

ther are some realy nice bikes on here, i would love to post the one i just started but i dont know how to post a image, any help please? do i need a certain site or what....

ive just resprayed my 30yr old raleigh and the paint is quite weak and easily chipped, even tho i have applied 3 coats of clear laquer, does anyone have any experience of how tough powder coating is or perhaps 3M paint protection film?

DIY paintjobs are very hard to get tough, best you can do is get allll of the origanal paint off, use good primer, not to many coats of the colour, no need to do that thick, then do more like 5 or 6 layers of laquer but do thin ones, paint to thick will chip easier
i could be wrong but just personal exsperience from painting alot of bikes and other things over a few years, what works best for me

but ye powder coating will defonetly be tougher...

Seatpost is from decathlon, original wasnt quite long enough.
its not exactly the right size, but come with a shim, that if you cut in half fits pretty well.
heres the one
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/l330-basic-diam-23-4-25-27-2-35412401/
pretty cheap and looks nice (IMO)

Yeah original cranks, its got a stupid rivoted double chainring which is a bit ugly, Ive seen somehwere that you can cut off one of the rings, but dont want to risk it really, until i can get some sort of backup/replacement.

Any chance of some advice on my bike...

I've installed some NOS forks along with a new headset (a Tange 1″, tube reamed and faced and cups installed professionally) and put more lube on the bearings than Michael Barrymore gets through in a whole season of pool parties but the thing still feels rough as (lots of force to move the bars, they stay exactly where you put them with no inclination to roll when the bike is lent either way). Any ideas?

The bearings are still in the cages (I know this isn't great long term but just assembling it in the flat it shouldn't cause any problems) but they just don't seem to turn. Even when I dry installed the thing to work out steerer tube lengths it didn't feel right. Do I just scrap the bearings and start afresh?

I've tried loosening the thing right up to the point where there is next to zero pressure on the bearings but it makes no difference at all.

All sorted now - lost the cages, bought a load more BBs to fill the races and it now runs smooth as you like.

Just back from Paris where, the Velib scheme aside, it seemed 90% of the bikles were peugeots. Some fantastic conversions around as well, most just rocking the original look and decals. My girlfriend was getting a bit irate at the end with me stopping to admire bike after bike...

Seatpost is from decathlon, original wasnt quite long enough.
its not exactly the right size, but come with a shim, that if you cut in half fits pretty well.
heres the one
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/l330-basic-diam-23-4-25-27-2-35412401/
pretty cheap and looks nice (IMO)

I'd just like to add, I did go and buy this as it was only a tenner, much appreciated ( I'm sure decathlon has been mentioned as supplying smaller seatposts elswhere too).

The seatpost itself is good and solid, looks much better than what I had (older three piece seat clamp and very short post), however the seatpost is slightly too small, as you mentioned.
The smaller of the two shims was far too thick to get the post fitted into my 80's HLE frame, not sure if seat tube sizes vary within the Peugeot family throughout the years? Anyway, I cut a coke can into a flat sheet, and made a shim from one wrap of that around the post, which fits perfectly.
Hope this helps if anyone else has any trouble.
Cheers

edit: 103 frames should have 23.4mm seatposts, which matches the decathlon with no shim, I assumed HLE 'mangalloy' was the same as 103, so I cant figure out why my seat tube size lies somewhere between that and the 26.4mm of frames like the PX-10, the closest match seems to be the '78> Versailles, which is 23.8mm
So maybe all HLE frames are 23.8mm in which case this seatpost will need a .4mm shim, which it isn't supplied with.

Hi All,

This is my first time here, so hopefully I don't break too many forum rules and etiquette..

I read all of this post, it's great to see all of these beautiful bikes being modified and restored to their former glory. This site really is a top source of detailed information - so many thanks to all of those taking the time to reply to posts and share their knowledge and experience.

I wanted to share the start of my project - I picked her up today, she'd been knocked over, and was lying on the floor in the rain at a bike market:

I found the original '86 brochure featuring this model after searching this forum..

http://i419.photobucket.com/albums/pp271/qeugeot/1986de/1986de_05.jpg

So it's an '86 PGN 10 GS GOLD SPECIAL but unfortunately the gears have been changed to Shimano 105, and the original handlebars, saddle, peddles and 80's bling gold chain have been replaced.

I believe I need to read further, to see if I have to replace the BB - and if so, I'll have to find out if it's a French, Swiss or British thread.. I'm hoping it's British as it's from '86 and I read that later in the '80's all BB thread's were changed to British.

I have an old fixed gear bike already:

so.. I was hoping to be able to use some of the components on the Pug, although a little rusty in places, the hub at the back, the wheels and the crank are all Campagnolo..

Do you guys have any tips for me as a complete newcomer to this, and specifically does anyone know whether I'll be able to salvage some of these Campagnolo components to use with the Pug?

Cheers in advance..

what's wrong with the hold fixed wheel bicycles?

Keep the track frame fixed, and the Peugot geared

Look like you already got the best of both world (providing you didn't had any bike beforehand).

The Pug have some decent stuff, especially with shimano shifter.

the path racer is already a fixed road bike, there's nothing needed to be done to the path racer beside the obvious checking/greasing/adjusting.

be wary of campag stuff like the hubs, they may not be sealed for the greatest of british weather.

To add mine to the Peugot thread:

From this (as found on NCN route 6):

To a beater build with spares knocking about + new cables and bar tape:

Hi,
This is a before and after of an old peugeot that I bought for £15.00 on gumtree.
I spent approx another £100 which included new wheels and tyres , crankset and seatpost and saddle.
I changed the old steel post for an alloy one from Decathalon and cut a drinks can to use as a shim.
I had another problem with play on the BB axle.
scouring the internet told me it was going to cost a small fortune to fix due to the BB being French.
SJS cycles had a axle within 1/2 a mm of the worn one and it worked a treat for only a £5 plus a couple of pounds post
I based my build on the charge plug which I loved but could'nt afford
the finished weight is 10.2 kg

Peugeot Racer Mid 1980s by supergunn, on Flickr

Peugeot after conversion by supergunn, on Flickr

Bought this a few months back, first bike in donkeys.
An old peugeot with super vitus 980 tubing:

I imagine this is about 1986?

Matched the rear tyre, new comfy tape, and added a bat:

Have put in some miles on it, love it.
Only issue is the seatpost (expanding) is completely fused (but at a good height), the headset is a bit "grindy", and it has had some awful touchups on various chips and scrapes, which i wouldn't mind if they at least slightly matched the old paint.

Never ever liked front dérailleurs. Was thinking of either:

1: Converting to 5spd, keeping the rear mech.
2: Converting to SS/fixed.

I imagine the latter is more expensive and possibly not suitable? I'm hoping that the supervitus doesn't signify this will have french threads. In the process of either of these i was thinking of fizzing the seatpost out (is this possible with an expanding post?), and repainting the frame.

Which course would you suggest? I'm looking at you, scoble.
Bear in mind this is my only ever cycle project, and I am of course, a complete novice.

Cheers for any help.

Convert to 5 speed, putting the single chainring in the middle of the 5 speed block and thus improved shifting (smoother and less wear and tear) once you sort out the BB sizing.

For an everyday sizing, you'll need something like a 46t chainring to compensate (if you ride in the inner ring all the time and find it perfect, stay with that).

a single 5 speed derailleur set-up is quite effective especially in cities when you only need a couple or so gears.

Check Sheldon Brown for information, sound like your headset need a regrease.

Go to your LBS, find out what size seatpost it is, chance are it'll be those usually small Peugeot sizing (23.4 I think), the good thing is that Decathlon sell a seatpost that come with shim to fit various unusual size and cost something like £10 and will fit your Peugeot.

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/l330-basic-diam-23-4-25-27-2-35412401/

So not all is lost in finding suitable seatpost.

Timely. Cheers!

The inner ring is a bit too small to stick with, I would rather use the big one.
So, i can keep the rear cassette, mech etcetera, and look for a new chainring? Would i be able to fit it myself? Or am i very likely to fuck it over? I'd like to do it myself just to figure it out.

Go to your LBS, find out what size seatpost it is, chance are it'll be those usually small Peugeot sizing (23.4 I think), the good thing is that Decathlon sell a seatpost that come with shim to fit various unusual size and cost something like £10 and will fit your Peugeot.

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/l330-basic-diam-23-4-25-27-2-35412401/

So not all is lost in finding suitable seatpost.

that's excellent, thanks. I still need to get the old one out though.. I would imagine there is alot more material to fizz away with hydrochloric than a usual one? Still do-able?

I should probably have searched that one.

There's a topic covering stuck seatpost, soda usually work for that.

a chainring that's inbetween the small and big chainring you have on your bike would be idea, you can keep the current BB, but it would be idea to move the cranks closer to get the chainring in the middle of the 5 speeds block, find out what BCD it is, I assumed it's 130BCD since it's a road crankset from the look of it, it should be written on the chainring.

don't forget to specced the thickness to 3/32, they're the thickness of the chain, 3/32 is coming on road bike with derailleur, whether 1/8th is common on fixed/singlespeed set-up.

Cheers bigears.
Doesn't sound as nightmarish as i thought.

Will be back in a couple of weeks with an update.

edit: sheldon brown v. ken rockwell