Vintage Peugeot conversion help and tips please

Spinny ones wot with sticky out bits and that.

What's wrong with the ones you've got?

:P

well i'm currently running on two chain rings, and wanna move down to just one, as i'm on 52 teeth right now, and want something lower!

also, i recently fitted a shimano br-r450 brake, but it's still not low enough, and the pads are slightly off the rims. is there anything that can be done about this?

Thanks for that Miro, I'm definitely starting to get that feeling!!!

I have one important question for others who have worked on these old Peugeot bikes: What bottom bracket do you use, because as far as I can tell, the current ones are French thread?

Thanks again,

Chris

I think it is the lucky of the draw whether you have one that is french or english. Mine was english (thank god).

Mine was French :(

well i'm currently running on two chain rings, and wanna move down to just one, as i'm on 52 teeth right now, and want something lower!

also, i recently fitted a shimano br-r450 brake, but it's still not low enough, and the pads are slightly off the rims. is there anything that can be done about this?

has it got bolts that hold the chainrings on or is it stuck together with two? about the brake, maybe need to get a different one with longer reach. have you put a 700 wheel into a frame that takes 27" wheels?

Good to see these bikes being fixed up and used. They're great because they're not precious... just fun.

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Of all the bike I've own, I have a bigger attachment to my own Peugeot, even thought it's a bottom-of-the-range frame and really small for me, it's still somehow my favourite, probably because I never feel pretentious riding it since it was built with a desire to simply ride.

has it got bolts that hold the chainrings on or is it stuck together with two? about the brake, maybe need to get a different one with longer reach. have you put a 700 wheel into a frame that takes 27" wheels?

the two are stuck together!

these brakes are long reach, so anyone else got any ideas?

someday, it sounds like you have the same crankset I had on my peugeot. You can drill the rivet things out so the back chainring comes off. I rode like that for about 2 weeks before the chain ring bent from the pressure of fixed. I would recomened a new crankset!

the two are stuck together!

these brakes are long reach, so anyone else got any ideas?
have you tried the inside ring? probably 42 teeth? you could cut the outer ring off and round the sharp edges off with a file. or just get a different crank problem solved. as for the break, i dunno, try one of those old weinmann (or whatever they're called) things. or put a 27" wheelset on if thats what the frame originally took. hope this helps.

someday, it sounds like you have the same crankset I had on my peugeot. You can drill the rivet things out so the back chainring comes off. I rode like that for about 2 weeks before the chain ring bent from the pressure of fixed. I would recomened a new crankset!

After drilling out the rivets to make it into a single chainring exactly the same thing happened to me too - sorry for recommending it to you Mikey Mike! If you search around in the shopping section you can find some pretty good deals on cranksets and chainrings; I would advise doing that instead. Best of luck!

cheers guys! i've managed to position the brakes so they no longer rub the tyres, should be fine.

i'll check the shopping section for a new crank set. will i need to replace the bb?

Probably not, try and look out for a square tapered crankset though as I image that's what you will need.

Just in the process of converting an 80s Pug and i'm finding this thread really useful. I'm still a newbie but pics will follow asap....

Cheers for the inspiration fellas

Hey Strip My Mind,

what did you do to get around the French threading?

I'm still trying to work out what mine is!

Hey Strip My Mind,

what did you do to get around the French threading?

I'm still trying to work out what mine is!

NOS crops up from time to time, and ebay (despite claims to the contrary) still sometimes yields results. Phil Wood still does a compatible bottom bracket http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/bottombrackets.html#phil

Or, mebs you could just go for a threadless bb.

I don't really want to pay for a Phil Wood bottom bracket, because they are just so expensive! It would be one of the only parts that I can't move on to another frame at a later stage, so I'm reluctant to fork out the money for it.

What are the downsides to using a threadless BB?

In the end I forked out £45 for a fairly stock threadless BB at my LBS who also removed / fitted it. Since having it swapped over I have changed my cranks a few times and it was extremely easy to do so. I would advise it, I'm confident that you'll be happy. If you have a traul around on ebay there is bound to be something within your price range.

well i'm currently running on two chain rings, and wanna move down to just one, as i'm on 52 teeth right now, and want something lower

I ran 52*21 gearing using the outer ring. I cut the inner away with hack saw (no bolts!). I had no problems. The steel chain rings last forever.

I think it is the lucky of the draw whether you have one that is french or english. Mine was english (thank god).

Mine was english. But i only replaced the bearings, re-greased and used the original cup cone and splindle. Cos about £2.

:)

Maybe someone knows enough to help me identify whether mine is Swiss or French treaded based on photos alone? Here are some pics:

Excuse the mud, it's been storming here in Amsterdam for the last few days!

Thanks!

Chris

Maybe someone knows enough to help me identify whether mine is Swiss or French treaded based on photos alone? Here are some pics:

Excuse the mud, it's been storming here in Amsterdam for the last few days!

Thanks!

Chris

Take out the crank arm and see if there are some numbers written on BB cups: 35 x 1 (french and swiss) , they are the same, except thread direction of the RIGHT CUP (drive side): French - right (clockwise) ; Swiss: COUNTERCLOCKWISE.

I hope this hekp.

Just in the process of converting an 80s Pug and i'm finding this thread really useful. I'm still a newbie but pics will follow asap....

Cheers for the inspiration fellas

Ok so here's a few pics of the Pug. Very nearly there now, just waiting for my rear wheel wheel, pedals and bar tape and she'll be on the road.

I never thought that converting my brother's old Peugeot could be so satisfying, it's been laying dormant for 15 odd years and I'm on a mission to resurrect her!

And after painting the wheels (rear's getting replaced now anyway), cutting the outer chainring off, cutting the bars and replacing the seat - this is all on a very tight budget if you couldn't already tell:

Let me know your thoughts, more pics to follow when finished!

Very nice What Not! I love the old Carbolites (I have one which I finished today in white. Thanks everyone for all of the advice and help along the way!). I like how you have chopped your bars down, I was thinking of doing that to my drops but we'll see. Have you riden on your cut down chainring yet? As soon as I rode mine it bent out of place, same happened with Mikey Mike so just a warning. Other than that, great budget bike, looking forward to seeing pics when you are done.

^^ Wow, sweet looking ride - I'm loving that white paint work.

Not ridden it at all yet, that's a bit of a worry about the chainring bending. I thought that it wouldn't lose too much strenght but alas. I could have left the outer on I suppose but this just looks so much better. Well, we'll have to wait and see what happens I guess. I've got a Surly 17t fixed to go on with a gold KMC chain.....

Appreciating the pug-love on this thread.. I've just bought a beaten-up peugeot which i think is from 1979-83 from the head badge. I've started stripping it down but I don't know how to tell if it has a French or English BB? There aren't any numbers on the cup or anywhere else. Any ideas?

Hi Tomfbh, when I removed my old BB the guy at the shop told me that if the bike has "british" stickers then it's for the UK market and it has standard thread , and I was able to use a regular Shimano BB from a Cannondale Capo (still running smooth for me).
See if there are stickers that say imported or similar things about UK market.
Maybe the easyest is to just remove the BB and you can see the thread. Some where saying you can use threadless BB if u have problems finding the right one, but i have no expereince with those.

by the way mine now looks like this after a few tweaks and I'm quite happy with it, i might need a shorter stem to have a more straight posture....
(photo is crap i know, i will post a better one soon...):

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