A stepthrough Peugeot restoration commences.....

SimonAH

Picked her up today from Bristol (ta GTVLusso).

To be fair....the lady is not in the best of shape at the moment (there's quite a lot of cosmetic rust, the BB is as loose as Katie Price's nethers and the back wheel has been trued by Dr Mobius) but I can see the potential here (and the tyres are Conti hardshells without any visible wear, bonus!).

What surprised me is that she's a lot lighter than I expected (from the frame decals it's supposed to be a high carbon steel...? Stronger so thinner walls?)

Anyway, now the hard work commences! My self imposed deadline is Christmas day as she's destined to wear a ribbon and be propped against the tree (c'mon, I'm secure in my sexuality, but you didn't think she was for me did you?)

So, jobs are;

Strip and clean everything, lots of polishing to come.
Blast clean the frame, remove the remaining pump lug and lead to cover any scars this creates.
Powder coat the frame (lots of my customer base do powder coating so I'm expecting to blag this :-D )
Source and apply some new decals (or hand paint some custom designs? Undecided)
Recover or replace the saddle (foam, shell and suspension are in very good nick, might even be possible to rescue the original vinyl). Fit some nice leather grips that I've got in the parts bin.
New pads, cables and chain
True or re-hoop the wheels (chromed steel rims, a bit of surface rust - depends how good the chrome is on closer inspection)
Fit new 'guards (including chain guard, I have a nice ally one that I will get powder coated to match the frame) and , most importantly of course, fit a wicker basket on the front.

Well, I've got 24 days, I work full time, my weekends are mostly spent renovating a house and I can't admit to what I'll be doing in the workshop as it is supposed to be a surprise.

Bets on success? You'd get better odds on the Pope taking up Aussie rules football, but hey ho - what's life without challenges?

rolf_f

Now technically, I think that is no mixte. Nice bike though. I saw a similar one at the Chipping Steam Fair last year for about £30 and was tempted. If it had been higher spec or mens frame I think I'd have gone for it. That and I was feeling lazy on the day and already had a project on the go.......

As for decals - you could go for a PX10 look - would be quite cool on a step through!

SimonAH

Rolf F wrote:

Now technically, I think that is no mixte. Nice bike though. I saw a similar one at the Chipping Steam Fair last year for about £30 and was tempted. If it had been higher spec or mens frame I think I'd have gone for it. That and I was feeling lazy on the day and already had a project on the go.......

As for decals - you could go for a PX10 look - would be quite cool on a step through!

Arse, you're right. Didn't know the distinction of the twin rails - every day is a schoolday!

rolf_f

SimonAH wrote:

ars*, you're right. Didn't know the distinction of the twin rails - every day is a schoolday!

Well, if GTV gave you the impression it was a mixte, I reckon you might be able to sue. Won't cost you anything in the small claims court and it's no more than he deserves

SimonAH

Day one. Full nut and bolt stripdown. Blind bearing pullers popped out the head cups from the frame with ease.

I did knacker the cotter pins getting them out of the cranks - if you want serious comedy go into Halfords Bike-Hut and ask them if they stock cotter pins! Expressions of total incomprehension as a chain of five assistants asked each other what one was whilst pretending that they were checking the stock situation was hilarious! And no, by the way, they don't.

Selle Royal saddle is saved with original vinyl.

optimisticbiker

SimonAH wrote:

Day one. Full nut and bolt stripdown. Blind bearing pullers popped out the head cups from the frame with ease.

I did knacker the cotter pins getting them out of the cranks - if you want serious comedy go into Halfords Bike-Hut and ask them if they stock cotter pins! Expressions of total incomprehension as a chain of five assistants asked each other what one was whilst pretending that they were checking the stock situation was hilarious! And no, by the way, they don't.

Selle Royal saddle is saved with original vinyl.

Hmmm... Halfords do stock them, just not in the bike section... they call them split pins, look on their website part numbers start with HFX...

b]edit[/b

I later realised you don't mean cotter-pins (USA term for split pin), you mean cotters (as in a tapered pin). The Peugeot are non-standard 9mm ones...so the chances of Halford's stocking them are remote! Amazingly though Amazon sell them...or you can get them here

b]/edit[/b

optimisticbiker

Simon, you might be interested (if you don't know it already) about this website http://mysite.verizon.net/vzerndgo/index.html

SimonAH

Really good net-fu OB, thanks.

rjsterry

SimonAH wrote:

Really good net-fu OB, thanks.

Ooooh, cottered cranks. My first proper bike - a 5-speed Dawes tourer - had cottered cranks {misty-eyed], in fact they looked exactly like that, with the cream plastic chainring guard. Impressed that the saddle was salvageable. Old vinyl normal disintegrates just by looking at it.

mitb

I'm doing the same thing! Well, kind off. Mine is a Peugeot Premiere 'ladies racer' and it isn't going to be done by Christmas day and I can't get any free powder coating. My wife will never ride it either but it's a fun project. Although it is drop-barred I intend to fit straight (bendy) bars and probably go singlespeed, though that will involve removing shifter braze-ons (lucky you and your band-on stem mouted shifter!). I'll be very interested to watch your progress.
In terms of your design, I restored my old HLE Premiere road bike (Currently sitting on page 52 of Commuting Bike Pics thread) and went somewhere between faithful and made up, coming up with my own scheme but using Peugeot graphics (albeit of the wrong period!). I love the colour of your bike (which is worrying) and as I haven't made up my mind yet I'm starting to consider pink whereas I had thought it was too twee, even for a 'girly' bike...

SimonAH

Frame and forks booked in for a blast and white powdercoat on Friday with a friendly customer....current thoughts are then a mix of some Peugeot decals and some hand-painted buttercups twining around the frame. This bike will be girly with a capital G :-D

The vinyl on the seat, by the way, was in remarkably good condition. The glueing had come free from the shell, but the covering protected by one of those hideous lace-on gel cover thingies which probably protected it from UV damage. A good nailbrush scrub and a re-glueing and, whilst not perfect, you would have to look hard to see damage. I'll post more pictures on the weekend.

rolf_f

SimonAH wrote:

I'll post more pictures on the weekend.

But where are the pics of the stripdown? You just aren't doing this properly!

BTW - why not get a new pump lug welded on. They aren't a bad idea really!

SimonAH

Well bugger me clockwise with a hedgehog strapped to a rolling pin with a Queen Mother's 90th birthday teatowel - she's done, and on time.

Admittedly some bits could be better (would have liked to replace the rims as the chrome on the steel is a bit pitted and they weigh a tonne, and I'm not happy with the vinyl of the original seat, so have temporarily fitted a very functional but not correct modern saddle).

But;

Here's the frame back from blasting showing the butt braze construction;




And then powdercoated a royal blue (I know, not remotely original, but pretty)



I made up a headbadge using a piece of roofing lead (to my daughter's design) and painted it with model enamels and superglued it to the headtube;



And built up the bike with new cables, campy brakes, SKS Chromoplastics, MTB grips (weird diameter bars, couldn't use the leather ones I wanted) and a bring-bring bell.

All bearings replaced and all components broken down to nut and bolt cleaned and regreased.

She'd better like it!

londonlivvy

Well done you!! That is some serious strip-down and re-build action. I am most particularly impressed (not being of mechanical mind) by the bespoke head badge. Very cool.

My only bit of nit-picking relates to the cleanliness of the chain / cassette (or rather lack of)...

SimonAH

You're right Livvy, it looks bad... The chain (though clean, I promise!) is a little brown - original item so surface discolouration - not rust just surface oxidation. The same applies to the cassette.

It's the difference in 70's materials to modern ones - the modern steels used for chains and cassettes are essentially stainless steel (normally 13% or 18% chrome) and don't discolour in the same way.

They are both clean and lubed though! I may well replace both just for aesthetics...seems a shame as no appreciable wear on either.

Thanks for the kind comments :-D

rolf_f

I think you should leave the original chain and cassette on - besides, they may look ever so slightly scruffy, but they never look worse than that. A shiny cassette half covered in grey slime looks a lot worse!

Actually, I reckon the tyres let it down in the picture. They could do with a proper clean up and then it'll be spot on.

SimonAH

Now that's a comment I'll take firmly on the chin Rolf, you are absolutely right (along with some elbow grease and autosol on the hoops). Ta mate.

Stone Glider

Well done. There is an awful lot to like about that bike.......

apart from the saddle. Sorry, the original looks better tbh, at least in the photos. You are a clever person.

rolf_f

SimonAH wrote:

Now that's a comment I'll take firmly on the chin Rolf, you are absolutely right (along with some elbow grease and autosol on the hoops). Ta mate.

No probs - as long as you aren't using something like Cockpit Shine or Back to Black (unless you've got good life insurance on the Missus )

mitb

Looks brilliant, nice work! Some cheap new tyres might be nice, bit late now but got some Vittoria Zaffiro slicks on my Peugeot, they were like £6 each from Ribble I think, roll really well and (for a few days at least) look lovely and new. But you can clean yours up a treat. Love the white outers, i struggled to get some for my bike without paying much dollar and ended up using some old black ones- where'd you get yours?
Anyway, great job. You've 'made' a unique bike that can last for years and years and cost peanuts and was fun to do and most of all has character! It'd cost a grand if Charge made it...

EKE_38BPM

mitb wrote:

Looks brilliant, nice work!......Anyway, great job. You've 'made' a unique bike that can last for years and years and cost peanuts and was fun to do and most of all has character! It'd cost a grand if Charge made it...

+1
Old steel bikes were often well made and if a loving owner gives the bike a full refurbish every thirty years or so, like you have, they could last longer than Stone Henge!

gtvlusso

That looks lovely old boy! Chapeau!

Would have sat in my shed for another year or so before I commenced any kind of restoration (and then I would have been roped into repainting the house first......)

Happy Christmas to you and yours......

MonkeyMonster

some fiend has slipped a plastic frisbee in behind the cassette but otherwise nice job

alan_sherman

If the recipient of the bike plans to ride in the rain then are you planning to change the rims (or just buy a set of hand built wheels). I remember chromed steel rims and the complete lack of any breaking ability in the wet!

Nice to see a bike bought back to life. It almost makes me want to get my entry level race bike painted (a Peugeot I bought when I was 14)

SimonAH

OK, NOW it's finished.

Your many points taken on board so a bit more elbow grease put into the original Selle saddle and it is now up to snuff so applied. It is off-white with brown piping so looked a little wrong against the super white mudguards and cables - then I had a stroke of genius and adapted a wicker hamper to a rack from the parts bin to offset the colour - I think this works

Rims lightly wire wooled for rust spots and some autosol applied, tyres cleaned.

This is the last I'll post on the subject, many thanks for all your kind comments!



And no, that's not my garage :shock:

rolf_f

That's better! Mind you, do you know what would be even better? Yep - a nice white Peugeot decal for the downtube! Go on, you know you have to (needs something there!)

mitb

The spoke protector thing is a pain. i don't know if this is the same but on my Peugeot I didn't have and couldn't find the right freewheel remover for the Maillard one, making it rather hard to get the protector off. My best hope is to find an old bike shop that might have one in their workshop, get it off and replace with something I do have the remover for!