I bought this Oldie some years ago for like 10 € on a flea market and rode it for quite some time in the city where I lived back then. It’s really not that special, it’s heavy as f***, but I kinda like it nevertheless.
Now I’m thinking of what to do with it. I’ve got a nice road bike for daily business, so I’m thinking of turning it into a fixie/single speed bike just for fun l. Maybe spend some money for better brakes, cause the originals are horrible. 😅
Does anyone know anything about it? Especially it’s age?
by Moperman
4 Comments
Usually the word sport means entry level. This looks ok. Seems the dropouts are stamped but I couldn’t quite tell. I’m
It’s not a Peugeot UO8 but it might as well be. Late 70s, steel cottered crank, simplex plastic drivetrain. One thing I’ll give it is that you have lots of room for some bigger tires.
But yeah it’s gonna be heavy.
You could lose a few lbs by upgrading seatpost/bars/stem/crank/wheels/drivetrain, but that’s basically the whole bike. The used-bike market is soft enough that you could get all that by buying a much better more recent bike, even a lighter stiffer aluminum frame, for a fraction of that money.
There are enough fixies in the world. This is a very cool bike, not valuable but very cool, because it has a complete and intact Simplex drivetrain (a rare experience these days) and it’s freaking tic-tac orange. This is the type of bike you should have fun with – both learning everything about bikes and riding. It’s not too valuable to fuck up. It’s also not too valuable to ride. It looks like it’s got alloy wheels already, so it shouldn’t be too heavy for a commuter. Thicker high-tensile tubing which is resistant to dents and takes a very long time until rust renders it unsafe. A steel crankset that will last an eternity. Lots of funky French parts.
If this was my bike, I’d give it orange bar tape, white cable housing, an orange saddle, maybe even orange tires. Consider learning how to lace your own wheels this winter and make it a 700c conversion – which gives you the added benefit of fatter tires. Learn to rebuild all the bearings, including the bottom bracket, which requires a cotter press (bikesmithdesign.com) and likely French 9.0mm cotter pins. I’d get a SRAM PC-830 chain and 6mm 10-tooth jockey wheels (orange if you can find them) and keep the Simplex drivetrain exactly as-is and treat it nicely. It won’t be the lightest bike on the streets, but it will be the most enjoyable.
If your alternative is walking, it’s a great bike. The frame is going to be heavy, and the parts are not worth a lot, though an intact Simplex Prestige f/r derailleur and shifters seems to go for $40 on ebay now. They were common, but fragile and I think people are nostalgic… at least that’s why I have a set in the parts bin. The wheels don’t suck either.