Scored these 2 bikes from our local Habitat for Humanity Restore. $35 each.
We think they're late 70s early ish 80s. The shop they were bought at in no longer in business. OG Owner sold and retired at 88 in late 2012.
They look like they're been in a barn for a long time. Not sure where to start to make these reliable. We love the patina on both bikes. no idea what we really have and could use some assistance in getting headed the right direction. New tires for sure. Good cleaning. Just clean oil and ride?
Options.
1. Restore full on our own.
2. Restore full by professional.
3. Restore enough to be safe and rideable. Leave everything else as is.
We love the old school looks. Being 50 they spoke to me.
Any advice, links to parts, threads for repair would be greatly appreciated.
by OperatorBill
8 Comments
You could get these rideable for about $100 and ~2 hours of work.
Realistically, they need to be fully overhauled (bearings repacked, housing replaced, etc, etc)
Bare minimum is new tires, brake pads and thoroughly lube the chain.
A reputable shop is going to quote you around $450 to do everything these bikes need. ~$150 to do the bare minimum. IMO this is not worth it. That’s a lot of surface rust and lot of cheap, steel components. Better to invest in something with good bones.
Think complete overhaul plus parts:
See if the seatposts and stems are stuck. If they’re ok, grease them up and reinstall. Replace the tires, tubes, cables and brake shoes. Repack all the bearings. The chain looks pretty damaged and should be replaced if it can’t be cleaned and lubricated to move freely. Replace anyway for best results. If the chain was used until worn, you may need to replace the freewheel also. Replace anyway for best results. You may also need new seats and grips. If the nipples are bound to the spokes, you may need new wheels.
I suspect those are ’87 or possibly ’86 City Expresses. This site is great for catalog pics and spec sheets. I love this era of Peugeots and have had a couple.
[https://www.bikeboompeugeot.com/Brochures%20USA/Peugeot%201987%20USA%20Brochure/Peugeot%201987%20USA%20Brochure%20Page%2021.jpg](https://www.bikeboompeugeot.com/Brochures%20USA/Peugeot%201987%20USA%20Brochure/Peugeot%201987%20USA%20Brochure%20Page%2021.jpg)
In order to ride reliably, the minimum maintenance I would do would be:
-New tires and tubes
-New chain
-Clean and / or replace freewheel (Probably replace. They’re very inexpensive.)
-New brake and shift cables + housing
-New brake pads
-Clean and re-grease everything that rotates. (Hubs, headset, bottom bracket, and pedals)
-True wheels if necessary
Unfortunately getting a shop to do all that is probably gonna be a couple hundred bucks each, minimum. (Bit of a guess as I do my own maintenance and am not up on what shops charge these days.) Not a sound financial decision by any means, but you’ll end up with a pair of bikes with character that could last another 40 years easily.
If you have some mechanical aptitude that could all be done DIY as well. You would need to buy a few tools. The biggest expense in getting these old bikes rolling again is usually tires. One decent tire costs about what you paid for each bike.
Japanese made peugeot! Grease every bearing and clean that chain, it should clean up nicely
Start with option 3. Then make adjustments as needed or by your preference with option 1.
Park tools has videos on how to fix pretty much everything, or if your like me and prefer text and pictures over videos, Sheldon Brown’s website is as good as it gets.
Nothing look seriously bad. Tires/tubes, chain, and brake pads (even if they look good, they’re probably hardened and need replacing anyway) and your good to go.
Brass wire wheel on chrome to remove rust, wadded up aluminum foil with water for the other parts,
Automotive color corrector wash/rub down, followed with a car wax (the ceramic spray ones are really good) will shine up and protect the painted parts.
Start with 3.
Don’t let people saying it will be expensive and not worth it discourage you, I just restored a bike older than those with more rust than those two put together and it rides very well.
If you just want to ride to the coffee shop on the weekend, get new chains and brake pads. They don’t “need” complete overhauls. Check the tires for cracks and dry rot. They might be ok, or not.
Ride them a few times and see how you like them, before spending a lot of money.
No.
for $35 you get a pail of rust. And then you spend x3 more to make it ride. Be ready for popping spokes. Bikes stored in that conditions have rotten spokes that split. Don’t get me wrong – i am fan of tinkering around old bikes, but it would be too much for me.