# help me "fixed" up an old peugeot...



## sac02 (Apr 20, 2006)

I don't have a fixed bike and thought my mom's old bike would make a good commuter. 

So...

The bike:
1972 Peugeot U0-8, 10 speed simplex drivetrain w/ downtube shifters, Marfac "racer" brakes, cottered cranks, 27" wheels. The frame is (surprisingly) only slightly smaller than ideal. 

The goal:
Fixed gear for $200, absolute maximum

Problems:
1) Can't get the [email protected] cottered cranks off. Liquid Wrench doesn't seem to be working, might have to try heat. Hacksaw to the axle if it comes to it.

2) I took the cassette apart (without knowing it wasn't like modern systems) and wound up with ball bearings everywhere and am now unable to put the thing back together. Should I even bother?

Questions:
1) I plan to convert to 700c wheels. No problem in back, unsure about front. I plan to use a front brake, and will probably want to replace the marfac with a modern caliper. Am I facing compatibility issues with the new brake and new wheel on the old fork?

2) I am assuming the bottom bracket is an unusual size or thread pitch (the French...) any advice for what kind of BB I will need?

3) Cranks: I used FMF BMX cranks on my SS mtb and they are virtual lead weights. If you know of anything lighter that still falls in the "cheap" category, that would be great...

4) I plan to build my first set of wheels for this bike. The rear dropouts are 120mm spacing. Keeping with the "cheap" theme, what hubs/spokes/rims would you reccomend? I did some searching and I.R.O. hubs seemed popular, and reasonably priced. 

Thanks for all replys.

To be continued...


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## sac02 (Apr 20, 2006)

*help me "fixed" up an old peugeot... part 2*

more questions from my quest to convert an old Peugeot road frame to fixed gear...

5) Seat post and saddle. The current setpost is 22mm, with a shim in the frame. My digital calipers claim the seat tube is 26.1mm and the 26.2mm seatpost I have on one of my other bikes goes in less than an inch before getting stuck. any clue what seatpost size I should buy?

6) Frame pump. The bike has pump pegs on the downtube, I am interested in using a frame pump. Can you recommend a frame pump with a "vintage" look to go with the bike?

7) Threaded stem. I have no experience with quill stems, can someone point me toward a resource where I could get some info on how to replace/adjust them?

8) Cog: I currently run 42x16 on a 26" slick-tire SS mtb for a commuter. should I go with higher gears for a fixie? What brand of cog? should I get 2 cogs for the flip/flop hub?

Wow that's a lot of questions...

Thanks a lot to anyone who can help with any of my questions.

Mac


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

*Several points*

-First, a word of forum advice: you didn't need to start two threads; it makes it confusing for people to respond. You could have edited your first post, or posted a reply in that thread,
[edit: I see a moderator fixed that for you]
-If you're going to buy all those parts, it's going to be very tough to stay under $200. Wheels alone will probably be over $100. If you want to keep to that budget, re-use more of the existing stuff

-You don't have a cassette; you have a freewheel, which you have now disassembled (totally unnecessarily). If you want to use that wheel, you need to get a freewheel remover and remove the freewheel body. If you're planning to get a new rear wheel, as you say, you shouldn't waste a minute with the old wheel.

-conversion to 700c might be tricky. The brake reach may be pretty long already, and switching will make it 4mm longer. You might find it hard to find a caliper with a long enough reach. Why not stay with the 27" wheels, if you're trying to save $? If you do want to build wheels on that budget, You can get basic rims like Mavic Open Sport (formerly MA3) for about $30. You can't get much cheaper.

-cottered cranks can be a real b*tch when they've been in place that long.

-have you read Sheldon? A lot of your basic questions are answered there.

-Quill stems are a piece of cake (adjusting threaded headsets takes a little practice, but it's not that hard). Loosen the bolt a few turns (don't take it all the way out), whack it with a rubber mallet or block of wood to loosen the expander, and try to twist the bars. Once the stem is turning in the steerer, it should come right out.

-have fun. Sounds like a good project, and it's an ideal frame for the purpose


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## sac02 (Apr 20, 2006)

Thanks for the reply, sorry about the double post. upon further inspection, I think I will post a couple of my questions in the retro-classic forum since they would be more appropriate there.

The only reason I had for switching to 700c was because it is the "standard". If 27" parts are readily available, I have no objection to them. If using a 27" wheel, could I use a modern brake?

Mac


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

*27", etc.*



sac02 said:


> If 27" parts are readily available, I have no objection to them. If using a 27" wheel, could I use a modern brake?
> Mac


The only parts that are different are the rim and tire (tubes are close enough to fit either). 27" tires are reasonably available, but if you're going to build wheels anyway, you probably will switch; 27" rims are not manufactured anymore, as far as I know. The brake is no problem, as long as the reach matches up with what the rim/fork combination requires.

You might find these articles helpful:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed/index.html
http://sheldonbrown.com/cotters.html

I still can't quite see how you can swing this for under $200 if you're going to build new wheels, but good luck.


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## elvisVerde (Jul 17, 2005)

*I am thinking the same thing for my Peugeot...*

I have stuff laying around so I don't have to worry about a price ceiling. IMHO, you are going to be hardpressed to do this for under $200, unless you take your time and shop smart.

Wheels: there are some great prices on fixie wheels on ebay, new, decent stuff.

Crank: threads may either be French, or in some cases Swiss. You may have to look around for cheap French bb, but they can be found. If it is Swiss, a competent bike shop can tap English threads out of existing Swiss threads. The English threads are standard these days. As far as getting the crank apart, once you take off the nut, you should be able to hammer the cotter out of the arm, n'est-ce pas?

Second thought, do you need to change the crank? Maybe you can use it until the crank of your dreams appears. You might be able to use the smaller ring...etc.

For that matter, once you get the freewheel completely off, you can respace the hub and in theory use a spacer and fixie cog and maybe some sorta lockring on the outside. I have read some people complain about that approach, you are on a budget, Oui?







sac02 said:


> I don't have a fixed bike and thought my mom's old bike would make a good commuter.
> 
> So...
> 
> ...


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## sac02 (Apr 20, 2006)

JCavilia said:


> I still can't quite see how you can swing this for under $200 if you're going to build new wheels, but good luck.


You underestimate my... frugality.  I resurected a Raliegh mtb into a SS (cranks, chainring, chain, rear hub conversion, front wheel, tires, grips, brakes, seatpost, and saddle) for a hair over $70, so I feel I can do this project. 

Thanks for the tip on the tubes, I was not aware they were interchangable.

My main reason for wanting to ditch the 27" wheels is that they are very wide and very heavy, even a low-end modern wheel would probably save 1/2 a pound or more at each end. 



> The brake is no problem, as long as the reach matches up with what the rim/fork combination requires.


How would I determine if the reach is sufficient? Do modern brakes even mount to old bikes without significant modifications?

A thought: if it's only a matter of a few mm's difference in diameter between 700c and 27" (as you mentioned in a previous post), could I grind the fork dropouts a few mm to get that clearance? This thought crosses my mind because grinding on the rear vertical dropouts was the solution to building my SS mtb without a chain tensioner.

Mac


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

*Go for it*



sac02 said:


> You underestimate my... frugality.  I resurected a Raliegh mtb into a SS (cranks, chainring, chain, rear hub conversion, front wheel, tires, grips, brakes, seatpost, and saddle) for a hair over $70, so I feel I can do this project.
> 
> Thanks for the tip on the tubes, I was not aware they were interchangable.
> 
> ...


If you can swing it, great. Upgraded wheels would save some weight, and look cooler, too, probably. 

Required brake reach is easy to measure. 








https://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_ra-e.html#reach
Measure with the current 27" rims, then add 4mm for the smaller 700c. Then see if you can find a caliper whose specs show it will reach that far. It might be easy. Be aware that cheap long-reach calipers tend to be flexy -- but they work. I have a Tektro on my commuter fixie, and it does the job.

Modern brakes sometimes require one modification. Older bikes didn't have the recessed nut on the brake bolt, so you have to drill out the hole on the back of the fork to make it large enough. This requires a bit of care, but is not really hard.

I would be very leary of grinding material from fork tips. That's not a place where you want something to fail. The rear dropout is a lot less critical in terms of what happens to you if it breaks.


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## sac02 (Apr 20, 2006)

JCavilia said:


> If you can swing it, great. Upgraded wheels would save some weight, and look cooler, too, probably.
> 
> Required brake reach is easy to measure.
> 
> ...


excellent info that I needed to know. That's how much of a newb I am - I was unaware that different calipers would have different reaches and that I could try and find one with a longer reach if needed. I just kind of assumed there was a "standard" that i would have to work around.

I am also looking into the concept of designing a drop bolt for the caliper. I mean, they felt the need to give me this engineering degree, I may as well use it...

Thanks for all your help

Mac


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## ARP (Mar 7, 2002)

JCavilia said:


> The only parts that are different are the rim and tire (tubes are close enough to fit either). 27" tires are reasonably available, but if you're going to build wheels anyway, you probably will switch; 27" rims are not manufactured anymore, as far as I know. The brake is no problem, as long as the reach matches up with what the rim/fork combination requires.
> 
> You might find these articles helpful:
> http://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed/index.html
> ...


Rims, 27". Not true about not being mfged anymore. Sun CR18 36 hole polished 27" rim. do a search, they are available. Anything wrong with your hubs? Rebuild them if they are 36 hole, after you cut the old rim out. Brakes, what is wrong with current calipers? Put some Kool stop pads on them, it will increase brake performance drastically.Tires, I use Conti 1000's on my 27"er. Panaracer also has a nice tire. Cranks, Dohey? BMX cranks, polished alu $29 or so, 110 bolt pattern plenty of rings available in that size. BMX ring bolts, you'll need a set of those. KMC chain $8. Since your rear hub is a thread on model or if you decide to go with a flip flop hub like a Suzue I would suggest going with a around a 70" GI setup. A 46X18 is pretty close, commonly found on alot of fix/SS bikes sold by Mfger's today.


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## sac02 (Apr 20, 2006)

Lone Gunman said:



> Rims, 27". Not true about not being mfged anymore. Sun CR18 36 hole polished 27" rim. do a search, they are available. Anything wrong with your hubs? Rebuild them if they are 36 hole, after you cut the old rim out. Brakes, what is wrong with current calipers? Put some Kool stop pads on them, it will increase brake performance drastically.Tires, I use Conti 1000's on my 27"er. Panaracer also has a nice tire. Cranks, Dohey? BMX cranks, polished alu $29 or so, 110 bolt pattern plenty of rings available in that size. BMX ring bolts, you'll need a set of those. KMC chain $8. Since your rear hub is a thread on model or if you decide to go with a flip flop hub like a Suzue I would suggest going with a around a 70" GI setup. A 46X18 is pretty close, commonly found on alot of fix/SS bikes sold by Mfger's today.


Kool Stop makes pads for brakes of this vintage?

The current problems I'm having are

1) STILL can get the cranks off after a half can of liquid wrench penetrating overnight. torch time...

2) can't find a source for a bottom bracket even if I do get the cranks off.

Mac


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## asterisk (Oct 21, 2003)

sac02 said:


> Kool Stop makes pads for brakes of this vintage?
> 
> 2) can't find a source for a bottom bracket even if I do get the cranks off.


Look for the Kool Stop Continentals.

French bottom brackets at Harris.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

*Thanks, good to know*



Lone Gunman said:


> Rims, 27". Not true about not being mfged anymore. Sun CR18 36 hole polished 27" rim. do a search, they are available.


I just did that search; and I see they make them in 32 and 36, and also make a narrower, lighter model, the M13. Reasonably cheap, and I know Sun makes solid stuff.


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## undies (Oct 13, 2005)

I don't think Sun is the only one still making 27" rims. I bought the pictured cheap replacement 27" wheel from the LBS for about $35 (rim, threaded hub, all built up) for a garage sale bike last spring. Granted it was a no-name wheel, but it had an aluminum rim and hub and was considerably lighter than the ancient tacoed steel wheel it replaced.


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

JCavilia said:


> I just did that search; and I see they make them in 32 and 36, and also make a narrower, lighter model, the M13. Reasonably cheap, and I know Sun makes solid stuff.


Sun makes some great stuff. When I was building my Bike Friday's, the usual road rim and tire companies didn't make 20". I bought a pair of Sun CR18 rims. They are excellent rims... I also discoverd a whole new world in tire companies. In the past I'd only buy Michelin or Conti tires. I discovered that Schwalbe and others make some great tires


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