serial no. 703003
Bought on eBay in September 2009. Back on the road 25 November.
The Restoration
Purchased from its second owner who bought it in 1979 and used it through the mid 1980s and stored indoors since, this was in remarkable and largely original condition. Save for the usual paint chips and a rusty driveside crank, it was in excellent condition and required only a thorough cleaning and polishing and some paint touch-ups. As so often with Peugeots, the chrome fork ends were in superb, almost perfect condition as were the decals. During the restoration, the later added Ideale 90 saddle was replaced by a period correct Ideale 59 with dural undercarriage. The wheelset came with Rigida Chrolux 27 x 1 1/4" chromed steel clincher rims and these were replaced with the catalogue spec'd 700 sew-ups using the original Prior hubs and Simplex skewers with 15 g straight-gauge galvinised spokes and period correct 1950s Mavic sew-up dural rims.
The Ride
To quote my regular cycle shop mechanic who overhauled and built up this (and all my machines): "Test ride revealed a very lively ride with a light feathery touch. Responsive feedback washed all over the rider with a immediancy and smoothness which seems to be missing from modern bikes"
He was guilty of understatement; in the course of my first ride I found this to be an astonishingly light and lively machine, even for a French racing bike and even for a PX-10. Simply exhilarating ride and all the more so since she's by no means my lightest bike in weight. She flies!
Frame
Material: Reynolds 531 butted tubing and forks
Colour: Peugeot-BP team colours: “transparent” blue with yellow lugs and white seat stay caps, chrome front fork socks and rear triangle ends.
Size: seat tube 61 cm (c to t), top tube 58 cm (c to c)
Angles: 72 (head) 72 (seat)
Rear spacing: 120 mm
Lugs: Nervex Professional
Fork ends: Simplex forged
Components
Rear derailleur: Simplex 60
Front derailleur: Simplex LJ23
Gear levers: Simplex
Chainset: Stronglight no. 45 “Competition” 5-pin cottered chromed steel 175 mm cranks and no. 57 dural 42 x 52 t rings
Bottom bracket: Stronglight, French thread
Headset: Stronglight P3 Competition
Stem: AVA dural 90 cm
Handlebars: AVA “Criterium” dural 39 mm with blue Velox cotton tape and Velox plugs
Brakes: Mavic Racer “Dural Forge” centre pull
Brake levers: Mavic Dural with open backs
Seatpost: unmarked dural 26.4 mm
Saddle: Ideale 59 dural undercarriage
Pedals: Lyotard no. 460 Course dural/steel
Toeclips and straps: Christophe Speciale old logo chromed steel and “Record” toestraps
Rims: Mavic Professional 36-hole sew-ups
Hubs: Prior low-flange dural with Simplex skewers
Freewheel: Cyclo Competition 14-21t
Tyres: Tufo S33 tubulars
Chain: Sedis
Accessories: TA handlebar mounted bottle cage with TA bidon
Weight: 24.1 lbs./10.9 kg
serial no. 703003
Bought on eBay in September 2009. Back on the road 25 November.
The Restoration
Purchased from its second owner who bought it in 1979 and used it through the mid 1980s and stored indoors since, this was in remarkable and largely original condition. Save for the usual paint chips and a rusty driveside crank, it was in excellent condition and required only a thorough cleaning and…
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