I was recently very
kindly given a Peugeot frame – a PH12E Centenary model with some of
the original parts still fitted. Unlike a lot of the similar
survivors on the internet, this example has been used and obviously
had an active life. Paintwork is tired and transfers are rubbed. The
question arises, is it worth restoring? My answer is a resounding
“Yes”, firstly because the bike rather than been put away,
“because it is a centenary model and might be worth something”,
was actually ridden as intended. It has a history of use and shows
signs of that use. Secondly, Peugeot embraced the 'aerodynamic'
culture of the time and fitted some now rare parts to the bike. The
great French rider Bernard Hinault, 5 times winner of the Tour de
France had ridden a specially built Reynolds tubed aerodynamic Gitane
time trial bike in the late 1970s. Cycling Weekly (UK) coverage of
the time featured riders in skinsuits riding time trials which was to
lead to the development of low profile time trial bikes with smaller
front wheels. These would see use in the professional peloton time
trials, until banned by the UCI. Greg Lemond pioneered the use of
Tri-bars to obtain a more rider aerodynamic position in the
professional peloton. Shimano produced it's 'aero' AX600 and AX Dura
Ace between 1981 and 1984 according to the Velobase website.
The frame I was
given was missing the wheels, Simplex SLJ6600 rear mech and the top
mounted down tube levers. The orginal parts fitted would obviously
stay, but could I find the correct replacement parts? The most
serious challenge would be the Simplex rear mech. I believe the
SLJ6600 was introduced in 1982 and was the first mech to to have an
angled parallogram like Suntour and Shimano. The original rear mech
was branded 'aérodynamic'. Apart from the scarcity of the mechs, the
other factor would be price and condition. According to to Disraeli Gears page entry for the Simplex SLJ6600, the springs lost tension
very quickly rendering the mech less than effective. This probably
explains why the original rear mech was missing. A search on French
ebay over several weeks identified a few examples for sale. Some were
the later 'SPIDEL' branded version and other examples looked to be in
poor condition from the seller's photographs, but not reflected in
their asking price. I eventually located what appeared to be a good
example and managed to secure it by auction including delivery for a
fraction of some of the asking prices on ebay in the UK. Probably
one of the biggest hurdles in terms of sourcing original parts had
been overcome. I was also gifted boxes of parts along with the
Peugeot frame. During the sorting process, I came across a set of
Maeda Suntour top mounting down tube levers carefully bagged up. A
quick check proved these were off the Peugeot, so another major
headache in terms of original parts, was thankfully overcome.
The Peugeot PH12
model was usually made from steel Carbolite tubing, the frame having
the appearance of being lugless, but in fact the lugs are internal.
Whilst a carbolite tubed frame is not as light as one built with
Reynolds or Columbus tubing, fitted with a decent set of wheels, these
Peugeot bikes ride very well indeed. Probably a lot to do with the
French frame geometry. The 1982 Carbolite tubed Centenary PH12E has
an 'aero' seat tube and down tube. The gear cables are routed
internally through the down tube from the top mounted friction
levers. The other significant thing is, the down tube friction
levers and chainset are Japanese, not French. The chainset is an
alloy SR Custom model with detachable alloy chainrings, a change from
the usual Stronglight alloy crank with swaged steel chainrings.
The 'aero' style
seat tube means the seatpin, from necessity, is very short. The top
of the seat tube is round to accept the seatpin, but as the seat tube
quickly changes profile, the seatpin has to be much shorter than
would be found on a bicycle with a full round seat tube. Again,
Peugeot use a much smaller diameter seatpin than found on other
bicycles. The original seat post is a plain model, necked in at the
top, the original saddle being retained by a steel seat clamp bolt
arrangement. In amongst, the various store of parts within the
Springhill Cycle Collection, there was an alloy one piece seatpin
with an integral seat clamp. It has been in the store for a number of
years and although not original to the Peugeot it will be used on the
bike as a nice finishing touch. It is an unusual and certainly
period correct part. The upshot of all this is, the 57cm frame will
not suit a tall rider because of the short seatpin.
It is my intention
to restore the bike as close as I can using period correct parts. I still have to source the correct Mavic rims and a small flange Q/R rear hub with a 1982 date code to complete the wheels. The
fact some parts are missing may have more to do with their lack of
durability/suitability as the bike was heavily used. I will probably
fit a pre-owned Concor saddle and replace the Lyotard flat steel
touring pedals that have been fitted in lieu of the 'aero' type
pedals that were original to the bike. Although the Shimano PD-1050
105 are 5 years later than the bike, they will make a reasonable
substitute. They are in keeping with the 'aero' theme and could
represent a likely modification during the bike's working life. The
Springhill Cycle Collection is happy to restore the bike in an as
used condition. It means the collection now holds a 1982 Peugeot
Centenary model along with a similar, used, 1987 Raleigh Centenary
edition bike.
