New on-one chainset and MKS touring pedals for the Peugeot touring bicycle

I bought a pair of MKS sylvan touring pedals for the retro Peugeot touring bike as the old original Lyotard ones were too narrow and damaged. However I could only get one of the old pedals off and to cut a long story short the one that was stuck destroyed the thread in the non-drive side crank arm. So I decided to replace the chainset and bottom bracket and then I can put my new pedals on. Replacing my pedals became more expensive than I planned.

I found a good chainset form planet x / on-one which keeps a bit of a retro look. I also replaced the old cup and cone bottom bracket with a new sealed unit. I'm glad I did replace it as some of the bearings has become loose in the bottom bracket shell. The new touring pedals are great as they are nice and wide so are comfortable no matter what shoes you are wearing. The bearings were not very smooth out the box but not tight enough to be worth taking the dust caps off (not an easy task) to adjust the bearings. 

Old Stronglight bottom bracket and chainset

New planet x / on-one touring chainset

New sealed bottom bracket

New on-one chainset on the Peugeot touring bicycle

New MKS sylvan touring pedals

IRD 6 speed freewheel 14 - 34 review

The 14 - 34 IRD 6 speed freewheel I bought from SJS cycles for my Peugeot touring bike has been a great success. I was initially concerned after IRD freewheel s had received some bad reviews but I have not had any problems. With the rear derailer set up properly this freewheel runs really smooth and gives a good range of gears for the riding I do, which is in hilly and mountainous North Wales. This is a good choice for keeping that retro bicycle going an keeping the retro look. I recommend this freewheel. 

IRD 6 speed freewheel 

Brooks B17 standard leather saddle in Honey – Review 1 year on

I have had my Brooks B17 saddle for just over a year now. It has been clamped onto my Peugeot touring bike which I use to get to work and to run errands. So far I am very pleased. My millage does not really add up to much over the year and so I’m sure there is still allot more improvement to be had as it softens up and takes the right shape. I have applied ‘Brooks ProofRide’ not as regularly as I should have but the saddle still seems in good shape. I have always put a plastic bag over it when its locked up top protect the leather from rain.  However there are some watermarks on it form times the bag has blown off etc, but that does not bother me. It does look great, especially with the matching brown leather effect Deda bar tape. The saddle has a few scratches on the edges from where it has brushed up or fallen against a wall but nothing serious thankfully.

Bearing in mind I have not done any particularly long rides but just commuting, I would recommend this saddle. The verdict so far is that it looks great, it is comfy (after a month or two) and maybe best of all it will last a lifetime.

Brooks B17 leather saddle after 1 year

A few water marks but still looking and riding brilliantly

The odd scratch from walls

New rear Wheel! Dia Compe ENE Touring hub, Rigida Zac rim and IRD freewheel

I have now got a new rear wheel to replace the bent one from the accident. I had a wheel made by SJS cycles that I thought would be great for touring and carrying loads, but would also fit in with bikes age and other parts. I chose a Dia-compe ENE Ciclo touring hub for a screw on freewheel. The high flange hub fits in with the high flange Maillard hub on the front and the one I replaced. The rim is a Rigida Zac touring model with double eyelets. Both are 36 hole which I though would be good for carrying heavy loads. I also bought a 6 speed 14 - 34 freewheel too. There were some negative reviews on the Internet but it seems fine to me. It has a slight wobble but I don't think that actually affects the transmission. I had it built with DT stainless steel spokes for strength and easier cleaning and maintenance.

Well I still need to get the rear derailleur set up properly with the new freewheel but I think it should be a great addition to the bike. Looking forward to going out on a proper trip.

Rigida Zac touring rim

Double eyelets

Threads on the hub are well greased to try and make removing the freewheel in the future a little less difficult.

IRD 6 speed freewheel, 14 - 34

New wheel installed

Knocked off and the rear wheel is bent like a banana, but roundish, but not round enough

I was knocked off my lovely Peugeot touring bike on the way home from work the other week. I was fine but my rear wheel, which took the impact, was really badly bent. There is no way it can be made straight again, it would be very much weakened if it was. Hopefully in the next week or two I will buy a suitable replacement wheel that fits the touring function and retro looks paid for by the driver. I'll post when I get it.

Continental Touring plus tyres 700c x 32mm

Now we are fully into winter and roads are getting more hazardous I decided I needed some new tyres on my commuting/touring bike. I replaced the old rear continental touring contact 32mm and front Deli tyre 28mm tyre with a pair of Continental Touring plus 700c x 28mm tyres. They set me back about £25 each. They have reflective side walls which is great. I should be much more visible to cars approaching me at junctions. I went for 32mm widths as I think it is a good balance between keeping the rolling resistance to a minimum, but keeping the ride smooth. 

Continental Touring plus tyres 700c x 32mm with reflective side walls

One of the tyres was a bit tricky to fit. I broke two plastic tyre levers in the process! Luckily the second one was easy. I bought some plastic rim tape from Halfords to replace the old tape, it was probably over 10 years old. It did not really fit the inside of the rims very well, but it does the job. 

Continental Touring plus tyres 700c x 32mm tread

The tread on the tyres looks good and I think the tyres look great on the bike too. I need to ride them in and hopefully I will be puncture free for a long time. I never really get punctures anyway, but these tyres should lower the risk due to a protective layer on the inside. Well so far I'm very pleased with them. Time will tell though as the miles go by.

Continental Touring plus tyres 700c x 32mm on the Peugeot touring bike

Brooks B17, no pain no gain

The weather has been amazing in North Wales so it has been perfect for putting the miles in and trying to break in the saddle. It was fine to sit on for the first proper ride but my sit bones were definitely  a bit sore after. I'm putting Proofride on each evening and polishing it off the next morning, I will stop this after a week and do it less often. You can see the pressure points and how the leather is softening/stretching at those points. It is pretty comfy already and can tell it will only get better, thankfully.

Brooks B17 standard leather saddle in Honey

I have fitted my new Brooks saddle onto the Peugeot touring bike. It looks great. It looks a bit nose up but Brooks said you should aim to have the weight loaded onto the widest part of the saddle so it does feel very different to my racing bike saddle and riding position. I can tell there is a little discomfort ahead while I 'break it in' and the leather softens and conforms to me. I put on the first application of 'Proofride' too. One application on the bottom which is not polished off and is only needed once, and the first of many applications for the top of the saddle.

The old saddle which was torn and not very comfortable.

The saddle as it came. There were lots of things to look at and read in the box.

Bottom of the saddle after one off application of 'Proofride' as instructed.

Brooks B17 saddle in honey

Peugeot touring bike with nice new Brooks B17 saddle.

Well I just need to put in the miles now. I should anyway, but now I have another motivation of getting that expensive saddle to actually be comfortable! No pain, no gain.

Brooks B17 Standard saddle in honey

My Brooks B17 standard in Honey leather saddle has just arrived! It looks great. Some nice bits and pieces to read as well in the box.  Looking forward to fitting it to the Peugeot and having the 'breaking in' excuse to go on many more rides. I bought some 'proofride' polish too with it, to help break it in and maintain the leather. Can't believe I spent so much on a saddle (although I did use a voucher which eases the guilt). I feel justified as everyone says they are THE touring saddle, and it should last me until I die I hope.
Pictures to follow

Gelert Solo 1 man tent

 Now that my Peugeot touring bike is up and running I have started to get a few bits and pieces that are needed for going away on bicycle. I already have a pair of panniers and a sleeping bag so all I need is a tent, a sleeping mat and something to cook with. Well I can tick off the tent now, I bought a Gelert Solo 1 man tent off amazon. It is light (1.5kg) and cheap (£30). I though this tent was a good choice as I may end up not liking touring ( I doubt it) and are likely only to do short trips anyway. It had good reviews mostly but apparently I will need to keep an eye on the poles which are prone to splitting.

My Gelert Solo pitched for the first time in the garden. It was easy.

The tent was very easy to pitch really. You have to pitch the inner tent first though which could be a problem if it is raining I guess.

Inner tent of the Gelert Solo. The door is on the side.

You have to shimmy in sideways to get into the tent. Once in it is very 'cosy'. Well i think is cosy and not cramped as lots of people say, but i have not actually  camped in it yet. I think I should be able to fit panniers in with me and be pretty comfortable. You cant sit up but you can lean on your elbows on your side, which is a bit like sitting up. I will probably have an extra tarp for the door area and to cover my bike whilst sleeping to avoid mud and keep the bike dryish and out of sightish.

Rescue helicopter's view of my Gelert Solo

I'm looking forward to giving the tent a go and seeing what it is really like to sleep in someday soon. Maybe I'll cycle up to the Ogwen valley one evening and test it out over night. I'll post about how I find it.

Peugeot tourer is now finished!

I have now finished the Peugeot touring bike build. From just having the frame, headset and forks and lots of odd bits, i'm really pleased with how it has turned out. It rides really nice, despite a collection of dodgy bearing cones in the hubs and bottom bracket. It is a really fun and enjoyable bike to ride and I can't wait to go on a trip with it. I have bought a one man tent (Gelert Solo) and just need a stove and a sleeping mat before I'm set to go.

The finished Peugeot touring bike! What a beauty.

 I managed to get these tan cane creek lever hoods to replace the Weinman ones that I did not have and could not find. They are not a perfect fit and I had to cut some of the rubber away to allow free movement of the lever when braking. They work fine and I would use them again as a replacement for old perished Weinmann hoods, I think they look good.

Cane Creek hoods on Weinmann levers

Most of the components on the bike are from the right period for the frame apart form the rear cantilever brakes which are shimano and the rear derailleur. I remember getting them changed when I was younger at the local bike shop, wish I had kept the originals!

One of the modern components of the build

Well, I look forward to my first tour which will be to south wales from Anglesey. I would like to replace the bottom bracket and axle cones when I have the time and funds. And to make the bike super cool it would be good to hunt down a pair of Weinamnn cantilevers for the back, white cable outers, new pedals, a Brooks B17 saddle, a 3rd bottle cage, a front rack and new freewheel as the current one is pretty dodgy sounding (looks bad too when taken apart but I'm in denial, it will keep going!). Just a short wish list.

Brake cable hanger

I was given the Peugeot frame with the headset attached. However, it was missing a brake cable hanger which is important to have for a front cantilever brake but it is also required to act as a spacer for the headset. I bought this cable hanger from www.sjscycles.com which is a great source of bicycle parts which I regularly use. No free postage though. I get my bearings from www.simpsoncycles.co.uk as they do have free P&P and sell Weldtite bearings in good numbers. The bottom of this headset now has new x26 loose 5/32" bearings and the top as a caged set of 5/32"  bearings. Makes sense to me as the bottom seems to take the majority of the load and wear in other bikes I have worked on.

I polished up the fork crown bearing race as best I could with Autosol. It looked and felt pretty smooth.

Headset with new cable hanger
 

Peugeot Touring bike

My brother gave me his old Coventry Eagle touring bike when I was a teenager. Unfortunately when trying to get it running again recently I split the seat tube trying to release a seized seat pin. Well I was lucky enough to be given a Peugeot touring frame by a very generous family friend (due to my blunder) and I now want to build the frame up with the bits form the Coventry Eagle.

Touring frame

Regina BX 6 speed touring free wheel off the Coventry Eagle. I replaced all the bearings but it does not sound or feel that smooth. Should be OK I hope!

Simplex downtube levers from the Coventry Eagle now on the Peugeot

Weinmann front canti's on the Peugeot forks. This are beautifully made breaks. I don't have a pair for the rear, but I hope I come across some one day.