Tag Archives: Polymultipliee

1930’s/40’s Peugeot Mixte 650B – Part II

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I have just about finished my recreation of this 1930’s/40’s Peugeot Mixte.  The bike was incomplete, as shown above, so I set about locating the appropriate parts to bring this old bike back to life and to make it rideable.  Right now, the bike looks great, but there’s a little more work to do on making the braking system stop the bike effectively.

This particular model is built with Rubis tubing – a Vitus brand that was used on higher end bicycles beginning in the 1930’s.  Unfortunately, over a decade of Peugeot bicycle catalogs are not available – from 1937 to 1950 – so it is not possible to determine which model this is, or what year.  During the war years, the Peugeot factory was under German control for a time, and there is very little information available as to what was happening in the cycling industry during the German Occupation. The serial number at the left rear drop-out includes an “H” so it is likely this is an H model.

The frame was in remarkably good condition, with all the brazing intact.  Although I tentatively dated the frame to the late 1930’s, I believe that it was later upgraded with the 1940’s or 1950’s Simplex Tour de France derailleur that was included when I purchased it. The frame has braze-ons for an earlier style of derailleur, however.

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I wanted to use the 4 speed freewheel shown above, but the Simplex TDF derailleur did not have enough cage swing capacity to cover all 4 cogs.  In fact, it measured out as exactly equal to the 3 cog freewheel shown above right, meaning of course that it was built as a 3 speed derailleur.  In a separate post, I discuss the procedures and issues related to setting up a Simplex Tour de France rear derailleur – no small feat.

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Through the frame cable routing, Jeay brakes

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Simplex shifter

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Possibly the original pump

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Another view of the Jeay brake cable routed through the frame – a nice touch.

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Full chainguard with blue pinstriping. The crankset and pedals are very lightweight – pedals are aluminum but unbranded.

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Peugeot logo still very vibrant

 

Vitus Rubis tubing

Vitus Rubis tubing

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Pin striping still evident on the fork legs. The wheels are not original, nor are the fenders.

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Jeay Brakes

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Headtube badge in nice condition

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The aluminum bars with wood grips and custom aluminum levers were a perfect addition to bring this bike back to its glory.

I harvested the 650b fenders and wheels from another French rando bike.  The hubs are by Normandy laced to 650b Wolber Super Champion rims. The aluminum fenders are unbranded.  The frame has some nice features, including the braze-ons for the Jeay brakes and the thru-the-frame cable routing for the rear brake.  I still need to install the rear and head lamps on the fenders and mount the dynamo, and get the lighting wired up.  But that can happen after its first test ride, coming soon.

1940’s Peugeot PolyMultipliee’ Gent’s Bike

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1940's Peugeot

This 1940’s Peugeot was one of the first restorations that I completed.  There were a number of challenges, but because the bike was complete and original, it was worth it.  This Peugeot was well loved and well ridden by its owner.  So, I wanted to make it totally rideable again, as well as to preserve its original beauty and function.

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The bike had both keys to the original fork lock,  plus the owners engraved tag on the down tube.  All the reflectors were intact, and the original toolkit bag looked great.

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The bottom bracket had a small dent on the underside, and one of the pedal cones was toast.  Fortunately, the axles looked good and the other pedal was fine.  To find the parts necessary to repair these old bikes can be a challenge.  Fortunately I found a replacement cone in my parts bin, and I was able to thread the bottom bracket in without a problem.

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There were a lot of hours put into cleaning and dealing with mechanical issues.  A particular problem was learning how to adjust and set up the Simplex Juy Tour de France rear derailleur.  Originally, I had the chain routed incorrectly, but this drawing helped to solve the problem.  There aren’t a lot of adjustment options in the rear derailleur, so the shifting is still being “fine tuned”.

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The end result proved well worth all the effort – this is a beautiful and fun to ride bike from the late 40’s.  It is equipped with aluminum Mavic 650b rims, Lefol hammer fenders, Simplex Tour de France derailleur, aluminum bars, a rear constructeur rack, a working dynamo with front and rear lights, a complete leather toolbag and kit, Peugeot chain guard, and two keys to the fork lock – all working perfectly.

Update January 2014:  SOLD!  Congratulations to David in California.

1930/40’s Peugeot Mixte, Part I

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1936Poly Multipliee

I recently acquired an incomplete Peugeot which appears to be from the 1930’s or 1940’s.  It is the ladies version, with a very nice mixte frame that needs a lot of cleaning, but is in pretty good shape overall.  I will need to source a number of period parts to make the bike complete: a handlebar, brake levers, stem, wheels, fenders, racks, and probably a few other things that I can’t foresee yet.

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The chain guard and crankset are in very nice condition.  The brakes are by Jeay, a precursor to brazed on centerpulls.  The Peugeot serial number is a mystery – probably the only revealing element is the ‘H’ indicating that this is an H model of some kind.  The (possibly) original frame pump is working perfectly, and the Peugeot logos are still very vibrant, although the paint is a bit scratched and faded.  A little bit of cleaning and polishing will probably help to bring out the original colors.  Here is the frame after a day of cleaning:

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The frame and fork are now ready to build.  The paint polished up beautifully, and the bottom bracket was undamaged and in good condition.  For cottered cranks, I use a cotterpin press built by bikesmithdesign.com. I love the matching colors still visible on the chain guard, and there is box style pin striping on the fork in a lovely blue color.

wood gripsI needed handlebars, brake levers, wheels, fenders and racks.  I came across this beautifully polished Pivo stem and bars, with original aluminum levers and wood grips.  I can’t wait to see how this looks when everything is finished.  I found another older French randonneuring bike that I am harvesting for parts, and that’s where I’ll get the wheelset, hammered fenders, and racks.