 |
I also was delighted to finished painting the railings on our new front porch
on the same day - culmination of two big projects. |
After another marathon session, this time outside in warmth and sunshine, I completed the Peugeot St. Laurent's renovation. In fact, when I finished I was so tickled at the outcome that I knocked on my neighbor's door to thank him again for
The Conversation About a Kickstand. Without it, I would never have received the bike.
 |
| A break for sustenance and bike maintenance reassurance at the funky table. |
Of course, I left the difficult process of adjusting shifting until last. With my husband's suggestion, I compared the project bike with our current bikes, figuring where to place the chain on the cogs, and when to tighten the cable. A quick spin on the bike revealed I'd done it correctly, however the right shifter is a bit sluggish, and frankly I can't tell the difference between index and friction mode. Anybody's Bike Book says that index shifters work well if set up as a whole drive train package. I had originally used the nice Shimano shifter because I'd hoped to provide easy index shifting for my son. However, now that I know about it shortcomings, I will leave well enough alone. For now. A functioning mismatched pair it is. My son doesn't care one way or the other.
 |
| The simple not-very-practical handlebar. |
 |
The commuter's handlebar. Gotta have a bell and lights.
(I'd add a mirror too, but that's just me.) At my son's request,
I wrapped a cable lock in the empty space. |
I couldn't interest my son in a wire basket or crate secured to his rear rack. He only wanted a bungee cord. But then again, he's pretty new to this commuting stuff. Give him time...
Breakdown of costs:
- New cables 10.00, bought locally
- A pair of thumbshifters 18.00 (includes cables and housing, of which I used half), ordered from Rivendell
- Handlebars 20.00, bought locally
- Ergonomic Grips 25.00, bought locally
- New chain 13.00, bought locally
Parts from our stash:
- front brake pads (original pair proved to be a squealing nightmare!)
- used tires
- seat post
- some housing and cables
- rear shifter
There is something about a bike that has been through a dozen iterations and has parts from the deepest recesses of the parts bin that is so appealing to me. It reminds me of the bicycles we would ride in Iraq that were pieced together from whatever was left behind, and that made them all truly unique. They didn't care about groupsets or what looked good, it was function over form and they got the job done.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, and nice Peugot!
Thank you Jake. I see value in the old bikes as great commuting machines, especially mountain bikes from this era. They have solid frames and multiple attachments points for racks, fenders, etc.
Deleteand just like that it's done! I'm behind on my reading. Looks good and practical.
ReplyDeleteThanks Randy. The bike should serve my son well, and hopefully put off his desire for a driving permit a while longer.
DeleteI have to admit I am jealous you were able to source a cool old lugged steel mountain bike on your own block! Finding and refurbing one as bullet proof commuter is on my bucket list of bike projects, I wrote on the blog a while ago of missing out on a Peugeot Montreal Express for $15...someday. I have that same bike book in my archives btw.
ReplyDelete