Tuesday, October 1, 2019

That Zippy Peugeot UO 14 May Come in Handy!

The Peugeot' UO 14 setup is now spot-on for commuting on flat terrain.
For most of the summer and now into autumn, I've traded commuter duty between the Dahon Boardwalk and the recently upgraded Peugeot UO 14 while I've slowly been sorting out drive-train issues with my Peugeot St. Laurent step-through. I've lamented whether owning five bicycles is really worth it - and I still agree with the reasoning behind it - but sometimes holding onto a unique bike in your stable, quite unexpectedly, has a specific purpose.

Life goes on - sometimes in unanticipated ways.

Now that the Peugeot UO 14's cockpit is dialed to perfection with taller Nitto Technomic stem, Public Brunch handle bars, cushy seat, and pink Kraton grips, plus somehow I had the foresight years ago to put on Panaracer Pasela's Tour Guard tires (flat protected rubber) this lightweight skinny-tired bike is a blast to ride! It cuts 10 minutes off a 7-8 mile commute (from our camp on the lake) compared with any other bike I own. And now that I'm suddenly looking at a 9.5 mile one-way, virtually flat, ride come spring, you can bet I won't get rid of the spirited Peugeot!


6 comments:

  1. Glad to see the Peugeot is making itself useful and helping you FLY to work ;-)

    Love seeing old Pugs on the road and I agree sometimes having a stable of bikes can be a good thing, I have a bike currently (the 520) that is my dedicated "leave in the car with the front wheel off" bike so I can go different places and ride.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And thanks to you I smile every time I look at the handle bars and stem that blend seamlessly together. The rise has allowed and even weight between saddle and bars - perfect comfort. The only catch is I wish it was a step through bike.

      Delete
  2. It look good. Its amazing the difference tyres can make. On my Dahon I had Big Apples 20 x 2.0 and whilst on holiday in France I had a series of flats and despite new tubes I kept getting punctures as the tyres were probably past their sell by date. When I got home I put Swalbe Marathons 20 x 1.75 on and no more flats and a much better rolling resistance.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm slowly coming around to the beauty of Schwalbe tires - love the Racers on my Dahon.

      Delete
  3. Replies
    1. Thanks, Randy. It has some shortcomings - has Helicomatic freewheel hub - but as it's only a backup bike, I appreciate it for what it can provide for longer, flat commutes. Ideally, I may be looking for a step-through 5-6 speed with similar wheels. But, that's jumping ahead of myself. Next year's project is probably going to be upgrading my Clementine in addition to personal transitions (all good!) that may take precedent.

      Delete

Due to increased Spam, I am moderating comments. Thank you for your patience.