Peugeot 10 speed - should I buy?

[octopusbananas]

https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/greensl ... 1152746023

Hi everyone,

Looking at the above bike to upgrade a bit from my current commuter (Malvern Star Porter 1). Must admit I am drooling a bit.

Questions: is the price a bargain? any known issues with the bike? It will predominantly be used for commuting (20km round trip on road). And does anyone recognise this specific model?

Thanks in advance for help

[RonK]

If you want it, why not? It's a nice looking bike. And I'm sure the price will be negotiable.

[Toyopet]

It looks like a UE-8 from the mid-late 1970's. In beautiful condition for its age. I've got a similar one.

Pros
A classic.
Retro down-tube shifters - if you like that sort of thing and the manual gear trimming.
Nice comfy ride on the steel frame.

Cons
Steel rims made by Rigida have poor braking in the dry and almost no braking in the wet, despite the patterns embossed onto the rims.
Plastics may become brittle with age, leading to pieces breaking and being difficult to replace - eg the shifter levers.
The generator (made by Soubitez?) will suck energy and you'll need to pedal harder, compared to using modern LED lights.

[ldrcycles]

I wouldn't say it's a bargain, but appropriately priced given how good the condition is. The front derailleur WILL break, and the rear derailleur will very likely crack also, but that mightn't be terminal (one of my bikes has a Simplex rear derailleur that is cracked but still functions). So just bear in mind that sooner or later you will need to replace the derailleurs, and i'd replace the shift levers also as those ones are flexy and unpleasant to use. Replacement SunTour or Shimano parts (or Huret if you want something a little less common) are readily available for not much.

As toyopet said, the steel rims are a minus, but in the dry the braking is sufficient, and if you keep your eye on ebay/gumtree you should be able to get some alloy wheels for under $100.

[octopusbananas]

Thanks for all the advice. Regarding the drawbacks, I have my own lights so not overly concerned about the dynamos - they would be a bonus. I am going to see it tomorrow so I will test the braking then and have a look at everything else then decide. Good news is the seller is ready to be persuaded lower