FINDING THE PEUGEOT UO8

My grandsons and I love to shop at the Local Landfill Site, better known as the Dump.  More often that not a visit to the Dump, a place that many of us tend to use so carelessly, will produce a cacophony of great finds. Finds that range from brand new items to very well preserved vintage road bicycles.  This great old early to mid seventies Peugeot UO8 being a perfect example of the latter.  I should add that I look for bicycles at the Dump only.  I do not make a nuisance of myself and my presence there is welcomed by the manager and most, if not all, of his staff.  Perhaps being a volunteer for Bicycles For Humanity is a plus since our efforts in Thunder Bay is well known and respected.  But that is another story...

On a gorgeous Friday afternoon, the older of the two boys and I went to the Dump.  The older grandson, let's call him Greg, was quick to jump out of the Ranger.  He headed off in his own direction, remaining always reasonably close and absolutely in my sight.  The landfill sites in North Western Ontario attracts both black and brown bears, with the black being the smaller and more common of the two species.  Though it is unlikely that a black bear will attack a human being at the Dump, I am not willing to take any chances with my family.  My rule is simple for my grandson.  If I look up and the boy is not in my sight, he will be sitting in the truck waiting, instead of shopping!  And he absolutely loves to pick through the metal pile to see whatever it is that he likes to see.  Anyway...

With-in a few moments of arriving at the metal pile, Greg called out that he had found a Peugeot.  In those days (2006), and those days are only a couple of years ago, I had grown weary of finding Peugeots and dragging them home.  Few people at that time would go to the expense of buying such a bicycle, only to incur the additional costs of having it shipped to them.  Today, that is no longer the case.  Peugeots, be they high end or entry level, are sought after bicycles.  I actually retraced my steps last summer, seeking out those old Peugeots that I had passed on in days gone bye.  This gorgeous Canadian made UO10 being a perfect example of what I used to pass on.  Can you believe it?

Though I really didn't want to interrupt my own quest to seek out bicycles that day, he was my grandson.  I wanted to encourage any and all forms of constructive behaviour - except the video game thing.  If he was offering something of apparent interest and value to him, I was all but obligated to take a decent look.  I am happy that I did.  The blue UO8 was absolutely gorgeous, even though it did not have a saddle mounted to it "as found".  But that, as I was soon to discover, would change also...

I thanked my grandson for finding me such a nice bicycle, promising a treat on the way home which brought the inevitable simile to his face.  We always have a treat on the way home.  He and I loaded the Peugeot carefully into the Ranger and then the two of us went back to searching for neat stuff in the metal pile at the "Dump".  To be honest, I cannot remember if anything else came my way at the "Dump" that day but my guess would be that more than one bike did find its way into the bed of the Ranger.  The flow of old "Ten Speeds" was steady in those days and sometimes making two trips necessary just to get all that were worth getting.  Believe it or not!

The Peugeot was stored away in The Old Shed and little more was though of it that day.  As mentioned, Peugeots were not high on my acquisition list at the time and my interest level was low.  Besides, I had to plan the Yard Sale route for the following day.  And it was the following day that adds a wee bit to the acquisition story attached to this nice old French bike.

Saturday is Yard Sale day and I have to plan a my route if I want to optimize my chances of finding vintage road bicycles.  My procedure at a Yard Sale is always the same.  I look to see what is offered.  I put my hands immediately on a bicycle of interest, if one is being offered for sale.  If there are no bicycles presented, I ask the Yard Sale host if he or she might happen to have any old "Ten Speeds" that they might be interested in parting with.  On this particular day and at one Yard Sale the answer to that question was "no", quickly followed by a pensive look on the part of the Yard Sale host's face.  "Actually, I do have a couple of old bikes in back", he said.  This, by the way, is not an uncommon reaction to the question.  Often times people have actually forgotten all about their old "Ten Speeds" that they tucked away twenty or more years ago.

The Yard Sale host and I went out back and entered the utility shed.  Leaning against the wall was an early seventies Raleigh Record, which I ended up purchasing for less than a single meal at MacDonalds. I paid a second five dollars for a near mint AGDA suspended leather saddle.  The made in France AGDA would have been original issue for the great old Peugeot that my grandson had found the day before.  I couldn't believe the good luck and could not wait to install this very nice old leather saddle on the newly found French UO8.

Though the AGDA is the correct saddle for the Peugeot, I do not recommend using a saddle like this one.  The level of discomfort was incredible!  I was forced to return home, not long after the test ride had started.  As it turned out, the saddle clamp had not held properly, allowing the saddle clamp assembly and the saddle to slip down on the seat post.

The French Peugeot seat post is quite different from those commonly used on most other vintage road bicycles.  The post has a single diameter for its entire length, rather than a narrower neck section.  This design allowed the saddle clamp to slide as far as it wanted to, until the saddle itself stopped the downward journey.  The post was trying desperately to drive itself right through the leather and....  Very uncomfortable, to say the least.  Even though I did repair the situation, the AGDA never did really satisfy and I have not ridden one since.

And that is how this absolutely gorgeous Peugeot UO8 came into my possession.  The bicycle was so nice that I decided to keep it for myself.  Of course, this is what I say about all newly acquired vintage road bicycles that capture my interest, as most of them do.

NEXT - BUILDING THE PEUGEOT UO8