I picked this bike up from the side of the road, tossed out in the trash. The home owner – an older guy – was in the driveway and said it had belonged to his son, hadn’t been ridden in fifteen years and he was just needing to make room in his garage. I have completely stripped the bike, had the frame powdercoated in Gloss Black (originally it was maroon, one of two colors available in ‘84 for the P8 – the other being blue.) I’ve replaced the Weinneman brakes and suicide levers with aero levers and a more reliable set of calipers, and I’ve replaced the saddle with a Selle San Marco that fits my riding style a little better than the Clunko Crapolo that was on it. I was really thrilled to find Sugino crankset, along with Shimano 600 front and rear derailleurs, and Shimano PD T100 pedals, all in pretty darned good condition under all of the ancient mud and road grime. After powder coating I added Peugeot logotype decals and headbadge – my apologies to purists, but this is not the ungraceful typography from the original graphics package, but a more aesthetically pleasing version. (Sorry, but it’s impossible for me to switch the graphic designer “off.”) I’ve got several vintage road bikes that I’ve restored, including a Mercier 300 and a 1972 Peugeot PX-10. My P8, while heavier (Carbolite 103 vs. the Reynolds 531) is a good, solid, and enjoyable ride; it frequently gets to come with me when I travel out of town.

Thanks Mark