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1972 Peugeot UO-8 fixed gear conversion

A 2023 recreation of my commuter in graduate school

Frame:
1972 Peugeot UO-8 frame

Fork/Headset:
Peugeot fork, headset

Crankset/Bottom Bracket:
Bontrager Nebula crank, Velo Orange French-threaded BB

Drivetrain/Cog/Chainring/Chain:
44/17t drivetrain, KMC S1 chain

Handlebars/Stem:
Raleigh drop bars, Sturmey Archer stem (sanded to fit fork)

Saddle/Seatpost:
AGDA leather saddle, Sakae CR seatpost (sanded to fit frame)

Brakes:
Mafac "Racer" calipers, Dia Compe aero levers

Front Wheel/Hub/Tire:
Alloy hub > alloy rim > Freedom ThickSlick 700x25c tire

Rear Wheel/Hub/Tire:
Alloy hub > alloy rim > Freedom ThickSlick 700x25c tire

Added by chibitmin. Last updated about 1 year ago.

As of about 1 year ago, chibitmin has indicated that they no longer own this bike.

10 Comments

jlwoodr3

jlwoodr3 says:

Thanks for all the tips! I did not end up having to grind the serial plate rivets down thankfully. Got a 170 mm crank from velo orange to fit the 107 mm BB and it worked perfect! Ride is so much smoother than with the old BB.

Posted about 1 year ago

chibitmin

chibitmin says:

Happy to help. Yes, those new VO BBs are wonderful compared to the original ones. Enjoy!

Posted about 1 year ago

jlwoodr3

jlwoodr3 says:

Nice build! What was the spindle length on your VeloOrange BB? I am trying to do a similar conversion on my 1972 u08.

Posted about 1 year ago

chibitmin

chibitmin says:

Thanks! I ended up with a 107mm spindle. That was based on the particular wheel/cog I had. From the calculation*, I think 104mm would've been "perfect" but that size wasn't readily available.

Posted about 1 year ago

chibitmin

chibitmin says:

*I'm trying to find the page about determining spindle length if you only have a wheel/cog. I'm pretty sure Sheldon Brown had an article about it, but I can't find it anywhere...

Posted about 1 year ago

chibitmin

chibitmin says:

here: https://www.sheldonbrown.com/chainline....

Posted about 1 year ago

jlwoodr3

jlwoodr3 says:

Thank you for the tips and for your response! I am doing this build in stages and thinking about a 110 spindle to fit this VeloOrange crankset (https://velo-orange.com/collections/cra...) and then I will change the 5 speed freewheel for a single speed freewheel down the line and just add spacers to get the desired chain line. All of the VeloOrange stuff looks so slick. I am stoked to replace the original cottered cranks. Please let me know if you have any other recs!

Posted about 1 year ago

jlwoodr3

jlwoodr3 says:

Actually looks like the 110 won't be available until September/November. Now thinking I will go with either the 107 or the 113. Any thoughts?

Posted about 1 year ago

chibitmin

chibitmin says:

It sounds like you're planning on keeping the wheel and just changing the cassette out, right? I don't think there's any harm in your plan, as long as you have the right spacers to get the right fit.

Posted about 1 year ago

chibitmin

chibitmin says:

Oh! I do have something else to add-- do you see how the serial number plate is riveted onto the BB shell? Do you have one of those too? If so, you might have to grind the rivets down a little inside the BB shell prior to putting in the new BB. Before I did that, I was wondering why the new BB didn't fit, almost stripped the threads but quickly realized the issue.

Posted about 1 year ago