Mid 80s Gallic Carbone Fibre Eye Candy

Having just finished my 1987 Vitus Carbone 9, I couldn't resist the opportunity to photograph it with my 1985 Peugeot PY-10FC.

The PY-10FC is essentially the Vitus Carbone 3 but with proprietary Peugeot oversized carbon tubes. This example is a ex-Team machine and fitted with team spec components.

The Vitus Carbone 9 is "Tout Mavic" 1000 series SSC components

Comparative weights: 17.8 lbs Vitus Carbone 9
18.7 lbs Peugeot PY-10FC

Other photos:

http://www.ipernity.com/doc/286349/album/872666

Peter Kohler
Washington, DC USA

Two French beauties Peter, two of my all time favourites as well.
A credit to you Sir

How did the Lugs accommodate the Peugeot oversize tubes? Were the tubes reduced or tapered at the Lug or was the Lug diameter increased?

Re:

Good question... and excuse the "cut and paste" from my article on the PY-10FCs on my Ipernity site:

"Peugeot manufactured its own carbon fibre tubing rather than buy “off the shelf” tubing and this featured a special method of wrapping the fibres at specified angles to provide maximum stiffness while the 2.93 cm diameter was slightly larger than the tubing used on the Vitus Plus Carbone frames again to stiffen the frame and ensure the machine was comparable in handling to the Peugeot team's Reynolds 531SL framed Pro-10s so the riders could switch between the two types at will. To mate the larger diameter tubes to the standard Vitus lugs, a special double-male adaptor plugged into the carbon tubes and the aluminium head and bottom brackets. These appeared on the outside as 1 cm aluminium collars or frets and the whole arrangement made these Peugeot frames considerably stiffer and stronger especially at the all important bottom bracket. "

Peter Kohler
Washington DC USA

I love this early 'technology' - you can actually see it working and doing things. Imagine going shopping for one of these when they first came out, you look at your lugged Raleigh then look at Peugeot or Vitus!

Re: Re:

kohl57@yahoo.com":26llobo4 said:

Good question... and excuse the "cut and paste" from my article on the PY-10FCs on my Ipernity site:

"Peugeot manufactured its own carbon fibre tubing rather than buy “off the shelf” tubing and this featured a special method of wrapping the fibres at specified angles to provide maximum stiffness while the 2.93 cm diameter was slightly larger than the tubing used on the Vitus Plus Carbone frames again to stiffen the frame and ensure the machine was comparable in handling to the Peugeot team's Reynolds 531SL framed Pro-10s so the riders could switch between the two types at will. To mate the larger diameter tubes to the standard Vitus lugs, a special double-male adaptor plugged into the carbon tubes and the aluminium head and bottom brackets. These appeared on the outside as 1 cm aluminium collars or frets and the whole arrangement made these Peugeot frames considerably stiffer and stronger especially at the all important bottom bracket. "

Peter Kohler
Washington DC USA

Click to expand...

Yes I can see the Frets in the detailed pictures now. I wonder if the stiffness and strength really was increased other than by shortening the carbon tube length?

It should make a difference. Carbon is quite stiff, but it's very flexible so it doesn't lend itself so well to smaller tubes. The wall thickness has to be quite thick and it's not efficient use of the material. To really take advantage of its properties, it works better in bigger diameter tubes with thinner walls.

Re:

Oh, the Peugeot PY-10FC is stiff alright. Peugeot were unique in that they used steel Reynolds 531 Extra Legere or SL frames (the Peugeot Pro-10 and variants) with the carbon fibre PY-10FCs interchangeably based on rider preference or type of race or stage. They had the identical components and geometry etc. Robert Millar used both types and often interchangeably during multi stage races.

The issue with these machines is that the larger dia. tubing was indeed thinner and you had to restricted the drillings in it and for example, these had to have old fashioned clamp on shifters. Worse, they take an impossible to find 28.8 dia. front derailleur clamp. The first series of these, introduced in the 1983 season, had zip tie brake cable top tube clips, but they did go to bonded cable clips the next year.

I do love these machines in all their variations, representing both an absolute triumph (and last hurrah) of purely French innovation in racing cycles as well as that Golden Age of Anglo-Saxon racers like Millar, Kelly and Anderson in the continental pro peloton. It was a great era all around. And some jolly good machines came from it.

Peter Kohler
Washington, DC USA

So stiffer than the Vitus Peter, yes?

Hard to make a honest comparison since the valid one is with the original Vitus Carbone 3 vs. the PY-10FC. What I have is the Carbone 9 with the Kevlar/Carbon tubing and of course, the rear is carbon, too. So the Carbone 9 (which literally just rode this morning and am... in love!) is quite different and as stiff and responsive as you would want BUT with the wonderful resilient alloy fork. So in the end, they are pretty much equal. But I suspect the PY-10FC is rather stiffer in feel and ride to the Carbone 3 with the original plain carbon tubing.

What I like about the the Vitus frames is that they LOOK entirely traditional and "old school" with the conventionally sized tubes etc. The PY-10FC reminds me more of my Masi 3v with the oversized tubing... which works visually very well in the larger frames I ride.

Peter Kohler
Washington DC USA