Frame ID and first project assistance

Hi all, I've been a lurker for a good while, then signed up and lurked some more. I've recently started doing a lot more work myself on mine and the mrs road bikes and trying to learn as much as I can as I go.

I've wanted a project bike for a good while now and picked this up today for an agreeable price. Any ideas on the frame? The owner apparently dropped it off with two other Peugeot's but who knows if that is any kind of lead... It's obviously not all original parts.

I'm really not sure what I want to do with it though, initially I was looking for something I could clean up and convert to a singlespeed or fixed gear (not sure if fixie is a dirty word round here!?) but this seems like it has some decent components, as far as I can tell it's 531 tubing and has some campagnolo bits, so not sure if I should do a more subtle restore instead. Any thoughts? What would you do? I don't need it for any specific purpose which doesn't help me decide what to do with it. I don't think this will be my last project by any means so the parts can be kept for future use.

Any general tips or advise is very welcome. Whatever I do I'll keep this updated with lots of pics.

Photo 02-10-2018, 18 33 21 by Craigus89, on Flickr

Photo 02-10-2018, 18 33 29 by Craigus89, on Flickr

Photo 02-10-2018, 18 33 43 by Craigus89, on Flickr

Photo 02-10-2018, 18 33 58 by Craigus89, on Flickr

Photo 02-10-2018, 18 34 06 by Craigus89, on Flickr

Photo 02-10-2018, 18 34 21 by Craigus89, on Flickr

Photo 02-10-2018, 18 34 28 by Craigus89, on Flickr

Photo 02-10-2018, 18 34 48 by Craigus89, on Flickr

Photo 02-10-2018, 18 35 22 by Craigus89, on Flickr

Photo 02-10-2018, 18 35 53 by Craigus89, on Flickr

Photo 02-10-2018, 18 36 39 by Craigus89, on Flickr

Photo 02-10-2018, 18 36 48 by Craigus89, on Flickr

I like it, it has a mismatch of parts as well so at least it's been loved/had reliable, modern parts fitted when needed e.g. sealed bottom bracket, headset etc. Unsure what it could be... Lug lining is nice as well!

Ps, you're halfway there with a single speed/fixed. Either get a rear wheel with a fixed hub and use your current crankset - or get a screw on freewheel to replace your current cassette/block and you'd have a single speed setup at little cost too.

Re:

Nice. I'd say mid-50s based on the fish-tail Nervex lugs and oil port on the headtube (the nipple that looks like a pump peg - it'll be brass under the paint - is there another under the BB?). I'm sure it's a quality frame but hard to tell what make as a lot of builders used those lugs. Any sign of a frame number? Must have been well loved to have had a proper respray and lug-lining. The red looks great.

If it was mine I'd clean source a campagnolo gran sport rear mech, Brooks saddle, cloth tape and maybe some bluemels mudguards and take it on short ride.

Thanks for the replies guys, very helpful. There is another of those oil ports under the BB, I'll have a look for a frame number this evening.

On some further inspection there are a few things I need to sort, namely:

The brakes don't operate particularly well, I maybe need to take them apart and give them a good clean and lube to see if they function any better. Is there a way I can fit more modern brakes or will that require adapting the frame?

The rear hub feels like it needs a service and the wheels need truing. Also the tyres appear to be tubs, never had them before but they are holding pressure well at the moment.

I haven't measured the rear dropout with the wheel out yet but it looks like it's 126, I think my two options are:

Cold set the frame to 130, chuck in a spare set of modern wheels that I'll convert to a fixed gear and go that route.

Keep it a bit more traditional, find a campagnolo rear derailleur, sort the existing wheels out and get it all running smoothly.

The other thing I'm not sure about is how to deal with the rust spots and paint chips on the frame. I'm not actually worried about it looking a bit beaten up but want to protect it as best I can. Any advice on dealing with this without damaging the paint?

A lot of fixed-gear hubs are 120mm wide, so you could fit with a 3mm spacer each side of the axle to make it up to 126mm.

Re:

It has Campag dropouts so is almost certain to be 531. Unless someone has cold set it already it's probably 120mm rear end, and if you ask me, the more 120mm rear ends that are left as they are, the better. Especially if you are going single speed.

I think most of us would strip the whole bike down to see what's what with the frame. Make sure the seat post and handlebar stem are not stuck for starters. Get the cranks, gears and brakes off, remove the headset and BB to check the threads in the frame are sound. You will need some dedicated tools if you haven't got them already.

Re:

That's nice. It would look great as a Clubman's bike with 5speed Sturmey hub, 48t single chainring and an old Nelson saddlebag.

I know this bike and I know where you got it from!
An absolute bargain! I went to look at it a second time but couldn't bring myself to buy it for parts and split it. That is one seriously good 531 double butted frameset.
It rings like a good'un and it's a very very fine piece of craftsmanship.
AFAIK it's a top of the range Peugeot and you are a winner for grabbing it!