Another Peugeot restoration/fix-up (1988 HLE Premiere)

revs

Retro Newbie
Long time lurker.. so this is my required first post to allow me to then post some photos!
 
Long time lurker, thought I'd finally get around to posting some photos of my recent restoration of what I believe is a 1988 Peugeot HLE Premier. The frame simply says 'Premiere' but another badge says HLE, and I know it was bought in 1988 - so looking in the old Peugeot brochure I decided the HLE Premiere was the most likely bike.

The aim was to just get a useable bike, and not spend much money (hah!)

This was my dads bike, bought new in 1988, barely used by him, then used by me a bit in my teenage years. It then sat in a garage/shed for 10 years until recently when I saved it from the skip!

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So here it is after I received it, stripped the handlebar tape and cleaned it (a lot of cleaning!). I unfortunately did not take many photos when I first got it.

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I wanted to try and keep it quite original, but the more I checked it over, the more parts I found that were too old and worn out to keep.

The wheels looked past it, nearly a "C" shape, but a couple of hours with a spoke wrench and they are now useable, if still a little dished!

Also the following have had to go:

1. Tyres - The originals had rotted and the inner tube poked through. I now have some Schwalbe Lugano's on there with a white stripe to make it a tad more intersting.

2. Cables. The originals were white, and worn through, I replaced them with some orange ones to match the orange in the Peugeot pattern on the bike. I think it looks pretty cool.

3. The seat was some old thing (the original must have been stolen/lost at some point). So that was replaced with a spare I had in the shed.

4. Brake pads are original, so they were replaced, as they did not work too well!

5. I have some white handlebar tape, I just haven't got round to putting it on yet!

6. I have also added some Shimano SL-540 pedals so I can use my cycling shoes.

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Closeups:

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........ it was all going rather too well! ... and then it happened while going up a rather steep hill - the rear derailleur spring broke, the derailleur swung into the wheel, and the chain got wedged between the cogs and the wheel!

I just about survived and dodged the cars as I fell sideways.

I was now in a quandary, part of me wanted to go on ebay and get replacements that would match the bike, maybe some 105's from the late 80'e, early 90s. But I must admit that my boring logic won, and instead of a high-end derailleur from 1990 I went for the cheapest Shimano available in 2012! Theory being that the cheapest thing now is better than something from 20yrs ago?!

So I am a bit upset that the bike is no longer original parts, but I guess I can always go back on ebay and find older parts in the future.

I will update this post once my new derailleur arrives and the handlebar tape is on.
I also plan on getting some indexed downtube shifters at some point, the friction ones are a pain!

The paint job is very worn, but I'll live with it.
 
It seems the resizing program I used put nice "X" marks across the pics.

I'll upload some better, and some larger ones later on!
 
Good save from the skip, looks great with the new tyres. Stick some pics up when youve taped the bars.
 
Theory being that the cheapest thing now is better than something from 20yrs ago?!

I suspect the majority of people on here (including myself) might not entirely agree with you on that one...

You can pick up used top level period parts for surprisingly little if you spend time looking either on forums or ebay, and the vast majority of it not only stands up to but usually outshines it's modern counterparts.

"Things aren't made like they used to be" or something like that...
 
grilla":1bhigbkb said:
Theory being that the cheapest thing now is better than something from 20yrs ago?!

I suspect the majority of people on here (including myself) might not entirely agree with you on that one...

You can pick up used top level period parts for surprisingly little if you spend time looking either on forums or ebay, and the vast majority of it not only stands up to but usually outshines it's modern counterparts.

"Things aren't made like they used to be" or something like that...

I thought that may be the case! I guess the first priority was to get the bike in working order. When more funds are available I'll look into getting some more appropriate components!
 
grilla":2ceh1r0f said:
Theory being that the cheapest thing now is better than something from 20yrs ago?!

I suspect the majority of people on here (including myself) might not entirely agree with you on that one...

You can pick up used top level period parts for surprisingly little if you spend time looking either on forums or ebay, and the vast majority of it not only stands up to but usually outshines it's modern counterparts.

"Things aren't made like they used to be" or something like that...

I thought that may be the case! I guess the first priority was to get the bike in working order. When more funds are available I'll look into getting some more appropriate components!
 
revs as long as you are happy and bike looks great to me , just keep riding it and enjoying it , theres not a lot stopping you from keeping an eye for a more period rear changer if thats what you really want , but why if it works .
 
New Derailleur

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So the cheap new derailleur arrived, and now I have to agree with grilla - this looks cheap and nasty :D

But the more obvious issue is that this derailleur is much longer than the last one, and is further away from the cable.

I can see the following problems:

1. The chain now appears too short?
2. The gear cable is too short
3. Its an ugly derailleur, so i'm going to end up buying an old 105 or something, which means I then get a 105 for the front, the brakes, the cogs etc... and then my cheap 'make it work' project becomes one of those ongoing expensive projects :D
 
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