1985 Peugeot Canyon Express

[jimo746]

I'd been looking for a properly retro mtb for a while, and when I saw this I had to have it :twisted:
It is, I think, a 1984 or '85 (pretty sure now its an "85) Peugeot Canyon Express. I was drawn to the biplane fork and the bullmoose bars.
It has massive Dia-Compe brake levers and Suntour thumbies, the rear mech had been "updated" to a Shimano Exage Trail mech but I have now fitted the correct Suntour Alpine Gear mech.
Photos are from the seller
I've changed tyres to amberwalls, replaced cables and chain , and will also change pedals and saddle.
I'll update with recent pics in the coming weeks, but I think it should make a nice mtb to pootle around on

 

[jimo746]

Re:

1985 Brochure pics...

 

[jimo746]

Re:

Hmmm..... no wonder there was some play in the Bottom bracket axle....

 

[jimo746]

Re:

New bearings fitted to bottom bracket, still rumbles a bit, could probably do with renewing completely but it'll do for now.
New cables fitted, kept the old straddle cables as they've a fixed end at each end, there's no cable clamp on the brake arm.
Period rear mech fitted in place of the later Exage Mountain one it came with.
Had fun removing the Suntour freewheel, seems ok so I'm leaving it alone.
Purchased some amberwall tyres which are more in keeping with the period of the bike.
Found a suitable Viscount saddle so swapped that out too, also fitted some pedals in keeping with the originals.
Rear wheel looks original, front wheel is a 90's Halfords/Carrera wheel with Shimano hub, but it's a pretty good match so it can stay.
Gave the frame a good T-cut and polish, and used tin foil to remove the rust from the chromed bullmoose bars (it worked very well!!).

Just got the all-important rear reflector to fit and it should be ready to ride at the weekend, I'll take some photos then....

 

[DynaCol]

Re:

Nice looking project Jim, signing in for more pic's and first ride impressions.

 

[jimo746]

Re: Re:

Nice looking project Jim, signing in for more pic's and first ride impressions.

Well, I took it on an 8 mile ride along the river to the beach last weekend, but forgot to take any pics :facepalm:
First impressions are that it's steady and stable (probably due to its astronomical weight! ), and actually pretty comfy.
I wasn't able to really push it as the chain skipped on the freewheel when applying too much pressure to it (new chain on old freewheel :roll: ) so a new Sunrace 6 speed freewheel is on thr way.
Also, the brakes were shite!, not just 1980's cantilever brake shite, but properly shite!
Got home and found the existing pads were cracked and split and would simply squish when holding the brake on, so I'll change the pads.
And, non-indexed gears take a bit of getting used to

But there were no real problems/mechanicals on the ride, which was good. A bit like an old classic car, you're never surprised when it breaks down, but are pleasantly surprised when it all works as it should.

 

[jimo746]

Re:

I think I've pinned the bike down to a 1985 model.

At this time there were only two "Mountainbikes" in the Peugeot range (in the UK brochure at any rate), the "Urban Express" which was more city oriented, and the "Canyon Express" .



Another page from the '85 brochure (looks like the guy bottom left is wearing loafers! :shock: cycling style has changed a lot ).

 

[firedfromthecircus]

Re: 1984/5 Peugeot Canyon Express

Nice one Jim.
I quite like seeing these 'less popular' bikes getting some attention. I have a slightly younger Peugeot sitting in the loft that I've been contemplating rebuilding. Maybe one day.

 

[TZEDS]

Re:

Love the style of 80s ATBs,never seen one of these,and those forks,i need some

 

[jimo746]

Re: Re:

Love the style of 80s ATBs,never seen one of these,and those forks,i need some

Yeah, it's very different from my 90's mtb, and a world away from any modern mtb.
Interesting to see how some things have changed over the years, whilst some others haven't really changed much at all.