new handlebars on the bike

While I changed the handlebars I also decided to make the right brake lever operate the front brake, left lever the rear brake, as in usual in Australia.  If I carry something in one hand I prefer to have my right hand on the bike and be able to use the front brake.  The rear brake cable would now look neater if it ran through the hole in the frame on the right of the bike, where the gear lever now goes.  That gear lever certainly is a distance away from the handlebars, that might be my next modification, in which case the rear brake cable and gear cable might swap holes in the frame.

 It feels a lot better to me like this with the new handlebars.  The right grip has not been pushed on far enough, the last cm or so has no bar behind it.  I used the original Peugeot grips, they needed about seven turns of duct tape around the handlebars to increase the diameter, you might notice a slight bulge in the shape of the grips.

 I travelled over a 1.11km (google earth measure) straight flat road, the bike computer said 1.10km, so it is about right.

new handlebars

I found some handlebars on a child's BMX.  They seem sturdy enough.  The BMX stem was marked 22.2mm and is substantially wider than the Peugeot stem, so I have had to stick with the original stem.  On sheldonbrown.com it says french stems are often 22mm and a 22.2 can be sanded back and made to fit easily.  My impression is the NS22 stem might be 20mm.  I have removed the BMX small cross bar, so it can be made to fit in the Peugeot stem.  The bars still seem to have plenty of strength.

These bars do not widen at the part where they are in the stem, so I will need some filler material to fatten them out so the stem can be tightened on them.  It is a tall order for the stem to clamp shut hard enough on these to prevent rotation when the bars are pulled hard or have a lot of weight applied to them, I had noticed this already with the originals.

I think the angle of the handles will be more agreeable for me, the colour does not seem too bad either:

Original chrome bars with grips removed.

This is another bike I own, 1964 Raleigh Boulevard Tourist, I find this comfortable, the handle angles look about the same:

The pump on the frame is an AFA pump, made in France, not original to the bike, I paid 50c for it at a garage sale.  The front light has wobbled down too low.  This is a 3-speed, quite a few kilos lighter than the Peugeot, I replaced the 20 tooth sprocket with a 22, it seems just right now, it even centred the wheel better, making me think this is what it was supposed to have all along.  I think the best time I've had from this on my test rolling hill is 95s, 15 slower than the Peugeot.  I attribute this to the tyres, one I believe to be original, the front one also quite ancient, possibly they are thicker and more puncture resistant, but I think the rolling resistance is greater.

Another day I will discuss the merits of this vs the Peugeot, they are both good in their own ways.

The yellow NS22 I mentioned in Brisbane went for $150.  There is a fair condition white one in Adelaide now, $91, two days to go.

cargo straps, original elastic cords

This one went on Australian ebay a while ago for $122.  I would say it was originally a 5-speed, but is now a single speed, otherwise everything is there.  The rear light being broken seems to be a common feature on these bikes.  See the silver pump.  I'm not sure how useful the elastic cords would really be.  I have heard stories about kids whacking themselves in the face and taking their eyes out with metal hooks on the end of elastic cords, this technology seems to have fallen from favour.

I notice these bikes all seem to have the left hand operating the front brake, the usual setup in countries where people drive on the right side of the road.  In Australia (we drive on the left), the reverse is normal, and is a legal requirement for new bikes offered for sale (though the purchaser may choose to have them reversed).  It appears this was not a requirement 35 years ago, and few people have bothered swapping the cables, myself included.

custom pump and pedal grinding

Here's the pump I cut down to size:

It is about 28cm long when relaxed on the ground, maybe 25 when squashed between the two frame pegs:

It seems to work OK, I have used it once, for a $2 pump it seems a fair deal.  At a bike shop I saw two others similar, made in China, both $15, disgraceful.....  It doesn't get to a super high pressure, but I'd say that is due to its length rather than any manufacturing flaw, I should have used it before I shortened it to make a comparison.  At the above mentioned bike shop, they wanted $4 for a little brass adaptor, but another bike shop nearby charged me $2.50.  Conveniently, the brass adaptor fits in the top of the pump handle and slides all the way down inside the metal tube (piston rod?), the schraeder hose supplied with the pump is unaffected.

Pedal modification was a breeze.  I did a few laps of a bitumen tennis court and deliberately leant over into the corners and scraped the pedals along the ground.  This has improved ground clearance quite a bit:

yellow bike with yellow flowers...

These sent by the seller of this bike, now on ebay, $31 with 4 days to go, bike is in Brisbane, regrettably for me....

Note the plastic thing above the chainstay, mine is missing this.

Tyres probably original on a bike in that condition, tread looks very similar to the newish (2009?) tyres on my own:

The white non-folder in France went for 40 euros.

alloy wheel possibility???

I wonder if wheels from a kids mountain bike would fit?  They are 24" (507mm), compared to the 550A having 490mm, so only 8.5mm greater radius.

I know most such bikes are on the cheap and nasty end of the scale, but it might be something to think about. Kenda make a slick high pressure tyre in this size (TRM48  $25.95)

I prefer old bikes in original condition, but if I come across another shocker it could be a prospect for experimental wheel transplants.

Another one in France, classified ads on ebay, notice single speed, no front rack, looks like the rear tyre has been replaced, 95 euros:

yellow NS22 in Brisbane

I figured out how to get photos from ebay.  Hit the print screen button, then in Paint, hit Paste, chop off the unwanted bits, ....voila!


Voici:  I haven't seen one this colour before.  This is $10.50 in Brisbane with 5 days to go.  Grab a bargain!

It looks like it was once a 5-speed, but otherwise is unmolested:

The ad says 20' , I think they mean 20", 20 inches. (20' = 20 feet), but I think they're wrong, it looks a 22 to me.  I have alerted them to the probable error of their ways.  The owner confirmed it has 37-490 tyres and was once a 5 speed, now using the middle sprocket.

Here's the french non-folder I mentioned before, 40 euros, no bidder last time, none again with another day to go: