1988 Peugeot Dakar XT Pro

[kingoffootball]

Firstly, many thanks to xxnick1975 who karma'd me the frame and forks, including u-brake and bottom bracket, from this ebay listing:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... true&rt=nc

I was pretty certain it was a Peugeot, and my initial guess of a 1989 model wasn't too far off.

After months of trying to find time to collect it (sorry Nick!) I finally picked it up last week and set about trying to get a definitive identity on it.

After a little work removing some of the lovely rattle-can job, it was clear it was definitely a Peugeot:

And there was even a little of the original Reynolds tubing sticker remaining underneath:

I didn't take the greatest care when removing the paint over the top, as the original paint was obviously in a poor state so it will have to be repainted anyway.

The frame number and year code on the u-brake both confirmed it as a 1988 model. The next step was to try to work out which model, based on the colour scheme of the paint.

Peugeot produced a lot of different models!

After trawling through every catalogue I could find online (not just the 1988 ones, but surrounding years as well) I hadn't found anything that matched. It's very similar to the Montana, but definitely has a different paint scheme.

So onto trawling though individual images on the Internet. For a long time, the only Peugeots I could find with the blue/white/red fade were Roberts ones and it's obviously not one of them (I wish!) but finally, I found this:

Which after a little work I managed to decipher as being a Dakar XT Pro.

I haven't managed to find out anything more about the Dakar XT Pro, so if anyone has any information at all it would be gratefully received.

So, what now? Well the plan, given the horizontal drop-outs, is to use it to replace my Zaskar as my single speed bike. It will need repainting and I would really love to restore it to it's original paint scheme, but I can't justify the cost involved, so instead it will probably be powdercoated a single colour.

Any suggestions? (most the components going on it will be black).

I really am tempted to try to have the original blue-white-red fade restored, but if I did that then I would start going down the route of re-equiping it with the original XT etc and that really isn't the idea, as the funds for doing that are required for my many other (unfinished) projects.

 

[Rich34]

If it was mine, given that the original paint job is already shot, I'd do a white Tommy Simpson rep with some repro Peugeot decals. Unusual to see the original decals under a rattle-can paint job... :shock:

 

[Antstark]

Think I have an early bike mag with something about the Pug Dakar....let me look when i get home mate

 

[Rich34]

Or Google Peugeot PX10, or Bernard Thevenet, or Tom Simpson. Plenty of inspiration about and it would be very classy. I like the late Eighties MTB colours too but if you want to keep it simple (and the cost down) then a coat of white and some decals would be pretty straightforward I should think.

 

[kingoffootball]

If it was mine, given that the original paint job is already shot, I'd do a white Tommy Simpson rep with some repro Peugeot decals. Unusual to see the original decals under a rattle-can paint job... :shock:

There were a few more, not pictured. The "PEUGEOT" on the downtube is clear on the other side and on the other side of the top tube there was a "Made in France" logo which I wore quite a bit of away trying to get too much of the paint off.

 

[kingoffootball]

Think I have an early bike mag with something about the Pug Dakar....let me look when i get home mate

Thanks, that would be awesome.

 

[kingoffootball]

Or Google Peugeot PX10, or Bernard Thevenet, or Tom Simpson. Plenty of inspiration about and it would be very classy. I like the late Eighties MTB colours too but if you want to keep it simple (and the cost down) then a coat of white and some decals would be pretty straightforward I should think.

Cool, I've been looking through some options and thinking about it. I really haven't decided yet and have even considered just using mosaic of decals (not necessarily bike-related) as a finish!

I'm intending to have Peugeot decals on it whatever though.

 

[Antstark]

Here ya go...I'll scan them properly for you later if you want

This is from MBUK vol1 No1

 

[xxnick1975]

good progress already Will.

Pleased i didn't just dump it now. Really looking forward to seeing how you get on with it.

I have just got back from work now after 11 miles over the fields on my Pug Python, a slightly younger brother to your Dakar.

Shame they stoppped making decent bikes as the frames from this era, in my opinion, are really excellent for such a high volume, mainstream maker.

 

[Rich34]

Blimey - I bought that book with all the Dakar photos a couple of weeks ago on French eBay!! How to resist a book called "Paris Dakar on a mountain bike"? I'm away from home but will try and scan some photos next time I'm back - most of the entrants were on Peugeots. Lots of neon lycra and roadie shoes, and some good photos of people slogging across the sand, I think the race took place in '88 or '89.