onyerbike531
Retro Guru
Hello Forummers
Not too long ago I picked up an old Peugeot racing bike, the model is a Professionnel 400, the 3 main tubes are Reynolds 531, it was in a bit of a sorry state; rust had collected beneath the cabble housing that runs on underside of the top tube, it had a broken headset and the wheels had had it but despite this, the seatpost and stem weren't seized. I treated all the rust I could see and touched it up with some hammerite direct to rust paint which has done the trick (not too worried about appearance) it doesn't look too bad either way. The hubs were good but the rims were shot so I got those rebuilt with some Mavic Open Elites, and a new headset fitted.
I've been riding it but I'm worried about how much this bike flexes, it feels much more flimsy than any other Reynolds tubed bike I've ever ridden, It seems lighter as well. Like when I start to belt it along at speed, putting the power through the pedals it feels like it's trying to twist.. this only happens when I'm going for it, I need to mention I'm a cycle courier and I've often got a massive bag strapped to my back, could this be effecting the handling? There's also an annoying clicking sound that seems to come from the front end when I go over larger dips in the road or up and down the dropped pavements on the cycle paths. Anyway I've inspected the bike thoroughly for cracks and other deformities, all the tubes are perfectly straight and the alignment is perfect. I ride on the hoods quite a lot, these are old EX 500s, I guess the bars and stem are looking a bit tired so I will inspect all this when I change the bar tape and fit new cables.
The bike is green with a cool fade effect paint job, all the decals are white. I imagine it dates from around 1990 guessing by the components, this must have been just before their bikes had the tribal squiggle patterns on the downtube and forks. Brakes and levers are Exage 500 EX and the shifters and derailleurs are RX100, it doesn't have Biopace chainrings.
Is anyone anyone familiar with this model and how it handles or even with other bikes from the Professionnel series?
Thanks for your replies in advance
Not too long ago I picked up an old Peugeot racing bike, the model is a Professionnel 400, the 3 main tubes are Reynolds 531, it was in a bit of a sorry state; rust had collected beneath the cabble housing that runs on underside of the top tube, it had a broken headset and the wheels had had it but despite this, the seatpost and stem weren't seized. I treated all the rust I could see and touched it up with some hammerite direct to rust paint which has done the trick (not too worried about appearance) it doesn't look too bad either way. The hubs were good but the rims were shot so I got those rebuilt with some Mavic Open Elites, and a new headset fitted.
I've been riding it but I'm worried about how much this bike flexes, it feels much more flimsy than any other Reynolds tubed bike I've ever ridden, It seems lighter as well. Like when I start to belt it along at speed, putting the power through the pedals it feels like it's trying to twist.. this only happens when I'm going for it, I need to mention I'm a cycle courier and I've often got a massive bag strapped to my back, could this be effecting the handling? There's also an annoying clicking sound that seems to come from the front end when I go over larger dips in the road or up and down the dropped pavements on the cycle paths. Anyway I've inspected the bike thoroughly for cracks and other deformities, all the tubes are perfectly straight and the alignment is perfect. I ride on the hoods quite a lot, these are old EX 500s, I guess the bars and stem are looking a bit tired so I will inspect all this when I change the bar tape and fit new cables.
The bike is green with a cool fade effect paint job, all the decals are white. I imagine it dates from around 1990 guessing by the components, this must have been just before their bikes had the tribal squiggle patterns on the downtube and forks. Brakes and levers are Exage 500 EX and the shifters and derailleurs are RX100, it doesn't have Biopace chainrings.
Is anyone anyone familiar with this model and how it handles or even with other bikes from the Professionnel series?
Thanks for your replies in advance
