French Racing Bicycles

[Canuk]

Another MBK Super Record

 

[Canuk]

MBK was wrought out of the acquisition of Motobécane by Yamaha. Nowadays, the MBK factory focuses solely on the production of Yamaha two-wheelers.

It's impossible to go unnoticed with this MBK Super Record bike from the 1990s. This bike with it's wild fluorescent hues is made of Columbus Cromor steel, a good entry-level material, light and affordable for the era.

 

[Canuk]

Peugeot PX10 1968

 

[Canuk]

First introduced as a model in 1953, the PX-10E was traditionally Peugeot's high-end bicycle. By the early 1970s, the 21 lb PX-10E used a frame made with Reynolds 531 manganese-molybdenum double-butted steel tubing and was fitted with lightweight aluminum alloy (Stronglight, Mafac, and Simplex) components, though by the mid-1980s it was upgraded to Campagnolo Nuovo Record crankset/pedals, derailleurs, and headset.

The PX-10E was sold in the U.S. from 1975 to 1988 but it continued to be produced for sale in European markets through the early 1990s. Peugeot also produced lower cost bicycles with the PX-10's frame geometry: the PR-10 was made with three Reynolds 531 main tubes, and the PA-10 was made with hi-tensile tubing.

 

[Canuk]

Bernard Thevenet rides a PX10

 

[Canuk]

In 1974, Peugeot opened a custom bicycle frame shop (the Atelier Prestige) which specialized in the production of custom Reynolds-tubed framesets using thin-gauge butted steel tubing. These custom frames were designated PY-10. Similar to a PX-10 in design and styling, a PY-10 could be ordered to customers' individual specifications. Options included, but were not limited to, geometry and frame size, color, components, and braze-ons.

In 1977, the UO-10 was introduced, followed the next year by a slightly heavier road model, the UO-9. The UO-10 was largely the same as the UO-8 but with aluminum alloy cotterless crankset and aluminium alloy rims. The UO-9 was essentially the same as the UO-10 but had cheaper and heavier steel rims. In 1980, the PH-8 displaced the UO-8 as the entry-level Peugeot road bicycle.

 

[Canuk]

Peugeot PY10

 

[Canuk]

PZ10, these are rare and very sought after especially by French collectors. They're probably the equivalent of an SBDU Raleigh in terms of desirability for the French.

 

[Canuk]

In later years, as the product range grew smaller, the Peugeot race team switched to carbon fiber tubed bikes which were referred to as the PY10FC. During this time Peugeot continued to offer the custom steel-framed road bicycle, the PZ10. PZ and PY bicycles were imported to the U.S. until Cycles Peugeot's complete withdrawal from the North American market in 1990.

 

[Canuk]

Pascal Simon rides a PY10FC in yellow in the Tour.