Two vintage French mixtes: Peugeot and Motobecane mixte comparison

This is a 1971 Peugeot UO-18 and a 1982 Motobecane Super Mirage. Both were made in France. The UO-18 is the mixte version of Peugeot's UO-8, its entry level 10-speed touring model. The Super Mirage, a 12 speed model verging on mid-range, was comparatively a bit higher up in Motobecane's lineup.

The Super Mirage is a slightly different and more unusual type of mixte. Its top tube splits into twin stays, while the Peugeot has the more common mixte design with twin stays that start at the head tube.




Both of these bikes are beautiful in their own way. There's no denying the stylishness of Peugeot's gold pinstripes, art deco logo design, lion decals, and white, black, gold, and red color scheme. The Moto has refinement, and its blue metallic paint sparkles in the sun. The Peugeot has the iconic lion headbadge and the Moto has the cool M with wings headbadge.






Both frames are steel. The Peugeot UO-18 is made of, according to the catalog, "Peugeot seamless lightweight tubing." The Motobcane Super Mirage is made of 2040 tubing. Neither of these were particularly high-end types of steel tubing.




The Moto Super Mirage mixte has drop handlebars, and the Peugeot UO-18 mixte has upright bars. Despite this, the posture of the rider on the Peugeot is not laid back, as on a Dutch bike. The Peugeot has a forward, relatively racy feel.

The Peugeot mixte has steel rims, and the Motobecane's are alloy. This means that the Moto mixte has lighter wheels and better braking, especially in rainy conditions. The Peugeot has textured rims with little dimples to improve braking performance. With new Kool Stop brake pads, the braking on the Peugeot is surprisingly decent. The brakes do create a bit of a buzz and a squeal at times. It's best to plan ahead and brake in plenty of time with these rims. The Moto's braking is much more reliable and quick.




The Peugeot UO-18 has a steel, cottered crank. The crank arms are held in place by cotter pins, and you need a cotter pin press (or other improvised tool) to remove them. The Motobecane Super Mirage mixte has a cotterless alloy crank, which is lighter and easier to work on.




The Motobecane Super Mirage came with a nice set of Suntour Vx derailleurs. The Peugeot UO-18 mixte was fitted with Simplex derailleurs. These are mostly plastic and their reputation is mixed. Some say the plastic tends to degrade and break. The rear derailleur on this particular Peugeot has been replaced with a Shimano one. It should also be noted that the Moto mixte frame has a derailleur hanger, and the Peugeot has a claw. Both use friction shifting with shift levers on the downtube. The Moto shifts very smoothly. The Peugeot shifts adequately.








Both have forks with chrome socks.




The Peugeot came with a sprung saddle, and the Moto has a Motobecane branded touring saddle.





I would be happy to own either of these bikes. The Peugeot UO-18 mixte has a smooth ride and such style. In the end, though, based on fit and on the bike's intended purpose, I decided to sell it and keep the nimble Motobecane Super Mirage. I am almost 5'7" and the Moto is the perfect size for me. This Peugeot felt a tad small. I felt that I had to raise the seat too much, to the point that I was sitting on top of the bike rather than riding in the bike, in a way. The Moto is also more performance oriented as set up with its alloy components. My impression of the Peugeot is that it would be great for rides around town, jaunts that aren't too hilly, tweed rides and the like, going to get a coffee or groceries, etc. A utility bike, a city bike. The Motobecane Super Mirage is more suited, for me, to longer rides, and my longish and hilly commute. I hope this comparison helps you if you have been considering a French mixte.

1976 Raleigh Super Course Mk II

I bought this Raleigh Super Course MK II from the original owner. The bike had been stored for a long time, probably in a garage. I could tell the owner was really enthusiastic about bikes and although this one was dusty from storage, it was in good condition. And the Brooks B-17 Narrow is really in beautiful shape.

The frame needed a good cleaning. I then polished it. I used rubbing compound on the chrome. There were some white specks of house paint, I think, on the frame and saddle. I used a flat head screwdriver to very carefully pick the specks off.

The original white bar tape was on the musty side, so I took it off and replaced it.

The tires were cracked and gross, so they came off. The brake pads were also quite dirty and hard, so I removed and replaced them.

I put new cables and nice white cable housing on to keep things consistent with the eye-catching original red and white color scheme. I also installed a new chain.

Basic tools for working on vintage bicycles

The essentials: hex wrenches and adjustable crescent wrench

The first tools I recommend having are a set of hex wrenches and an adjustable crescent wrench. Of course, you'll need a bicycle pump too. Ideally, one for home and one for the road. You'll also need a set of tire levers.

With these basic tools, you should be able to remove a tire, move your bike seat up or down, adjust your stem height, adjust your brakes, adjust your brake lever position, and a few other things.

You'll also need these

You can always use some lube for your chain, and you will need some grease. Grease should go between the metal parts on your bike, basically--on the stem before you insert it, on your seat post before you insert it, between ball bearings and the cones in your hubs. Some people like to use marine grease, which is blue. I prefer clear grease because it's less messy and I can see the ball bearings better through it.

For replacing cables

The next tool I'd recommend is a pair of cable cutters so you can replace your own cables and housings if you want to. And you sort of need a little crimping tool of some kind to crimp those little caps that go on the ends of the cables. I sometimes use a small jewelry-making crimping tool. A pair of needle nose pliers is also great to hold the cable taut while you tighten the anchor bolt on your derailleur.

For chains

If you want to remove a dirty old rusted chain and put on a shiny new awesome chain, you'll need a chain tool.

Pedals

You might want to change out the pedals on your vintage bike. The pedals might not be in good shape, or might be a style you don't prefer. A few times I've encountered pedals I didn't particularly like, such as pedals meant for toe clips, and wanted to change them out for some flat pedals. How do you do that? With a pedal wrench. Tip: save the pedals for a future project or sell them on ebay.

For the aesthetics

I like to use mild dish soap with a lot of warm water to clean a dirty bike. Then I use polishing compound (but not on the decals), and then car wax. The polishing compound works especially well on chrome. For polishing rust off of non-painted surfaces, like steel rims, I use a folded up piece of aluminum foil and water. Rub, then wipe the rust and dust off with a paper towel or rag, and then apply polishing compound.

Overhauling hubs

To overhaul the bearings in your hubs, you'll need some cone wrenches. Cone wrenches are thin and can grip cones where large wrenches can't. You'll also appreciate having a ball bearing gauge to measure the size of the bearings you take out, so that you can put the proper size new bearings back in. And of course you'll need some new ball bearings.

Cranks & bottom brackets

Getting to the bottom bracket to refresh grease and ball bearings requires that you remove the crank. Many vintage bicycles have cottered cranks. Cottered cranks have a cotter pin that must be removed in order to remove the crank. I don't want to mess around with hammering and drilling to get cotter pins out, so I sprung for a cotter pin press. This is a beautiful tool that works, cleanly and reliably.

For alloy cranks, you'll need a crank puller. I have run into a Stronglight crank on a Raleigh that can't be removed with this standard crank puller. It needs its own special size of crank puller, which is available on ebay. I haven't bought it myself though.

This lock ring spanner will let you get past the lock ring.

For headsets

To overhaul your headset with new grease and ball bearings (yep, there too), a headset wrench is a great tool.

Tools, tools, a bag o' tools

This is a good start: just acquiring the hex wrenches and crescent wrench will enable you to customize your bike in ways that you can't without. Having your own tools lets you solve some of your own problems and learn how the bike is put together. It's a good way of feeling that sense of freedom and confidence that comes with knowing how to fix basic things on your bike.

On stupid mistakes

This week I've managed to make a couple of stupid mistakes while working on a Peugeot and a Raleigh. On the Raleigh, I overtightened the cable anchor bolt on the rear derailleur until it twisted completely off. Oops. I managed to locate that part on ebay and ordered it, so this loss was not a calamity. On the Peugeot, I somehow got the rear derailleur wedged against the freewheel and broke one of the plastic jockey wheels. Thankfully I have a Shimano derailleur to replace it with that is working just fine. The Simplex derailleurs don't have very good quality reputations so maybe it's best to replace it anyway.

Learning to do even simple tasks on these bikes is a process and unfortunately I might have to learn a few things, not like not overtightening bolts, the hard way.

Notes on passing other cyclists and being passed

This week while I was riding in Washington, DC, cycling home, a cyclist came up behind me on my left and yelled, "Can you move over to the left, please?"

This was annoying, for two reasons. One, just the arrogance of giving me, another cyclist, instruction, and two, the nonsensical nature of it since moving to the left would put me directly in her path (since she was on the left). I ignored it and continued on, pedaling up a hill, in the left third of the bike lane (to avoid car doors), on a busy street in rush hour with a lot of other cyclists and cars around. She asked again. I again ignored. And then she passed me on the left. I assumed she must have meant move to the right, since moving to the left wasn't possible. As she passed, I yelled, "I don't want to get hit by car doors!" And she yelled back, "I said left!"

This was a very confusing episode to me. It happened a couple of days ago and I'm still thinking about it. Here's my philosophy on passing: If I want to pass someone, whether car, pedestrian, or cyclist, it's my responsibility to do so safely, quickly, and ideally without pissing someone off. I certainly wouldn't think of telling another cyclist to move over so I could pass more easily. I also pass on the left because I don't want to get hit by a car door or pass someone on the right where they're not expecting it.

Here's my problem with some cyclists in DC. Most of them are safe and polite and try not to scare or annoy other cyclists and pedestrians. But there's a vocal minority who zoom into crosswalks, narrowly missing pedestrians, bob in and out of traffic and almost get themselves hurt, and do other dangerous maneuvers to save a precious few seconds. I'm putting this cyclist in the same category. Someone who is arrogant enough to yell out directions to a fellow cyclist is someone with a dangerous sense of entitlement on the road. It simply baffles me. I try my best to be a decent ambassador of sorts for cyclists to people who encounter me. I'm not perfect. I can't always present the best image. But I do try not to scare pedestrians or piss off drivers. I try to be predictable on the road so drivers see me and know what to expect from me. I definitely wouldn't feel comfortable directing another cyclist on where to ride/to move over/whatever. But I do feel comfortable ignoring a person who tries to do that to me and telling the person no if I have to.

1982 Motobecane Super Mirage

I bought this beautiful blue 1982 Motobecane Super Mirage this weekend. I'm looking forward to cleaning it up and getting it in good riding condition. Maybe this would be a good candidate for this fall's tweed ride (French, not English, but that's okay).

Speaking of French, I did some research on how to pronounce Motobecane. I knew that mo-to-beCANE, the way I'd been saying it in my head, couldn't be right.

I feel fairly certain that the correct pronunciation is mo-to-BAY-cahn. You can see the accent mark over the "e" even on the headbadge.

It has a downtube shifters, an alloy crank, and alloy wheels. The paint is a beautiful metallic light blue that I think will shine up well once I remove the layer of dust and dirt it's acquired over many years of storage. There isn't much rust to speak of. I've already used some polishing compound on the chrome fork tips and they're very shiny now. The saddle has a small tear in it but is still very usable, just a little dirty. I'll have to decide what to do with the vinyl bar tape. It's wrapped around the brake levers. I might want to change those levers and may have to remove that original tape to get to them.

I plan on putting on new tires and tubes, cables and housings, and probably a new chain. I'll wash and wax the frame, overhaul the hubs, bottom bracket, and headset. A nice, relaxing satisfying project on a bike that was neither the lowest end nor the highest end in its day, but is still a very charming retro bicycle.

7 miles on the Raleigh Sports

This weekend I rode my 1974 Raleigh Sports about seven miles total from Silver Spring to Georgetown. The bike is small but you sit up high on it because of the upright sitting position. It's a fun and stately old fashioned ride that brings a few smiles to people who notice the bike as it rolls by.

The old Brooks mattress saddle was acceptably comfortable. The Brooks label on the back of these saddles tends to break apart and mine was poking me in the bum for a while until I stopped and turned the offending piece of label downwards.

The brakes on a Raleigh Sports tend to squeak and squeal embarrassingly loudly if applied too forcefully. So braking needs to be done ahead, ideally a block ahead of a red light. And I made sure not to get going too fast for fear of the need for sudden braking. The brakes on the old steel rims do work; it's just that they aren't as effective as I'm used to with aluminum rims.

I find the geometry of the Sports comfortable. It's just a fun bike to ride. Somewhat slowly, steadily, and in style I made my way through DC on the Sports. The three gears act as follows: Hills, Flats, and Downhills. Pretty simple. I pretended to be a character on Downton Abbey just rolling over to check how the nearby farm is doing.

I didn't want to face the uphill pedaling on the return ride, though, so the Sports and I rode the Metro home without incident.

Linus Mixte 8: One Year Review

I got the Linus Mixte 8 a little over a year ago from a shop in DC. At that point, I was completely new to cycling and wanted something dependable, made of steel, and attractive, with an upright riding position. I didn't feel ready at all for a road bike, and didn't know enough about vintage bikes to feel comfortable buying one. So I researched quite a few of the modern retro styled bikes, like Public, Electra, and Linus.

I went with Linus because I decided the foot-down geometry of Electra wasn't for me, and I couldn't easily find a store where I could get a Public bike. But a bike shop had some Linus bikes in stock and on sale, and I ended up taking home the beautiful sage green mixte.



The Mixte 8 has a chromoly frame and fork, an upgrade from the mostly hi-ten steel frame and fork on the Mixte 3. It has eight speeds, which I wanted for the many hills on my commute, in an internal hub, not a derailleur system. I wanted to avoid fiddling with a derailleur, because I didn't know anything about them at the time I bought the bike. The mixte also comes with fenders and a sturdy rack.

In contrast to its somewhat delicate appearance, in practice the mixte is bulletproof and a tank. It's heavy at 33 pounds, it doesn't accelerate quickly, and it doesn't have a nimble feel. It has a stable feel. It's extremely steady and dependable. I think I could ride it almost any distance safely. The limits would be my own leg strength and stamina. It's great for carrying groceries and other loads without strain or complaint. It can be fast on downhills and when the situation calls for it.

The only mechanical issue I've had is that sometimes, the bike will be reluctant to shift into second gear if I do so at a stop. Shifting while stopped was a luxury anyway, so I make sure to shift while moving and turn the crank a couple of times. That takes care of it. Once in a rare while, there will be a slight delay in shifting into second gear.

The biggest flaw in the Mixte 8 from an aesthetic perspective is the unicrown fork. It feels out of place on the bike and is a bit of an eyesore. I'd strongly recommend that Linus consider putting an old fashioned fork on this type of retro bike. It has a heavy back end due to the eight speed internal gear hub in the back wheel. Not a problem in practice, but noticeable when I lift the bike to take it up stairs. I had to apply black electrical tape to stop the kickstand from making an annoying clanging sound when it hit the bike's underside.

I installed a shorter and taller stem to bring the bars up and closer to my hands. I have long legs and a short torso, so I like to shorten the reach on my bikes. I also installed Brooks GP1 leather grips, which widen the grip area and create a larger, more comfortable platform for my hands. I almost immediately replaced the stock saddle with a different one from Origin-8, and eventually with a honey Brooks B-17.

I have probably ridden the Linus Mixte to work (6.5 miles each way) about 50 times (plus or minus!) over the year. In all of those trips, I never had a flat tire or any other mechanical difficulty. The bike just takes you where you want to go. I've gotten a lot of random compliments on it from people who like the style or were reminded of their bikes from days long past. The paint has a few scratches in it from being locked up or bumped into things, but there's no sign of rust. Brakes are still good, wheels are true.

This was a great beginner's bike for me. I think I've somewhat progressed beyond it now that I've learned more about working on bikes and have bought a vintage road bike, which I've been riding to work. But I would have a hard time selling the Linus, because it's such a great tool, and is pleasing to the eye, if you can overlook the fork. I think, at about 5'7," I'm almost too tall for it, as you can see from the amount of seatpost I have showing.

Overall I'd recommend the Linus for someone who wants a dependable, low-maintenance steel ride, and isn't looking for racing bike or hybrid bike speed. The fenders protect you from puddles, the rack carries your stuff, and the internal gear hub keeps the chain silently humming along.