Hello all - I have recently started a foray into the classic bike world with the purchase of a French road bike that was converted to single speed. The bike was completely devoid of badges and decals (and the owner had no ideas about its origin), but after some digging I determined that it is visually similar to the '79 Peugeot AO8 Sport shown near the bottom of this page:
http://mysite.verizon.net/
There are some definite differences however:
* The front fork is not solid white; it has some chrome accents similar to those on the UO8s. * The top tube has braze-ons to accept a frame pump.
There is no sign of a serial number badge on the underside of the bottom bracket. There is a stamped serial number on the rear left dropout ('65247'), but I understand that those are often aftermarket numbers.
I don't really trust that any of the components are original. The previous owner definitely used "classic" components (such as some nice Mafac Racer brakes), but I can't say for sure what may be original and what isn't.
I'm happy to know that I've narrowed it down to likely be a UO8 or AO8 (unless knock-offs also existed), but if anyone can provide any more insight I would be very grateful.
Also, two quick questions:
* Is it blasphemy to get the frame repainted? I intend to keep the original white, but wanted to give it a fresh coat because the existing paint is pretty pitted and the exposed portions of the frame are showing signs of rust. I figure it's for the best, but better safe than sorry. :)
* I ride this bike frequently which sometimes means riding in inclement weather. I'm considering putting some fenders on it (as much to protect the bike as myself), and was considering the Honjo fenders since they are reminiscent of the Lefol fenders. How do you folks feel about these fenders?
Thanks in advance for any information you can provide. I hope my email hasn't run too long or touched on any oft-debated topics. :)
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Sebastian Comella
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA