My first lightweight bike was a UO-8, in the classic white with black checkerboard paint. At the time I bought it I thought it was the height of European sophistication. Even had Michelin tires with the little "Michelin Man" logo. For a guy living in the Cleveland, OH area this was cool stuff. I bought it from the late Heinz Linke, a retired German-American aeronautical engineer who ran Lakewood Cycle in Lakewood, OH - many here remember Heinz. Rode it a couple of years before selling it to move up to a Windsor Pro and a LeJeune F-70 (PX10 equivalent), also from Heinz.
Only really bad thing about it was the awful plastic Simplex Prestige DT shift levers. This made the shifting generally sloppy, so not realizing the shift levers were 90% of the problem, I not only changed out the shifters for the ratcheted SunTour DT ones, but the Simplex plastic Prestige RD and FD for Shimano Titlist. After that, the bike was a pleasure to ride. Probably weighed around 29 lbs, which not only was a lot lighter than a Schwinn Varsity, but was competitive with a fillet brazed Schwinn Sports Tourer of the time and a couple of lbs lighter than a fillet brazed Schwinn Super Sport, which had the Ashtabula crank. In fact, the touring version of the Schwinn Paramount at the time (circa 1972) wasn't a whole lot lighter than the UO-8, especially since it used the Campy Gran Tourismo RD, which alone must have weighed about 5 lbs.
OK, well there was one other little thing - the steel Rigida rims were fine in the dry, but did make braking an adventure in the rain. But for I think $90 brand new this bike brought a little taste of France to the American midwest. Not the bike for a wel-heeled European randonneur, but far from junk.
Regards,
Jerry Moos
Big Spring, Texas, USA
> From: oroboyz@aol.com <oroboyz@aol.com>
\r?\n> Subject: Re: [CR] Premium price for 1974 Peugeot
\r?\n> To: gwlone@yahoo.ca, classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
\r?\n> Date: Friday, June 19, 2009, 1:25 PM
\r?\n> Hey Greg:
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n> ?I think what you write in this message is somehow missing
\r?\n> it...
\r?\n> .
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Bikes (or anything else) sell for differing amounts for
\r?\n> many reasons, some of them having nothing to do with
\r?\n> "quality" or "ride" or rarity... In the case of old things,
\r?\n> mostly it is about nostalgia; what impact that particular
\r?\n> object has in the buyer's psyche.?
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n> In the case of this particular Peogeot UO-8, it probably
\r?\n> sold for that amount because of the very very nice original
\r?\n> condition, and the memories & associations that bike had
\r?\n> to the buyer. To call a bike like that "junk" is a bit
\r?\n> severe, many of us had many enjoyable hours of our lives
\r?\n> riding similar machines. Compared to the Huffys &
\r?\n> Schwinn Varsitiesm these bikes were dream boats! They were
\r?\n> reliable and lively... certainly a Masi or whatever is much
\r?\n> nicer but those super bikes were/are the Ferraris and Aston
\r?\n> Martins of the bike world! Many of us also enjoyed our TR-3s
\r?\n> and MGBs that were significantly below that level but still
\r?\n> hold a special place in our memories..
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n> <<?Is there a "collectors market" for nicely
\r?\n> preserved examples of 70's bikes? >>
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Of course! The key is the condition... there are many
\r?\n> rusted and abused bikes that will go to the
\r?\n> trash compacter, but really nice "time capsule" bikes like
\r?\n> this will almost always find a nice market,
\r?\n> no matter how "fancy" they were in that manufacturers
\r?\n> product line.
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Dale
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Dale Brown
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Greensboro, North Carolina USA
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n> -----Original Message-----
\r?\n> From: gwlone@yahoo.ca
\r?\n> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
\r?\n> Sent: Fri, Jun 19, 2009 1:52 pm
\r?\n> Subject: [CR] Premium price for 1974 Peugeot
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Hi list. Did anyone else happen to notice a reported 1974
\r?\n> Peugeot that sold on
\r?\n> eBay yesterday ,item # 300321790570.? It was in near mint
\r?\n> condition , but only a
\r?\n> bottom of the barrel UO8 and it sold for $370.00 !.? I have
\r?\n> seen many at garage
\r?\n> sales in the $20.00 -$50.00 range and have been given
\r?\n> several thru the years by
\r?\n> well meaning people who are aware of my interest in old
\r?\n> bikes. The price; while
\r?\n> not astronomical, can provide a far superior vintage ride
\r?\n> if one looks around?.
\r?\n> Or be a pretty fair down payment on a vastly better on
\r?\n> topic bike in a more used
\r?\n> state.?That Masi a week or so ago comes to mind. ?Is there
\r?\n> a "collectors market"
\r?\n> for nicely preserved examples of 70's bikes? ?Even if they
\r?\n> are bottom of the
\r?\n> line bike boom junk? Or is there a new generation of
\r?\n> vintage steel fans who
\r?\n> don't know the difference between a UO8 and a PX 10? Or am
\r?\n> I looking at a better
\r?\n> retirement than I had planned when I?eBay all the
\r?\n> 70's?carcasses that sit in a
\r?\n> heap
\r?\n> at the back of my junk shed. You know the ones , they
\r?\n> should have been
\r?\n> deposited in the recycling bin years ago, But you keep them
\r?\n> around in case
\r?\n> someone asks you for a part for their latest garage sale
\r?\n> find.
\r?\n> ?
\r?\n> Greg Lone
\r?\n> Langley B.C.
\r?\n> Canada
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
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