Re: [CR] Unusual FR Peugeot PX-10--gold color

My 1975 PX and 1976 PY both have wood dowel inserted in the bottom of the steerer.  Both bikes were purchased from France.  French and other European racers loved to stuff wood up their steerers to guard against breakage.  Maybe their steerers were more likely to break because of their miles of pave, or maybe it was just a tradition that started a century ago when roads and steel quality were worse.

I would be surprised if a manufacturer put a wood dowel in from new - that is like saying that their product is defective in design or manufacture so it needs a bit of wood to hold it together (although Bianchi did get away with injecting rigid foam into their aluminum frames, but that is OT).  Mind you, I am not saying that Peugeot were not silly enough to put a bit of wood up - but think of the potential liability suits in the US if the wood were to rot and the steerer to break!  Or if the steerer broke on a bike not fitted with the wood - they would not have a leg to stand on if they fitted wood to some models and not others.  Far better not to fit it and blame the user for crashing or misusing the bike if the steerer breaks.

Hugh Thornton
Cheshire, England