I like bikes and I like to restore things, so I’ve learned how to restore a vintage race bike.
When I was a child in the 90s, I had a small blue Peugeot bike with colorful stripes. So when I found a bike with a similar design on LeBonCoin1 I thought I could try to restore it. Moreover, the bike has medium to high-end components because it was aimed to be used by amateurs. The frame is made with Reynolds 501 steel. It is designed to be lightweight with low thickness in the middle of the tubes, without compromising the bike dynamic. Its name is Peugeot PH501 “Ventoux”.
The guy who sold it was using a weird setup. The handlebar was upside-down, some mudguards with lights were added and the Mundialita saddle was replaced by a cheap one.
To get it back to its original configuration, I had to search for the original components and buy them. Luckily, I was able to find some catalog pages with photos and descriptions of the PH501.
For the restoration, I disassembled entirely the bike to clean and check everything. I also replaced all the consumables (brake pads, cables, handlebar tape, and tires). Then I re-assembled everything and fine-tuned the brakes and the derailleurs.
What a pleasure to ride it after all this work! This bike is not very comfortable (I am not used to the very bent position), but it works like a charm.
a French website like Craiglist ↩︎