This afternoon I went for a ride with Sophie, my 1972 Peugeot UJ-10 bicycle. I haven’t ridden the Peugeot in a while so it was fun to go for a spin on the vintage road bike.

I like to record my bicycle rides with my GoPro and post to YouTube, but decided to leave those at home and just ride without the extra burden of the video camera. You would think that filming with the GoPro would be simply hitting the record button and just let it run, right? But actually, it causes me to think a lot about it when I am riding. For instance, “is the angle still okay? had the battery overheated and shut the camera down? do I need to change batteries?”. If GoPro cameras were reliable, then I’d have less stress about it, but they are pretty flaky.

Anyways, the only camera I had with me today was my iPhone, so I was just focused on the ride and seeing the sights. It was so fun! The Peugeot is a lot different than my other bicycles – it’s faster and a little more challenging to ride, especially over any gravel or dirt. I mostly kept to the hard surfaces, but there are a couple places where riding over gravel is necessary, and it got a little sketchy! Still, I enjoyed the whole ride.

I hope you had a good day!

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I finally decided to adjust the saddle on Sophie to be the correct angle (for me). I had set the saddle pretty much level for aesthetic reasons, but felt that comfort was now more important. So the nose is now tilted up like on my other bikes and it makes for much more pleasant riding.

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My new DT Swiss Champion spokes arrived after being delayed for two days because of the weather. During the waiting period, I polished up the hub with some Brasso metal polish. It’s looking shiny, although not completely perfect. I’m not that meticulous!

Tomorrow I am planning on lacing up the spokes on the rear wheel. This will be the last step to restoring the Peugeot up to a safe standard. The rusty spokes weighed a bit on my mind when riding, but less so after I replaced the spokes in front. With a fully-respoked Sophie, I can ride worry-free!

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Today I went for a quick ride around the neighborhood with Sophie, my 1972 Peugeot UJ-10 bicycle. I happened to be wearing my newly-acquired Tomie joggers that I found at TJ Maxx over the holidays. It was such a random find that I had to buy it (only $12). It really scares Mariko.

Give the video a watch if you have a few minutes!

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I did a little tidying up on Sophie’s chain and derailleur today. I’m amazed at the design of derailleur mechanism. Sophie is almost 50 years old, but most of today’s bicycles still use the same system. Tried and true!

It also looks very cool, IMHO.

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I got the notification from the library that a book that I had on hold was ready for pickup! Since Koa takes my car to school and Mariko was out, I decided to ride my Peugeot bicycle to the library.

There were a couple differences from my typical rides around the neighborhood, though. First, I needed a way to carry the hardcover book, which probably wouldn’t fit in Sophie’s frame bag. And secondly, I needed to lock my bike outside the library. So, I grabbed my new REI Trail 40 backpack, put my bike lock in it and headed out the door.

I don’t like to wear a backpack when I ride but it was a necessary evil today. Surprisingly, it wasn’t that bad! The Trail 40 has a proper hip belt and sternum strap to keep the backpack secure, as well as a nice airflow channel so my back didn’t get sweaty. I almost forgot that I was wearing a backpack!

Anyways, it was a fun and productive ride. I love Sophie because she’s so much faster than my mountain bikes. The acceleration difference is definitely noticeable.

Please join us by watching the video if you have a few moments:

I hope you had a great day! またね～

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I joined a Vintage Peugeot Bicycle group on Facebook recently and while reading through the posts, discovered that Sophie is not an A-08 model as I thought, but is actually a UJ-10. I don’t know how I missed it when checking the old Peugeot catalogs but apparently the telling sign is the gold decal on the seat tube. Mystery solved!

When I brought back Sophie from California earlier this year, I also took the bags that I used on it back in the 80s. I re-fitted the Senator saddle bag to the Brooks B-17 and I think it looks good! It’s pretty small though, so if it doesn’t fit the spare tube I have on order, I’ll look for something a little bigger. I also ordered a new Zefal frame pump that should fit in the mounts. It’s not vintage, but it is made in France so I guess that’s something.

I hope you had a great day!

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The restoration of my Peugeot UJ-10 bicycle took a big leap today because I replaced the old rusty spokes on the front wheel with brand new DT Swiss 260 mm spokes. These are stronger and shiny. So not only is it safer, but the spokes are beautiful!

This was my first time rebuilding a wheel and lacing spokes, but with the help of this video, it was easy and actually a lot of fun!

I’m looking forward to replacing the spokes on the rear wheel next, but I am delaying starting that project because it would mean the bike would be out of service while I wait for parts. I can’t just order spokes (and hub bearings) beforehand because I need to remove them from the bicycle to measure them and ensure I order the correct parts. And I am having too much fun riding the neighborhood with Sophie right now, so I’ll wait on the repair a bit.

I’m so happy with my Peugeot project. It’s so much fun and I am learning so much about bicycles!

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