Tag: Sophie

Bicycle Ride to the Library

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“Evening Ride” Cedar Park, 2021

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～

Lunchtime Black and White

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Photo info: OLYMPUS E-PL9, 13mm, f/11, 1/800 sec, ISO200
 “Crushed Cars” Cedar Park, 2021

I went on a bicycle ride on my lunchbreak, and took Mariko’s Olympus E-PL9. It’s a fun little camera!

Photo info: OLYMPUS E-PL9, 15mm, f/11, 1/800 sec, ISO200
 “Sophie and Destruction” Cedar Park, 2021

As usual, I also had my GoPro to record the ride. Please give it a watch if you have time. In it, I describe a little more about the location of the photos. 😀

Bike Model Discovery

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Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/210 sec, ISO32
 “Sophie” Cedar Park, 2021

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. 😄

Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/120 sec, ISO40
 “Senator” Cedar Park, 2021

I hope you had a great day!

Gleaming Spokes and Rebuilding a Wheel

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 18mm, f/4.5, 1/100 sec, ISO640
 “Gleaming Spokes” Cedar Park, 2021

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!

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 18mm, f/4.5, 1/100 sec, ISO640
 “Sophie Silhouette” Cedar Park, 2021

Working on Sophie

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO2500
 “Vintage Hub” Cedar Park, 2021

Today I spent a couple of hour working on Sophie, my 1972 Peugeot UJ-10 bicycle. Last week, the chain broke so I ordered a new one and it arrived yesterday. I first did some measurements to make sure the new one had the correct length (and I was curious to see if the original one was the right length), then installed the new chain without incident. The only bummer was that I thought I had ordered a silver chain, but actually ordered a black one. Oh well. Matches the original at least. 😊

Since Sophie was to be out of action for a while, I also bought a new set of spokes for the front wheel to replace the original, rusted ones. I used a pair of small bolt cutters to remove the old spokes, then cleaned up the hub a bit. (photo above)

And then I thought, why not clean the inside of the hub too? So I removed the bearings, cleaned everything up inside, then packed it with new grease and re-assembled.

Lastly, I polished up the rim with some steel wool. It’s easier to do without spokes.

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 55mm, f/6.4, 1/9 sec, ISO1600
 “Super Chrome” Cedar Park, 2021

I’m still waiting for some new rim tape to arrive before I can re-assemble the wheel, so it’ll be a few more days before I can take Sophie out for a spin.

It seems like I’ve been replacing lots of parts, but actually there’s not too much to a vintage bicycle. In fact, I only have to do the same service (spokes and hub) to the rear wheel and Sophie will be good as new. Or actually better than new, since she’ll be sporting several modern parts! 😁