Le Mirage is a fully restored 1982 Peugeot 12-speed Road Bike.
Its Build Off title is an amalgam of the names given to it in the French and English Peugeot brochures of the day. In French itās a PBN10S and in the English version it's simply āMirageā.
It came about because I wanted to add a road bike to my fleet of bicycles. I bought it from a junk yard operator in slightly damaged and run-down condition for $110 after trying a few modern carbon and aluminium framed machines ā which I found very harsh to ride. But I saw its build off potential as soon as I laid eyes on it and handed over the money straight away. No haggling.
The bike comes from an interesting era in Peugeotās history. Some see those times (early 80s) as marking the beginning of the end of the hugely successful French factory, where declining sales meant that the Steel frames were offered to save costs.
It was touted in the marketing as Carbolite 103 ā high carbon steel, but the critics (mainly Reynolds enthusiasts) called it āPig Ironā.
The rise of better-quality Japanese components and indexed gears (Shimano) also meant that the Simplex systems and Wiemann brakes fell even further behind ā on the Tour, road and showroom floor.
You can still buy Peugeot bicycles today, but the original entity that started in 1882 (100 years before Le Mirage) was essentially closed in 1990 and the naming rights re-acquired.
Even for a vintage, the bike really is very enjoyable to ride, and Iāve already clocked up heaps of kilometres aboard. It is different to modern machines however. The toe clips and Friction shifters mean that you must think ahead more ā but the steel frame is comfortable, forgiving and the geometry is tight with quick steering and solid cruising.
At 6ā4ā I would have preferred a slightly larger frame than its āLargeā 58cm, but with the taller and slightly laid-back seat post, and a taller handlebar stem, I find it fits well now and I really like the lines and presentation.
I spent a lot of time refurbishing, polishing and painting - and have bought parts and detail pieces from all over the world for this build, in fact all-up it has cost me somewhat more than some of the modern bikes I tried, but they didnāt make my heart sing like my shiny French Hot Rod does.
Viva Le Mirage!
Build journal:
https://ratrodbikes.com/threads/š-le-mirage-š.118338/
I have really enjoyed spending time in the workshop with this one.
Choices of extras.
Progress:
Before and afters:
Some of the process:
Cheers,
Dave.
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