PRESERVATION BICYCLE #28: The 1982 Peugeot Grand Touring Tandem
About the Bike:
Preservation Bike #28 (2021: 5/21) is a made-in-France Peugeot Grand Touring tandem decked out with some rad components, including a rear Phil Wood hub (the best tandem hub on the planet). At 41 years old, the paint job is immaculate; and for the most part, it’s in pretty decent shape. Bikes of this era come with awesome Mafac cantilever brakes and 27 x 1 1/4 wheels, so you won’t have the broadest of tire and rim choices, but there are still a few good options out there. It’s a pretty big bike but would be perfect for your taller-than-normal couple. Do yourself a favor and ditch those old narrow drop bars for something more upright, and you’ll have a bike ready to tour across the country or to your nearest pub.
#2 Facts and Figures:
MAKE: Peugeot MODEL: Grand Touring Tandem
YEAR/AGE: 1982 (the year Late Night with David Letterman debuted on NBC and M.J.’s Thriller was released).
SIZE: 59cm front/captain (5’10 to 6’3). 57cm back/stoker (5’7 - 6’0)
ADOPTION FEE: $300, and we’ll throw in a $50 BBP gift certificate to help with used parts.
OG Catalogue: Lots of pretty french bikes
RECOMMENDED REPAIRS:
BASIC: New or decent used tires, tubes, a 5-7 speed freewheel and a fair amount of cleaning and degreasing, and you should be good to go. With $400 adoption fee and the $50 gift certificate + 5 hours of work, you should be able to get it rolling.
BETTER: Get some new tires, an upright handlebar (which will also require new brake levers), new cables and housing, and a new chain; and you’re going to thank yourself for it. Add about $100 more to your total spend.
BEST: The big thing here is switching out both bars with something upright, swoopy and pretty, and then moving the shifters from the downtube to the stem or handlebars, because no one wants to bend over like that on tandem. Add some racks so you can fully maximize its touring potential. A handlebar bag and saddle bag would be cool, too . With all of these upgrades, I still think you could finish the project for under $600 and have an unbelievable tandem in the family.
BICYCLE HISTORY:
Well… it was made in France, and somehow it made its way all the way to Boise. My guess is that it took a couple of decent sized tours in its day, because no one invests in a Phil Wood tandem hub unless they’re going to do some serious riding.