1906 Peugeot cycle

1905 / 6 Peugeot cycle

I recently had a lucky find (thanks to James Kelly for the tip off) and picked up four early cycles that had been rotting away in a barn in France. Thankfully I didn't have to go over to France to get them as another chap had already done that hard work. It would have made a nice trip in other times but not during the pandemic.

The first I'll feature here is a Peugeot from, as far as I can work out, 1905 or 6. Luckily this cycle has survived reasonably well apart from some damage to the handlebars - sadly a couple of the the others in the haul are in a slightly more sorry state.

I'm a bit of a stranger to French cycles and had to get help from the VCC facebook group to identify. I've got to confess that I had thought it was a bit earlier as when comparing to British cycles of the period it looks to be at least five years older. It seems that British fashion was towards luxury and the French favoured minimalism. What appears to identify the age of the cycle is the fork crown - it is brazed up whereas pre-1905 models had a cast crown. Anachronistically the Peugeot still uses a block chain with skip tooth chainwheel. Looking around at other Peugeots pictured on the net a lot of folks date their Peugeots earlier than they actually are, probably due to a mixture of lack of knowledge / resources and wishful thinking. In all honesty I had desperately hoped that this would be a cycle I could join in with the London to Brighton veteran car run on (needs to be 1904 or earlier).

This site was a great help in helping to date the Peugeot too: https://www.bikeboompeugeot.com  The remit of the site is Peugeot cycles of the sixties and seventies but there is a great library of early brochures too. 

It seems like the Peugeot is a Model A which came in a very basic spec with no mudguards or indeed brakes. This one though shall receive something to slow progress at least on the front wheel. All Peugeot frames except the chainless models seem to be the same though so a pair of drop handlebars could convert this into a more desirable racer.

The plan is to give the Peugeot a sympathetic restoration and get it roadworthy again with a minimum of fuss. From a quick scan of the condition it shouldn't be too challenging.

Apologies for the poor quality photos. Taken on my phone in the rain as the cycles were dropped off at a lock up.

My Peugeot is missing its head badge.
It should look like this, if anyone knows
where I can find one then please do let me
know. Image taken from the Peugeot official
site.