Friday, May 31, 2013

PX-10 Liar!

http://athensga.craigslist.org/bik/3836411396.html
Peugeot PX10 Road Bike - $225 (Toccoa, GA)


The frame is a Peugeot PX10. The handle bars are sawed off and taped. The rear hub is set up for fixed and single speed. There is only a front brake, and there are front and rear fenders.


No it's not.  PX-10's were Peugeot's commercial copy of the bikes their races were riding to victory all over the 70's, including the beloved Eddy Merckx.  They have become hot collectors items but since at the height of their popularity Peugeot also got very ambiguous with their labeling the market is rife with imposters and forgeries.  They also made very similar "Semi Professional" models with slight variations. 

So how can we tell?  Two really glaring issues right of the bat are the lugs and the chrome.  This bike has a chrome fork crown and fork ends, but the drop outs and chain stays are painted, on a real PX-10 they also would've been chrome.  The biggest, absolutely instantly recognizeable disqualification though are those lugs.  PX-10's were most famously built with Nervex Professional lugs.  Some of them were built with plain Nervex lugs but this Aztec style lug were reserved for only the lowest end models. 

That also means this bike wouldn't be Reynolds 531 tubing and with a little practice I'll bet you can tell the difference when you pick it up, especially on the much lower grade this bike was.  Built up you might have some doubt but as a bare frame I think the weight difference would really stand out, too. 

The whole point of the PX-10 though was it represented a nationalist synergy that couldn't really be recaptured.  Stronglight, Simplex, Mallaird, Normandy, Leotard, Mayfac.  When you denude a bike of its' parts you dont have the bike anymore, no matter what the sticker says.  Really, thank god this knuckle head didn't turn an original PX-10 into a fixie.  He isn't killing anyone on the price, but misinformation is misinformation. 

1 comment:

  1. Regarding the chrome chainstays, not necessarily. I've got a labeled early 80s Super Competition with simple Nervex lugs and the only chrome is the fork (which is fully chrome). Chainstays are painted the same color as the rest of the bike.

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