Since first posting this bike profile yesterday, which has garnered quite a bit of attention, we heard from it's before now unknown owner, Grant Lacey. Here's what Lacey had to say about the bike:
"Had a blast rolling on the Peugeot for the 100 miler this past weekend at the Lost and Found Bike Ride gravel grinder put on by the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship. She ran flawlessly, which I was very happy about!
The bike is actually a 1985, purchased by my Dad as a gift for my mom on Valentine's Day in 1986. I've had this idea to modify the bike for a couple of years now, and I was finally able to pull it off in time for Lost & Found. It's a Sim Works stem as well. Since it is an '85, there is actually only one water bottle mount on the down tube, which is why I had to hose clamp the second cage on.
The bike's main duties in San Francisco will be commuting, and some Headlands and Sutro dirt. Keep and eye out for her at Grinduro as well! "
What a great story. You can see the original post, below.
photos by Andrew Yee
It's not all carbon, discs and tubeless at gravel races like the 2016 Lost & Found. It's not even all 700c wheels as seen by this unique bike we spotted post-race last weekend up in the Sierra Mountains, a 1986 Peugeot City Express.
Peugeot City Express. Lost and Found 2016. © Cyclocross Magazine
The Peugeot City Express was "was designed to be a commuting bike right from the very beginning," according to the 1986 Peugeot brochure. But the likely lively, forgiving even if by today's standards a little heavy steel frame and fork also make the bike pretty well suited for a day on the roads less traveled. "Its chrome-moly frame and alloy wheels are what [made] it a lightweight, sturdy vehicle," back in '86. Of course, some modern modifications lessened the load some for the unidentified rider who piloted this classic to the finish.
Perhaps most notably is the use of a 1x drivetrain in the form of SRAM's GX 1 rear derailleur and shifter, along with SRAM GX crankarms mated to a Gamut spider. Just the sight of the modern drivetrain hanging on this frame was enough to make us take pause and inspect the bike.
SRAM's GX crankarms were mated to a Canadian made Gamut spider. Lost and Found 2016. © Cyclocross Magazine
Also interesting was the fact that this bike rolled not on 700c or 650b wheels, each of which have staked a claim to gravel and all-road riding, but on 26" wheels shod in a commuter friendly tread. The wheels themselves were interesting in their use of Shimano's Deore 6-bolt disc hubs, sans rotors. The reason for the lack of rotors was that the bike stopped on Tektro's CR720 cantilever brakes, an upgrade of sorts from the original Shimano AT-50 cantis that came on the bike, paired with modern TRP levers.
The Nitto bar comes from Sim Works designs. Lost and Found 2016. © Cyclocross Magazine
Up front the cockpit was a 1" alloy quill stem mated to a Sim Works rider bar, a clean aesthetic that left plenty of room to see the front mounted Garmin 520, along with the cue sheet taped to the frame's top tube.
The rider likely spent a fair amount of time on the WTB MTB saddle, which was perched atop a Kalloy aluminum seatpost. While the frame had spare tubes taped to it with electrical tape, the underside of the saddle was clear save for a miniature rainbow disco ball.
It was a pretty warm day at the Lost & Found, but not quite a disco inferno. Lost and Found 2016. © Cyclocross Magazine
"The comfortable saddle, upright handlebar, and cantilever brakes are part of the reasons why this bike is ideal for all types of road surfaces," according to Peugeot in 1986. Seems as if that still true.
1986 Peugeot City Express Lost & Found Gravel Bike Specification Highlights
Frame: Tange Cro-Moly lugged steel
Fork: High tension steel, forged crown, 1 inch steerer
Crank: SRAM GX arms, Gamut spider
Rear derailleur: SRAM GX 1
Front derailleur: n/a
Pedals: Xpedo Baldwin SPD-type
Brakes: Tektro CR720
Brake/shift levers: TRP brake levers paired with rear SRAM GX 1 shifter
Seatpost: Kalloy Uno alloy
Saddle: WTB
Stem: 1" steel quill
Bars: Sim Works by Nitto
Wheels: 26" alloy, Shimano Deore 6-bolt disc hubs
1986 Peugeot City Express Lost & Found Gravel Bike Slideshow
Quick release was state of the art in the 80s and disc brakes were not yet. Still, the Deore hub is hard to argue with for relaibility, regardless of brake choice. The original spec of the 1986 Peugeot City Express called for a bolt-on rear wheel. Lost and Found 2016. © Cyclocross Magazine
