Recapturing My Youth
When I was growing up in my city, no one had a good bike. A Peugeot Triathlon? You’re kidding. None of the kids I knew rode anything decent, none of the adults I knew had a half decent bike, and you never saw anyone whizzing by, like you do now, on high end bikes that professionals could ride. When I was a boy you were lucky if you encountered a bike built with Reynolds tubes. Just owning a 5 speed racing bike with steel rims was something, and you had to be very careful it wouldn’t get nicked. The only people riding something like a Peugeot Trialthlon would have been serious club cyclists or semi-professionals. But how I wanted one of these, poured over the unreachable, infinitely desirable, bike catalogues of Peugeot racers in the mid 1980’s.
Not All Triathlons Are The Same
The Peugeot Triathlon came in various specs in the 1980’s, it seems that Peugeot weren’t interested in creating a consistent flagship model for their catalogues of the era. Some were built with Reynolds 501 tubing and mediocre components, and a few Triathlons, like this one from 1987, were built with elan and were quite beautiful. I don’t think you could find one with a better spec than this one I owned in Seattle in 2012. Admittedly, parts of it had been upgraded, but it was all built around its Super Vitus 980 frameset, which meant this 56cm framed bike weighed less than 20lbs.
That Wheelset
The wheels were top class: Campagnolo Record high flange hubs laced to Mavic GL330 clincher rims. So I had a superb Vitus frame riding on some awesome wheels. Peugeot kept the transmission French, installing a Huret New Success gear set which, though not as prestigious or beautiful as Dura Ace or Campagnolo Chorus, was as reliable and efficient as anything made in Italy or Japan. I liked the Stronglight 80 crankset, and I wouldn’t have exchanged the Philippe bars or Modolo brakes for anything else. The icing on the cake was the discovery, when I got it home, that it had Campagnolo Super Record pedals! It was perfect.
Regretfully Undersold
I know some bike snobs would see this model as a product of mass production, from a brand that had built its best bikes in the time of the Beatles or early Led Zeppelin. It’s just a Peugeot, right? They would be bankrupt less than a decade later. Nevertheless, Peugeot built some stunning bikes in the 1980’s, bikes with that pearlescent white paintwork, with combinations of the loveliest French components of the era, bikes with flair and imagination that continue to be admired and restored. Would I take this out for a ride rather than a Colnago or De Rosa of the same year? I’d say, “oui, monsieur”. I sold it in the autumn of 2012 for just $300.
I just bought. Triathlon Super Vitus . I have riden 3 Rensho , from ISHIWATA 22, and 19 on a nishiki made in Japan with family emblems . I have riden Columbus xcr , spirit and nivachrome . ENIGMA CYCLES . Coppi, Merckx , colnago. Tried carbon fiber . And still I would choose a Peugeot Triathlon !!! I am amazed and really taken by the simplicity and ingenieering . It’s like german engineering but elegant .
I agree with you about the Peugeot Triathlon with Super Vitus tubing. I owned one for a while and loved it, even more than the Colnago I also had at the time. It was just a well balanced, good looking bike that rode better than many higher spec bikes.
What size are the wheels?
I have that bike. If anyone is interested, message me. I live in the Montgomery Alabama area.
Hi @james i’d be interested in your bike if you contact me somehow
I have a red 1986 Peugeot Triathlon with Super Vitus 980 tubing that I bought new at a well-respected bike shop in 1989. I put less than 750 miles on it as I moved around to different cities in the 90’s. Then it disappeared for 18 years, only to be rediscovered in in an attic in 2017 by the new homeowner of my parents’ recently sold house. Aside from a thin scratch in the top tube paint, the bike is in mint condition, its steel parts shiny and new, and I am just now getting back into riding it. It feels much more solid and stiff than I’d expected, a different ride than my modern carbon road bike, but a real thrill. Question: does anyone know if the cranks take standard 9/16 pedals? Also, the Modolo brakes, while clean-looking, lack stopping power to the point of being dangerous. Any suggestions on the brakes would be appreciated! Thank you.
Hi, do you have a picture of your Triathlon? Love to see it. The cranks will have standard threading, thankfully. As for brakes, how about a pair of Shimano 600 instead? Good quality, cool looking calipers in my opinion. Thanks for posting!
I have this bike in original mint condition
I bought one off of Craigslist in April 2021 in Reno,NV. $100. The white pearl paint and decals are pretty rough but it amazingly was fully intact and all original. I travelled almost 3 hours from Northern California to snag this gem. I’m restoring it now and will have it powder coated black. All decals are available so it’ll be looking original. I’m surprised no one mentioned the unique Atax seat post. It has a long bolt at the top which runs the length to an expansion set up at the base of the post, like a quill stem. Getting that sleeve out of the seat tube was a major headache. Surface rust had formed and it was frozen there. Maybe that was a good thing. The post and parts are unavailable. Anywhere. Thanks for the Info on the previous postings, I was dying to know the manufacturer of the rims. I never thought I could love a bike from the ‘80’s. I only collect ‘70’s and older.
Hi, thanks for the post. Do you have a picture of your Peugeot? If not, I’d be interested to see it after the complete restore. Thanks!