Vintage Peugeot vs. Vintage Raleigh vs. Vintage Norco any good?

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

sblizo

New Member
I am looking to buy a cheap bike for commuting and 20Km rides twice a week, nothing too serious. I do not know much about bikes other than how to ride one.
I came across four bikes and would like your help in knowing if they are worth buying and if the price is fair or too high for the quality and age.

I'll start with the Peugeot this first one has no details on it other than these two images. and the asking price is $200 Canadian. would this be fair or too much how much do you think this Peugeot should cost? And is it a good purchase all together or not?
583578
583579

The second Peugeot is this ten speed Record Du Monde Shimano and the asking price is $220 Canadian. Is this too much for this bike? and how good is it to ride and maintain? is it reliable?
583580
583581


Then the third bike which is a 10 speed Raleigh with an asking price of $320. I don't know if this is too much for a Raleigh especially a vintage one or not. and how much would be a good price if I should buy it at all.
583584
583583


Finally 80's era Norco Avanti S. L. 12 speed with an asking price of $220 Canadian. Is this a fair price for it or should I negotiate a better deal or avoid it all together.
583587
583585
583586


If you could help me know which one would be the best bargain for its price. And which ones should I avoid buying either because it's not a good model or if it's hard to maintain with recurring problems. And how much should I pay for any of them without paying too much.

Thank you so much looking forward for your help.
 

Chris S

Legendary Member
Location
Birmingham
This is a UK site so nobody here would know much about Canadian prices. However you will get lots of technical advice if you post this in the Vintage & Classic Bikes section.
(Paging @SkipdiverJohn)
 

Cycleops

Legendary Member
Location
Accra, Ghana
All look nice but you pugs have weird threads and sizes.
There quite a large disparity in sizes, which one fits you? The Norco would fit me at 1.85m but the first pug would be for someone much smaller.
 

tyred

Legendary Member
Location
Ireland
The first looks like a Peugeot UO-8.

I have one. Decent but not exceptional but you will find it great for carrying loads if you need to carry a lot of stuff on your commute or intend touring a bit.

As mentioned, it does have French-threaded headset and bottom bracket so make sure the head bearings and bottom bracket are in good condition or be willing to search for replacements or cough up for Velo Orange parts.

The Carbolite should probably have standard threading by then and they are a decent bike.
 
Location
Brussels
as @Chris S has said we are probably not the best place to judge prices in Canada. however, there will be lots of strong views about the bikes.

You'll get my view at the end^_^ but I think the important question is, how good are your mechanicals skills, and how much time/effort do you want to put into maintaining the bike?

The second most important (or possibly the first) is, as @Cycleops asks, does the bike fit?

Going back to the mechanics, if you are mechanically minded, like fiddling with stuff and have the time to do it , great you have a very broad choice. If you are not great with tools and I'm sure you have a an idea, and time/space is a bit short then this narrows the choice.

So older Peugeots as @tyred points out can have strange threading on screws (which makes for hard to find and or expensive parts) and may need odd sized allan (hexagonal) bolts

Older bikes with cotter pin cranks, one of the Peugeots and the Raleigh (I think from the photos) are harder to maintain. Others will disagree arguing that you just need to file the pins a bit before you whack them with a hammer. For you to judge whether filing metal and whacking are "just" anything or fall outside your mechanical comfort zone.

The newer carbolite Peugeot and the Norco look lower maintenence and my vote would go to the Norco, newest, looks to have good reliable components, and the fact that it is "local" is reflected in the price relative to the others and in local knowledge if you need to take it to a bike shop etc.

As to whether you should haggle on the price the answer is...always:okay: Of course if it fits and you really want it, make sure you do not offend and can back track if needed :laugh:
 

SkipdiverJohn

Deplorable Brexiteer
Location
London
The first thing I tend to look at is what sort of tubing the frame is made from, because that determines where the bike fits in the quality hierarchy.
I can't comment on the Norco, as I'm not familiar with them, but the other three I see as roughly equivalent in quality.
The UO8 was a well regarded bike for what it cost back in the day and I wouldn't turn my nose up at one if the price was attractive. The Carbolite 103 framed one is pretty run or the mill, loads of them were built.
The Raleigh appears to have a Carlton-built wrapover seatstay frame which will be of Tru-Wel plain gauge tubing - again decent enough but nothing spectacular. I don't see any justification for the Raleigh being much more expensive than the others unless it is in outstanding condition. Out of those four, I would probably go for the UO8, and I would maintain it diligently with respect to greasing the BB and headset bearings, especially if they did turn out to be French specials not industry standard threads. Same goes for old Raleighs with Raleigh-specific threadings. If you look after the bearing surfaces carefully, then the odd threading is not such a big deal, but you don't want to buy something with worn-out bearings then have the trouble and expense of obtaining correct replacements.
 

brucers

Guru
Location
Scunthorpe
Given you are not an experienced rider, I notice all of them have their gear change on the down tube. More modern bikes have them up at the handle bars, which is safer, as you don't have to take your hands off the handle bars.
 

Gunk

Guru
Location
Oxford
The Raleigh looks like the best of the bunch, the components and groupset are better quality
 

goldcoastjon

Well-Known Member
sblizo,

FIT is EVERYTHING: buy the bike that fits you the best. Components can be changed if need be to improve shifting, fit, etc., but the frame needs to fit you first. Once you determine how much work on a bike you can and want to do, you can decide what to change or leave alone. (Your local bike shop can help you make those decisions.)

Which bike?
I LOVE the ride of the Peugeots over most other bikes (Norco, Raleigh, etc.). I have my mother's 1972 Peugeot UO-18 mixte, which she bought new on my recommendation. It has been mine for about 15 years: I have upgraded the wheels, cranks, drivetrain, brakes, and other components so it handles very nicely as my utility/commute/urban shopping ride. It carries a ton of stuff with all four panniers and the racks loaded, too. ;-)

Jon
Alameda, CA USA

597527
 
Top Bottom