#pubpug

It does seem a shame to hang a bicycle on a wall more than actually ride it, but this summer one too many of our more polished vintage builds have been dropped, bumped or scraped on the commute, so this winter a little hibernation is planned.

And that meant a challenge: could we build a beater exclusively from parts laying around in the shed? Previous posts will have told you we started with an old Peugeot frame and cobbled together functional but well-used chainset, bars, brakes and wheels.

A quick service of bottom bracket and headset (new bearings instead of lazy replacement sealed units) and we were almost ready to go. Then, a temptation – ‘maybe some blue cloth tape would work well with that colourway’ and ‘blue cables are only a few quid’.

So, both of those and a dirt cheap old colour-matched Concor saddle from eBay meant we didn’t quite hit the ‘everything from the parts bin’ target. But it does make for lock-anywhere transport that will deal with mishaps on the way home from the pub without concern. Which, curiously, has made it one of our most-ridden and very favourite bikes...