My Peugeot UO-8

Out of the blue I decided to clean, sand, and paint my bike tonight. It's a Peugeot that was given to me by a friend about three years ago, and it's a Model UO-8, which was discontinued in 1981. It wears a sticker for Gary's Bike Shop in North Miami Beach, Florida, which was incorporated in 1978.

That places the bike at around 35 years of age. These are not the original handlebars, but I've replaced almost every moving part since I've owned it anyway. I have never taken any real interest in it before, but it needed a new brake cable earlier in the day and I browsed some bikes that the shop near me was selling. I'd love to get a new one, but that won't happen soon.

It looks like I'll be riding this reliable old beast a while longer. Why not give it a facelift on a rainy evening? Laura Earle didn't quite know what to make of it.