55cm Peugeot PC 40 c.1952 Vintage French Touring Bike Frame

✓ Original vintage frame - built in the 1950s
✓ Suitable for historic cycling events such as L'Eroica
✓ Thoroughly checked over & photographed in detail
✓ Worldwide shipping

Peugeot are perhaps the best known mass producers of bicycles and have a long and illustrious history. Cycles Peugeot began producing Penny Farthings in 1886, quickly moving with the technological advancements of the day and becoming one of the world's largest and most successful bike builders through the post war period and bike boom years. With an astonishing 500 models of bike available in the 1970s Peugeot were ubiquitous in Europe and North America, sales were aided by ongoing success with the factory professional team which won an unprecedented 10 Tour de France titles. The company strived to use French built parts on all of its bikes for many years, and there are many brilliant examples of their bikes fully decked out with parts from Stronglight, Simplex and Mavic.

This original 1952 Peugeot PC 40 frameset was built at the height of Peugeot's powers as a bike manufacturer when they were producing nearly a quarter of a million bikes annually. The PC 40 was a lightweight 'Tourisme' model and would have been offered like this and as a dropped top tube 'step-through' version. Designed to be a quality every day bike with mudguards and a few gears operated from a top tube shifter, alongside the comfy and practical 650B wheels this example still has its original paint finish and decals and is ready to be put back into service again.

If you're taking part in L'Eroica or a similar vintage event, this frame is of the correct age, so you won't be disqualified for being a rule breaker!

The frame's been carefully checked by one of our mechanics to confirm the alignment's correct and there's no damage to the threads. If there are any minor issues worth noting we will do so in the overview section below. Please take a good look at the detailed photos so you can see the cosmetic condition of the frame before you buy.

OVERVIEW


Era - 1950s
Country - French
Frame Material - Steel
Weight - 3.459 kg
Stock Code - U-F-E3V

SIZING


Size Guide* - Medium (Approx 32 1/2" Inside Leg)
Seat Tube (ctc) - 55 cm
Top Tube (ctc) - 57 cm
Head Tube - 170 mm
Chainstay Length - 48 cm
Wheelbase - 109 cm

*This is just a guide, not a guarantee the frame will fit as every rider is different. If you're unsure of your size we'd always recommend trying out a bike with similar frame dimensions first.

TECHNICAL INFO


Rear Spacing - 120 mm
Front Spacing - 94 mm
Seatpost Diameter - 25.6 mm
Wheel Size - 650B
Brake Fixing - Post Mount (Centre-Pull)
Front Brake Drop - 31 mm
Rear Brake Drop - 29 mm
Bottom Bracket Thread - French Thread
Headset Thread - French (25.4 TPI)
Headset Stack Height - 36 mm
Fork Crown Race - 26.5 mm
Shifter Fittings - Top Tube Braze-On (Single Right)
Headtube Internal Diameter - 30.2 mm
Steerer Internal Diameter - 22.0 mm (French)

SHIPPING, TAXES & RETURNS

We've been safely sending orders around the world since 2010. There's a handy shipping calculator on the shopping cart page so you can see the cost of postage as soon as you've added it to your basket. Your order will be carefully packed and sent with tracking & insurance, we despatch most orders within 2-3 days but larger items and orders placed before the weekend can take an extra day or two to process.

We accept returns, please notify us within 14 days and ensure the item arrives back with us no later than 30 days after the order was received.

We don't charge VAT, however, if buying from outside of the UK please remember that there may be import fees to pay directly to the delivery company before receiving the order. Unfortunately we can’t advise on the exact costs as it varies from country to country, so please check your national rates before purchasing.

HELP SECTION

Seat Tube (ctc) - we measure from the centre of the bottom bracket shell up to the centre line of the top tube to give a consistent measurement regardless of frame design (ctc means centre to centre).

Top Tube (ctc) - this is measured from the centre of the head tube to the centre of the seat tube, along the centre of the top tube.

Chainstay Length - measured from the centre of the bottom bracket shell to the centre point of the rear dropout.

Wheelbase - measured from the centre of the front fork dropout to the centre point of the rear dropout.

Front & Rear Spacing - measured from the inside of one dropout to the other. The dropouts on steel frames can be stretched or squeezed a few mm but it's always best to avoid this if possible, aluminium or carbon frames should never be stretched.

Headset Threads - although it's generally recommended to match threaded parts exactly, with headsets you can technically mix and match, unless you have French or the obscure old Raleigh threads, in which case you need to stick to that type.