Coffeeneuring photos and Peugeot update

 Here are some photos from a few of my Coffeeneuring rides. 

While my Coffeeneuring rides have all been solo, I’ve still enjoyed them.

The time spent riding always reminds me what I love about riding, which is the movement involved, the scenery I get to take in, and the stops along the way during which I can sit and enjoy the view while taking my refreshment.

I have one official ride left to fulfill the required seven rides, but will probably take a few more if the weather permits, just for fun.

The weather has been lovely the last few days, cold mornings and highs in the 50s F, with blue skies and gentle breezes blowing leaves out of the trees. So when the clouds move in tonight and the rain comes on Wednesday, I won’t squawk.

This afternoon, I spent some time in the Brain Trust puttering on the Peugeot. I’m a slower mechanic these days than I was in my production mechanic years, but still got some things done. 

First, I had to trim the sides away from the front fender to allow it to fit into a rounded fork crown. 

I don’t have especially fancy cutting tools here, but I ado have a bench vise and a shop knife with a fresh blade. That allowed me to cut a rounded, though jagged, line on either side of the tab.  Then I took a piece of the leftover fender material and super-glued it underneath in the area where I a cut material away, to stabilize it a little more. I may add another length if I think I need to, but for now I’ll see how well it works.

I finished installing the cockpit, using the new handlebar and some lovely vintage levers and shifters.

I also decided to cut about 3/4” off each end to give myself a little more room when cornering.

I found a cool short rack that mounts onto the brake braze-ons and at the fork crown, which gives me several options for baskets or bags up front. I was glad to note that the rack clears the downward brake cable. I was disappointed to note that the stabilizing arm provided with the rack was so thick that it could not be bent or reshaped even in a bench vise (without risking breakage). So I swapped in a thinner one made from band steel, malleable enough for my needs but stable enough to last.

Overall I think this will be a lovely build when it’s done. Tomorrow I hope to get it all hooked up and take it on a test ride, and then do some final tweaking and fussing before adding a taillight, a saddlebag and some kind of compartment on the front rack.

It’s getting very close.