Seizedpost

Hello all,
I just picked this bike up off of Craigslist yesterday.
Specs:
Frame size: 21"
Frame material: 331 Cro-Mo double butted
Handlebar and stem: Nitto Olympiade 115
Brakes: Dia Compe 500G side pull in front, Chang Star centerpull in back (not original, badly mounted)
Crank set: Sugino AT 42/52
Derailleur set: Sun Tour
Front: High Normal NSL (broken, sadly)
Rear: Vx
Shifter: Suntour Power Shifters
Rear cluster: 5 speed freewheel with a broken top cog. It's supposed to be a 6 speed. That was changed out along with the wheels.
Pedals: MKS Quill 2k
Rims: crappy 27" chromed steel in the back, crappy 26" chromed steel in the front
Hubs: didn't even bother looking
Saddle: vinyl Persons- definitely not original
Seat pillar: steel, and too small for the frame
Weight: 26 pounds before I cut the lock off.

I'm planning to do a full overhaul, and (along with all consumables) replace:
Freewheel (supposed to be a 12 speed bike, currently 10 speed)
Wheels (undecided between 27" and 700c)
Saddle and seatpost
Rear brake caliper (find one that matches the front)
Front derailleur (current one broken)
Bottom bracket (chain rings wobble together, I think the shaft is bent.)

What do you think? I want to turn it back into a 12 speed. Rear dropout spacing is 126mm, so a normal 6 speed freewheel should work right? The bike is a 1982, so I thought it would have originally had a Ultra 6 freewheel and 120mm spacing.




More photos to come.

The Golden Boy 

I love the look of those 80s Fujis. I think it says something about the time in which I grew up- I find teal irresistible.

I don't know much about what that particular bike is supposed to be- but just because it looks swell, it'll make a great project to build up with some good quality Suntour, DiaCompe and SR components.

Cougrrcj

This bike's frame has me stumped. Color looks to be dark green with a silver head-tube, and yet has chrome front fork socks. Nothing like that in the Fuji catalogs. Fuji Bicycles - Indentification by Serial Number, Catalog, Model and History 1971-1991

Once we ID the frame, you can look up to see what components were originally on it.

Thoughts???

poprad

Subscribed; I just finished my own Foo-jee project and can't wait to see this one!

Seizedpost

Bad news. I just found a dent in the chainstay.

I have NO IDEA how I didn't notice this before. I only paid $45 for this bike so I can sell it for parts if necessary and probably still make a profit. This is probably the result of the crash evidenced in other parts of the bike (bent bottom bracket shaft, cheap replacement wheels, broken front derailleur).
So, what should I do? Should I use it as-is? Should I try to push the dent out from the bottom bracket shell? Should I get it professionally repaired (or at least consult a framebuilder)? Should I part out the bike?
Any input is appreciated.

Seizedpost

Well, I'm an idiot. It's supposed to be like that. Thanks CNY_Bikeman!

Seizedpost

The bottom bracket is 70 x 122 English threaded. Fun. I need either a new spindle or a whole new unit because the spindle is bent.

The Golden Boy 

A spindle should be easy enough to find- just figure out what length you need.

Seizedpost

It looks like my options are to find a spindle or face the bb shell down to 68mm. The shaft is 122mm and about 3mm longer on the drive side than the non drive side. It had 3SB stamped on it. I can post more detailed measurements and pictures this afternoon.

Seizedpost

Is the Sugino AT ISO or JIS? I'm guessing JIS but is there some way to find out for sure? I can't find much information about this particular crank.

eschlwc

my thoughts ...

- money pit if you're not careful.
- lower mid level boat anchor.
- looks like my '78 s10-s 12 speed i can't sell even though it looks great.
- 881 hi-ten.
- check component dates.
- replace hi-norm fd with any regular suntour (bl, v-series, etc.).
- used 27" aluminum wheelset from craigs.
- new shimano 6-speed freewheel from ebay.
- new/used spindle. (c&v iso thread, maybe?)
- get it runnin right and sell that thing!
- continue looking for a team fuji or above.

ScottRyder 

Has me stumped too!

Scott

Seizedpost

No, it's not 881 Hi-ten. It's 331 Double Butted cro-moly, unless the decal on the seat tube is wrong. It was 26 pounds with crappy steel wheels, a cheap steel seatpost, a cushy saddle, and a lock around the seat tube.

The serial number says the frame was a November 1981 build. I'll look for component dates.

Seizedpost

Also, look at this cable routing. It's from the bottom, but there's no braze on cable guide like on the other side. Is there a name for this? I'm guessing it will limit my selection of replacement front derailleurs.

noglider 

@Seizedpost, I may have a spindle. Please measure yours and email me at the address below.

eschlwc

331 is better than 881. maybe it's like 4130 (dunno).

just look for a suntour fd with a cable housing stop.

Seizedpost

Noglider, I appreciate the offer. However I rotated the crank 180 degrees and the wobbling is nearly gone. Now it's only about 1/16 inch variation at the outside of the chainring. That's not bad. I might just use it.

In other news, I took the 26" front wheel off, and the front fork sprung back into shape. The poor thing was under tension this whole time, that can't have been good for it. The hub was too narrow for the dropout spacing, not surprising. I test fit a 700c front wheel from the Orbea and it fit perfectly.

Another interesting observation: the Sugino AT, which is a touring crank, has screw holes for a third chainring. Someone took it off. Perhaps evidence that this bike is a parts bin special?

mstateglfr 

You can glue a bottom bracket cable guide and route the fd cable below the bottom bracket she'll, which will allow for any period correct fd to be used. That's a $2 fix.

You can also buy a cable stop and attach it to the seat tube, then keep the current setup. The cable will feed thru the cable stop and the little curved cable housing piece will stop at the cable stop to provide the necessary leverage.


I attached a bottom bracket cable guide to a bike I use all the time and the setup works great. It isn't noticeable unless you bring attention to is. Works perfect, actually it works better than original.

Cougrrcj

Well since our regular Fuji expert ScottRyder is stumped....

OK, the only chrome fork-sock 331-tubing bikes that year were the America and S-10S LTD. BUT both of those also have rear triangle chrome.

The America comes with Cyclone derailleurs, BUT the S-12S LTD has the VSL front derailleur, as does the front-sock-only regular S-12S.

BUT the regular S-12S is not 331 DB tubing -- it is straight-gauge CrMo...

The S-12S has a steel seatpost, and the LTD is alloy...

And NONE of those come in dark green with a silver headtube.

Soooo..... By components, I'd say that this is a regular S-12S that has been repainted.

But then again, if it has been repainted, anything goes...

JohnDThompson 

It might never have been used. The AT crank could be used either as a double or a triple, but rather than making and stocking two different arms, Sugino may well have made them all the same and just left off the third ring for OEMs who only wanted a double crank.

Cougrrcj

Well since our regular Fuji expert ScottRyder is stumped....

OK, the only chrome fork-sock 331-tubing bikes that year were the America and S-12S LTD. BUT both of those also have rear triangle chrome.

The America comes with Cyclone derailleurs, BUT the S-12S LTD has the VSL front derailleur, as does the front-sock-only regular S-12S.

BUT the regular S-12S is not 331 DB tubing -- it is straight-gauge CrMo...

The S-12S has a steel seatpost, and the LTD is alloy...

And NONE of those come in dark green with a silver headtube.

Soooo..... By components, I'd say that this is a regular S-12S that has been repainted.

But then again, if it has been repainted, anything goes...

Seizedpost

I don't think it's been repainted. I think it really is a 10th Anniversary special edition.
https://www.classicfuji.com/1982_14_S12-SLTD_Page.htm
The only significant differences I see from the S-12s limited are the paint, crank, and shifters. Remember, the steel seatpost this came with was not the original one. I'm certain of that. It's too small of a diameter and doesn't fit the seat tube properly. The clamp was over-tightened to keep it in place. It probably had an alloy seatpost and was downgraded- just look at the saddle or wheels.
Edit: someone already pointed this out, but:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/tourin...7623593704180/
I don't think they're identical repaints.

Mstategolfer, If I get a front derailleur that needs something to hold the cable, I'll probably get a seat tube cable stop.
There are a ton of old Suntour front derailleurs on ebay. It's kind of overwhelming.

MauriceMoss

Were there any markings on the steerer tube that would indicate what the fork made of?

As was mentioned in the appraisal thread for this bike, the sticker between the shifters would indicate it's linked to the Lifecycle bike shop in Boston, which would link it to Gene Ritvo (who also imported Austro-Daimler). It wouldn't surprise me that Fuji would do a 10th anniversary model (possibly based on the S12-S LTD) to commemorate their partnership with Ritvo/Lifecycle.

ScottRyder 

That's an interesting point. I'll send out the question to a few of my Fuji group friends who used to work at Lifecycle to see if it rings any bells. BTW, I own three of Gene Ritvo's bikes .. I consider them gems!

Scott

mstateglfr 

If you go the cable stop route, something like this should work, just make sure you get it in the correct diameter(28.6mm) so it properly fits your seat tube.
https://www.amazon.com/Origin8-Alloy-.../dp/B00RNFTZQA