acoffin 

Anyone know what size seat post to use on quad butted Valite tubing? I just purchased an 84 Club Fuji that came with a 26.6 seat post and I large bolt and nut instead of a standard binder bolt. The seat cluster looked slightly mangled so I tried a 26.8 post and it fit right in with no problem. Now I am wondering if it might take an even larger seat post. Part of the problem with the cluster is that it appears the seat tube was installed with the slot slightly off center, but it also may be crimped together too tightly. Here is a photo with 26.8 post and a proper binder bolt. Ugly eh?

photogravity

That looks like it was pulled in too tight still. I'd try a 27.0 or a 27.2 to see how it looks. I'm pretty confident 26.8 isn't right though.

eschlwc

i'm nearly done wih my '84 club fuji build that came with a 26.6 post. it also didn't have a specific post binder bolt, so i bought a new one. i wanted to replace the cheap unoriginal post also with an sr laprade, but couldn't find a 26.6 in the parts bin. i tried a 26.8, and it was too big -- couldn't fit any of it. fortunately a guy on cl has a 26.6, so i'm gonna buy that today and install it.

if interested, i found that the model paint humbrol 19 gloss matches the 'winner red' of the bike perfectly.

PaintItCeleste

That seat cluster still looks too clamped to me. I would consider trying another size up. It sounds like you don't have quick access to a 27.0 or 27.2? I am also in St. Louis and do have a 27.2 seat post on hand.

acoffin 

I have a 27.0 I can pull off of another bike tonight. We'll see how that goes.

As a side note, I've had four mid range Fuji's from the 80's pass through my hands and the finish quality on all of them has been very disappointing. Three of those were built with Valite tubing and one with Tange 900. Their finish (paint, decals, lugwork, brazing) seems to have been far below Miyata/Univega, Bridgestone, and Centurions form the same era. That being said I might actually keep this one. We'll see after I go through everything and get some miles on it. So far I am liking the geometry and ride quality.

acoffin 

27.0 fits fits a little too tight, 26.8 seems slightly loose. Since I'm not going to make a 26.9, and eschlwc says his 84 Club Fuji takes a 26.6 I will probably go with a 26.8. Can any one think of an explanation for two bikes of the same model and year taking taking different size seat posts?

^Thanks for the info. I would love to see pics of yours when it is completed. I love the color scheme and can't wait to wrap the bars with some new yellow tape.

beech333

An 80's Fuji would almost certainly be 26.6 or 26.8. I cannot think of any frames that would take a larger seatpost and I've had a few.