bubbies

I've decided I need something besides an 80's down tube shifter equipped 12 speed. After visiting a few local shops, the bike I liked best was a Fuji Team Rival at Performance.

Specs are:
Frame & Fork: Generic/Fuji Carbon
Drive Train: SRAM Rival
Brakes: Cane Creek
Wheel set: Shimano
Seat: Selle San Marco
Post/Stem/Bars: Generic/Fuji

After discounts and taxes the bike would cost about $1,500 out the door. I think the MSRP was listed as $2,700 or so. Does this seem like a good deal considering all the late season clearances going on?


Thanks in advance for any feedback.

sixtyten

carbon and sram rival for 1500 is a deal.

RudeSiggy

hit that.

which shimano wheels?

Crash716

Is the bike appealing to you because of the financing? If so almost all major bike makers offer financing. Be careful with the fuji's. They are a good bike for the price but there are better out there for slightly more. I went thru 3 Fuji frames in 8 months and finally gave up and gave the bike back to performance as i was not satisfied.

If you want to know more about the fuji's do some research about the cracks several frames on the site here have developed, do your research and go from there.

bubbies

Thanks for the feedback.

RE: RudeSiggy
I am not sure what model the wheels are. Probably on the lower end but they seemed fine on the test ride.

RE: Crash716
I wouldn't finance the bike. Do you have any recommendations for other SRAM equipped bikes around that price? I wouldn't mind spending more if it meant a significantly better bike. I don't race or anything so I'm not looking for anything really high end. Obviously a cracked frame would suck, is it more common with Fuji's than other carbon makers?

RudeSiggy

The Ridley Excalibur deal that has been shared tons of times on the forums, from Competitive Cyclist, is pretty comparable. It's probably a better frame, but $500 more for a similar total package.

Crash716

What are your intended purposes for the bike?

are you going to race...or just ride allot?

Tapeworm21

The old "I'm not going to race so why get a nice bike" line. Ok then, get a bike with full Sora. I don't race but prefer SRAM Red and a bike that weighs 16.5 pounds. I like a responsive machine that acts the way it should.

orl2222

I second Crash's opinion, you can get better for a little more. It's not the group set on the Fuji, its the frame. I bought a 08 Team Fuji from performance, nothing but a headache, chain line wrong(geometry of the bike was off), finally had to change the crank, have the bottom bracket shimmed. It's perfect now, but after spending 400.00 more to get it right, you can spend a little more, and get something better. My advice price around, its the beginning of the off season now, 09' are arriving, you can find deals if you look. Above all test ride what you want. Buying from Performance can be hit or miss, accessories or parts ok, but was not impressed with their service department.

Anti404

What year of SRAM Rival is that Ridley Excalibur equipped with? 2008? EDIT: Nevermind, read that it is 2008. That's a really rad deal that even I am interested in, though I'm not sure if a 57cm is what I need.

bubbies

Thanks for the link. I'm 5'11" with a 32.5" inseam... the large (only size available) looks like it might too big for me.

bubbies

I tried a bike with Shimano 105. The shifting was nice and smooth but I couldn't get used to moving the brake lever to shift during the 15 minute test ride. The SRAM felt intuitive from the first shift. I think the Fuji weighed around 17.5#, probably light enough.

bubbies

I agree. I've never bought a bike from Performance and it does make me a bit nervous. I'll probably keep shopping around.

nycphotography

If the chain line is truly "wrong", then that would be a "manufacturing defect". Is there a particular reason you didn't warranty the frame?

Flatballer

Sounds like someone put the wrong BB on that bike. You can't blame Fuji for people who don't assemble bikes correctly. I can assure you the chain line was designed properly to begin with.

There's nothing wrong with Fuji frames. People just hate on them because they're cheaper than most other companies. They make a very nice frame though.

orl2222

humm flatballer, i guess you know better than than three performance mechanics, and the owner of LBS who has been in business for 40 years...

nycphotography

So I ask again, if THREE mechanics said it was defective, why didn't you warranty it?

Methinks, there is more to this story than is being told.

Flatballer

I know first hand that many Performance mechanics are idiots. I had one try to convince me to use a lever to tighten the crap out of the drive side cup of a Dura Ace 9 speed BB. On that BB you would crush the bearings if you tighten it that much, it needs to be adjusted. And he was the head mechanic who had been working on bikes for 17 years. Doesn't mean he automatically knows what he's talking about.

And if the frame was defective, you warranty it. You don't pay $400 out of pocket to fix it.

orl2222

It was, they gave a 08 for a 07 that had the same problem

nycphotography

You got two bad frames, from two different production years? I don't think I understand what you're saying.

orl2222

I did get the money I spend refunded by Performance, it's a shame that my LBS had to fix it, replacing the FSA Compact with a R700 Shimano and shim the bottom bracket to get it to work. I felt if my LBS couldn't fix it, I would have returned it for my money back. My Performance shop wanted to try one more time, but I was impressed with their head mechanic. My LBS told me that something like this should have been caught before the bike was put on the floor. When I went back to Performance, and gave them the bill and showed them what my LBS had to do to fix the problem, the manager just told me,"Well we don't have the time to do all of that, measuring the frame, checking for alignment, we have to replace our stock as fast as possible, its just easier for us to replace rather than repair"

Flatballer

That's nice. What does this have to do with Fuji again?

bubbies

So in general would you guys rate Fuji Carbon on par with Pedalforce and Bikesdirect type of brands? Better? Worse?

I figure there are isolated, bad experiences with any brand. Just looking for a consensus.

nycphotography

Fuji makes good quality frames. They may not have all the whizbang sex appeal of a more expensive brand, but they are good bikes. For $1500, once you get it adjusted and fitted right, it will do stellar service.

I have an '06 Team Pro that I've put around 6000-7000 miles on. It's been a great bike.

I'm about to build a '09 Tarmac SL2. While I don't expect it to be stiffer than a Fuji in a way that I can benefit from at my 900 watt max sprint power, Specialized has been investing heavily in the compliace of the frame, and I expect it will ride nicer. But I also think that if I hadn't been doing 120 to 140 mile rides on the Team Pro, I wouldn't be able to appreciate the difference. Hell I still might not be able to tell a difference.

Get the Fuji. You really can't go wrong.

sixtyten

Fuji's carbon frames are fine and considered a good value. The Team Rival (C4) frame is made from the same mold as the Team Issue (C7), which Toyota United raced on. It is a different grade of carbon, however. The frames themselves are manufactured in Taiwan by Topkey, which is a well-regarded manufacturer of other brand's carbon frames as well as other carbon products.

Several people have posted about supposed manufacturing defects with the Team frame (C4). Manufacturing defects occur with many well-regarded cycling brands. You have have heard the issues Cervelo has had with True Temper forks, and the issues Look has had with the Keo carbon. These were recalled because of design or manufacturing defects. As far as I know, Fuji believes that there is no design issue with the frame and that any defect is isolated. The frame has never been recalled and Fuji seems to have confidence in it. My Team frame has been problem free.

Also be aware of warranties for any brand you purchase. For many brands, damages associated with racing will not be warrantied. If you have raced on your Fuji frame, the full warranty likely does not apply. You said that you do not race, so it shouldn't be a problem. I have never had to deal with Fuji's customer service, but many on this forum have had great experiences with replacing damaged frames under warranty.

I firmly believe that the Team Rival for 1500 is a great deal and that your purchase would be a wise one.