mfavero

I recently acquired a fuji Opus III road bike from ebay. Can anyone give me any and all information possible on this model? Is it good? Thanks!

East Hill

Can you tell us what components are on it? My understanding is that it's a nice bike.

East Hill

cb400bill

Does it look like the one in this cragislist advert?
https://chattanooga.craigslist.org/bik/510233351.html

JohnnyBee

I bought a new Opus in 1983. Let see ... hhmm.. short
WB, steep angles, tubular Ukai's, Suntour Superb Pro,
and of course, quad - butted Ishiwata tubing. My
bike was a burgundy color.

It was around 20 lb's in the 60cm frame and fast as all get out.

I was watching a Opus-3 on E-bay myself, but the seller quoted
shipping price/s seemed to be a little vague. I passed.





Good luck with your new ride.

JohnnyBee.

T-Mar

The Opus III was a mid-1980s, upper end model. Pricing and specs could vary, depending on the exacty year. If you submit the serial number, we can identify the year.

mfavero

I'll be home from my wife's parents' in a few days. I'll look then and give you the serial #. Thanks.

mfavero

Yes, it does look like it although the colors are black and silver instead of burgundy.

mfavero

The components are suntour superbe pro. It has cinelli stem and bars, though I'm pretty sure the stem is going to be too long for me (150mm) and royal gran compe brake set. Do you know anything about soffatti seats?

afilado

I bought this bike. It is quite high class. Very clean and little used. A bit of haze on the components but should clean up nicely.

I've never been a Fuji fan but that will no doubt change.

I'll post some pics one day.

mfavero

Hi. The serial # is: B556

I was told that it is a 1985 model. Can you confirm that for me? I just now see that there is a 1985 fuji owner's manual for sale on ebay. If this bike is in fact from that year, would it be worth it to buy the owner's manual to have handy at all do you think?

T-Mar

It is a 1985 model. In fact it was the 56th frame manufactured in February of 1985. Ypu can purchase the manual if you wish but typically they are very genric, covering all the models and describing only basic set-up, maintenance and safety. I would invest the money in a good maintenance manual.

mfavero

Thanks! How do you know it was the 56th frame made? Do you mean for that month or for the year? Does that mean anything? Do you know where it was made? (japan, taiwan,...) Is there anything else you can tell me about this bike? Did any pros of that time race it? Obviously I have a lot of questions. I'm just trying to find out as much as possible about this particular bike.

T-Mar

It the 56th frame made in February. I've devoted the past several months to decyphering the Fuji serial numbers as a service to forum members. My statement is the result of the analysis of dozens of sets of data graciously provided by Fuji owners. The serial numbers were analyzed against component date codes and Fuji literature. The results of my analysis are summarized in post #1 of this thread : https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vintage/342711-fuji-serial-number-database.html

In the mid-1980s, Fuji promoted many of it's premium models under the Fuji Design Series and Fuji Signature Signature Series labels. These models had the unique serial number format and were obviously not produced on the standard assembly line. The Opus III fell into this group. Curiously, there apparently never was an Opus I or Opus II, though there was an Opus IV and Opus V.

In 1985 there was a Fuji/SunTour domestic race team. The most notable member was Mark Gorski, the gold medalist in the Match Sprint event at the 1984 LA Olympics. In 1985 the Professional was Fuji's top model, so it's doubtful that the Opus III would have ever been used by team members.

afilado

I bought the Opus III on Chattanooga Craigslist. Very nice condition. I will try to post pics soon. Just got a new camera.

Serial number: E 414
Size: 54x54.5 cm
Color: metallic grey w/ burgandy accent
Frame: Fuji quad-butted CrMo 9658, Made in Japan
Fork: Ishiwata 4.D
F/RD: Suntour Superbe Pro
Shifters: DT Suntour Superbe Pro
Crank: Suntour Superbe 53/42 (167.5)
BB: Suntour Superbe
Pedals: Suntour Superbe Pro Road w/ Christophe clips
Headset: Hatta Swan
Stem: Pearl 9
Seat: Fuji (Selle San Marco or Italia type), Burgandy suede
Seatpost: fluted SR Laprade, 26.6
Bars: Nitto Mod 55 drops, black leather tape.
Hubs: Suntour Cyclone
Rims: Ambrosio Extra Elite
Brakes: DiaCompe Royal Gran Compe 400
Dropouts: Suntour Pro, F/R
Cluster: Suntour 7 speed, 13/28
Chain: HKK Ultra 6
Pump: Primus SL

I bought this from the 2nd owner who said the bike was given to him some years ago by a friend who bought it new in Massachusetts around 1983. There is a dealer decal, "Frank's Cycle Barn, Westboro". Google indeed reveals Frank's Bicycle Barn, RT. 9, Westboro, MA, still in business.

The bike appears complete and original. I would be surprised if it has been ridden as much as 500 miles. It suffers only marks from incidental movement over the years. All indicators of wear - brakes, rims, chainset, derailleurs, cluster, etc. show minimal use. Frame and fork may be chromed entirely under the paint.

The lug work is very crafty and smart, if not entirely artful. The paint is quite neat and reasonably thick. All very accomplished and understated. I suspect that this is a bike which could be bought off the showroom floor and raced in a serious way.

Oh, how I wish this were more my size. I usually ride a 58-60 cm. However, I'm going to try to make this fit. It is just a top flight bike in all respects. Impressive.

Jan 5 edit: I have learned that the Ambrosio clincher rims, the SR seatpost, the Cyclone hubs and the 7 speed cluster are substitutes for Ukai tubulars, Sugino, Superbe Pro and a 6 speed, respectively.

T-Mar

According to my current understanding of the serial numbers, it should be a 1984 model.

afilado

Having read your earlier work, I agree. I posted all the bike details for the benefit of your effort to gather Fuji info. Hope it's useful.

Sure do appreciate all your insights. I've learned a lot.

WNG

"Frank's Cycle Barn, Westboro"....

Hey, that rings a bell! I remember driving past it a few times. And Came across one old bike with a Frank's sticker on its seat tube.
That's a very nice Fuji in a subtle but sharp paint scheme. And Superbe Pro-ed !
(and in my size!)

u1st

I bought an '85 a year or so ago on ebay. Very nice bike, almost completely original with the exception of the frame pump and pink toe straps. The cables and bar tape were too rough to keep and I also swapped out the pink suede saddle for a Brooks.

I've got a catalog scan, but it's 800k and I can't figure how to post it.

mfavero

Cool. would love to see the catalog info! Hopefully you can get that in at some point. I've attached a pic from the ebay add for the one I bought. I need to figure out the stem sizing before I put new brake cables in to get it ready to ride.

mfavero

So I bought that opus iii you see on ebay, which is great. However I've run into a problem. The rear wheel had a broken spoke. The bike shop I was at (haven't tried the others) didn't have a spoke that fit today. The nipples are corroded anyway. The recommendation is to use the hub because it is in fine condition, and rebuild the wheel with new spokes and rim. (I'm trying to do this as cost effective as possible of course.) The freewheel that came on it is great, but it is tight 6 gear (13-18). I have a newer mavic wheel with a 7speed cassette I tried to put on, but it was too wide for the frame. Does anyone have any thoughts on this matter, thoughts about the most cost effective route for me to take regarding this issue?

Charles Wahl

If you'd like to save some money, ask the LBS what they'll charge if you lace the wheel and bring it to them for tightening/truing. You can buy the rim from them, or buy from eBay, CraigsList, whatever. My LBS charges $60 to build a wheel from parts supplied, but only $30 to true the wheel if I assemble it. It's easy enough to detension the spokes on the old wheel (don't pull them all out though) and then lace the new rim to the old hub exactly like the old one was, transferring spokes one by one with the rims side-by-side; replacing the nipples with new ones as you go. If you're going to replace the spokes, however, it may be easier to completely delace and relace -- hard to install new spokes with the side-by-side approach.

T-Mar

Spreading the rear triangle is not very difficult. You may want to pursue that avenue. However, you may also require a new chain for the narrower spacing of the 7 speed set-up.

Sheldon describes the cold setting process for spreading the rear triangle here; https://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-spacing.html

Sheldon Brown

Yep. Spoke 'n Wheel is a small chain in eastern Massachusetts, currently 3 shops.

https://www.spoke-n-wheel.com/

The other shops in the chain are called Frank's Spoke 'n Wheel, but the Bicycle Barn is an exception, though all three shops are owned by Frank Spinoza.

I worked at the Waltham shop (and, for a while, at the Framingham shop) from the mid '80s through the early '90s. Frank is a great guy, we're still friends.

The Opus III and later Opus IV were just gorgeous bikes, super-light frames (but perhaps a bit on the delicate side, as a result.)

Sheldon "Alumnus" Brown

mfavero

The hubs that came with the opus iii I bought off of ebay are sunshine brand rear made in '76 front made in '77. I'm going to rebuild them with new spokes and rims. Can anyone give me good recommendations as to what products I should use. Cost is a factor. Thanks.

cesarq641

I was fortunate enough to meet someone online that sent me 2 scans of Fuji Opus III specs.
Spec sheets show this bike at 20lb to 19.7 lbs. He said these pics were 1984 & 1985 catalogs(?). I recently purchased a Fuji Opus III which strangely seems like a blend of both of these years. Paint scheme and decal layout like the 1984, but the aero brakes of the1985. I tried attaching these scans to this post. I had to reduce the original size, but I think you can still make out the specs.