Plans to Cover my Nostalgic Bike Needs
 

I hopped on an '85 Club Fuji today for $200, knowing it was a good deal and it'd go fast if I didn't get it soon. But I was disappointed it had a VERY short top tube for a 58 (typically my size). I bought it anyways because worse comes to worse, I make a profit turning it over. So my need for a classic steel down-tube shifting ride is still unappropriately covered, and I've come to three options I could pursue to satisfy my tastes. (The carbon racer, 29'er hardtail and track fixie appetites are satisfied.)

#1 . I put the parts on the Club Fuji to my '83 Holdsworth Mistral frame which is a restoration project that just needs to be painted, but I know will fit fine. Two downsides though: A bit more of a touring bike than I'm looking for, and I was planning on keeping this as more of a decoration or just for show. (Being completely sripped of paint, got decals from Holdsworth that're exactly the originals, and paint is exactly the same)

#2 . I put a longer stem on Club Fuji. It's got a 90mm stem on now. 110mm? Could be on the verge of :over-lengthening" it. Stems are typically shorter on quill stems and with the larker fork rake.

#3 . I get a '10 Fuji Connoisseur frame and throw on the parts. They're not very expensive, but not authentically vintage, but the style of bike I want. What's Reynolds 725?

Any thoughts or other ideas? I don't think I want to hold out for the season for another classic roadie to come along that makes me :twitchy:

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=448772http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=448773

Nothing wrong with a 110 stem on that bike, would work fine.

The club fuji is a nice bike, ride that.

90cm is short if anything.

I'm happy with a quill up to 130mm long.

I'll test that with a threadless adaptor and shims so I can try different lengths. I wouldn't be surprised if 110 would still be too short. I looked up the geometry of the bike in the 1985 catalogue (www.classicfuji.com), and turns out the TT length for a 58cm frame is only 55.5cm! around 57.5 is usually ideal for me.

+1 to a longer stem, it will look good, cost less, be less work, and should work well. I also ride 58cm frames, and I prefer about a 56cm c-c top tube. I have had really short frames that I made fit with longer stems (120-130mm).

new stem. it needs red tape anyways.

http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...3&d=1430622123

i had an '84, but prefer this paint scheme. it's very pretty with the gumwalls. i always thought fuji got it right with paint and aesthetic ... until about '86. just too bad this one's valite. ride it with a long stem until you can find a chromoly one that fits you perfectly.

I'm a bit of fit OCD on my bikes, but I suppose I'll have to try a century with threadless stems in my jersey pocket.

If I can't get a ride in without an adjustment paranoia, $400 seem a fair price?

What's wrong with VALite

Nothing.

"wrong"? yeah, maybe "nothing" is "wrong." but there's a reason the opus, team and pro were chromoly, and the club was valite.

i only had one, so my experience is limited.

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8373/...ce77dd7b_b.jpg

after rebuilding it, i couldn't sell it fast enough. all my chromoly univegas, for example, felt more lively and less ... dead.

hope i'm lucky enough to find a chromoly fuji one day. they are certainly hard to find.

in '88, the club went to chromoly ... and a bit more 'miami vice.'

http://www.classicfuji.com/Models_fo...lub%20Fuji.jpg

Took it for a short 10 mile spin today, and it's certainly a smooooooth one! :thumb: The wheels are also real nice I noticed. Definately too small right now, but I'm leaning towards giving it a name. (Keeping it)

I put up another thread earlier that nobody's responded to, but I'll share my measurements here:
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=448968
I'm sure the saddle position is fine for now. There's a black threaded stem below the quill stem, and the white line is the length of a 120mm stem. The red, yellow & orange lines are lines from the axle through where the handlebar would be with 100, 110 & 120 stems. Thoughts on size?