My Jade Green Dragon; Some Fuji Fun
12-15-08, 06:08 PM
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My Jade Green Dragon; Some Fuji Fun
I am blessed in that I pretty much have all of the geared road bikes that I have ever wanted or could ever use and now that I spend most of my time riding and don't do much flipping anymore, I enjoy trying to refine and evolve my collection in a way that will keep me riding and loving everything in the stable.
I couldn't justify gearing this one as I already have some pretty special fillet-brazed Schwinns and a really special '80 Trek that I'm outfitting with 3 full Suntour Cyclone sets, so I thought it would be fun to add yet another gear ratio to my fixed gear group.
I still need to Shellack the bar tape, add a few small bolts/washers/nuts to the toe clips, and drill my saddle for some lacing....
(Some fun facts)
DID YOU KNOW THAT:
A Fuji Special Road Racer converted to fixed with the orig big chainring, heavy orig Belt leather saddle, a heavy BB, and steel seatpost will still only weigh 23 lbs even!!??
I also learned from Jon at GrinderBikes here in Denver that the Fuji/Ishiwata "I. S. Rib End" drops were actually a sophisticated attempt to make a drop that would prevent rear axle slippage/play. Pretty cool stuff....
https://
https://
https://
I like the very primitive but well made Nitto I-Beam stem and the bars are very nice...
https://
https://
I couldn't justify gearing this one as I already have some pretty special fillet-brazed Schwinns and a really special '80 Trek that I'm outfitting with 3 full Suntour Cyclone sets, so I thought it would be fun to add yet another gear ratio to my fixed gear group.
I still need to Shellack the bar tape, add a few small bolts/washers/nuts to the toe clips, and drill my saddle for some lacing....
(Some fun facts)
DID YOU KNOW THAT:
A Fuji Special Road Racer converted to fixed with the orig big chainring, heavy orig Belt leather saddle, a heavy BB, and steel seatpost will still only weigh 23 lbs even!!??
I also learned from Jon at GrinderBikes here in Denver that the Fuji/Ishiwata "I. S. Rib End" drops were actually a sophisticated attempt to make a drop that would prevent rear axle slippage/play. Pretty cool stuff....
https://
https://
https://
I like the very primitive but well made Nitto I-Beam stem and the bars are very nice...
https://
https://
12-15-08, 06:38 PM
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Nice.
I made my S.R.R. a single speed. They tend to have a longer top tube than most, and that nitto stem really stretches them out. The dropouts are indeed perfect for conversion. The frames are stiff enough for a masher, though mine is geared pretty low. I think that mine is about 25 lbs, but I used old 27 inch wheels and kept the turkey wing brakes.
I made my S.R.R. a single speed. They tend to have a longer top tube than most, and that nitto stem really stretches them out. The dropouts are indeed perfect for conversion. The frames are stiff enough for a masher, though mine is geared pretty low. I think that mine is about 25 lbs, but I used old 27 inch wheels and kept the turkey wing brakes.
12-15-08, 07:09 PM
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Nicely done, bigwoo. That Fuji looks very sharp.
Neal
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12-15-08, 07:30 PM
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Thanks Delver and thanks Neal for the encouragement!
Vintage Fuji's are definitely a treat to ride and I sure do like the classic Japanese styling... With this one, I'm not sure if it's the geometry or the (straight gauge ?) steel, but it is a very different feel from say a Reynolds 531 or a fillet brazed frame.... Not in a bad way, but just different....
I agree w/ you Delver, the top tube is nearly an inch longer than most others....
Vintage Fuji's are definitely a treat to ride and I sure do like the classic Japanese styling... With this one, I'm not sure if it's the geometry or the (straight gauge ?) steel, but it is a very different feel from say a Reynolds 531 or a fillet brazed frame.... Not in a bad way, but just different....
I agree w/ you Delver, the top tube is nearly an inch longer than most others....
Last edited by bigwoo; 12-15-08 at 07:54 PM.
12-15-08, 08:11 PM
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Is it a quad butted model? I love the way my Club Fuji rides and handles. It's my perfect bike, pretty much. The size, geometry, and ride all fit me to a T.,,,,BD
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12-15-08, 08:32 PM
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Hi BD,
Good to hear from you
I thought that in the early 70's Fuj was making hi-ten brazed-up lugged frames, but my 2 scales aren't mistaken about it being 23lbs.... Do you think that it could be Ishiwata tubing..?? I have no idea why this ended up so light.....But I did put some pretty good Weinmann 700 C wheels on it....
According to this site, it is Hi-ten: https://www.classicfuji.com/S10-S_Model_Years_Thumbs.htm
Good to hear from you
I thought that in the early 70's Fuj was making hi-ten brazed-up lugged frames, but my 2 scales aren't mistaken about it being 23lbs.... Do you think that it could be Ishiwata tubing..?? I have no idea why this ended up so light.....But I did put some pretty good Weinmann 700 C wheels on it....
According to this site, it is Hi-ten: https://www.classicfuji.com/S10-S_Model_Years_Thumbs.htm
Last edited by bigwoo; 12-15-08 at 08:38 PM.
12-15-08, 10:13 PM
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From a discussion on oldroads sometime back
[[[The Special Road Racer was also called the S-10S. I don't know when exactly they dropped the longer name in favor of just S-10S, but it was sometime before 1977. Up through the '76 model year, they had straight gauge hi-tensile steel tubing, not cro-moly. The '77 had double butted hi-tensile (the only bike I can name that had such a thing), and the 78 and later had double butted cro-moly. All of them were decent bikes, but the earlier ones were really more of a "my first 10 speed" sort of bike... a bit nicer than the low end Peugeots and Raleighs in that they had more alloy parts, but the basic frame was pretty pedestrian.]]]
personaly I don't care about tubing. if it rides nice I like it. I Once bought a 75 Raleigh Record frame to replace one that I cooked the BB threads on. Even though I have some nicer 531, tange, valite, whatever frames. I just wanted that stiff, noncompliant feeling every once in a while. But the Fuji is a much better frame than that, and is a bike that I can ride up to 70 miles on(so far)as a 38x16 single speed.
I do have an 85 fuji team with the quad butting. Thats a nice bike to.
[[[The Special Road Racer was also called the S-10S. I don't know when exactly they dropped the longer name in favor of just S-10S, but it was sometime before 1977. Up through the '76 model year, they had straight gauge hi-tensile steel tubing, not cro-moly. The '77 had double butted hi-tensile (the only bike I can name that had such a thing), and the 78 and later had double butted cro-moly. All of them were decent bikes, but the earlier ones were really more of a "my first 10 speed" sort of bike... a bit nicer than the low end Peugeots and Raleighs in that they had more alloy parts, but the basic frame was pretty pedestrian.]]]
personaly I don't care about tubing. if it rides nice I like it. I Once bought a 75 Raleigh Record frame to replace one that I cooked the BB threads on. Even though I have some nicer 531, tange, valite, whatever frames. I just wanted that stiff, noncompliant feeling every once in a while. But the Fuji is a much better frame than that, and is a bike that I can ride up to 70 miles on(so far)as a 38x16 single speed.
I do have an 85 fuji team with the quad butting. Thats a nice bike to.
12-15-08, 10:21 PM
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Very nice build - and those are some darn nice hoods you have on it too.
-Kurt
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12-15-08, 10:40 PM
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uh, woo? you have the toeclips mounted upside down on the pedals...It makes my head hurt to think how that is working. The axles must be switched? I think the pedals will work better if you flip 'em over...
Wait...maybe it is just the rear plate that is upside down. The C Record pedals toeclips mount underneath the pedal, the Victory/Athena/Chorus toeclips mount on top. hmmm. The toeflip should be under the pedal, not up in the footbed...
Wait...maybe it is just the rear plate that is upside down. The C Record pedals toeclips mount underneath the pedal, the Victory/Athena/Chorus toeclips mount on top. hmmm. The toeflip should be under the pedal, not up in the footbed...
Last edited by luker; 12-15-08 at 10:43 PM.
12-15-08, 11:10 PM
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Thanks Kurt,
Much appreciated.. As always, you have got an Eagles' eye for detail; I totally lucked out on these hoods! They are so dry though, that I'm wondering if I should shoe glue or Shellack the cracks for preservation....
Luker,
You have got an eye for detail too! It's just the rear plate that is reversed... If I attach it the other way, the ball of my foot does not rest as flush/comfortably in the cage.... I have never had that problem with any other pair of pedals... ever... Never with my other Campy pedals, never with my MKS, never w/ Lyotard,...... I don't know if this pair is defective or what, but I do know that this is the only way that my feet stay comfy in the cage, and I hate riding without my vintage toe clips.... Nearly all of my bikes are outfitted with Christophe or Ale toe clips.. I'm old school that way.....
(You probably already know that these particular pedals are not supposed to have this toe clip setup on them... But after I secure them with more hardware they should stay firmly in place)
Much appreciated.. As always, you have got an Eagles' eye for detail; I totally lucked out on these hoods! They are so dry though, that I'm wondering if I should shoe glue or Shellack the cracks for preservation....
Luker,
You have got an eye for detail too! It's just the rear plate that is reversed... If I attach it the other way, the ball of my foot does not rest as flush/comfortably in the cage.... I have never had that problem with any other pair of pedals... ever... Never with my other Campy pedals, never with my MKS, never w/ Lyotard,...... I don't know if this pair is defective or what, but I do know that this is the only way that my feet stay comfy in the cage, and I hate riding without my vintage toe clips.... Nearly all of my bikes are outfitted with Christophe or Ale toe clips.. I'm old school that way.....
(You probably already know that these particular pedals are not supposed to have this toe clip setup on them... But after I secure them with more hardware they should stay firmly in place)
Last edited by bigwoo; 12-15-08 at 11:15 PM.
12-16-08, 08:25 AM
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Very, very nice! 'cept you forgot to ship it to me? 
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You see, their morals, their code...it's a bad joke, dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be. I'll show you. When the chips are down, these...These "civilized" people...they'll eat each other. See, I'm not a monster. I'm just ahead of the curve
12-16-08, 10:01 AM
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I'm working on restoring an S12-s (the 1981 18 speed version of this bike) and really enjoying it. Keeping it geared while add some of the touches found in the S12-s Limited, like bar end shifters. It really is a nice bike.
12-16-08, 11:22 AM
#15
aka: Mike J.
I am blessed in that I pretty much have all of the geared road bikes that I have ever wanted or could ever use and now that I spend most of my time riding and don't do much flipping anymore, I enjoy trying to refine and evolve my collection in a way that will keep me riding and loving everything in the stable.
I don't know if this pair is defective or what, but I do know that this is the only way that my feet stay comfy in the cage
And you have now made me want to find a Fuji someday.
12-16-08, 12:31 PM
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Hi Treebound,
Great to hear from you!
Ummmm...
Here comes the embarrassing part....Can you see those old red (vintage) Converse Chuck Taylor canvas sneakers in the background..... No matter what bike I am riding, I almost always prefer to use those, and old pair of Converse Pro's, or my Vans sneakers. I guess that I like thin canvas-type shoes
The only high-tech pair of riding shoes that I own are for MTB'ing in the Rockies..... I'm embarrassed that I've never tried cleats....
My feet don't seem to fit into these pedals very well..... I am a pretty standard Men's size 12
Great to hear from you!
Ummmm...
Here comes the embarrassing part....Can you see those old red (vintage) Converse Chuck Taylor canvas sneakers in the background..... No matter what bike I am riding, I almost always prefer to use those, and old pair of Converse Pro's, or my Vans sneakers. I guess that I like thin canvas-type shoesThe only high-tech pair of riding shoes that I own are for MTB'ing in the Rockies..... I'm embarrassed that I've never tried cleats....
My feet don't seem to fit into these pedals very well..... I am a pretty standard Men's size 12
12-16-08, 01:18 PM
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-Kurt
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12-16-08, 07:24 PM
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I have a pair of these pedals, but have never tried to use 'em. My knees pretty much tell me I'm a speedplay kinda guy. Interesting, though, I don't think I've ever heard anyone complain about 'em except that they weigh more than the superleggeras...
12-16-08, 08:20 PM
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Luker,
Dont get me wrong, I'm not saying that all Campy pedals are crap or anything...
I love my Superleggera's but I also happen to have some simple-but-wonderful Japanese and French pedals that I love too much to give up.
These are the kinds of pedals that feel pretty much perfect when I'm riding them with toe clips:
(Campy)
https://
(These MKS from Japan are Campy ripoffs but have the best bearings that I have ever ridden)
https://
(Another pair that feel perfect on my feet)
https://
(The pair that started it all for me; I was never able to ride w/o clips after this. They feel more than perfect)
https://
D'Ohh! I'm out of room and it wont let me upload all of my Lyotard photos....
(And just as a side note, this may all stem from the fact that I grew up on late-70's BMX pedals and I still live to ride freestyle/BMX... I'm a closet BMX'er and these shinngrinder's feel wonderful to thrash on...)
https://
You guys, my guess is that I'm having a hard time getting used to the small triangle-shape of the pedals in question.....
Dont get me wrong, I'm not saying that all Campy pedals are crap or anything...
I love my Superleggera's but I also happen to have some simple-but-wonderful Japanese and French pedals that I love too much to give up.
These are the kinds of pedals that feel pretty much perfect when I'm riding them with toe clips:
(Campy)
https://
(These MKS from Japan are Campy ripoffs but have the best bearings that I have ever ridden)
https://
(Another pair that feel perfect on my feet)
https://
(The pair that started it all for me; I was never able to ride w/o clips after this. They feel more than perfect)
https://
D'Ohh! I'm out of room and it wont let me upload all of my Lyotard photos....
(And just as a side note, this may all stem from the fact that I grew up on late-70's BMX pedals and I still live to ride freestyle/BMX... I'm a closet BMX'er and these shinngrinder's feel wonderful to thrash on...)
https://
You guys, my guess is that I'm having a hard time getting used to the small triangle-shape of the pedals in question.....
Last edited by bigwoo; 12-16-08 at 08:25 PM.
12-16-08, 09:35 PM
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toeclips r gud. And your collection is outstanding.
I ride a few bikes (mountain bikes, matter of fact) with just platforms. The Suntour Sealed Bearing platforms are really good...but I can't do the clip and strap thingie anymore. And you are right, those pedals do not offer the surface that a good quill pedal does.
Most important that we keep the cranks turning over, however we're attached to 'em.
I ride a few bikes (mountain bikes, matter of fact) with just platforms. The Suntour Sealed Bearing platforms are really good...but I can't do the clip and strap thingie anymore. And you are right, those pedals do not offer the surface that a good quill pedal does.
Most important that we keep the cranks turning over, however we're attached to 'em.
01-22-09, 01:26 PM
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I thought it would be nice to share the finished product...
I had some "Antique Walnut" Stain and some Minwax Poly. I then finished the wrap off with a light coat of "Crystal Clear" sealant..... I think I'll just ride & enjoy for a few decades.... (And Kurt, the only thing I can figure out to prolong the hood crackage is Shoe Glue. I'm wondering if there's a Beeswax product that would be effective..?)
https://
I had some "Antique Walnut" Stain and some Minwax Poly. I then finished the wrap off with a light coat of "Crystal Clear" sealant..... I think I'll just ride & enjoy for a few decades.... (And Kurt, the only thing I can figure out to prolong the hood crackage is Shoe Glue. I'm wondering if there's a Beeswax product that would be effective..?)
https://
