Fuji Absolute
#1
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Fuji Absolute
Hi, I bought a fuji Absolute for 150 dollars today. The wires are kind of rusty, so it's fairly difficult to shift gears. How should I go about doing this. I don't want to spend 15 dollars per derailer to fix this.
#2
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From: Coeur d Alene
#5
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From: South of Raleigh, North of New Hill, East of Harris Lake, NC
Bikes: Specialized Tarmac, Specialized Roubaix, Giant OCR-C, Specialized Stumpjumper FSR, Stumpjumper Comp, 88 & 92Nishiki Ariel, 87 Centurion Ironman, 92 Paramount, 84 Nishiki Medalist
What highonpez said. They're sold at Walmart and cost around $5. THey aren't the best quality cables and cable housing, but they get the job done. BTW, the correct term is "cables".
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#6
If they're rusty, then yes, you'll want to replace them.
Not sure what model year you have but I flipped a Fuji Absolute a couple of years ago that had a 4130 frame with an integrated RD hanger. IMO these frames are of reasonable quality and worthy of upgrades. Replace the rusty cables and housings. You can get a cheap cable set at Wal-Mart for like $5-$10
Also........a drive side pic of said Fuji will help you get a lot more advice from the peanut gallery.
Not sure what model year you have but I flipped a Fuji Absolute a couple of years ago that had a 4130 frame with an integrated RD hanger. IMO these frames are of reasonable quality and worthy of upgrades. Replace the rusty cables and housings. You can get a cheap cable set at Wal-Mart for like $5-$10
Also........a drive side pic of said Fuji will help you get a lot more advice from the peanut gallery.
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#7
#8
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I dont really know how to replace the cables. I also spent 20 dollars buying an kryptonite u lock. I also bought a windstrom bell bike pump that i'll be returning soon. The problem with it is that the psi gauge doesnt register that well.








Last edited by Meitou; 04-15-12 at 10:21 PM.
#12
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From: Above ground, Walnut Creek, Ca
Bikes: 8 ss bikes, 1 5-speed touring bike
spray some real oil on them. ride it. if they break, start a thread on how to replace shifter cables (without the use of tools
), and where to buy them, or obtain used ones for free.
), and where to buy them, or obtain used ones for free.
#14
Senior Member

Joined: Jul 2004
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From: northern michigan
Bikes: '77 Colnago Super, '76 Fuji The Finest, '88 Cannondale Criterium, '86 Trek 760, '87 Miyata 712
#15
A great Video
https://video.bicycling.com/video/Rep...ailleur_cables
Find all the DIY videos here
Cool Bike repair videos
https://video.bicycling.com/video/Rep...ailleur_cables
Find all the DIY videos here
Cool Bike repair videos
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riding
riding
Last edited by kc0yef; 04-20-12 at 04:45 AM.
#17
Thrifty Bill

Joined: Jan 2008
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From: Mans of NC & SW UT Desert
Bikes: 86 Katakura Silk, 87 Prologue X2, 88 Cimarron LE, 1975 Sekai 4000 Professional, 73 Paramount, plus more
Cables are just the tip of the iceberg. A bike with rusty cables is going to have bearings and grease that need replacement, immediately. That means wheel hubs, bottom bracket, and headset all need disassembled, cleaned, bearings replaced, fresh grease, and reassembly. These tasks all take specialized tools. If you do not do this work now, you run a high risk of damaging bearing surfaces = you will be replacing bb, hubs and headsets (100X the money).
The cables are actually less critical than the bearings. Rusty cables = crappy shifting. Brake cables are more critical as you need to be able to stop quickly. Bad grease/bearings = bearing surfaces will be damaged = serious $$.
I have bought over 300 vintage bikes in the last few years. 100% of the bikes I have bought in project condition like yours needed the bearing work, maybe 10% of those had damage where the bb or hub components had to be replaced (due to former owner neglect). Heck, most of the bikes that appeared to be in better shape needed bearing work.
Hopefully, you have a co-op in your area. Head there now, as they are a treasure. Not only will they loan you tools at little/no cost, but they typically have a volunteer mechanic who can provide advice. The tools to do the work I mentioned above can cost you $100 to $200. Much better to borrow the tools.
I love vintage bikes. But owning a vintage bike is like owning a vintage home or a vintage car. You need to be ready to spend some $$ on maintenance/rehab. And the more of this rehab work you can do yourself, the less it costs (often a lot less).
Last edited by wrk101; 04-20-12 at 07:05 AM.
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