Fuji Espree 1983
 

I friend of mine has a neighbor who wants to give me a 23" c-c ST 1983 Fuji Espree in Metallic Burgundy for free. It is in great condition as far as I can tell with the exception of a clean up and tires. The only catch is I would have to drive 70 miles and pick it up. Would you? Opinions? If the concensus is yes I plan to spruce it up nicely as a birthday gift for my younger brother who is just getting into vintage cycling.


http://www.classicfuji.com/1983_17_E...Mixte_Page.htm

Yes. Go get it.

It's not a premium bike, but is a great bike to learn about bike maintenance and such.

Go get it. Plan on checking the local thrift, junk, etc. stores at the destination and in route. Also check CL for bikes in that area that you wouldn't consider otherwise. You might find a couple of flips to fund the rebuild of your brother's bike.

good for you.

+1 Free? With just 70 miles of driving...no issues!

Seventy miles to a New Yorker? They are looking for the next flight out of LaGuardia.

I picked it up! What a nice bike. Very little needs to be done. I will post some pics tomorrow for recommendations. Driving 75mph shortened the trip a tad also.:thumb:

Pics?

Tomorrow with certainty. My week old daughter demands my utmodt attention now. :)

LOL...true enough!!!! Sorry...thinking like an Atlantan...we drive 70 miles just to get out of the house!

Here are some photos. I am open to suggestions for anything (bar tape, tires, seat etc.) It really is in great condition and is not in need of more than a clean up, new cables and housing, tune up, packing of the bearings etc. I think this was a great find.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=425454http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=425455http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=425456

With the burgundy paint and down tube shifters, I believe you have an 84 and not an 83.

Espree

PS. You will want to drop that stem as it is raised above the "safe" level.

Thanks for the clarification cb400bill.

Congratulations. First thing's first. Are either the seat post or stem stuck? If not, then you have a winner!!! Nice looking bike. I often have to drive 25-45 miles one way to get a "deal" bike. Good for you.

i am pretty certain that neither one is stuck. It was kept in dry storage in a room so no rust at all. I am looking forward to sprucing her up. Do you have any recommendations for handlebar tape since you seem to have an eye for that? I have a pair of Paselas which I am thinking of putting on also.

if you look through the fuji catalog, you'll see their design team made all the right decisions with tape, hoods, saddle color and tires. one can't really improve on this. so i'd make it look just like the showroom pic with black fizik tape, cane creek gum hoods and gumwall paselas.

http://classicfuji.com/Models_for_Di...Epsree%20L.jpg

the only thing i'd improve upon is to removal all the reflectors. (i use two lights at night, one quickly clipped to the bars and a superflash on my bag.)

Fantastic that neither is stuck. Regarding tape you could experiment with Neubaum's cloth tape ($5.00 per roll). Of course, black is the safe, "goes with everything" color, Neubaum's "Maroon" would be a close match to frame color, "Eggplant", which is a vivid true purple, would be a complimentary color (one of my favorites).

If if you like padding, I've heard of people using old wool socks, cut into strips, wrapped around the bar first, then the cloth. If you are changing the saddle to Honey color, I recommend Tressostar cloth tape in Yellow (it's a much warmer, less lemon yellow than Neubaum's Yellow), with Amber shellac as a very close match to Honey saddle.

please post photos of your clean up progress.

I have wrapped quite a few handlebars with cork tape now but I have yet to try my hand with the cloth tape. Is there any difference in the wrapping technique? It does add a cool retro dimension to the bike and I want to keep trying new things and learning. As I look at this bike I am really surprised at how attractive it is and will be once it is all cleaned up. And yes I will certainly post pictures of my forward progress! Happy New year all!

I tried to pick up one other bike on the way back but unfortunately the owner contacted me just as I arrived back home. it just wasn't meant to be. However this Espree is one sharp looking bike.

[MENTION=384048]greg3rd48[/MENTION]- I haven't done it, but I've read that if you wet cloth tape prior to wrapping it conforms to the bars better. It's not very stretchy. Honestly, though, if you're used to cork, you may or may not enjoy cloth. For me, cloth doesn't provide enough cushion.

Fizik bar bar tape is nice. It has perforations in it that sort of look retro.

When I wrap with cloth, I begin at the top of the bars and work down to the drops, tucking the last bit into the bars and securing it with the plug. If the original tape is decent, I would use it as an underwrap - it adds some cushion and not much bulk. My LBS has a stash of old Cateye cloth that I buy frequently.

My Burgundy '83.

http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/n...psaf893681.jpg

Nice bike. But your burgundy 83 doesn't have the OEM down tube shifters.

Yes, my '83 Espree has stem shifters BUT they are original. This 1983 catalog shows the Espree with stem shifters but I have seen other 1983 catalogs online that show DT shifters. I'm guessing mine is an early '83 and they switched to DT's later.


1983 Catalog

I wonder if those late 83's are actually early 84's that were made in 83.