Never thought of owning a road bike untill a week ago...and now ive already owned 2?!
 

HI

As you can see this is the first post but did not want to do an intro so i figured id start here.

Last week i finally decided my skateboard was not the best for getting around sense i moved off campus this year at Temple U in Philly. So out of pure randomness bought this old 1974 Huffy Contestant in great condition on craigslist. 90 bucks! Did a little work on it hoping to restore it including new paint...

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4073/...635a042f_z.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4139/...57c851cd_z.jpg

i loved it but quickly found that my first intentions were to just have any old bike that could do the job of getting around, but soon found a great love for the vintage road bikes and could not settle. I quickly sold the bike for 125 after owning it for all of 3 days.

So i knew a little bit about bike brands from friends because it seems everyone at my school has some sort of road bike. And i came across this baby and automatically fell in love. A 1980 Fuji Royale. Guy was asking 225 firm, but managed to widdle my way to snagging it for 200 :)

http://i359.photobucket.com/albums/o...s/DSCN5250.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4113/...a7e9e33b_z.jpg

Now i feel i got a deal but as i said im still very new to all this. Ive already put some new white bar grips on it and am getting a white soma hisan saddle tomorrow (ive heard they arnt the comfiest but its my short commuter so i will manage). Plans after that not really sure besides keeping this thing pristine and getting some white wall tires down the line.

comments and questions are welcome on anything and please give me any info as i want to learn as much as possible.

also here is the bike bio:

Has a 33 1/4" standover height and measures 57 cm from center of crank to center of seat tube good for riders in the 5'10 to 6'1" height range. Frame marked "Fuji Chromoly 441 tubing"Suntour Vx rear and front derailers. Nitto alloy stem and alloy handlebars. Dia-Compe alloy brakesets and alloy levers with optional upright brake levers. Suntour bar end shifters. 3 piece Fuji alloy crank. Mavic alloy rear wheel and Super Chance Competition alloy front wheel - both are quick release and both have BRAND NEW 27" X 1 1/4" gumwall tires. Original Fuji saddle.

thanks!

Justin

That bike should definitely be able to get you around. How tall are you?

Nice bike. A big step up from that Huffy.
The cables are routed incorrectly. The tight bends will make shifting & braking less precise. The shift cables should come out from under the handlebar tape before the handlebar starts to bend up. Then the cable can make a nice smooth path to the downtube.
The brake cables should not be under the handlebar tape at all. The should go straight up and then smoothly to the front brake, and the rear to the top tube.

They were pretty much correct in the first picture with the black handlebar padding.

5 11, and yea the bikes really comfortable for my height. Everything is quick release which bothers me in Philly where every corner theres a bike missing wheels...

Get a long cable lock and run it through the frame & both wheels.

Go back and rewrap the bars. You wont regret it

yeaa about half way through it i kind of realized it but was just too far to stop. i made sure that turning wasnt an issue with the cables but yea i can see that i F'd that up... might go down and fix that now lol cause it bothers me.

Have a friend adjust your saddle height for you, it looks way too low.

White and pristine do not go together as far as bikes are concerned, unless it is a decorative piece :)

im making sure the white saddle is a good material that doesnt stain. and i just love the white accents on a bike personally. i can deal with cleaning often :)

okay, from what i heard when i sit on the saddle my legs are supposed to be fully extended when i peddle correct?

and you guys just made me have to fix this asap haha better?

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4127/...d984f472_z.jpg

No, you should have some bend in the knee when your pedal is down at the 6:00 position. Look up some bike racing pictures for examples, or maybe someone actually helpful will come along.

Edit: Don't look at cornering pics. They always look fully extended.

alright thanks for all the info and yea i dont think i really need to raise the seat much if any at all in that case

I am an inch taller than you, have 58cm frames, and my seatpost is up probably 5 inches higher than yours, unless you have freakishly short legs the saddle is way too low.

im not sure, when i sit on it my feet cannot touch the ground unless i use my tippy toes. flat would leave about 1 to 1 1/2 inches under them. like i said i maybe need to raise it an inch but much more then that and my legs will start to straighten out. and my bodys perfectly proportional.

You don't want to be able to touch the ground when sitting on the seat - you're riding a bike, not walking! :) If you need to put your foot on the ground, get off the seat and stand over the frame. When sitting on the seat, keep your hips even and your leg should be almost fully extended when the pedal is at the bottom of the downstroke and your foot is level with ground. Just a slight bend in the knee. There are lots of websites and youtube videos showing how to do this. It's easier if you have a helper.

Regarding quick releases, Google pinhead locks, there are skewers that take special key you carry on your keychain so nobody can remove the wheels without it. They have them for quick release seat posts as well though many people take an old bike chain and run it through their seat rails, down and around the seat stay . Usually people put it in an old tire tube to avoid scratching up the paint. These things will allow you to simply lock your frame up without having to lug a super long chain, remover wh3els or weave a chain through the whole bike.

I am stunned at the nice comments on this thread. You are lucky for that.

The bike is too big for you. You have the saddle all the way down and yet since you said your legs are fully extended, there is nothing left to lower. A classic frame like this shouldn't have all that much seatpost exposed, but more than that. Based on the headtube I'd say its around a 58cm-60cm, which is too big for a 5'11" body.

thanks ill tweak it and get it right. me being new to road bikes has not yet got comfortable with that part, wanting to be able to touch the slightest bit because it just feels safer to be honest. Itll get some getting used to but yea i see how its not correct.

yea i have quick releases on the wheels and seat so temporarily im just u locking the front wheel and frame and cable the rear wheels seat and frame. and i always lock my bike on a fence so its harder to work with opposed to it just standing against it etc. and thanks for the info on the pinhead locks ill look into that for sure.

stunned? i am nothing new to forums as ive been apart of car forums for over 5 years so yea typically alot of people have rude comments just because they can. but i was hoping that wasnt the case here, guess you get those with every type of forum. and as for the bike you miss read me as in the sizing, the bikes 57 cm and with the seat all the way down i can barely touch the ground with my toes if i keep it upright.

Also remember as much as these people are trying to be helpful they're judging the fit of your bike from what you've described of yourself and the pictures. If you're looking to be comfortable go to a bike shop and get fitted. I can almost guarantee none of the people here are certified fitters.

yea i understand and kind of got the feeling when ive already had someone say the bikes way to big, and one saying the bikes way to small lol. does anyone know of a good site for the brake lever hoods? im looking for a set in white. and also looking for replacement decals...

would these correctly fit?

http://store.icyclesusa.com/sram-dou...rce=googlebase

i like the first one. very nice indeed.

I doubt those would fit well. I think you need some old style Dia-Compe lever hoods. Post a pic of the bike in the Classic & Vintage forum and ask about the brake hoods. They will know.

As for fit, getting a first hand opinion from someone local would be good. Some people post pics here of themselves on their bike with the pedal at the 6:00 position. Better than nothing if you want more opinions. (along with possible ridicule).

will do
thanks youve been of greatful help to me. i appreciate it as do all the other comments people left. Glad to have found this site and become a member for sure.

So now there needs to be a piece of paper involved (i.e., a "certification") in order for one to get a proper fitting? Please.

Fitting needs to be done correctly, but it's not rocket science.

Shouldn't be able to touch the ground. Search for some tutorials on fitting it's the single most important thing. I hope that bike isn't to big for you but im betting it is.
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm