BigPolishJimmy

I'm going to use this thread as an update on the progress of my Fuji Monterey. Over the last several months I've been slowly acquiring materials for the bike and finally I'm in the process of building it. I could have started earlier on a few items, but some things were waiting on other things, now the dominos are falling into place and anticipation is in the air.

First, the Fuji as it was this last Sunday:



Next the array of collected parts:




It feels like a community effort when you stop to consider where things came from:

Handlebars - XR2

Brake Calipers and Levers - Bianchi Girl

Down tube Shifters - Khatfull

Rim Strips - 3speed (BOC Pass Around Game)

Cranks - My friend Scott

Alloy Rims - Donor Bike

Quill Pedals - Donor Bike

Shorter reach stem - Donor Bike

Fizik Saddle - local craigslist

Fizik Bar tape - Bikewagon on Ebay (really fast shipping)

Continental tires - LBS

Cheap cables - Wallyworld


So far I've got the stem cleaned up and the bars and aero levers test-mounted and the cockpit feels like a world of difference. I also mounted the Fizik saddle, but truth be told I think I like the Fuji saddle better.

Last night I cleaned up the new crank, but I'm having some reservations about using it. Essentially this bike will be my backup to my Nishiki except when I ride with the club. The Saris bones rack I have on my beetle tends to bang up the bikes in transport, so I'll probably keep using this for club rides until I build up the Special Road racer. Back to the cranks, the thrifty part of me is rebelling because the cranks on the bike are perfectly fine and serviceable, the bike is low-end, there's little reason other than vanity to change them out, so should I?

There's a long way to go. I'll post update photos as it progresses.

Glennfordx4

(there's little reason other than vanity to change them out, so should I?)

Go big or go home LOL. I like this thread as I have one also but in a little worse shape that I am slowly ( and I do mean slowly ) gathering parts for with the biggest thing being a wheelset. Depending on the bike I like taking a low end bike and giving them a make over like this. With the low end bikes one of the things that will make all the difference in the world is how much weight can be shaved off it really changes the ride and feel of the bike. I shaved off almost 20lbs from my first build of this type, but that bike was already a lot heavier then the Fuji Monterey. Good luck and keep us posted.

Glenn

BigPolishJimmy

Spent some quality time cleaning components this week. Tore down the wheel bearings and the cranks, cleaned them out and applied some mothers. It really makes a big difference in how they look. They're certainly not perfect, but they are shiny.

I was really happy to see the cones in these alloy rims are in fantastic shape. They look new and don't even have wear lines in them from the bearings. Tonight I hope to clean the remainder of the wheel bearings and repack them and mount the tires on the rims. If I get the gumption I'll pull the headset and bottom bracket and start cleaning them.



The Nitto B115's are perfect for this. I really could go wider, but this is an incredible improvement. I'm going to be able to breath a lot easier with the added width to these bars and actually having cushion on the hoods feels amazing. I didn't like the hoods before because it was just grabbing metal with the turkey leg sticking out, now this is luxury.

Bianchigirll 

Hi Jimmy I have a question; are you really riding the bike with the seat that low? I was wonder because you put such a short stem on it.

great looking brakes!

BigPolishJimmy

Well the answer to that is the 68cm frame is really too big for me (I ride 64cm), so there's no need to ride the saddle higher. Also, I like the saddle and bars to be about even, perhaps the bars could even be a little higher. This is the first bike I haven't had to extend the bars up with a tall stem to get them high enough. The downside of that is ascetically very little seat post is showing. I have a fluted seat post, but I won't use it on this bike because you'd never see it.

*edit* I don't know if it's buyers remorse or what, but the indecisive part of me sort of wants to sell this Monterey and use all these parts on my Special Road Racer. But for some time I've wanted to build a ninja bike, and here is my chance. Perhaps I'll tire of it and return it to it's previous condition and sell it off, but in the meanwhile it'll be nice to have around. Right now all I want to do is ride it, and that is encouraging.

BigPolishJimmy

Doh!! Yes, short reach stem. While the cockpit of this frame is way more comfortable than the 60cm frames I was riding, I was still feeling 'too stretched out' over the length of the top tube. I thought I'd try a shorter stem to see if that helped. On the 60 cm frames I always end up with knee pain and/or my posterior hangin way over the back end of the saddle, even when it's adjusted up to a good riding height. The Monterey gives me the leg room I need, I haven't been this comfortable on a 10-speed since junior high.

If all goes well this summer I'll have my 64cm Nishiki up and running. Then I'll turn my attention to my 64cm Special Road Racer, and time permitting my 64cm Gitane Interclub. I really don't know any of these bikes yet, other than really really short rides. But once I get them into ridable condition, I'll be able to make some comparisons and some choices. For now I need a bike to ride this spring, the Monterey was a solid performer last year, so I'm building it first.

cb400bill

+1

Kobe 

Is that the angle you usually leave your handle bars? I usually have mine flipped up at about the same angle you have yours with the Nitto bars. I ride 64cm and larger frames, just wondering if it is a big guy thing.

BigPolishJimmy

Good eye. the top 2 photos are where I rode my old bars. I rotated them up because I felt stretched out and it helped bring the brakes closer. ...which is why I'm trying a shorter stem. What I'm wondering now as I look at the saddle tilt, perhaps I also wanted a place for my hands to help me stop sliding forward. I will try tilting the saddle a little nose-up, but in the past this has brought about a completely different level of discomfort.

BigPolishJimmy

I don't know why, but this stuff always takes more time that I think it will. Last night after a short ride and helping my kids with some schoolwork, I was only able to clean the wheelbearings. It was a bit dissappointing as I discovered a very small pit in one of the rear cones. I could try to obtain a new one but the back wheel also has a spoke with a bend in it, so the choice is to ride it for a bit and invest in better later, or wait to ride until I can invest in better... The thrifty part of me and the anxious to ride part of me are in agreement that I should ride it now and invest in better when I can.

motobecane69

So your building a 68cm bike and have various 64cm bikes but you drive a Beetle? lol

Clue me in here, I'm a bit confused. ARe you presently riding 60cm or 64cm? i got the impression that you normally ride 60cm and have a few 64cm's but are electing to build the 68 up first, why don't you just build up one of the 64's? seems like they should fit you near perfect. REgarding the cranks, the styling of the new crank and the original cranks are awfully similar, I'd keep the old cranks on this bike and just repack the bottom bracket or replace it with a cartridge unit if it's too far gone.

BigPolishJimmy

Hi motobecane69,

I was until just recently riding the 68cm Fuji. I also have a recumbent Sun E-Z1 and an old rigid schwinn frontier mtn bike that I think is somewhere around a 58 and really too small for me. The Fuji is my road bike that I rode all last summer, I'm building it first because it treated me so well. Before then I had a Motobecane Nomade that was way too small. I do have about three 64cm bikes that I think will fit me better, but they all still need parts and bearing work before I can ride them.

Now the beetle is awesome. It's one of the most comfortable cars I've ever driven as far as fitting me with enough headroom. I don't have to slouch to see under the visor or anything. A couple of years ago we were looking at minivans and suvs but I couldn't fit into any of them in our price range, and even out of our price range. You would think with how big they are a large guy could fit better, but it's not the case.

BigPolishJimmy

Almost done. Got some great work in on the Monterey this weekend, but my bike told me she's a tomboy and I just have to accept it. I tried to mount the more fancy cranks I have but it didn't go. The chain line was all off. I don't know, perhaps if I swapped the spindle with the one that came with the cranks it would work.

But before that, I kept having problems with the acorn nuts falling off the brakes. It seemed like swapping out the caliper arms would work because the mounting bolts of the brakes I got for the bike didn't work with the frame. This frame won't accept recessed nuts. So I swapped the caliper arms, it almost worked, but my bike was saying stuff like "to thine own self be true" and a bunch of other nonsense.

Ok then, The bike served me well with the old brakes and cranks all last summer, maybe I'll just use those parts on another build and make things easy for myself by just going with it. The pics don't do justice to it, everything is repacked, greased and shined up with Mothers. I'm pretty happy with the results.





I still need to get this up on a stand and check the deraileurs, adjust saddle and bars and test ride. oops, and pedals.