the guy at the lbs said that this would be a good bike for the track for me since im entry level. im going to try to make it out to the velo next friday with my sarthe to do the 3 lap trial and if i like it i am going to buy a track bike. ive tried searching the forums and am not finding a lot on the fuji but more about the bianchi.

so for an entry level track bike will it do well or would i be completely wasting my time? i decided i really dont want to build an old school frame up because i dont have the room or the time so i want to just buy a track bike. the fuji is the easiest one to get and the bianchi would be a little difficult and the IRO would have to be shipped.

ive heard of thing breaking on them but prior to the bike breaking is it a good competitor? or will it still be lacking? i know it still is up to the motor but i just want to make sure it would be a good buy for 500 bucks

thanks
Steve

$500, ya, thats the going price for them these days, for track riding only and learning on sure, its no worse or better really than any of the other choices like the khs 100,bianchi pista, and maybe slightly better than the windsor track bike.The frames are all almost identical.Matter of fact an unpainted pista,fuji track,and khs frames are tough to recognize when put side by side.Their weak points with all of them is wheels,hubs,BB,and stock pedals.Ive seen messengers here get away with riding them stock for a year or so without problems though.

Is your sarthe a track bike? And I assume you mean Northbrook.

If so, and if your sarthe is not a track bike, you won't be able to race at Northbrook - track bikes only.

Did you go to Yojimbo's?

i plan on throwing my look 3.1 pedals on and off from my sarthe. and also would my shimano rh550 wheels work on the fuji and would they be better than the alex wheels it would have? then when the BB goes i could just throw a nicer one in right?

I got a 2002 fugi track second hand. most of the parts are original. nice ride, but the front hub is getting ready to be replaced. i paid 330 used.

a guy at my lbs has been racing for like 6-7 years and said you need to run your normal bike around 3 times before you are able to race with a track bike. so i wouldnt be racing with the sarthe i would just do the three laps and then maybe rent one of their track bikes for the rest of the day.

i am perdy loyal to the lbs i go to and i think they are sending me in the right direction with the fuji since it is a cheap way to get going and he told me "i wont sell you another track bike until you start winning races" so he isnt trying to push a colonago or a fuji pro at me so i trust their opinions.

You need to do a lot more than do three laps to do a race at Northbrook. Have you ever raced on a track before? If not, you've got some learning to do.

As far as the Fuji goes, it's a good starter bike to get you out there.

Id run it stock as is, some tracks dont allow clipless, some do.Sounds like your LBS is giving you sound advice.Takes awhile just to get used to riding on a track,and going fast on one, totally different animal than the street.I wont run clipless on the track, unclipping when you dont want to means an ugly crash usually.

On fridays at northbrook you could ride a road bike on the track. Not with guys on track bikes but maybe a good time to get a feel for the track. Oh by the way to night the madisons were sweet!

I have the 04 fuji and i haven't had bb problems yet but my whole rear wheel circumstance was a disaster. I was popping spokes on a daily basis about 4 months into riding and i ride less than most here. I replaced the wheel and the stock cog stripped my brand new hub like the third time i tried to sprint from rest... so I'd pick up a new fuji but the first thing I'd do is replace the rear wheel and cog.

I keep on hearing about low quality cogs stripping hubs....I thought this only happened on installation though (not riding)

I have a windsor — supposed to be the same frame as the fuji, definitely same components as 2004 — and I like the ride fine. however, the top tube met my ass during a rough dismount and I ended up cold-setting it a bit. now I can't look at the frame the same way. I weigh 135 and I don't remember it hurting at all so it shouldn't have bent. actually it's only bent by a milllimeter, and I noticed it a week later, so it could have been from the factory. whatev, I'm looking at better frames now.

yeah it really stunned me and the symptom was similar to having spacer issues with the lockring but when i took it into the LBS sure enough, my hub was stripped... luckily there are two sides to the hub so i upgraded to a euro-asia and haven't looked back since. The frame is fine... pedal upgrades are next

Haven't heard many complaints or issues come up regarding the performance of the fuji stock setup.

I have one and it's a good bike, handles and treats me well, but by now I have upgraded just about everything on it except the bb/cranks.

If you wanna get into it and have the dough, do so! There's only one way to find out.

I have a gold/black Fuji track (2002?) and had the same problems with spokes popping out of the rear wheel. My LBS in Chicago rebuilt it for free and I didn't have any problems after that, and rode it daily for about a year and half in Chicago (before moving, I still ride the bike). The pedals are sort of crummy, but I think that everything else is perfectly fine on it. The only thing that I think is worth mentioning -- and I don't know if anyone else has this problem -- is that the chainstays seem weirdly short. The wheel always sits in the very back of the dropouts so that the tire doesn't hit the seat tube. You can get around it with low-profile tires, but then the length of the chain seems a bit weird. Has anyone else experienced this?

i hadn't noticed it before, but I'll check it out when i get home.... btw, that goldblack is the best paintjob fuji did for their tracks, wish i had it

The 2002 had 395 mm chainstays like the 2001. This changed in 2003 to 405.

That seems like a good change -- is there any reason why slightly shorter chainstays would be better? Is there a standard length?

FYI the Fuji track appears to have road geometry in comparison to the Pista.

The Bianchi Pista Concept has 383mm stays in size 59 ( I think regular Pista has short stays also)

I think it also depends on the rider position on how long the stays should be. If the rider is forward on the bike you want the wheelbase shifted forward also to keep balance. Road bikes are different and since the positioning is more to the rear they tend to have longer stays.

Short stays are also said to help power transfer.

I think on a track bike for racing I'd want the shorter stays if it helps balance the bike. Long stays kind of make sense due to the fact it really is road geometry not track geomnetry.

hey who moved this? grrr their is never anyone in the track forum.

hey if i ride a 57cm sarthe and the track frames are always bigger since fuji makes a 56 and a 58 should i go with the 56?

I always thought I was a techno geeK ! I am not worthy master ...

You really want to race a bike with basically road geometry on the track though?

I don't race, but my experience with bike positioning leads me to believe you'd be better with real Pista/Track geometry if you wanted to race this thing around an oval.

Hopefully others will chime in here and help you out more than I can.

is the bianchi pista and the fuji track really that different? it dosent look much different.

also back to my size question, is the 56 good to go or should i get a 58 i am riding a 57 standard road bike right now.

I just bought the 2005 Fuji Track bike for $350, in Seattle, and it is sweet! I am just getting into racing on the track and I think it handles really well. I could see spending $500 for it as well. My friend just bought the Pista for $500 and he hasn't even taken the class or raced yet so I don't know how he feels about it. I have heard good things about both so it really matters what you want wheel wise, look wise and all that. Good luck!!!

i got a new Track end of June, paid £300 (about $500). Use it for bikin around london, so changed a few things to suit my style. Rear cog is now an 18T which just squeezes on. crap toe straps so they're gone. and the stock tyres i've changed to armadillos - kendas are v quick but puncture too easy on these roads. only 500 miles on it so far, so mechanical troubles, but back wheel is a little out-of-true but that's my fault on all them kerbs!

i like it.