Does anyone have any experience with the Fuji Absolute? I got a pretty good deal on a leftover 2004 model with Tiagra/Sora components. I know these are just entry level components, but I really couldn't turn it down at the price to get into a tandem.

I'm just wondering if anyone has ridden or owns one and what they think of it.

Link to Fuji site

Thanks

Mark

Mark,

We have one. We bought it early this year to try a tandem. It's a good value, with a nice frame and fair components. I made several changes:

New v-brakes (the originals were not very good)
New 105 RD (I found a deal on one, so why not)
New seats (but the factory Velo/Fuji were not that bad)
New stem (I needed to stretch out so I found a 135 mm stem to replace the original adjustable stem)
Added Bar Ends to give a few more hand positions

Overall we liked the bike, as it got us back into biking and even helped us decide to buy new single road bikes. The problems with it were size and the flat bar. I'm about 6'1" and felt cramped, adding the long stem and bar ends helped, but it's a tad small. After riding it for awhile we decided we liked tandems and wanted to upgrade. So we purchased a Trek T2000 this fall. The Trek is very smooth and the drop bars give a lot more hand positions, the components are also much better on the Trek.

All that said, we are keeping the Fuji for several reasons. First, with some wider tires it is a great light trail bike for some occasional off road riding. Second, we added a childs stoker kit, so we can use it with our children as they grow. Eventually we plan to be able to use the 2 tandems with both adults and the 2 kids. And lastly, we have a lot of friends that are interested in riding, and the Fuji makes a great loaner bike. That way I don't get stressed about someone riding the Trek, and the Fuji encourages others to consider biking.

I think the Absolute is an excellent entry level tandem, and easy enough to make changes to. Ride it for awhile, tandems in general have decent resale, so if you want to upgrade down the road you won't lose you shirt.

Enjoy - John

P.S. The pic is shortly after we bought the Fuji, so most of the changes haven't been made yet...

http://www.weberwoodworking.com/bikes/fuji.jpg

Thanks for the info R900, that's what I was hoping for. I picked it up for $650, so all I'm expecting is a solid bike with wheels that go around. From the get go I'm expectin to upgrade some components as time goes on.

The main reason I want the tandem is to get my wife into cycling a little more. Right now she has a Hardrock on smoothies that she putts around on and I'd like to see her move up to a road bike for longer rides with me. Her biggest problem is that she doesn't ride enough and tends to get a little nervous. I think this will be an excellent way for her to build up some confidence and get her riding better. We also have a Trek child trailer that we'll be towing our kids around in, so it should make for some nice family outings.

Thanks again

Mark

5 water bottle cages!!!! A new record!!!!

You got an excellent deal on that bike! Congratulations!

I bought one of those in 2004 and am quiet satisfied with it.

Changes I made:
-longer stem for more comfort
-drop bars for the captain (I sometimes got numb fingers with the original flat handlebars)
-comfort/hybrid/trekking handlebars for the stoker (many different hand positions)
-Thudbuster LT seatpost for the stoker

I didn't make and changes to the drivetrain. Since my GF (stoker) had CTS and still occasionally has pain in her wrists, the tandem is the only way she can ride a bike. We both really like the bike.

Unfortunately I don't have a picture but our 1994 MT3000 had 6 cages at one time: three in the rear 'triangle' (like on the Fuji) and three in the 'captain's department'. The third one of the last three was under the lowest front tube (from head tube to front bottom bracket). When we were on tour one time with 6 bottles, some German boys called us "Angeber" which is German for "posers". But hey, in the pre-Camelbak days and with a dog in a trailer behind you, you have to carry some water, don't you?
:rolleyes:

Now that's what I wanted to hear. I'll be taking delivery of the bike after Christmas and hope to start logging some miles on it right away (if I can convince my wife to brave the cold). I guess that means I'll get to ride it this spring.

Mark

Six on my Trek T100. :)

I sometimes will use one or two for cargo, such as tools, tire repair kit, and food -- just cut the top off of an appropriately-sized plastic beverage bottle and there ya go.

-Greg

Yes, you did buy it very well. Even with a few upgrades you will still have a super entry level bike for the money. We had a blast with ours.

John

Great Mark,
Good buy. We got our Absolute LE in the spring of 2004, after my wife got tired of being on the indoor trainer all the time (she got freaked out years ago and played it safe by not riding on the road). All that has changed and she's now the one to say "let's go!". We got the smaller frame, I'm 5-10 and she's 5-0, but its fits us great.

Like most of the responses I changed a few things, many seats, handle bars, put on a rear rack with panniers to carry stuff, but removed the bottle cages and now we each use a small camelback with pocket for glasses, cell phone, etc. The latest addition was an extended skewer for a Bob trailer. It's an eye catcher and carries lots of stuff when a picnic is called for. Our friends don't have to carry their goodies in a backpack; it all goes in the Bob. Not that heavy to drag thanks to he granny gear.

We went with the smaller frame as well since my wife and I are both on the short side (5'8" & 5'4"). I'm sure we'll go through the usual part swap period when getting used to a new bike. The biggest issue will most likely be finding a seat my wife likes...I still haven't come across anything she's very fond of.

I already do most of my rides with a Camelback, so I can do without the plethora of cages. My wife uses bottles, but I'll try to convert her to a Camelback too. I was thinking about adding panniers for longer trips since we'll be dragging 2 kids around with us starting this spring. When it was one kid we would just pile the diaper bag it the trailer along with all the other stuff we take along, but it gets kind of sloppy.

I can't wait to take the tandem out with the child trailer attached...it'll be our own little road train.

They are cheap ($2.50) Nashbar cages so why not. The stoker seat tube cage didn't have enough clearance for a bottle so I took that one off, but the others can hold a short bottle. It's nice to carry 2 bottle for each person, especially the smaller bottles.

John