RG-1 Retro Grouch One.
Jay, Dale and Rob...and anybody else I missed.
Thanks again.
It is his word versus ours. We like our word. We like where we stand and we like our credibility."--Lance Armstrong.
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Built up the beater.
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Nice beater, like the tire combo!
LeMond VO2 max 95, Armstrong 82....doh -
Gum hoods, down-tube shifters, Turbo saddle (I think.. can't tell from the angle)... retro grouch indeed!
Fun memories, thanks. You deserve many happy miles.
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Mavic 501s, MA-40s, 36 hole rims...7spd 13-25 on the back.
And how about those gum hoods for the Cane Creek brake levers. Man, those levers ROCK. They took Campy's design and just refined it PERFECTLY. They feel awesome. When I saw replacement gum hoods were available I snapped them up...I knew they would be hard to find.
Yes...it IS about the bike.
It is not about the dope though...lol!
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Dude...what year is that Club Fuji? I got my first new to me "teal" road bike in 1985.... at the time I was lusting after the '84 club fuji...it was red with yellow trim. I ended up with a close out '84 Trek 560 that I got in the spring of '85. That was my first race bike as a junior roadie... Suntour Cyclone MK II and I put a Turbo saddle on it...those were the days!
Train well my friend!
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This one is a late 80s model.
The 1984/1986 Club Fuji's were SO DOPE. Red with yellow accents. Quad butted tubing. Know EXACTLY what you are talking about. I lusted after one of those as well. I would just go in the bike shop and STARE at it. I could only afford a Lotus Excelle though.
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Ha! I actually found the brochure photo. Still looks awesome. -
The Japanese make some really nice bikes. I've been fortunate to own a lot of bikes over the years and I don't regret selling many of them. The top two bikes I regret selling are a Panasonic Custom Team America in a beautiful blue and white paint scheme. I remember reading an article on the custom Panasonic bikes where Panasonic admits it could build a custom bike from scratch in a day or two but they made the customer wait thirty days because the customer didn't believe the bike was custom when it was built so quickly regardless of the built to order measurements and paint scheme. Nostalgia may be clouding my judgement but that lugged Japanese road bike was a dream to ride. The other is a Bridgestone RB-1 that I had built up with components of a mix of newer technology with a traditional spirit. So it was 9spd DuraAce including Octalink cranks and nice dual pivot brakes but I put the indexed downtube shifters on it. (this is hard for me to admit since I'm decidedly a Campagnolo enthusiast).
I'm down to two road bikes, a relatively new custom Parlee Z1X with Record 10 on it, and a mid 90s Basso Viper with an alloy Chorus 10. The Parlee is probably the nicest road bike I've ever ridden and yet the Basso has more sole and I ride it more often because of that. Maybe it's just because I'm old, fat, and slow and feel like less of a poseur when riding an old Basso than an expensive Parlee. Or maybe the old bikes are just better somehow regardless of price/technology.
The Fuji looks amazing, but (because I'm picky) (and your bike deserves it) you really need to find a forged stem for it. And the only reason I can be so picky is because you've so perfectly nailed everything else on that build. Nice bike.
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Hack...I have the original Nitto bar and stem in a box.
I am torn on the handlebar and stem issue myself.
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Hey Keith, that is awesome. glad to have helped a deserving bro out.
and the saddle - a Concorde, right?
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I think you are right, JA. it is a concord
As far as tire mis-match, period correct. we were all so broke back then and bought a super sport tractor tire for the rear because it was all we could afford and lasted forever
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KR -
That CLub Fuji was the first bike I bought myself, I was in college - prior to that it was my sister's Schwinn Varsity, and the Schwinn Stingray Orange Krate before that...
Thanks for the memory!
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i think that the first pic i see of it! very sweet indeed. i'm a sucker for downtube shifters. happy riding! cheers!!!
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Nice.
Pretty cool looking trash can too.
The wise man said follow me...and he walked behind. -
LOL OC! Retro trash can as well!
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Very Cool, love Japanese steel
TRP brake hoods? We have done a couple of bikes with these, feels like a campy brake hood, same shape
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KR - I had THAT Club Fuji in the brochure. I bought it at DJ Handlebars in Seekonk, MA with money I earned working at a tree nursery all summer when I was 15. My dad drove me to the shop, and my hands were shaking when I doled out a stack of $20's... It was my first real bike.
Formerly Eduardo Bianchi -
PK, that was the first bike that I laid eyes on that spoke to me from a aesthetic stand point.
Before that, I knew about road bikes, but as a BMXer, I was all about PK Rippers and Redlines, etc.
But that Club Fuji...it just looks so RIGHT.
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How does it ride?
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Sweet looking ride KR - go out and enjoy, not that you need me telling you to do that!!
My first real road bike was a Bridgestone RB-1. The ride was.....divine.
"There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time."
Malcolm X -
Keith...I'm sure you also have the crocheted knit gloves and old-school skid lid to ride that bike with. Otherwise anything pre-90s would look too new. And for inspiration I suggest reading this article. Funniest thing I've read and so much in the spirit for those fans of NOS gear.
http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/That--70s-Guy.html?page=4 -
I was going to ride it into work today, but 20 deg temps plus 25mph winds made em thing better of it as I am nursing a cold.
But I will pull out the wool tights tomorrow and put it through its paces. The chrome fork is obviously not stock. It came off of the Romani I broke about ten years ago. But I could not pass up the chance to have some chrome. You all know how I feel about chrome...lol.
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First decent ride on the beater.
Thoughts...
Nothing is a substitute for bearing quality. Mavic 501 hubs and a freshly repacked Dura-Ace loose ball BB properly adjusted are beautiful things.
There is NO front shifting quicker than downtube levers. I was SHOCKED at how quickly the front derailleur shifted from small ring to large and back. No housing. Short cable run. Makes me wonder if having front brifters is worth the weight penalty.
The Cane Creek levers feel AWESOME. Like a slightly oversize Campy lever. Perfect for my hands.
The saddle is a San Marco Laser. I have been on standard saddles since forever. I must say...having a curved saddle is nice. The saddle weighs a TON, but it is comfy so who cares.
The bike is a touch longer in the TT than my Ritchey (54.5 to 54) but I have to say that while they fit differently, and I am more stretched out on the Fuji it does not feel bad of uncomfortable in any way.
In short....loved the ride. I have a 10 speed gear on order from Cambria for the NOS Campy DT levers I purchased 5 or so years ago because I knew they would get hard to find.
10 speed down tube shifting. It will happen in 2014!
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no snow for you?
jealous
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KR, we had 10 speed down tube shifting in the 70s!
Remember to practice front derailleur downshifts with your left knee.
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