# New To Fuji.... Heck All Road Bikes!



## onlooker

Hello everyone. Long story short for the sake of time.

Very new to road bikes. But Mtn. riding for about 3 yrs now (C-Dale Single Speed 29er FYI) so not a complete idiot to the bike scene. (but still pretty close to idiot statues )

For a few reasons. Ready and willing to try this rodie thing out.

I am quite anal when it comes to researching anything new. (This internet thing is amazing. Next best thing to staying at a Holiday Inn Express )

Alright I'll get to my point. After all my reading and even attending a few bike seminars from 3 diff. bike Mfg's introing there new bike lines for 09. I am being very drawn to the Fuji's.

Well I walk in to a bike shop I normally do not go to. (not for a certin reason. just really never went there.) and almost like a msg from above there is a 2007 Roubaix RC Model Zero miles. in my size. He is giving it to me for $1000. Pretty good deal I think. Maybe not a huge mark down from the org. price in 07. but seeing a 09 is listed at almost $2100 I am pretty stoked.

But one thing that has caught my eye. It. does seem they are the same exact bikes from a geom. and pretty darn close in the componet set's. from 07 to 09. I did notice that the fork on the 07 in a FC 440 and the 09 has a FC 770. Then I notice the FC 440 is on some of the "higher" end 09's? Very odd I thought.

So my question is. How is the 440 different then the 770? Why not on the "lower end" bikes this year but still on the "higher end" bikes? is it a stiffness/ Responce thing? Price thing? 

Thank you for getting me up to speed on the 07 to 09 differances. And can anyone give me the run down on how they like there Roubaix's on the many differant levels? ie. performance,ride quality, easy of use for new guys, durability......

Lastly I still need to pick pedals. I am looking at the Look Keo Classic's. Any feedback I should be aware of with the choice? Yes not high end weight weeine stuff but I am on a tight budget. For I am just an avg blue collar guy with 3 kids and a wife to feed at the end of the day.

Again THANK YOU! 
Respectfully "Onlooker"


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## PJ352

onlooker said:


> Hello everyone. Long story short for the sake of time.
> 
> Very new to road bikes. But Mtn. riding for about 3 yrs now (C-Dale Single Speed 29er FYI) so not a complete idiot to the bike scene. (but still pretty close to idiot statues )
> 
> For a few reasons. Ready and willing to try this rodie thing out.
> 
> I am quite anal when it comes to researching anything new. (This internet thing is amazing. Next best thing to staying at a Holiday Inn Express )
> 
> Alright I'll get to my point. After all my reading and even attending a few bike seminars from 3 diff. bike Mfg's introing there new bike lines for 09. I am being very drawn to the Fuji's.
> 
> Well I walk in to a bike shop I normally do not go to. (not for a certin reason. just really never went there.) and almost like a msg from above there is a 2007 Roubaix RC Model Zero miles. in my size. He is giving it to me for $1000. Pretty good deal I think. Maybe not a huge mark down from the org. price in 07. but seeing a 09 is listed at almost $2100 I am pretty stoked.
> 
> But one thing that has caught my eye. It. does seem they are the same exact bikes from a geom. and pretty darn close in the componet set's. from 07 to 09. I did notice that the fork on the 07 in a FC 440 and the 09 has a FC 770. Then I notice the FC 440 is on some of the "higher" end 09's? Very odd I thought.
> 
> So my question is. How is the 440 different then the 770? Why not on the "lower end" bikes this year but still on the "higher end" bikes? is it a stiffness/ Responce thing? Price thing?
> 
> Thank you for getting me up to speed on the 07 to 09 differances. And can anyone give me the run down on how they like there Roubaix's on the many differant levels? ie. performance,ride quality, easy of use for new guys, durability......
> 
> Lastly I still need to pick pedals. I am looking at the Look Keo Classic's. Any feedback I should be aware of with the choice? Yes not high end weight weeine stuff but I am on a tight budget. For I am just an avg blue collar guy with 3 kids and a wife to feed at the end of the day.
> 
> Again THANK YOU!
> Respectfully "Onlooker"


Unless I missed something, the '09 RC has an aluminum frame and the '07's is carbon fiber. If that's the case, IMO you shouldn't fret at all about the forks. They are minor differences compared to the frame materials. But regarding the forks, at face value it may seem an odd change, but considering the state of the economy (tanking), all the manufacturer's are making cost cutting changes and lowering some specs on their '09 models.

You mentioned researching (I do the same), but don't get too caught up in the sea of bike specs out there. That's not to say you don't want the most your $$ can buy, but the fit/ ride and handling of a bike will be with you forever, so bias your decision accordingly. By this I mean, fit matters most so ride a bunch of bikes and decide from there.

Regarding pedals, I'm a Shimano guy, so I went with the Ultegra PD-6620's (w/ float) and Specialized Elite road shoes. I've had (and have) some knee issues and this combo works well for me. If you're trying to minimize costs, there's always the Shimano PD-R540's, but the Keo Classics are probably ok as well. I've just never used them.

Last but not least, I'm not a Fuji owner. Test rode a Team about two years ago and thought it was a fine bike. Fit well, rode and handled well and I like their geo, but ultimately opted for a Specialized Tarmac. Not that it's a 'better' bike than the Fuji, just the right one for me. So good luck finding the one that's right for you!


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## onlooker

Thank you for the info/advice. However the 07 and 09 have the same frames. Alum with carbon seat stays and carbon forks. And I am trying not to get to caught up in the components other then I am trying to stay at least in the 105 range. 
Which I am def getting to do. seeing the RC has full Ultegra. 

But Ride harshness is a bit of a concern for me. Seeing I am just getting over a nasty neck injury that has left me with some hardware being put into my neck as a nice parting gift from the OR.

As for fit. The bike is fitting me nicely. Just that with the zero road exp. All I know about how the bikes should feel/ give ride quality. Is by what I read. ie carbon more supple then alum. etc etc. But I am to also understand, not all carbons respond the same due to how they are constructed. 
Was curious if the 770 or 440 is designed to be that much different from each other. Or they are pretty much the same forks just a different "packaging" from one year to the next.

Again Thank you for anyone that would care to help. 

Respectfully AJ


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## PJ352

onlooker said:


> Thank you for the info/advice. However the 07 and 09 have the same frames. Alum with carbon seat stays and carbon forks. And I am trying not to get to caught up in the components other then I am trying to stay at least in the 105 range.
> Which I am def getting to do. seeing the RC has full Ultegra.
> 
> But Ride harshness is a bit of a concern for me. Seeing I am just getting over a nasty neck injury that has left me with some hardware being put into my neck as a nice parting gift from the OR.
> 
> As for fit. The bike is fitting me nicely. Just that with the zero road exp. All I know about how the bikes should feel/ give ride quality. Is by what I read. ie carbon more supple then alum. etc etc. But I am to also understand, not all carbons respond the same due to how they are constructed.
> Was curious if the 770 or 440 is designed to be that much different from each other. Or they are pretty much the same forks just a different "packaging" from one year to the next.
> 
> Again Thank you for anyone that would care to help.
> 
> Respectfully AJ


You are quite right that different methods of CF construction can change the ride characteristics of a bike. For comparison, I've ridden the new Trek Madone, the Spec Tarmac and Cervelo R3 and all ride noticably different with the Madone being the smoothest and the Cervelo the harshest. I will offer that IME carbon seat stays add nothing in the way of comfort, but a full CF frameset does (when compared to an aluminum frame, CF fork).

Regarding the forks, the 770 uses an alloy (read, aluminum) steerer with CF crown and blades while the 440 is full CF. Again, IME you'll feel no discernable difference in ride with either fork, but the full CF may have an edge in durability, due to manufacturing techniques. That's not to say the 770 will self destruct in normal use or should play into a purchasing decision, I just think the 770 has the edge. 

I'm not trying to confuse or derail you in regards to the Fuji, but if you have neck/ back issues you may want to focus more on models offering full CF framesets. Generally speaking, they will be more forgiving/ comfortable than the aluminum offerings. But maybe more importantly find a bike shop with a certified fitter to assist you with fit.


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## onlooker

Thank you for the info/advice. However the 07 and 09 have the same frames. Alum with carbon seat stays and carbon forks. And I am trying not to get to caught up in the components other then I am trying to stay at least in the 105 range. 
Which I am def getting to do. seeing the RC has full Ultegra. 

But Ride harshness is a bit of a concern for me. Seeing I am just getting over a nasty neck injury that has left me with some hardware being put into my neck as a nice parting gift from the OR.

As for fit. The bike is fitting me nicely. Just that with the zero road exp. All I know about how the bikes should feel/ give ride quality. Is by what I read. ie carbon more supple then alum. etc etc. But I am to also understand, not all carbons respond the same due to how they are constructed. 
Was curious if the 770 or 440 is designed to be that much different from each other. Or they are pretty much the same forks just a different "packaging" from one year to the next.

Again Thank you for anyone that would care to help. 

Respectfully AJ


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## FujiTP2009

It sounds like a great deal on the 07, however if you have bad neck problems I would suggest opting for a full carbon bike, just my 2 cents, before I purchased my team pro I also tried out the roubaix Rc just because the components were stellar. I did not like the feel of that bike but to each their own!


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