# Building up an old Fuji on a budget



## lankyrunner (Apr 4, 2006)

i have an old 1980's (i believe) Fuji w/ suntour components and the old 126 mm spacing. i have a budget of around 800 dollars for the whole build. i think im going to do at least some if not most of the labor(despite my limited experience). im thinking about building the wheels myself, and doing the pedals and possibly a dereilleur. 
i know there are all sorts of sweet things if i wanted to spend thousands, but i was wondering if anyone has a recommendation of what i should be looking for when i browse ebay and magazines.


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## vana4 (Apr 3, 2006)

*Try to find a used bike with good nuggets*

I have built wheels before but it takes time to learn and there is not the selection of good affordable rims as there used to be. Check craigslist for a bike with good wheels, alot of people stay away from suntour so you may be able to find the complete bike that blows away the Fuji.

I am building up an old trek and have been scrounging the local bike coop and other places that sell used stuff. I scored a set of campy wheels (freewheel type) for 100 but i am now left wondering when I will ever find a good cheap crank.

It seems easier to justify spending some more if you have a really good frame. But if you have something that shows up complete for $300, it is hard to justify a $100 crank

Other than the wheels, try to do everything yourself. bikes are really quite simple. Most things can be done with a set of metric allen wrenches. Do not use pliers on the nuts and bolts, pay attention and you will be fine.

MCL


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## racerx (Jan 29, 2004)

*For about $800...You could*

get this brand new...

http://www.bikesdirect.com/10day_april/

unless you specifically want an old bike. I like old bikes, but all things considered, you could do better with your money.

I'd suggest keeping the bike as it is, simply replacing cables/housing and only those items that need replacement.

With the 126 spacing, you may have a hard time fitting a nine speed cluster back there. 

The old Fuji's are cool old bikes. Nothing wrong with showing up on a club ride with good ol' friction dt shifters and riding the pants off the OCLV owners.

Enjoy this bike as it is and spend the $800.00 on the Moto or look through the RBR classifieds. I see killer deals on almost new bikes all the time there.


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## Cory (Jan 29, 2004)

*You could build a decent ride & put $650 in your pocket.*

The 126 spacing is going to make it tough to find a rear wheel, though I imagine you could force a 130mm hub in there. Doesn't seem to me there's much point in spending $800 on it, though. Beyond good wheels and making sure everything is lubed, tuned and adjusted the way it should be, nothing that comes to mind as "modernizing" or "upgrading" is going to be a significant improvement when you consider what it costs. If it were mine, I'd just do the bearings and cables and brake pads (what, 50 bucks max?) and ride it while I kept my eyes open for a wheel, if it really needs a wheel.
If you do decide to change the driveline, remember that all Shimano bar-end shifters have friction capability, so you can run any combination of derailleur and cassette (or is that a freewheel back there? I forget when they changed over). I have bar-ends on two bikes, and I really like them.
Don't misunderstand--I like old bikes. I even have a couple about that vintage (Trek and Bridgestone) that I still ride. But if you put $800 into that thing, all you'll have is a $1000 bike worth $200.


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## bwana (Feb 4, 2005)

GVH bikes (see the sticky at the top of the forum) has a number of used 126 wheels, and even one NOS 126 tubular rimmed wheel. Still, I agree that spending hundreds on this bike doesn't make much sense.


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## Dave_Stohler (Jan 22, 2004)

Frankly, most Fuji's were pretty cheap bikes. Spend $800 on a very old, very ordinary frame??? Why???


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## cmg (Oct 27, 2004)

go to GVH bikes and look at his misc.components page for low price stuff. also go to chuck's bike website look at his online catalogue. at either site you could buy almost a complete bike for your $800. turn the fuji into a fixie.


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## fbagatelleblack (Mar 31, 2005)

Many people have pointed out that you can get a good new bike for $800, BUT there might be good reasons for you to build up that Fuji with nice, new components. Such as... an old Fuji Valite frame is one of the best frames available in a 67cm model. If you are freakishly tall like I am, then you can really appreciate those big Valite frames and you understand why they are worthy of being part of a high-dollar restomod.

I spent a lot less than $800 on Frankenbike, which started life as a 1983, 67cm Fuji Del Rey:

http://www.cyclofiend.com/cc/2005/cc066-forbesbb1205.html

However, it was a great bike on a ~$350 budget. You could build up something along the same lines, or you could drop more cash and build something nicer.

I'd recommend checking out Rivendell:

http://www.rivbike.com/webalog/

for parts that would look good on your Fuji, like a set of "Noodle" handlebars and some "Silver" bar-end shifters.

For the more generic parts, I'd surf www.nashbar.com to see what's on sale. I tend to build these old frames up as triples, with Shimano ATB rear derailleurs (mostly XT) and Shimano road front derailleurs (the 105 triple is a screaming deal).

Remember that your Fuji was probably built for 27" wheels, not 700C, so you need to decide whether you are going to buy or build 27" wheels, or put on long reach brakes. Before you buy brakes, measure the extension you will require to make sure that the long reach brakes will be long enough. Nashbar has a decent set of long reach dual-pivot sidepulls CHEAP (but I just checked the website, and I don't see them available right now). 

You can also find some very nice 27" wheelsets on eBay relatively cheaply, or you can go to BOBishBikesFS at Yahoo groups and post a request for such wheels.

Good luck! Hope the bike turns out nicely,

FBB



.


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## lankyrunner (Apr 4, 2006)

fbagatelleblack said:


> Many people have pointed out that you can get a good new bike for $800, BUT there might be good reasons for you to build up that Fuji with nice, new components. Such as... an old Fuji Valite frame is one of the best frames available in a 67cm model. If you are freakishly tall like I am, then you can really appreciate those big Valite frames and you understand why they are worthy of being part of a high-dollar restomod.
> 
> I spent a lot less than $800 on Frankenbike, which started life as a 1983, 67cm Fuji Del Rey:
> 
> ...


thanks a lot fbb for all the advice. ill definitely take your advice to heart. its good to see someone else understands why i might do this.


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