# Fuji in trash



## KendleFox (Sep 5, 2005)

Funny thing happened today.

I've been looking for an older road bike to tinker with at the thrift shops for months now, with no luck. Then today I found a Fuji Sagres Valite bike standing next to a dumpster!
I dont know much about these bikes. It looks like it can be ridable again, with some TLC

I do know it's made in Japan, is a 12- speed, weighs 26 pounds, and has Suntour components. I think it's a 1984, based on a loose interpitation of the serial number.

Does anyone "in the know" have any insite to add about this bike and it's potential?

All help good or bad is welcome...Thanks...Jason


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## fbagatelleblack (Mar 31, 2005)

It's a darn fine bike. I forget if the Sagress has the quad-butted Valite or the straight guage tubing, but either way you can make a sweet, sturdy ride out of it. It should weigh in the mid-to-high twenties when nekked, and it should be pretty bomb proof if the wheels are in good shape.

It's worth roughly didly-squat in financial terms, so think of it as a rider, not a collector.

Have fun with it!

- FBB


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## KendleFox (Sep 5, 2005)

Thanks for the reply. It is a Quad-butted frame (whatever that means). I'm not planning on selling it as a collectable, I just want a solid bike to ride around with...


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## fbagatelleblack (Mar 31, 2005)

Those quad-butted frames are very nice. Valite is a chrome-vandium steel alloy. It was drawn by Ishiwata for Fuji. It was one of the first high-quality seamed tubings available. Whether you use the old components, or build the bike up with modern stuff, it should be a kind ride!

Enjoy,

Forbes


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## Bryce (Nov 3, 2005)

*quad butted*

I believe that the term "quad butted" is actually a misnomer, but with a meaning. most standard butted tubing has two tubing thicknesses -- the main section has thinner tubing and the two butt sections are thicker (and the same thickness). As I recall, quad butted referrs to a tube section having four thicknesses. For example, on a seat tube the butt end at the bottom bracket was thicker than the butt at the top tube and the there was a thinner section of the main portion higher up. It was supposed to be a way to maximize strength and lightness. No idea if it really worked or if it was just a marketing tool.


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## fbagatelleblack (Mar 31, 2005)

Bryce said:


> I believe that the term "quad butted" is actually a misnomer


I used to think so too. In fact, I probably posted that on this forum at one time or another, but Bobby Sapovits on the iBOB list recently set me straight. He posted this link:

https://www.equusbicycle.com/bike/ishiwata/page-02.jpg

which shows the Ishiwata quad-butted EXO tubing. Valite was made the same way, perhaps with different taper specs called out by Fuji. Note that the tubes really are "quad butted" with a thick section at the end, then a relatively steep taper, then a gradual taper to the thinnest section in the middle of the tube, then the reverse towards the opposite end of the tube. That's the beauty of rolled, seamed tubing! You can shape the wall thickness pretty much any way you want, with multiple wall thicknesses and smooth, well controlled tapers between the different wall thicknesses so that you minimize stress risers.

It's a beautiful thing!

Yours,

FBB


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