Fuji diamond in the (very) rough?
06-22-19, 10:42 AM
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Fuji diamond in the (very) rough?
I just picked up this Fuji road bike from a thrift store yesterday. I saw the suntour barcons from halfway across the parking lot and made a bee-line for it. Upon closer inspection, this bike has been through a lot. I got a great price for it, considering the parts at $25.
We've got Suntour barcons, nitto technomic (tall!), salsa bars, Dura-Ace brakes, Dura-Ace cranks, Dura-Ace front hub laced to unlabeled rim, rear Campy rim laced to high flange hub.
Less exciting bits, RSX rear derailleur, Suntour AR front derailleur, shimano stx headset, gross cinelli color splash bar tape.
On close inspection there is a decal on the top tube, "The Ace". So, what I have is a top of the line 1970s Fuji road bike with a handful of the original Dura-Ace parts. The frame is on the big side for me, but not too big. I feel compelled to restore this beauty. It has no damage save for mild rust and the stem and seatpost move freely.
Any insights or suggestions on where to go from here? I'm debating whether acquiring the missing vintage parts or, because it already has cable stops brazed to the downtube, going with a more modern rebuild with STI levers, maybe 90s era 8 speed Dura-Ace.
We've got Suntour barcons, nitto technomic (tall!), salsa bars, Dura-Ace brakes, Dura-Ace cranks, Dura-Ace front hub laced to unlabeled rim, rear Campy rim laced to high flange hub.
Less exciting bits, RSX rear derailleur, Suntour AR front derailleur, shimano stx headset, gross cinelli color splash bar tape.
On close inspection there is a decal on the top tube, "The Ace". So, what I have is a top of the line 1970s Fuji road bike with a handful of the original Dura-Ace parts. The frame is on the big side for me, but not too big. I feel compelled to restore this beauty. It has no damage save for mild rust and the stem and seatpost move freely.
Any insights or suggestions on where to go from here? I'm debating whether acquiring the missing vintage parts or, because it already has cable stops brazed to the downtube, going with a more modern rebuild with STI levers, maybe 90s era 8 speed Dura-Ace.
Last edited by ncrnelson; 06-22-19 at 11:19 AM.
06-22-19, 01:03 PM
#2
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Wow. That's a very nice score for $25. But, considering the parts hanging on it - I think it's closer to an 80's bike than a 70's. Mis-matched wheels indicate some component changes happened over the years. My wife is screaming at me to get off the computer. Have fun. Be good.
06-22-19, 02:59 PM
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Get an inexpensive caliper measuring tool somewhere. Something about 6" long is best. Measure the distance between the rear dropouts. If it's an old 6 speed, then it should measure around 130mm. Old 6 speeds are easy to convert to more modern 7 speeds. Shimano and MicroShift both make 7 speed brifters. Since you already got the down tube cable stops it's easy peasy.
06-22-19, 03:01 PM
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It looks like somebody put a long reach handlebar stem on that bike at some point in time. Someone that rode it probably had a long torso.
06-22-19, 04:07 PM
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Seeing as I can't touch SunTour bar cons on ebay for less that $40 these days you got a great deal just for the shifters and everything else is gravy.
06-22-19, 04:36 PM
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Wow. That's a very nice score for $25. But, considering the parts hanging on it - I think it's closer to an 80's bike than a 70's. Mis-matched wheels indicate some component changes happened over the years. My wife is screaming at me to get off the computer. Have fun. Be good.
06-22-19, 04:38 PM
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That version of the Fuji Ace was available 1974-1976, per ClassicFuji.com.
Based on the color, it’s the 1975-6 version:
Based on the color, it’s the 1975-6 version:
Wow. That's a very nice score for $25. But, considering the parts hanging on it - I think it's closer to an 80's bike than a 70's. Mis-matched wheels indicate some component changes happened over the years. My wife is screaming at me to get off the computer. Have fun. Be good.
06-22-19, 06:03 PM
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Hmmm, the OP's bike has shift cable stop braze-ons. All the '70s catalog models show DT shifters.
Oh - do I see "alternate" paint around that part of the DT? Maybe the braze-ons are an in-service mod. Interesting provenance, anyway.
As a 5-speed, it will have 120mm rear spacing, which will be limiting unless you opt to cold set it.
(So, based on the title of your thread, is this "the Ace of Diamonds"?)
Oh - do I see "alternate" paint around that part of the DT? Maybe the braze-ons are an in-service mod. Interesting provenance, anyway.
As a 5-speed, it will have 120mm rear spacing, which will be limiting unless you opt to cold set it.
(So, based on the title of your thread, is this "the Ace of Diamonds"?)
06-22-19, 06:44 PM
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