jemaleddin

[I tried posting a version of this earlier, but I’m a newbie and I included links to helpful photos, so the whole thing seems to have been eaten by the machine. Hope it doesn’t show up subsequently.]

Howdy!

I found the frame of a 1980s Steel Blue Fuji S12-S Mixte 18-speed in the barn of a guy who builds bikes and sells them for cheap, and am having him put it together into a bike with what he has on hand. The frame has the original bars, (now-dying) leather seat, brakes, derailleurs and reflectors, but not much else. I don’t think I’m likely to get the sweet FUJI stamped crank arms, but maybe down the road?

The original model came with a black seat and bar tape, but my wife has convinced me that it would look pretty great with (faux) leather saddle and bar tape, which we have ordered. The “Manganese Brown” non-mixte version came with gum rubber hoods on the brakes, and that seems like a good opportunity to add some comfort to the build in the form of some matching brown brake hood covers, but leads to some questions:

a) the original brakes are Dia Compe 610 center pull (mounted nearly horizontally on the back!) and adding covers means removing the safety levers, which I’m ambivalent about since my first 10-speed had them, and

b) they just have a plain metal hood, but the way the builder tapes bars leads to them getting some tape on the hoods, so maybe this is unnecessary? But mostly…

c) beyond questions of necessity and preservation, I have no idea how to figure out what style or size would fit?

So what do you all think?

(This is my first post, so please be gentle and let me know if I’ve done anything or everything wrong.)

Thanks!

zandoval 

Ha... Welcome to the forum. Don't take anything said here serious enough to feel bad about it. That is unless its about some new chain lube or the search for a comfortable seat.

I would say your wife is right. A nice leather or faux leather wrap on the bars would be perfect and comfortable if thick. Then you can use the same material to wrap the brakes instead of using hoods. There are plenty of threads describing the methods. Also the search engine for the forum can be tedious. For a more simpler search try using a Google search like this:

jemaleddin

Obviously, dipping in melted wax is the simplest and easiest method. 😀

Well that is certainly the simplest answer!

Good tip! Thanks!

Murray Missile 

I've had a couple 70's bikes that had safety levers with brake hoods, some of the Dia-Compe hoods even came with a perforated cutout for them and you can still find them on Ebay. I know "turkey levers" are considered a cycling fashion faux paus but so many entry to mid-level bikes during the Bike Boom came with them if you're recreating a bike you used to have with them by all means go for it. When combined with modern brake cable housngs like Jagwire, a high quality set of pads like Kool Stops and proper brake adjustment they can be quite effectivel. I have an old Schiwnn Varsity with them, it weighs 45 Lbs. all by its lonesome and I add another 230 or so to it and even with chrome steel rims I can bring it to a dead stop very quickly with the "turkey levers" without having to pull them so hard they touch the bars which was the big complaint with them IIRC. They flexed so much and there was so much slack in the system they would hit the bard befor you could apply full pressure at the pads.

jemaleddin

I looked around eBay and boy is that a cesspool - most of the Dia Compe hood covers had “Shimano” stamped on them. 😕 But I’m not sure if the ones that look real would fit right.

I think I’m going to have to see how they feel before I can make a decision – if I can get them dialed in the way you describe, they’d definitely be worth keeping!

Well, this is less than a full refurbish. I've got some of the original parts, and the builder is going to replace the missing bits with things he has on hand to get it up and working. Luckily, the original brakes and levers are there, I'm just thinking about ading a cover to the bare metal. Once I get the bike, I can start looking to replace the parts he puts on with more appropriate bits as they become available. For instance, the original had these sweet forged alloy cranks with FUJI stamped in them, and I think I can source those.

Did I mention that I'm only paying $200 for the whole shebang? So: can't be too picky.

Murray Missile 

I bought 4 sets of Dia Compes just last fall, maybe I got the last ones LOL.

jemaleddin

Well, I will never forgive you. 😀

I think I will have to table my ebay searches until I have the bike in hand. But thanks for the suggestion!