greatscott

Superbe Tech and Mountech...I have a story for you all that might be interested.

If you go online and do research concerning the Superbe Tech, and Mountech you will get a bunch of negative reviews on it, read what Disraeli Gears has to say about that Tech series.

Here's my story. In 1984 I replaced my bent racing frame with a Trek 660 frame and fork, I had it equipped with Suntour Superbe everything and the Tech rear derailleur. That derailleur is the only derailleur that can shift gears while power is applied! I could shift that that thing climbing mountains in So Calif and it would bang into gears, when that sort of power wasn't being applied it shifted faster and quieter than any derailleur I ever knew. I had heard of issues with that derailleur when I bought it, so about a year or two after I bought the bike Suntour was done for, so I bought another Tech rear, Pro front set of derailleurs and pedals so I could replace the rear when it broke...over 150,000 miles and almost 40 years later that derailleur still works like it did when it was new, that meant I still had another Superbe Tech and Pro, and the pedals unopened in their boxes all those years.

When I bought the 84 Fuji Club at a garage sale for $40 with about 5 miles on the bike about 12 years ago, it came with Suntour ARX, I tried everything I could think of to get that piece of crap to shift right, I even took it two different bike shops, and it never wanted to shift well, so about 8 years ago I got fed up messing with the ARX and took them off and put on the Superbe Tech rear, the Superbe Pro front, and the Superbe Pedals; after 8 years and roughly 10,000 miles the Tech rear is flawless.

Another story, getting bored yet? Anyway, I had a 85 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe that came with Suntour Mountech derailleurs, that rear derailleur shifted as fast as the Tech did and it's shifting a wider gear range, after 20 some odd thousand miles the bike was destroyed in a crash, but that Mountech was flawless. I took the Mountech stuff, and the rest of the components as well off that bike and will use them for another project.

The one thing about those derailleurs, they don't like dirt according to the negative reports, not a problem for me because I keep my stuff clean, but the touring bike went through a lot of rain and the Mountech didn't flinch. I don't think the negative reviews on the Tech/Mountech series is accurate, I think there wasn't that many sold, and some people may not have known how to adjust them and felt they got a bad deal, I don't know, but I have two of the Tech series and one of the Mountech series, and I can't not find anything to complain about them, in fact they are the best friction derailleurs I've ever used. I have pretty much retired the 84 Trek, after over 150,000 miles, a person gets a bit leery of something breaking while riding with that sort of mileage, but I think it could still could go a long ways yet if it had too.

Piff 

Very interesting account, I'll have to give them a try sometime...just not on a tour

Maxey

I posted a 1984 Touring Series V I'm considering buying in the C&V appraisals -- I would greatly appreciate any of the Fuji experts wandering on over and offering some opinions there when they get a chance. I'll post the pictures here, but probably best to comment on value etc. in the other thread. (You will see below I ignored my own advice).

casanewt

In my area, Cincinnati, I have sold two Touring Series IVs, and always had a hard time getting more than $200. Other markets are different. The TSV, with bar end shifters, fork rack mounts, and even more rarity, would command more. They are actually undervalued compared to the Miyata 1000 IMHO. Wild, I never noticed that the TSV said "Fuji America" on the top tube. The TSIV and TSIII did not. Anyways, here is a link to the catalog. https://classicfuji.posthaven.com/19...-no-14-edition

Maxey

Casa, thanks for the reply. I'm not sure if you saw my post in C&V Appraisals, but seller is asking $450, and if I can get it for a little less than that I could live with it. $450 is what I would consider overpriced in my neck of the woods (N. Dakota), but then again, as they say, try and find another. Very unlikely in this area, and all and all, the price isn't unfair, and no doubt seller is aware of what he has. I've already checked out the catalog and read through this entire thread last night. Needless to say, I'm a bit of a Fuji fan now!

casanewt

Is it the right size for you? That is obviously very important if you pay that much for one. We all know it is potentially worth that much, but there are other comparable vintage touring bikes you could land for a lot less. There is a 24" TSIV on Marketplace here for $150. I picked up a 1991 Schwinn Voyager and a 1985 Miyata 610 within the last couple of years at $100 each. Good deals are out there.

Maxey

Yes, size looks to be right for me, but of course I would take it for a spin to be sure. In the appraisals someone thought it looked like a 58cm, which would fit me. I think 24" is too large for me. I had actually put off inquiring about this bike because of the asking price not being a typical bargain price that I usually see in my locale (I recently picked up a nice, 1-owner 1972 Manufrance touring bike for $25), but I think the seller seems to know vintage bikes, and as others have pointed out the bike looks very original and unmolested, which is worth a bit of a premium to me, and in any case I don't think the price is too out of line. As far as other bikes you mention, there's just not any in my area so I would have to rely on shipping one from elsewhere which could easily turn a $200 bike into a bike that costs near as much as this one, and I wouldn't be able to inspect and ride those beforehand. Anyways, I'm not hellbent on buying this bike, but will definitely go look at it, and if it is as nice as represented may buy it (after beating up seller on price a little). Thanks for the input!

casanewt

If it is only being sold locally, I think it will sit for a long time on the market at that price. I would offer $200 and go from there. A more realistic top price in an average market is $250-$300 IMHO.

Maxey

That's great input, Casa. Sometimes I get too hung up on acquiring a bike if I really want it and throw common sense out the window (well, not completely) when it comes to price. Thanks!

rekmeyata

Very nice looking bike, appears from the photos to be in excellent condition which makes it all the more difficult to find. I would say the frame size could be either a 56 or a 58. While $450 is a bit high, but with the condition of the bike, assuming of course the photos are accurate, I think the price is pretty darn close. I would try offer $375, which he might counter at $400. Fuji probably had the best frames coming out of Japan, some might argue that, but my 84 Fuji Club with the quad butted tubing is a better frame in terms of stiffness than any of my other bikes from that era! Fuji was an underrated manufacturer that's for sure. If I lived in your area I would have bought it by now if it checked out good.

Keep in mind, that in order to be worth the offered price it has to be 100% original, if they sold off the original components they did so to make money, now that bike isn't worth as much.

https://classicfuji.posthaven.com/19...-no-14-edition

Check out the components the wheels etc to make sure they line up with what the catalog said came with the bike new. Stuff like the tires obviously won't be original, but the bike looks like it has very low miles on it so the wheels should be stock, from what I can see it does look stock.

Don't let the Suntour Mountech derailleur scare you, that stuff was fantastic to tour on, it shifted fast while under load, took a very wide gear range without a hiccup. Just keep the derailleur clean and lubed, I use TriFlow on my components and they work buttery smooth. I have a Suntour Superbe Tech which is just a short cage racing version of the Mountech, which I also have, but the Tech has over 150,000 miles on it and never once gave me the slightest problem, even though internet said they were problematic, no they weren't, they were the fastest shifting derailleur ever made in the time of friction, and in fact can outshift my more modern stuff!

I had a brand new in the box Superbe Tech I bought when I bought my 86 Trek 660 as a frame and fork, I bought the extra derailleur in case the original one broke, it never did, so I took off the Suntour ARX that never shifted that good that was my 84 Fuji Club and put those on instead about 10 years ago, what a day and night difference they made to how it shifts. My now deceased 85 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe had the Mountech on it, it worked fantastically, I kept all the components off that bike after it died in a crash, in a few months I will be slowly transferring that stuff to a Dawes that all I have is a frame/fork, crank, bars and seatpost, that was a dumpster find. Anyway, I said all of that to say, don't take those old components off, they are highly durable components and will last you a lifetime and then some.

Maxey

Hi rekmeyata, thanks for all the input. The buying strategy you spelled out is similar to what I now have in mind though I might start a little lower. I think from just inspecting the pictures the bike is original except for the seat. Your suggestion to check the components against the catalog gave me the idea to print the catalog page and bring it with me to compare to the bike in person. The catalog shows a 55cm (no 56) and a 58cm so I'm hoping it's the 58 as the 55 would probably be a bit too small for me.

I read elsewhere on the site your comments on the Mountech derailleur and I agree that like most anything else maintenance is the key to making anything last. I have some Triflow in my inventory so will keep that in mind if I buy the bike. Impressive you have so many miles on yours! I also agree with not changing any of the original components as I've always been a fan of keeping machines as original as possible when practical. Thanks again.

ADguy 

That looks like a very nice bike in great condition.
Rekmeyata has offered the right buying strategy in my opinion, esp. if it still has its original components. What’s $1-200 if you love the bike, and it fits you, and you plan to keep it?
You’re not gonna find another one like that in ND, and you’ll prob want to crawl into a hole if someone else gets it before you make up your mind. If you can afford it, try to haggle a bit and let the seller get a fair price.

For an independent POV, reach out to fellow member Scott Ryder, who knows Fujis.
Good Luck☘️and…let us know how you make out.

Maxey

I appreciate the thoughts, ADguy, good to get a perspective like that also. I'm very recent to the vintage bike world, but wouldn't mind putting a little collection together, and I think this would be a fine example of a vintage Japanese touring bike. I already have a vintage French touring bike so why not. That's not to say I'd never ride it, but probably only on certain occasions. I have a few modern bikes I would much less mind wearing out first.

I would certainly have some pangs of regret if I didn't acquire it, but I've found it best not to dwell on such things for too long. I won't be able to check the bike out 'til the weekend as it is not in the same town as me, is some distance actually, so that's beyond my control. I'll be sure to let everyone know how it turns out.

I'm well aware of Scott Ryder, having read through this whole thread last night. I was hoping he would chime in here, but I'll leave him alone for now -- at least until I acquire the bike. Thanks!

Maxey

I posted an update about my prospective Series V over in the C&V appraisals section if any of the Fuji (and other) experts want to cruise over there and check it out. Basically had seller send some close-up photos showing various flaws and wanted to get peoples' opinions before I go any further. Thanks!

Melon Baller

My former coworker found this abandoned in a ditch and gave it to me. Rebuilt it from a ratty fixie to a less ratty single speed. First time painting a frame. It's on the heavy side but rides pretty nice. I'm still figuring out the finer points of setting up mafac racer brakes.

Rusted out frame and components



Fresh paint and some upgraded parts

Schreck83 

The Finest 1972


Details here: Another 1972 Fuji Finest

bikemig 

This could be an '81 Fuji S12-S LTD given the date on the hubs but it could be an '82-83 since as far as I can tell the bike was the same in those years as well. The bike is virtually completely factory spec other than the tires, handlebar tape, and the saddle (which, IMO, is an upgrade). I think even the water bottle cage is factory spec. The bike had a lot of dust and dirt when I picked it up but it will clean up nicely. The bike has seen some use but the chain has little stretch so it can't have seen many miles. Current plans are to rehab the bike and build it into a daily commuter likely running 27 x 1 and 1/4 Schwalbe green guard tires. I'm going to try to resist changing anything on the bike other than I'll likely go with aero brake levers and platform pedals. Heck I'll likely even keep the pie plate. I may swap out the crank as I could use that Sugino mighty tour for a different project. These pics are the bike as found in the "wild," along with the '82 catalog page for the bike.

MrGastrognome

Good find! With that sweep and flare those bars look more like Nitto B135s rather than Olympiade 115s, which is a nice upgrade, more comfortable but still keep the vintage look. I run them on my '82 Team Fuji. Avocet saddle is not original but I think the stock saddle was also a plastic shell... Fujita leather saddles aren't hard to find for a nice upgrade. Personally I like the ride feel of Panaracer Pasellas 1.25" over the Schwalbes and am happy to trade some puncture resistance for comfort.

edit: Just to play devil's advocate; these are pretty great 650b swapped with meatier tires and some dual pivot brakes.

Muffins

That's good to hear, I've recently picked up a Univega (I know, wrong thread) Specialissima with Suntour Superbe everything and Superbe Tech RD. It's a touring bike, so reliability is important. But being able to shift while going up hill sounds nice, especially with an extra hundred pounds of gear on the bike.

sd5782 

That S12 LTD looks like a nicely specced bike for long comfortable rides. Pretty light weight too for that class. Mighty tour crank and nice VX-S derailleur just top off the pleasantness. And to top it all off is a proper spoke protector and the best mirror sold. Nice!

bikemig 

Good eye, those are randonneur handlebars but they're SR world randonneurs, not Nitto. Still very nice handlebars with the original Nitto technomic stem.

I've read the threads on converting the S 12S LTD to 650b. Apparently this bike takes to 650b like a duck takes to water. That was in the back of my mind when I bought the bike.

I had forgotten about those mirrycles; they are good mirrors and the company is still in business,
https://mirrycle.com/collections/mirrors

I do like the spoke protector so I think it's staying.

Pompiere

I can vouch for the S12-S LTD being really nice for long comfortable rides. I have done a few since I built mine, including a metric century. I'm also a fan of the Mirrycle brake mounted mirror. The bike had already been poorly resprayed (the old paint came right off with sandpaper), so I had no qualms repainting it to my own preference. I got the decals from Velocals before they ended their business.


1981 Fuji S12-S LTD

Josh BWS

It's a nice bar end shifters, are those friction or indexing?

sd5782 

I’ve surely posted before on my Newest. Just out on a 15 mile ride on it today. This one is my “fast” bike, which isn’t saying much as I am 67 and slow. These are kinda rare and I believe the geometry lists a 74 degree head tube yet plenty of fork rake. Interesting how various things were tried in that era. IIRC my measurements came out to be about middling on the overall trail measurements. It is very pleasant to ride, but I am trying to break in a newly acquired Fujitia Belt saddle that is very hard. Eventually when I get older still, I have a Suntour Mighty Tour ready for some easier gearing. The place in history on the Fuji brand and rarity of this model brings a smile to me, and the ride quality is the icing on the cake. Older photo doesn’t show the newer seat. The only thing stock on this bike is the crank with bb, and the paint minus the new decals.

MooneyBloke

A buddy of mine had an S12-S ltd from 78 or 79. I don't remember his coming with barcons though.