80's Fuji Sagres for touring
05-07-18, 06:58 AM
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80's Fuji Sagres for touring
A friend of mine wants to join us for some touring. She went through her basement and dug out her old Fuji Sagres from the 80's. Is anyone familiar with this frame and the ability to use this bike for touring? She sent me the photo (attached here) . Anyone familiar with this bike? As far as I can see there are no brazeons on the front fork for a front rack and I don't know how much load the rear rack can take.
05-07-18, 07:13 AM
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You can tour on anything, but that certainly doesn’t look built for touring. It would probably work fine for some one to two night trips in a fairly flat area with a light load in rear panniers.
05-07-18, 07:20 AM
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yeah. I got an old pair of panniers I'll lend her and we'll see if it works out :-)
05-07-18, 07:21 AM
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IIRC, those had double mounts on the back and a fender rack on the front. The gearing will be a bit high stock for touring, but if it fits her and shes comfortable on it, I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work.
05-07-18, 08:47 PM
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How much riding is she looking to do?
based on the description of digging a bike out of the basement, and it being friction stem shifters, i wouldn't guess she rides frequently or far.
that thing for sure needs a tuneup/refurbishment before being heavily used.
based on the description of digging a bike out of the basement, and it being friction stem shifters, i wouldn't guess she rides frequently or far.
that thing for sure needs a tuneup/refurbishment before being heavily used.
05-08-18, 01:34 AM
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Like others have said, yes you can ride it. But not across bumpy terrain, not on steep hills, no big loads and... give it a quick tune up.
And the most important part: make sure she’s comfortable!!
And the most important part: make sure she’s comfortable!!
05-08-18, 02:53 AM
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She rides another bike for fitness 2 to 3 times per week but says if she wasn't given the fitness bike for free (vintage trek composite) she would have kept on riding this fuji. So I'm assuming the fuji fits her too but needs a tune up.
05-08-18, 02:11 PM
#8
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That's an '84 or '85 Sagres, probably an '84 if that's the original handlebar wrap. Here's its catalog page.
Not being a touring bike, it's possible that its handling will go quite weird when subjected to a significant rear load. That's not necessarily a dealbreaker, but before going on the tour, she should ride it around with its full load to make sure that it hasn't developed any particularly terrifying behaviors. If practical, distributing some load elsewhere on the bike might have benefits.
Although there are no "rack mounts" on the fork, you could use p-clips to create mounts for a front rack. Should be fine for a light front load.
Will your tour involve any real climbing? The gearing only goes down to about 38 gear inches... by current standards that's quite high even for a racing bike. The good news is that the old friction drivetrain is compatible with loads of stuff, and that rear derailleur is a long-cage model that has quite a bit of wrap to spare, so you could change a number of things pretty easily if you want to.
Not being a touring bike, it's possible that its handling will go quite weird when subjected to a significant rear load. That's not necessarily a dealbreaker, but before going on the tour, she should ride it around with its full load to make sure that it hasn't developed any particularly terrifying behaviors. If practical, distributing some load elsewhere on the bike might have benefits.
Although there are no "rack mounts" on the fork, you could use p-clips to create mounts for a front rack. Should be fine for a light front load.
Will your tour involve any real climbing? The gearing only goes down to about 38 gear inches... by current standards that's quite high even for a racing bike. The good news is that the old friction drivetrain is compatible with loads of stuff, and that rear derailleur is a long-cage model that has quite a bit of wrap to spare, so you could change a number of things pretty easily if you want to.
05-08-18, 06:11 PM
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I toured for several months on a bike not as nice as that Sagres so, yes, it can be done. Handlebar bag and rear panniers should be adequate for light touring. She might have to walk some hills, depending on where you guys go riding.
05-08-18, 09:45 PM
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The word used "touring" is a bit oblique. In order to determine what bikes/equipment are "best', I would think a bit more info is in order for best inpt.
Yes, that bike CAN be used for light touring, short to moderate distances. The question remains about the durability of the power train and braking. Heading downward on a 7% slope with a full load COULD be a bit nerve wracking with those lower-end brakes (Dia Compe side-pulls). Going UP with a 30T low end likely means good walking footwear is in order.
I would not see that bike as a world-touring vehicle with fully-loaded panniers, cross trekking a continent. But a casual 20-50 mile weekend local excursion, out in the fresh air countryside. Sure. Why not!
Yes, that bike CAN be used for light touring, short to moderate distances. The question remains about the durability of the power train and braking. Heading downward on a 7% slope with a full load COULD be a bit nerve wracking with those lower-end brakes (Dia Compe side-pulls). Going UP with a 30T low end likely means good walking footwear is in order.
I would not see that bike as a world-touring vehicle with fully-loaded panniers, cross trekking a continent. But a casual 20-50 mile weekend local excursion, out in the fresh air countryside. Sure. Why not!
05-08-18, 10:27 PM
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I will show her this thread of responses. Thank you
05-14-18, 01:44 PM
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She can replace the 52- 40 front chainrings with something like 46-34. It might be possible to add a small inner ring if the cranks are drilled : check to see. I toured for thousands of miles with racks attached with p-clamps.
05-17-18, 05:17 AM
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If it hasn't been done in recent memory, the bearings (bottom bracket, hubs, forks) should be cleaned and regreased. Make sure the tires aren't dried out. Some type of puncture resistant tires would be good. Brake pads might also need to be changed if they dried out. Just standard maintenance stuff.
