So, this might have happened... NBD - 2016 Fuji Touring workhorse

[bladesman73]

I got the flat bar version brand new earlier this year. Served me around Netherlands a few weeks ago, going again on Monday. Nice bike, heavy, but comfortable. Just stuck some marathon plus tyres on it, much better than the stock Vittoria Randonneurs it came with.

 

[wafter]

I got the flat bar version brand new earlier this year. Served me around Netherlands a few weeks ago, going again on Monday. Nice bike, heavy, but comfortable. Just stuck some marathon plus tyres on it, much better than the stock Vittoria Randonneurs it came with.

Nice work - does yours have discs? Having spent quite a while battling the V-brakes earlier I can't say as I'm a huge fan of these..


Another full day has been swallowed and I now have something vaguely resembling a bicycle again, although there's still more to do.

Once clean I laid the chain out on the floor and measured it; coming to around 1/8" longer than it should be over 54 link pairs; so around 0.25% worn / half way through it's life - not all bad and I'm glad I didn't put my hand in my pocket for a replacement.

A lot cleaner than it was and ready for waxing:

Other tasks today included:
- Finishing cutting the paint on the frame and forks
- Treating a small amount of rust on the chainstay
- Waxing the frame, forks and a few other bits
- Stripping and cleaning the brakes
- Cleaning the headset bearings
- Trim RD front cable housing and fit new ferrule

The rotary tool made a great job of finishing the cable; to the extent that I think I can save myself the £40-odd I was expecting to spend on a Park Tool cutter at some point:

I could have cut it back a bit more to get rid of the last bit of split plastic, but wanted to retain as much as possible as I feared it was already too short. This job was made more fun by the inability to withdraw the inner cable fully due to its kinked / frayed end , so I had to work around it with the cutting disc..

Nice and tidy with a new ferrule:

As suspected when it was refitted it does seem a bit tight; with the rad on the cable forcing it hard against the head tube and kicking it over in the barrel adjustor on the frame. I'll continue with it as it is for now, but ideally it looks like the cables want replacing with some longer ones.

Setting up the V-brakes has imbued me with a fresh hatred for them; since they need to run very close to the rims otherwise you run out of lever pull, while they appear to lack any form of adjustment so it all has to be done by slackening off the cable clamp bolt and gingerly shunting the cable through a mil at a time.. which is both tedious and inaccurate.

Tbh I think it's criminal that they didn't stick some in-line adjustors in the cables; might look at doing this as I have maybe 30-35mm of free cable while just like the gear cables, those for the brakes are also too short - so some adjustors would help this a bit... although really I think they need to be 2-3" longer ideally.

In addition to this there are about a million degrees of freedom in the brake shoes (up/down and rotation about every axis on spherical bolts) so getting these in place is also a pain.


Anyway.. just as the light was fading I'd got the bike together enough (no accessories, seatpost and saddle still need cleaning) to take it out for a short and repetative test ride; with mixed results.

The bike generally feels solid, stable and rides fairly nicely without too much vibration or harhsness.

The saddle is a lot more comfortable in itself now the nose no longer points ridiculously skyward, however as expected I'm struggling to get enough layback. Due to its shape the Brooks is very insistant regarding where you want to be sat on it, and IIRC I could do with it another inch perhaps further back.. which isn't possible as the rails foul the clamp as they begin to curve inwards and upwards.

Incidentally the seatpost assy appears to be geometrically identical to that on the CdF; and I can just about get away with the saddle layback on that I think because the seat is less picky.. so there's always the option to fit a similar saddle to the Fuji. That said I think that would be a shame as the more I look at it, the more frumpy / less thefty the big sprung Brookes looks.

The brakes are OK - bite point is currently wonky across the levers due to the pain of adjustment and while they feel a bit squishy (esp. the rear) the stopping power is there and modulation is OK.

I found the bar-end shifters alright to deal with; in themselves operation is nice (friction shifting only on the front, indexed with the option of friction on the back), however I have an odd problem with jumping a gear / ghost-shifting on the lower end of the cassette when in the middle ring on the front. Not sure how to resolve this as the rest of the shifting seems fine.. I'll check that the RD hanger isn't bent tomorrow. Worst case I'll have to run the rear shifter in friction mode I guess; although I'd prefer to have it indexed.

I also struggled with the triple setup somewhat; I think because of the greater need to shift the front which can be done more easily and at the same time as the rear with the STIs I had on my last triple.

Finally, somewhat predictably the wide range of the 9sp 11-34 cassette gives some very noticeably large jumps, which isn't ideal. While I love the range it gives (on paper) I wonder if there's mileage in something a bit less wide..


I also finally checked the geometry when I got home, and as it stands it's very similar to my CdF (with an 80mm stem), with the exception that the stack is 20-25mm higher so I might drop this down a bit to see how it feels as it's easy enough to do with spacers..

Anyway, enough rambling - I'm even starting to bore myself and I think it's time for bed. I suspect more toil will be had tomorrow..

 

[DCBassman]

Sounds like a good machine!
V-brakes: frankly, these are a doddle compared to cantis. Set up the blocks? Big elastic to hold the arms together, adjust away with the blocks. Lever travel insufficient? Ensure they are actually designed for V-brakes. No adjustment anywhere except the pinch bolt is an abomination! And also a pointer that the levers are not correct. Was this actually drop-bar from the get-go? The only other thing with them is learning to balance the spring tension. And I'm sure you know all this, just thinking of a check list, if you like.

 

[wafter]

Sounds like a good machine!
V-brakes: frankly, these are a doddle compared to cantis. Set up the blocks? Big elastic to hold the arms together, adjust away with the blocks. Lever travel insufficient? Ensure they are actually designed for V-brakes. No adjustment anywhere except the pinch bolt is an abomination! And also a pointer that the levers are not correct. Was this actually drop-bar from the get-go? The only other thing with them is learning to balance the spring tension. And I'm sure you know all this, just thinking of a check list, if you like.

Thanks - tbh I was on a bit of a downer with it last night after two solid days had yielded something that didn't fit me well, had wonky gears and dodgy brakes. I'd just cleaned it up a bit more this morning, fitted another saddle (the Selle Royal that's destined for the Routier), dropped the bars by 10mm and been out again - while still not right it feels so much nicer now.

If that's the case with Canti's they must truly be the work of the devil

I've set them up pretty much as you've suggested (wasn't sophisticated enough to use an elastic band though, so held them instead), however maintain this isn't particularly straightforward due to all the movement in the mounts. The lack of adjustment is certainly extremely frustrating so I'll be getting some barrel adjustors in there as soon as I can find some that are appropriate / get the opportunity. Might end up in new cables though as I'll have to pull the inners all the way through the outers and given the state of the ends they might not go back again..

I think the levers are intended for V-brake use, and in this regard the bike is all stock (link to OEM spec page in first post )

While a pain, hopefully once the brake block position has been properly set I shouldn't have to worry about them any futher, and should be able to fine-tune the pull / account for wear with some inline adjustors.

Oh, one last thing - I paid a bit more attention to the gearing issue and it apparently shifts fine to / from every sprocket on the cassette with the exception of the second-to-smallest, which is just totally skips for some reason. I'll have a play with the appropriate limit screw and cable tension later when I get the chance, but this certainly seems like an odd one..

Appreciate your input!

 

[freiston]

Looks like a promising project!

Re the indexing - check the hanger for alignment. I too have Microshift 9 speed bar-end shifters (& the same front & back tooth count as the Fuji) and run both in friction - it's easy to use and is one less job setting up.

The saddle is not a B17 - it has springs but the B17 does not. possibly the "Flyer"? Regarding the set-back: a leather saddle has a fair bit of give in it, especially one with springs and the height unladen is significantly higher than when you're sat on it. It could be that you've set the height unladen rather than laden and it needs to go up a bit - which in turn will increase the set-back. My personal & limited experience with leather saddles (I do use one but it's a Selle Italia Epoca and the only one I've used since the 70s when I was a delivery boy) is that getting the position just right is crucial but rewarding above any other type of saddle. Once you have got it more or less right, if you are still experiencing "hotspots" or points of unwelcome pressure, try small adjustments. Also, if your feet are more fore or aft than on your regular bike, then even if your saddle position is identical, it will feel different and could even cause pressure points (though a very small possibility - it could make the difference).

 

[DCBassman]

Oh, one last thing - I paid a bit more attention to the gearing issue and it apparently shifts fine to / from every sprocket on the cassette with the exception of the second-to-smallest, which is just totally skips for some reason

Off with the RD, remove and regrease pulleys, clean and lubricate to within an inch of its life. Might well fix it! Just done this to two mechs I'd considered iffy, they both now run well, and it has taught me to do that a bit more often...

 

[bladesman73]

Nice work - does yours have discs? Having spent quite a while battling the V-brakes earlier I can't say as I'm a huge fan of these..


Another full day has been swallowed and I now have something vaguely resembling a bicycle again, although there's still more to do.

Once clean I laid the chain out on the floor and measured it; coming to around 1/8" longer than it should be over 54 link pairs; so around 0.25% worn / half way through it's life - not all bad and I'm glad I didn't put my hand in my pocket for a replacement.

A lot cleaner than it was and ready for waxing:

View attachment 656078

Other tasks today included:
- Finishing cutting the paint on the frame and forks
- Treating a small amount of rust on the chainstay
- Waxing the frame, forks and a few other bits
- Stripping and cleaning the brakes
- Cleaning the headset bearings
- Trim RD front cable housing and fit new ferrule

The rotary tool made a great job of finishing the cable; to the extent that I think I can save myself the £40-odd I was expecting to spend on a Park Tool cutter at some point:

View attachment 656079

I could have cut it back a bit more to get rid of the last bit of split plastic, but wanted to retain as much as possible as I feared it was already too short. This job was made more fun by the inability to withdraw the inner cable fully due to its kinked / frayed end , so I had to work around it with the cutting disc..

Nice and tidy with a new ferrule:

View attachment 656080

As suspected when it was refitted it does seem a bit tight; with the rad on the cable forcing it hard against the head tube and kicking it over in the barrel adjustor on the frame. I'll continue with it as it is for now, but ideally it looks like the cables want replacing with some longer ones.

Setting up the V-brakes has imbued me with a fresh hatred for them; since they need to run very close to the rims otherwise you run out of lever pull, while they appear to lack any form of adjustment so it all has to be done by slackening off the cable clamp bolt and gingerly shunting the cable through a mil at a time.. which is both tedious and inaccurate.

Tbh I think it's criminal that they didn't stick some in-line adjustors in the cables; might look at doing this as I have maybe 30-35mm of free cable while just like the gear cables, those for the brakes are also too short - so some adjustors would help this a bit... although really I think they need to be 2-3" longer ideally.

In addition to this there are about a million degrees of freedom in the brake shoes (up/down and rotation about every axis on spherical bolts) so getting these in place is also a pain.


Anyway.. just as the light was fading I'd got the bike together enough (no accessories, seatpost and saddle still need cleaning) to take it out for a short and repetative test ride; with mixed results.

The bike generally feels solid, stable and rides fairly nicely without too much vibration or harhsness.

The saddle is a lot more comfortable in itself now the nose no longer points ridiculously skyward, however as expected I'm struggling to get enough layback. Due to its shape the Brooks is very insistant regarding where you want to be sat on it, and IIRC I could do with it another inch perhaps further back.. which isn't possible as the rails foul the clamp as they begin to curve inwards and upwards.

Incidentally the seatpost assy appears to be geometrically identical to that on the CdF; and I can just about get away with the saddle layback on that I think because the seat is less picky.. so there's always the option to fit a similar saddle to the Fuji. That said I think that would be a shame as the more I look at it, the more frumpy / less thefty the big sprung Brookes looks.

The brakes are OK - bite point is currently wonky across the levers due to the pain of adjustment and while they feel a bit squishy (esp. the rear) the stopping power is there and modulation is OK.

I found the bar-end shifters alright to deal with; in themselves operation is nice (friction shifting only on the front, indexed with the option of friction on the back), however I have an odd problem with jumping a gear / ghost-shifting on the lower end of the cassette when in the middle ring on the front. Not sure how to resolve this as the rest of the shift seem fine.. I'll check that the RD hanger isn't bent tomorrow. Worst case I'll have to run the rear shifter in friction mode I guess; although I'd prefer to have it indexed.

I also struggled with the triple setup somewhat; I think because of the greater need to shift the front which can be done more easily and at the same time as the rear with the STIs I had on my last triple.

Finally, somewhat predictably the wide range of the 9sp 11-34 cassette gives some very noticeably large jumps, which isn't ideal. While I love the range it gives (on paper) I wonder if there's mileage in something a bit less wide..


I also finally checked the geometry when I got home, and as it stands it's very similar to my CdF (with an 80mm stem), with the exception that the stack is 20-25mm higher so I might drop this down a bit to see how it feels as it's easy enough to do with spacers..

Anyway, enough rambling - I'm even starting to bore myself and I think it's time for bed. I suspect more toil will be had tomorrow..

No, I opted for rim brakes as I know how to service them.

 

[Gunk]

I’m after a black Brooks B17 @wafter let me know if you want to part with it?

 

[freiston]

I’m after a black Brooks B17 @wafter let me know if you want to part with it?

It's not a B17 - it has springs - looks more like a "Flyer" to me.

 

[wafter]

Lovely looking bike. The spare spokes on my Galaxy are in the same place, I think on the drive side they would be problematic to removed from the holders with a spoke key.

I would probably just stick some full size VBrakes on and get some Tektro Vbrake levers from Spa, they you don't have to worry about clearance and they are a bit better in my experience.

Thanks - sorry, failed to reply to your post last time!

Didn't think about spoke removal, although with the type of key I have I'd struggle with mine where they are. Hopefully I'll never have to use them anyway..

I think I should get away with the clearance on the brakes now they're all back together; while going longer would likely bring its own set of problems as lever pull is already as much as I'd like and longer arms will make this worse. Will just have to see how I get on, I guess

Looks like a promising project!

Re the indexing - check the hanger for alignment. I too have Microshift 9 speed bar-end shifters (& the same front & back tooth count as the Fuji) and run both in friction - it's easy to use and is one less job setting up.

The saddle is not a B17 - it has springs but the B17 does not. possibly the "Flyer"? Regarding the set-back: a leather saddle has a fair bit of give in it, especially one with springs and the height unladen is significantly higher than when you're sat on it. It could be that you've set the height unladen rather than laden and it needs to go up a bit - which in turn will increase the set-back. My personal & limited experience with leather saddles (I do use one but it's a Selle Italia Epoca and the only one I've used since the 70s when I was a delivery boy) is that getting the position just right is crucial but rewarding above any other type of saddle. Once you have got it more or less right, if you are still experiencing "hotspots" or points of unwelcome pressure, try small adjustments. Also, if your feet are more fore or aft than on your regular bike, then even if your saddle position is identical, it will feel different and could even cause pressure points (though a very small possibility - it could make the difference).

Thanks - I've eyeballed the (integral) hanger and it seems straight enough.

I'm impressed that the RH lever is switchable between indexed and friction could certainly run a full-friction setup if problems persist, although I do like the indexing and obviously there's less of a margin for error on the back.

Fingers' crossed I think I have it sorted now; I think the problem was down to the setup of the shifter and after viewing a really helpful setup guide from Microshift on Youtube I now have them adjusted correctly. I think the issue was too much friction on the indexed setting, meaning the levers wouldn't always click into their indexed positions so would rest at the natural overtravel points instead.

I've done a fair bit of fiddling tonight - adjusting cable tension on the fly using the really conveniently located barrel adjustors and can now get all gears cleanly in the middle ring, as well as the top and bottom six on the cassette on the big and small rings respectively

You're spot on regarding the saddle (tbh it even says it on the side ) - it's marked up as a "Champion Flyer".

Good point about the height - I might try it a bit more higher but I think a lot of the problem comes from the concave shape of the saddle; now I know why I see them with the nose pointing up in the air! Not a look I really want to court tbh, even if it does work. When I next have the existing saddle off I'll maybe give it another go, but I can't see it staying.

Off with the RD, remove and regrease pulleys, clean and lubricate to within an inch of its life. Might well fix it! Just done this to two mechs I'd considered iffy, they both now run well, and it has taught me to do that a bit more often...

Thanks - have already cleaned the RD thoroughly though, and as above I think I've sorted it on shifter adjustment

No, I opted for rim brakes as I know how to service them.

Cool - how are you finding them? I think they may have switched to Shimano items on the later bikes..

I’m after a black Brooks B17 @wafter let me know if you want to part with it?

Grand - as above it's actually a Champion Flyer, not a B17, but if you're still interested I'll certainly let you know if I decide to part with it.


Today has been nice as I've not woken up knackered, knowing the house is festooned with bits of bike that want going back together. I did a few small jobs on it earlier, did a little shakedown round the village, then a trip to get some eggs and finally a 10-ish miler tonight in the last hours of the fantastic evening sun to try and get the gears sorted and just enjoy the fruits of my labour

I managed to get the camera in the bag by removing the lens and packing them separately so got a few shots along the way.

As it currently stands - still some way to go but I think I've got the back of it broken

I've lashed the existing bar tape back on and it's come up nicely for a bit of scrubbing with a toothbrush and soapy water, so for now it can stay. I've also fitted the 100mm stem from my CdF (that was removed in favour of a shorter alternative) in place of the original 110mm item.

I'd initially failed to notice / account for the difference in stem angle, so have dropped the stem down another spacer to retain the stack height.

After lots of measuring I now have the Fuji running about 10mm more stack at the bars than the CdF and around the same reach; while I prefer the aesthetic of the Genesis stem I'm less keen on the spacers sat on top - although as always fit trumps looks and I'm not chopping the steerer tube!

Bringing the bars down and back has also relaxed the cable runs a bit too; making it more likely that I can retain the originals.

For now I've pinched the Polar mount off my Boardman, while I come to terms with the prospect of spunking 20% of what I paid for the bike on another..

This ride's dust notwithstanding everything is now nice and clean, and I'm optimistic that I should be able to squeeze a nice set of Longboard mudguards onto each end.

The waxed drivetrain runs beautifully smoothly and I think is now behaving itself after some shifter adjustment. I think my fears about large jumps between sprockets were somewhat unfounded; being driven by the incorrectly setup shifter causing random two-sprocket jumps. They are a bit wide when travelling at speed and aiming to maintain cadence, but that's not really what this bike's about..

There's plenty of battle damage on the frame; although I'm quite impressed by how non-rusty most of it is (passivated pre-paint perhaps?). This bit on the chainstay was treated with some phosphoric acid which has done a great job of removing most of it. Would probably have got it all had I had the patience to leave it on longer..

I do love a clean bottom bracket. Note also the nice grot-free chainrings too (and nanny state sticker - I'm impressed they'll endorse dropping off stuff up to a foot high!)..

I'm a big fan of the colour scheme and subtle branding.

I was also very impressed by the ability of the triple's silly-low 26/32 bottom gear for very leisurly ascents

So there we go. It's eaten two full days of my life; having been spent basically stripping the bike down to nothing and cleaning / treating it all, however (general purpose grease notwithstanding) it only owes me a quid in bits so far and I'm very happy with the outcome.

It rides very nicely and I'm really enjoying the bar-end shifters; previously I'd viewed basically everything as inferior to STIs, however on top of the touted reliability benefits I've come to appreciate other bonuses of this setup. A couple being that you can easily get an idea of what gear you're in just by glancing down at the bars, while you can rocket from one end of the cassette to the other in one swift movement, rather than the 3-4 cranks or more of the lever required by STIs.

I also really like the Microshift items fitted to this bike - they're nice and slick with the indexed right shifter offering really positive, rewarding operation

While this is thankfully the bulk of the work out of the way there are still some jobs to do:

- Source and fit mudguards
- Source and install inline barrel adjustors in brake lines, setup brakes
- Source and install a Genesis or Charge saddle (hopefully curing the clicking I'm getting from the seat area during pedalling)
- Source and apply touchup paint
- Source and fit frame protection in areas of cable rub
- Possibly source and fit a better (Salsa!) seatpost clamp as the seat gradually slips down over time
- Refit rear panier rack with stainless button head bolts and washers
- Clean and refit tatty rear light to pannier rack
- Blank redundant bosses on fork with stainless button heads
- Replace missing rear valve cap
- Refit spare spokes (or more presentable alternatives)
- Investigate security options as yet again I seem to have ended up with a nicer bike than intended for utility purposes


It's been a bit of a rollercoaster but so far I'm very, very happy with how it's turned out and I'm really looking forward to using it in anger for some hardcore grocery-acquisition action

 

[Gunk]

You’ve made a good job of that

 

[bikingdad90]

Off with the RD, remove and regrease pulleys, clean and lubricate to within an inch of its life. Might well fix it! Just done this to two mechs I'd considered iffy, they both now run well, and it has taught me to do that a bit more often...

Have you had a look at the cassette, I had a cassette that did it once and took me ages to work out there was a single worn tooth that had snapped and was causing it to jump.

As for the mini V brakes, have you checked the spring location, the spring might need moving to one of the other three holes for better action. Had this on a kids bike once.

 

[wafter]

You’ve made a good job of that

Thanks

Have you had a look at the cassette, I had a cassette that did it once and took me ages to work out there was a single worn tooth that had snapped and was causing it to jump.

As for the mini V brakes, have you checked the spring location, the spring might need moving to one of the other three holes for better action. Had this on a kids bike once.

Cheers for the thought but I think it's all sorted now thanks to some adjustment of the shifters and cable tension. I did wonder if I'd done something stupid like fitting one sprocket back onto the cassette the wrong way around

There's no issue with the return force on the brakes; it's just pad attitude and clearance really - not helped by the total lack of fine adjustment in the system. I did look at the spring positions upon reassembly as I'd failed to note them when I took them to bits; however it seems that the middle position is the only viable one as the lower one gives zero pre-tension and the upper one will presumably give absolutely loads..

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

That hasn't turned out too bad at all. If you are intending to use it mainly for utility rides, I wouldn't be too bothered about the cosmetic damage on the frame as it reduces thievability.

 

[T4tomo]

Pretty sure you have caliper levers and mini V brakes, which will "work" but is always a compromise. I inherited that set up on a bike and in the end upgraded to decent Canti's, which contrary to someome above, aren't too bad to set up and once fettled provided great braking, but for you that would be more expense.
Some online adjusters to help with the fine tuning might be enough, and pray a wheel never goes slightly off true!