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

[Gunk]

My Van Nicholas uses Dura Ace Brifters and TRP cantis and although they work well, they don’t give the same confidence that a decent pair of callipers give. However the benefit is I’m able to run 28c tyres

 

[T4tomo]

My Van Nicholas uses Dura Ace Brifters and TRP cantis and although they work well, they don’t give the same confidence that a decent pair of callipers give. However the benefit is I’m able to run 28c tyres

I fitted Shimano BR CX-50 canti's. They do a cracking job and get very good reviews and were pretty easy to set up.

 

[Gunk]

I fitted Shimano BR CX-50 canti's. They do a cracking job and get very good reviews and were pretty easy to set up.

That’s a good shout, I may replace mine with these, I’m not impressed with the TRP’s

 

[T4tomo]

That’s a good shout, I may replace mine with these, I’m not impressed with the TRP’s

MY Oh isn't going to be best please if you nick her brakes though....

 

[wafter]

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.

Thanks - on the whole I'm pretty pleased with it so far, however it still needs some work. Appreciate what you're saying about the paint, but as usual I'm torn between keeping it tatty as a deterrant and improving it to satisfy my OCD / prevent further degradation. Tbh unless it's really ruined I'm not sure how much attention a thief would pay to the paint anyway..

I often think about "reversible" ways of making it look less appealing - was considering a white seat cover with a big brown streak airbrushed down its length

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!

Cheers - the bike is original spec but of course that doesn't rule out incompetance / indifference on the part of the bits-speccer..

Somewhat irritatingly the previous year's model had a rear canti mount spanning the seatstays, but it was deleted on my model year

As it happens I've got the brakes as good as they've been (and probably will ever be) after a bit more fettling today. The rims run clean with maybe 1mm or less clearance on each side and the levers give a decent pull with enough stopping power before bottoming out.

As you say a bit of a ding in the rims would ruin all this, but they have many spokes and (the rear SPA item especially) seem pretty heavily built so hopefully they'll behave.

Oddly I've had the front wheel off twice today, and both times the brakes have needed adjustment on the return spring pre-tensioners to get them centred again; not sure what's going on there as the rim appears to be going on centrally / consistently..


A bit more of a tedious and pictorally-vacuous update. I've blanked the panier bosses with some stainless bolts, but need to order some longer ones to suit the actual rack once it's ready to go back on.

The impromptu-dropper-seatpost issue has been solved by torquing the clamp bolt up to the recommended value (evidently a fair bit more than my light-fingered efforts had achieved), however the Selle saddle still clicks with every crank rev and looking from the back is also canted, so I'm thinking I might have bought a turkey..

Today saw the largest single ride so far (around 19 miles) with mixed results. I'm getting a fair bit of harshness through the saddle; maybe because the frame's budget / thick walled (whole lot weighs around 3.9kg with forks). However, the rear triangle should be pretty stiff by design (with orders of magnitude less deflection than the tyres and saddle) so I'm wondering if it's a saddle fit issue, or maybe because I'm running too much tyre pressure.. more tinkering needed it seems.

 

[T4tomo]

Somewhat irritatingly the previous year's model had a rear canti mount spanning the seatstays, but it was deleted on my model year

There are ways round that, if you decide at some point to switch to canti's, as I found when I sorted the OH's Dolan. Uphanger off the fork on the front (preferable to a stem mount as the longer cable run off a stem mount can induce fork judder - DAMHIKT) and a seatpost collar hanger off the rear.

 

[wafter]

There are ways round that, if you decide at some point to switch to canti's, as I found when I sorted the OH's Dolan. Uphanger off the fork on the front (preferable to a stem mount as the longer cable run off a stem mount can induce fork judder - DAMHIKT) and a seatpost collar hanger off the rear.

Thanks - tbh the brakes are now acceptable; the only real issues being the pain they are to adjust and small margins involved. Hopefully some cable adjustors will help with both to some extent

The novelty is rapidly wearing off my new toy after a few less-than-pleasant rides, culminating in a 24-miler last night that's the furthest I've travelled on this bike in one hit.

Unfortunately rides on the Fuji have come to be associated with discomfort - with aching in my quads (especially at the front / around the knees), the knee joint itself, back, arms and left foot - as well as a literal pain in my arse.

I've set the geometry up to be very close to my CdF (which is fine; touch wood!) and think the problem lies with the seatpost's reluctance to stay put in the frame. I did have success keeping it still by torquing it up to the recommended figure, however before Wednesday's ride to Abingdon I had cause to move it as it was a bit skewed; and obviously (in the absence of a torque wrench) didn't do it back up tight enough.

Not sure when it all happened but upon checking it last night I found that it'd sunk by around 20-25mm again

I'd spotted that the branding on the seatpost tube was very much worn off in the area that's been repeatedly exposed and driven back into the frame - now I know why! While useable I don't like having to torque the clamp down so hard so will keep an eye out for a Salsa item as I love the one fitted to the CdF.

In the past I've had knee pain resulting from incorrect saddle height, while I can see how this might also affect my back and arms. I'm a bit concerned by the foot situation; could be saddle height related but I also have a weird gait that I've compensated for in my cycling shoes but not those I wear daily.

Finally I'm not sure if the pain in my rear end is down to / exacerbated by the saddle issue, or whether the saddle is just crap / doesn't suit me. I've not compared them side by side, however the Selle item seems deeper with more curvature where it flares out to meet the sit-bones, with the Genesis item being flatter; so maybe this is the reason.

I've got my eye on a few Genesis items so will hopefully get my hands on one at some point. The Selle item can still go on the Routier as was originally planned - hopefully it'll be less critical over shorter distances and if not I guess I'll have to punt it on again.

Finally, the bike is still misbehaving somewhat in other ways - gears still occasionally ghost-shift which is really starting it grind.. I've slackened off the friction shifters a little more and tweaked the cable tension a little. If that doesn't sort it I'm out of ideas tbh.

Also the chain appears to have got a bit squeaky after only maybe 60-70 miles, when usually I get 300-400 miles before this happens. That said I've never waxed a chain that was this utterly filthy before (all others have been new / nearly new) so I'm wondering if the cleaning's failed to get all of the particulates out of the links..

I've got a load of bits lined up for purchase for this bike; however I think I'll hold fire until I know it's going to be viable before throwing any more money at it.. first stop decent replacement saddle I guess, then I'll take it from there.

 

[wafter]

Just missed out on a poorly listed Genesis saddle on ebay thanks to my inability to pay attention to anything for more than 20 seconds.

For now I think this bike's going to be shelved until I can source a better-fitting saddle as this one clearly isn't working for me..

 

[All uphill]

Just missed out on a poorly listed Genesis saddle on ebay thanks to my inability to pay attention to anything for more than 20 seconds.

For now I think this bike's going to be shelved until I can source a better-fitting saddle as this one clearly isn't working for me..

I'm sorry to hear that you're struggling with the fit on this bike. It looks great and the issues all sound fixable. Good luck getting the saddle and seatpost you need

 

[bikingdad90]

When you set up the Fuji, did you take the three measurements across;

Reach from brake lever hood to end of saddle,

Centre of BB to top of saddle for height,

Distance between front of saddle and the the centre of BB to get the for/aft position in relation to the crank and also the crank length.


View: https://youtu.be/x2bm8PAUdQE
this is a great video explaining how to take the measurements across.

I wonder if the fit is causing all the issues as it’s not quite the same.

 

[wafter]

I'm sorry to hear that you're struggling with the fit on this bike. It looks great and the issues all sound fixable. Good luck getting the saddle and seatpost you need

Thanks - your encouragement is much appreciated!

I'm pretty confident that a decent / more appropriate saddle will sort the issue; just a case of getting hold of one / not getting distracted 30 seconds before the ebay listing ends

When you set up the Fuji, did you take the three measurements across;

Reach from brake lever hood to end of saddle,

Centre of BB to top of saddle for height,

Distance between front of saddle and the the centre of BB to get the for/aft position in relation to the crank and also the crank length.


View: https://youtu.be/x2bm8PAUdQE
this is a great video explaining how to take the measurements across.

I wonder if the fit is causing all the issues as it’s not quite the same.

Thanks - I've got a known value for saddle height relative to the BB that I use as a baseline for setting up any new bike.

I've not checked the others; tbh I've always struggled with quantifying saddle fore/aft position as there's apparently no transferrible datum between seats - the nose seeming somewhat arbitrary since length and shape varies so much between different models.

FWIW I apparently have fairly long legs (and femurs it would seem) so I always struggle to get enough layback and my bikes always tend to have the saddle at its rearmost position. I've tried shifting my position on the current saddle with no real progress; I can feel my weight is on my sit-bones so I must be somewhere close, it just seems that I get a hammering wherever I position myself. I suspect that the padding in this particular seat is probably degraded / too soft and it's allowing my arse to bottom out on the substrate below over bumps.

I know the original-fitment Genesis item on my CdF suits me well, so if a replacement of this type doesn't sort the issue I'll start looking elsewhere. The Selle item was destined for the beater anyway and if it doesn't prove acceptable on this bike either I guess I'll just have to move it on.. perhaps it would suit someone lighter / with a different shaped rear end..

 

[newfhouse]

I know the original-fitment Genesis item on my CdF suits me well, so if a replacement of this type doesn't sort the issue I'll start looking elsewhere. The

I still have one if you want to make me a silly offer and cover the postage…

 

[wafter]

I still have one if you want to make me a silly offer and cover the postage…

Thanks - very tempted and may drop you a PM - however for now I think I'm going to have another crack with the Brooks (as below)


The latest scintillating update, courtesy of some late night / early morning tinkering on account of the heat upstairs in the house..

I decided to have another go with the Brooks saddle after reading some setup guides, and refitted it to the bike as far back as it would go and exactly level across the high spots at the front and rear before taking it out for a test ride. Oddly it felt really pretty good this time - could have been a bit further back but position felt OK, while pressure on the sitbones was obvious but not excessive - probably because I was sitting properly "in" the curvature of the saddle.

This brings us to the next point - I associate Brooks saddles with a very concave top surface and nose pointing awkwardly skyward; however it appears that this is largely as a result of not being tensioned correctly, and that they should probably start off flat / nearly flat.

In order to achieve this their own propriatory spanner is required since there's not enough room to get onto the tensioning nut with a standard item, while my saddle is so hard and bone dry it really wants some treatment before adjustment (otherwise I think I'll risk cracking it). I've put my hand in my pocket for one of the saddle care kits which contains a modest amount of leather conditioner as well as the spanner.

Really I think the saddle needs soaking in something from its porous underside to really soften it; I have some neatsfoot oil but have read that Brooks don't like this - equally it seems there's a reason not to use and leather treatment ever made for one reason or another (have been down this hole with a leather coat, and ended up getting nowhere)..

Anyway, the saddle needs a clean and once I've figured out how I'm going to treat / soften it hopefully I'll add some more tension and re-test. Fingers' crossed


In other news I think the chain is toast - squeaking as it does so soon after being waxed; while there's an enormous amount of lateral deflection available (if I push in the centre of the chainline I can get it to touch the spokes) which I think might be responsible for the ghost shifting I've occasionally encountered.

I've ordered a KMC X9-EPT chain - 50% more expensive than their boggo "grey/grey" offering (which I've always found to be very good) but apparently electro-plated / passivated for corrosion resistance; which I thought was a good investment considering the bike's intended purpose and apparant lack of protection that waxing offers.

I've also ordered some Avid inline brake tension adjustors, so we'll see what sort of a mess I can make of all that when they arrive.


Finally while last night's cool test-thrash felt good, it highlighted to me how the hoods on the TRP brake levers are going sticky - not good at only 6-ish years old and potentially another source of outlay


Will update once bits have started arriving later in the week / I've had a chance to make some more progress

 

[DCBassman]

Those brakes...OEM or not, I still think the brake levers are not matched to the V-brakes. There's no obvious reason for such a tight setup except lack of pull from the levers. Linear pull levers pull a lot more cable than standard, giving plenty of adjustment.

 

[wafter]

Those brakes...OEM or not, I still think the brake levers are not matched to the V-brakes. There's no obvious reason for such a tight setup except lack of pull from the levers. Linear pull levers pull a lot more cable than standard, giving plenty of adjustment.

Indeed; maybe you're correct. According to this they're described as "short pull" which is pretty nebulous but there we go.. I guess it's hard to quantify these characteristics with such a wide range of lever styles - maybe the most straighforward would be to list a pull radius and total angular travel for the lever but nobody seems to quite actual values.

Assuming they remain serviceable I suppose the up-side is that they'll have a greater mechanical advantage than something offering more cable pull.