My New "Old" Bike

Fuji S12-S LTD

I have been wanting to get a bike for awhile now to be able to do some cross training (something I did none of my first year of running, which I believe led to injuries). I checked out some bike stores, looked around online, did some research, talked to some friends, etc, etc.

I pretty much knew what I wanted--a 5 to 10 yr old road bike for under $400. And I didn't want a cheap bike either. I didn't need to get top of the line, but I wanted to get bike that I would want to ride. Bike shops were selling bikes of this variety starting at $800. Bikesdirect.com had some nice bikes (albeit no-name brands) for about $500. Still above my price range. So, I resorted to Craigslist, and after looking for a couple months, I found one. Even though it wasn't exactly what I wanted, it was still a very nice bike.

I got an early 1980's Fuji S12 S LTD. Back when it was made, it was about second from the top of the Fuji line for road bikes. In researching it I found that some people have ridden this bike across the country multiple times, and that it is a very dependable bike.

The people I got it from bought it new in 1985 and have kept it in mint condition. It seriously looked brand new. They kept it inside their house, and the man said he hasn't ridden it in about 3 years. It rides really nice, and is pretty light, maybe a pound or two heavier than a new road bike, which isn't bad considering its age. Looking at this bike, it is hard to tell that it is 25 years old. The components are really good on it too.

The bike looked like it just rolled off the factory floor.

Here are some specs:

Model S12 S-LTD, Black in color, Chrome-Molly Double Budded Frame, 12 Speeds, Type 331 tubing construction. ( has to do with the grade and thickness ), Bar Con Shifters (these are a little odd, the shifters are at the end of the handle bars-see pic below), new handle grips, Avocet Seat (the only thing not original), Extras added by the seller --- Mile counter on the front wheel, Seat bag, Light on front

Barcon bar-end shifters. Apparently they are more reliable than standard shifters.

The best part of this deal was the price -- $150. I'm a bargain shopper, so I love getting good deals, and I think this was a great deal. It is a nice bike that I will enjoy riding, and it is a good starter bike for me. If I get more serious about biking and want to take it to the next level, I can always spend more money for a nicer bike. Until then, I'm very happy with my find. It's older than I planned but it doesn't feel like an old bike, if that makes sense.

Something else this bike had that I hadn't seen before was a sticker-protector for the tire/tube. See the little mechanism to the right of the fork in the picture below? That is there to catch any stickers that you ride over and scrape them off before you roll over them again. Pretty ingenious, I thought.

The sticker protector (or whatever it's called)

I've been in Arkansas, so thus far I've only ridden it twice, but it rides really great. Looking forward to putting many more miles on this baby!