Looking for Advice

In general it's not that common for bikes to turn into collectibles that carry any "real" value, although you can always strike lucky and find someone willing to shell out for sentimental value.

But then I'll readily admit to my ignorance regarding the specific value of individual vintage bikes.

If it was me I'd start with ebay, looking at what's on offer, and how it's priced.

As far as upgrad or not goes, that's always a tricky question. The general rule is that bikes are best bought assembled rather than piecemeal, so for a "full" upgrade (10-speed, brifters and all that) the bike has to be something really special to be worth it.(unless you already have a stash of parts or is really good at bargain hunting)
But if "all" you want is another wheelset or so, that's usually not too bad,and can be well worth it if you're really happy with the fit of the bike or something like that.

kjg48359 said:

I called his friend at the bike store, they were advising that it might be best to leave it alone for a collector.

The friend is right. You're much better off leaving the bike as-is and peddling it to collectors. I'm guessing this is a late '70s to early '80s Pro with steel frame, downtube shifters, and a 126 mm freewheel hub in the rear. If I'm right, your bike is special, especially if the original saddle and bar tape are in good order. It's one thing to build yourself a set of clincher wheels for daily riding. It's quite something else to use the original hubs or spread the rear dropouts to work with a 130 mm hub.

Modern triathletes won't touch this old stuff, and to modify the bike to work with modern equipment would destroy its value.

Ebay has a category for vintage bikes. Check out (watch) others' auctions to pick up some ideas for how to present the bike. Have the bike tuned by an experienced shop and pick their brains for much the bike might be worth, what it will cost to pack it, and any other tips they might have for getting the most from it at auction.

Good luck.

I dont use it very often but the 'Completed Auctions' search option could help you research what the bike might fetch if you were to list it on eBay...

best of luck

Thanks guys, I appreciate what I'm learning so far. In the meantime, I've posted a couple of pictures for viewing, and even have now found a link to the web site that has an on-line catalog for this bike:

here's the Fuji catalog page:
http://classicfuji.com/1982_07_Professional_Page.htm

here's a few pictures of mine:

dabac, I especially appreciate the suggestion to review past sells in e-bay. I will have to do some research there when I have some time later this week...

Looks really good with great vintage components. I collect bikes that have sentimental value for me. I never had a Fuji but your bike is tempting just because it is in such great condition. A realistic eBay price two years ago would have been $600. Unfortunately with the state of the economy, you are probably looking at less, $400 or so. However you may get a couple of Fuji collectors battling over it which would really push up the price. Good luck!

Good looking bike, Kjg!

kjg48359 said:

Hi everyone,

I have a question and am looking for some thoughts.

I have a really old (and I mean that it's probably older than most of the forum members) road bike that I kept always thinking that I'd update some of the components later. It's now approaching 30 years old, and still has the original purple swede handlebar covering, and matching saddle. (It's a Fuji "professional".)

So then this fall, we learn that a friend of mine has a son in college who comes down with leukemia and they start doing triathlons for fund raisers and I think it's time (I've been riding all Mt. Bikes for last 15 years b-t-w).

So I met a guy who got me thinking about setting it up and modernizing it (like putting 700c's on it instead of tubulars) and when I called his friend at the bike store, they were advising that it might be best to leave it alone for a collector.

So my question is to ask what people would think about how I could reach such people? Where would be the better place to sell it? At a forum like this, or perhaps e-bay? Are there any big swap meets, or auction houses? And how the heck would I price that out? I really wouldn't have a clue.

I'd love to get some advice on this. Thanks in advance!

Oh, don't sell that beautiful bike! It would make an awesome single-speed conversion, and you could re-enjoy it as lighter, cleaner looking, fun ride! You could get ideas from Sheldon Brown's website, maybe even make it a fixed-gear. Try it, you'll like it! Also, all original parts are easily restored onto bike if saved so no worries there. Hope you reconsider selling it, especially if it's your size frame and you like the ride. I would swap out the tubulars for clinchers with a flip-flop hub instead of re-dishing the original rear. Have some fun with it!!!

Single-speed conversion of an original bike like this would destroy it's value and be a real shame. If you want a SS/fixie bike, lots of rusty junk bikes are out there to play with. Or, just buy a real one new or used....they're not very expensive after all.

I paid $150 for a lightly-used Fuji Track a couple of years ago at our club swap meet. It was fun to learn to ride the fixed-gear, but with the hills we have here, it's really impractical so I parked it after maybe a dozen rides.

dhk2 said:

Single-speed conversion of an original bike like this would destroy it's value and be a real shame. If you want a SS/fixie bike, lots of rusty junk bikes are out there to play with. Or, just buy a real one new or used....they're not very expensive after all.

I paid $150 for a lightly-used Fuji Track a couple of years ago at our club swap meet. It was fun to learn to ride the fixed-gear, but with the hills we have here, it's really impractical so I parked it after maybe a dozen rides.

+47. SS/Fixie conversions to nice bikes/frames destroys the soul of cycling. It would be like painting a portrait of Miley Cyrus over the Mona Lisa. I saw a picture of a fixie conversion done on a Colnago Master (not the Pista). I'm pretty sure that was one of the 17 signs of the coming apocalypse.

alienator said:

+47. SS/Fixie conversions to nice bikes/frames destroys the soul of cycling.

Ditto that sentiment. Even though I'm not much of a Fuji fan, I'm truly impressed by yours. It's cherry and simply gorgeous.

dhk2 said:

Single-speed conversion of an original bike like this would destroy it's value and be a real shame. If you want a SS/fixie bike, lots of rusty junk bikes are out there to play with. Or, just buy a real one new or used....they're not very expensive after all.

I paid $150 for a lightly-used Fuji Track a couple of years ago at our club swap meet. It was fun to learn to ride the fixed-gear, but with the hills we have here, it's really impractical so I parked it after maybe a dozen rides.

Who wants to ride a rusty junker? I still ride my fixed wheel road bike five years after converting it. I don't like the way a track bike handles on the road, either. No wonder you gave up on it. As far as calling it blasphemous? No way. It does NO harm to swap wheels and chainring... no permanance there. I like the clean lines of SS bike, myself. Beats selling the bike, if it keeps you riding it. BTW, I picked up my vintage Trek at the LBS for $40. 531 tubing, Mistral cranks, and Modolo speedy brakes, paint's not perfect, but frame is in good condition. Some dude brought it in for new tires/tubes and never picked it up, so they sold it to me for cost of the parts. It's no Colnago, but I don't feel like it's somehow "ruined"... more like 'saved'. I used to live in the mountains too, so I can relate to that. I have to agree that the SS/fixie craze has bastardized alot of older bikes, Craigslist is loaded with 'em. Difference is, someone with an eye for clean lines can make a beautiful ride out of an older frame fallen into disuse and rediscover the fun of riding a bike with only one gear without spending hundreds of dollars. I'm just saying...

oldbobcat said:

... It's cherry and simply gorgeous.

I should probably see if I can get my older digital camera to work better in the macro mode, but the lug work on this frame is really special. I'm not sure why, but within a year or two of getting this one, Fuji reduced the intricacy of the lugs greatly. I think that's really one of the reasons why I got this one in the first place...

(ps: thanks for the thoughts everyone, and no, I'd rather see a road bike stay a road bike. I wouldn't think that it would really do that well as a track bike, although the frame is probably stiff enough. Being steel, any serious bike would probably weigh half as much with more modern materials: besides I (unless it's just a "roadie" mentality) would only really use single speeds in a banked velodrome anyway).

kjg48359 said:

I should probably see if I can get my older digital camera to work better in the macro mode, but the lug work on this frame is really special. I'm not sure why, but within a year or two of getting this one, Fuji reduced the intricacy of the lugs greatly. I think that's really one of the reasons why I got this one in the first place...

(ps: thanks for the thoughts everyone, and no, I'd rather see a road bike stay a road bike. I wouldn't think that it would really do that well as a track bike, although the frame is probably stiff enough. Being steel, any serious bike would probably weigh half as much with more modern materials: besides I (unless it's just a "roadie" mentality) would only really use single speeds in a banked velodrome anyway).

I humbly recant my rant. I would definintely leave that Fugi original. Love that framework. Those look like Nervex lugs and are tapered off nicely. I have left my old Bridgestone 700 roadbike original because it is in good original condition, and it is nothing special. You guys gotta forgive me here, I'm not wealthy and pretty much all my bikes have been second- hand and second-rate. My apologies. :o