Showing posts with label W hat will they think of next?. Show all posts
Showing posts with label W hat will they think of next?. Show all posts

19 July 2022

Is Fuji Going Bananas?

 When I first became a dedicated cyclist—when bands like Led Zeppelin ruled the airwaves—Fuji bicycles were garnering praise in the cycling world and even among people who still thought of Schwinn as “the Cadillac of bicycles.” (Yes, I knew people who used that phrase.)  Fuji bikes didn’t have a lot of bells and whistles, but they were very well thought-out -finished.  They offered a balanced ride and their SunTour derailleurs shifted better than any others available at the time.




(Oh, and I always loved that green finish offered on the S10-S!)

For about a quarter-century, Fuji kept its reputation for sensible, highly rideable bikes with impeccable quality control.  But, in the mid-to-late ‘90’s, they s lost their way.  They seemed to make half-hearted attempts to keep up with other trends in the industry and didn’t keep up with another:  They were one of the last Japanese companies to move their manufacturing to Taiwan.  While that seemed to be a good thing at first—most people, myself included, saw Japanese products as superior—it meant that their lower-end bikes were considerably more expensive than others. When Fuji finally made its move to Taiwan, it didn’t have the relationships with that country’s manufacturers that other companies enjoyed.  Thus, both quality and availability suffered for nearly a decade.  Both recovered about 15 years ago, and Fuji regained its old reputation for bikes that were, if not groundbreaking, then at least well-made and sensible and offered a pleasing ride.




About the latter:  I have to wonder whether Fuji is giving up on that with one of its latest Eurobike exhibit.  In recent years, the Jari model became more or less what a 1970s S10-S would be if it were a 2020s gravel bike:  sensible and well-put together for a pleasing ride. But it also features something that, to my knowledge, no other bike maker has thought of:




I guess there are riders who wish they could reach into their frame’s top tube and pull out a Power Bar.

I wonder whether anybody will try to carry granola or GORP in it.  Or a banana.