Fuji Touring Bicycle Review
Dec
If you are in the market for a new touring bike, you’ve probably heard about the Fuji Touring.
The Fuji Touring is the only touring bike model from the Fuji Corporation. Despite it’s small potential market of touring cyclists, the Fuji Touring has remained a popular choice amongst many individuals wishing to travel by bike. Sadly it is a bike that is not as popular I as I believe it should be.
I’ve personally been riding a Fuji Touring bike for the past seven years. I’ve used the bike on five long distance bicycle tours (both in the United States, Canada and Europe) and I’ve also been using the bike at home as my main commuter bike for transporting groceries, running errands and visiting friends.With all that experience under my belt, I feel like I finally have enough expereince with the bike to give it a proper review.
In this article I’ve set out to describe why this bike is made for long-distance cycle touring, what parts and pieces are included with the bicycle, how to go about purchasing a Fuji Touring bike (as they can be difficult to find in many local bike shops), and I’ll tell you whether or not the Fuji Touring is a bike I would recommend for you.
Are you ready then? Great! Let’s get started.
What Makes This Bike Built For Touring?
The Fuji Touring bike is a long-distance touring bike made for those individuals wishing to travel long distance while carrying a full set of panniers and who wish to spend their days in relative comfort.
The frame of the Fuji Touring is built out of Cro-Moly steel, which is exactly what you want to see on a good touring bike. Steel is the most popular choice when it comes to touring bicycles because it is strong, flexible (which makes it more comfortable for long rides), and it is easily repairable (which is important if you plan to travel with your bike to a remote corner of the world where they may not have the equipment necessary to repair aluminum, carbon fiber, titanium, or platinum bike frames).
The bike comes in six different sizes: 43cm, 49cm, 54cm, 56cm, 58cm, 64cm and each year the bike received a new paint job so as to distinguish it from the previous year’s model. The photo at the op of this review is the 2010 Fuji Touring, while the photos you will see in just a moment of my Fuji Touring bicycle are of the 2003 model.
The Touring’s fork is also made of steel, which is great for a touring bike such as this. Touring bikes with forks made of lighter materials can occasionally break under the demands of long-distance loaded touring, so while steel is a heavier building material, it’s great for use in touring bike models such as this.
The frame itself also features the typically long chainstay length that you see on most touring bike models. What this means is that the bicycle is a little more stretched out from one end to the other than you might expect to see on a traditional road or mountain bicycle. This makes the bicycle more comfortable to ride and it helps to ensure that your feet won’t hit your rear panniers while you are pedaling.
The Fuji Touring’s wheels are also built for the demands of life on the road. The rims are made out of double walled aluminum and the spokes are stainless steel. While there isn’t really anything too special about the bicycle’s Alloy hubs, the tires are your standard 700c tires, but they measure 32c across, meaning that they are super wide when compared to a traditional road tire… and the reason for this is because the extra width allows the bike to withstand the demands of the additional weight that touring requires.
On the back of the bike’s frame there are braze-ons for a rear rack and rear fenders… and the front fork has all the mounts necessary to attach a front rack and fender as well.
As far as long-distance, self-supported bicycle touring goes, the Fuji Touring has all the characteristics you expect to see in traditional touring bike.
What Comes With The Bike And What Doesn’t?
When you purchase a Fuji Touring bicycles, there are a few little things that come with the bike that make it kind of special.
To start, the bike comes with an 8mm aluminum rack (not the best rack in the world, but it’ll work), pedals and toe clips and straps, mounts for two water bottle cages (not three), and (my favorite feature of all) two extra spokes that are attached to the rear chainstay and are there just in case you break a spoke while out on the road and need a replacement in a hurry.
Besides all that, the bike comes with everything you need for your first bicycle tour except for a front rack, fenders, lights and panniers.
How To Purchase A Fuji Touring
If you do decide to get a Fuji Touring bicycle for yourself, you may discover that actually finding one such bike on display at a local bike shop is proving to be difficult, if not impossible.
The sad truth of the mater is this: Touring bicycles are not big sellers for most local bike shops. When it comes to making money, mountain bikes, road bikes an hybrids are where most bike shops make their money, so touring bikes are rarely ever kept on the shop floor. If you are able to find a touring bicycle of any kind in your local area, consider yourself very lucky.
That said, finding a Fuji Touring bike on display can be difficult. And even if you do find one, it might not be the right size for your specific body type.
If, however, you are sure that you want to order a Fuji Touring for yourself, you should first find a local Fuji dealer in your area. You can find your local dealer by using the search form on this page.
Once you’ve found a dealer, go and pay them a visit. Tell them that you want to purchase the Fuji Touring bike and that you’d like them to order it for you. The person at the bike shop should then measure you to see which size frame you will need (if you don’t know what size you need, make sure the bike shop helps you. Getting the right size bike is very important.), then they will have y ou fill out some paperwork and your order will be placed.
After that, you’ll have to sit and wait while the bicycle is shipped to your local bike shop. This could take anywhere from 3 days to three weeks, so make sure you order your bike well before you plan to ever use it. In most cases t shouldn’t take much more than a week for your bike to arrive.
Once the bike does arrive at the sop, however, the people who work there will put the bike together for you and call you when it is ready to pick up. Then you just drive yourself down to the shop, pay for the bike, and ride it away! It’s that easy.
The Fuji Touring currently has a retail asking price of $1,089 USD. That said, if you deal with a local bike shop you can usually get a discount of at least $100 USD by simply asking for a discount. And if you happen to find a Fuji Touring bike in one of your local bike shops during the late fall or winter, you can save as much as $400 simply by purchasing the bike at a time of year when few other people are looking to purchase a touring bike model.
My Experiences With The Bike
Before I tell you about some of the experiences I have had with my Fuji Touring bicycle, I think it is important for you to know what I bought a Fuji Touring bicycle in the first place, as there are a lot of other bicycles I could have chosen from.
The story is this: In 2001 I went on my first long-distance bicycle tour. I was seventeen years old at the time and the trip I planned to take was a 30-day trip by bike down the California coastline – from Oregon to Mexico. Because this bike tour was supposed to be just a once-in-a-lifetime sort of thing, I didn’t use a traditional touring bike for that particular trip. Instead, I used my father’s old mountain bike – an old Sierra Schwinn that had been sitting in the garage, unused, for more than a decade.
While the mountain bike worked to successfully get me from one end of California to the other, tradgety struck on the very last day of the tour when my bicycle was accidently run over by a Volkswagon Van. The bicycle’s wheels were destroyed, the frame was dent, and the derailleurs were both beyond repair.I was sure I would never be able to ride that bike again.
But, when the next summer rolled around and I began planning another long-distance bicycle tour, I didn’t have enough money to purchase a brand new bike. Remember, I was in college, eighteen years old, and had never worked a day in my life. The only money I had was money I had saved up from birthday presents and from odd jobs in my community. So with no money in the bank, but dreams of cycling across the United States, I hammered out the frame of my dad’s old mountain bike, put some new wheels and deraiullers on it, and used that same old bike to slowly pedal my way across the Rocky Mountains. Sadly, by the time I got to Wyoming, the bike was on its last breathe. Because the frame was so bent out of shape the bike was three times harder to pedal than it should of been, and the daily task of pushing that twisted hunk of metal up and over countless mountain passes made cycling across the country anything but fun.
I had planned to cycle all the way to the coast of Oregon, but I quit in the tiny town of Rawlins, Wyoming and took a bus back home from there.I vowed I would never do another bike trip that was longer than two weeks in length.
But that didn’t happen. The following summer, I felt the need to go on yet another long-distance bike trip. This time I set my sights on the East Coast of the United States – a route that would take me from North Carolina to Maine. But I nkew that if I was going to pedal myself through a dozen or more states, I was going to have to get a new bicycle. My father’s twisted mountain bike simply wasn’t going to cut it. And that’s when I discovered the Fuji Touring bike and realized that it was exactly the bike I needed.
The reason I bought the Fuji Touring bicycle over any other bicycles is because it was a full-fledged touring bike (meaning that it could handle the demands of long-distance road touring), it would carry the panniers I would need for my bike tours, it was in my price range, and I could use the bike at home for commuting purposes, and it was a bike that I knew I would be able to keep for several years to come. I saw it as an investment!
I purchased my Fuji Touring bicycle from a local bike shop near my college. They didn’t have the bike in stock, so they ordered it for me and I went to pick it up on my 19th birthday.
I then used the Touring on my third long-distance bike tour up the East Coast of the United States.
While I had never before ridden a bicycle with dropped handlebars before and that did take some getting used to, the bike as a while was so much faster, more comfortable, and better equipped for my life as a long-distance cyclists. When I reached New Jersey in 2003 I set out to cover as much of the state as I possibly could in the shortest amount of time. And with my Fuji Touring bike beneath me I was able to cycle nearly the entire state of New Jersey (from south to north)in a single day – a feat I never would have been able to do on the old mountain bike I had used on my previous two tours.
It was on days like that, cycling my way across New Jersey in a single day, that I realized just how important it is to have a good bicycle when you are traveling.
The following year I rode my Fuji Touring bicycle from Chicago, Illinois to New Orleans, Luoisiana. And the following year I cycled through British Columbia and much of Washington and Oregon state. The following year, I used the bike again to return to Wyoming and concquer two additional states by bike – Idaho and Utah. And then, in 2007, I took my Fuji Touring bicycle to Germany, where I rode it up the Rhine from Frankfurt, across the country to Berlin and then traveled with it briefly in both Poland and the Czech Republic.
In every instance the bicycle performed just exactly as it should. It carried my gear in style; It kept me comfortable on long arduous rides; and most importantly, I’ve never had any problems with it (except for the occasional flat tire, which is to be expected with any bicycle that you buy).
Today, I still have my Fuji Touring bike and while I’ve probably put well over 15,000 miles on the bike, it performs as though it were practically brand new. I use the bike on an almost daily basis now to run errands and go on short multi-day bike tours near my home… and when I go on my next long-distance road tour, the Fuji Touring will likely be the bicycle I take with me.
The only problem I have had with the bike in all my years of owning it is that about once a year I have to tighten up the bottom bracket. I’ve found that every once and a while, the bottom bracket can wiggle itself loose and needs to be tightened up, otherwise you are forced to ride with an annoying squeaking sound in your ear. Besides that, I’ve replaced the grip tape just a couple times, installed new tires two or three times, only once have I changed out the chain, and everything else is exactly as it was when I purchased the bike back in 2003.
Would I Recommend The Fuji Touring Bike?
The Fuji Touring bike may not be the most high-end touring bicycle on the market. It’s not even the most popular. but the Fuji Touring bike is one hell of a bike and I feel really good recommending it to you.
If you are planning a trip by bike that requires you to ride mainly on paved roads (it can take a little off-road riding), carry a full set of panniers (on both the front and back), and you want a bike that is inexpensive and can be used for purposes other than just touring, the Fuji Touring bike is one incredible bike. I’ve had mine for seven years now and it both looks and performs as though it were nearly brand new.
Photos From The Road – 2003
These are photos of my Fuji Touring bike when I rode it from North Carolina to Maine in the summer of 2003.
Stopped at an intersection sign near Raleigh, North Carolina
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse – Outer Banks, North Carolina
Crossing to the Outer Banks on a ferry boat. My Fuji Touring bike sits on the far right.
Kitty Hawk, North Carolia – Wright Brothers Monument
Photos From The Road – 2004
These are photos of my Fuji Touring bike on my 2004 bike tour from Chicago, Illinois to New Orleans, Louisiana.
Posing for a photo with one of the hotel managers that gave me a free place to stay.
My bike and a replica of the Leaning Tower in Niles, Illinois.
Camped out somewhere in Illinois.
Sitting on a park bench outside the home of Abraham Lincoln in Springfield, Illinois.
Stopped for a photo with an old basketball I found on the side of the road.
Crossing a large dam. The set of panniers you see on the bike are Lone Peak P-500 and P-100 panniers.
My first photo in Nashville, Tennessee.
Camping along the Natchez Trace Parkway in the state of Mississippi.
Hiding from the rain inside a public restroom.
Cycle touring along the Natchez Trace.
Photos From The Road – 2005
When I graduated from college in 2005, I spent the following summer riding my bicycle around British Columbia, Canada as well as through the states of Washington and Oregon on the West Coast of the United States.
This is me and my Fuji Touring bicycle crossing leaving Seattle, Washington on our way to one of the nearby islands.
I spent three days at the start of my tour attending the Adventure Cycling Leadership Training Camp. Note how my front fender is on backwards. At the time, I thought it looked cooler like that, but the people at the camp really had a good time making fun of me for riding my bike with the fender flipped around like that. Ugh! Whatever. It should be noted that I am also carrying a skateboard in this photo. On this particular tour I stopped at over a dozen different skate parks along the way. I got made fun of for this as well.
I stayed with one of my best friends’ parents who happened to live along the route that I was traveling. This is my friend’s mom standing with my bicycle.
The Fuji Touring bicycle and a planter full of Washington tulips.
Crossing Deception Pass Bridge – Oak Harbor, Washington
Crescent Lake, Washington.
Bicycle camping somewhere in Washington state.
Cycle touring with my Fuji Touring bike along the coast of Washington State.
Camped out in the snow – Somewhere north of Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Photos From The Road – 2006
I bought my first property in 2006, so money was tight and I only had time to go on a short bike trip near my home. So I cycled through just three states that year: Utah, Idaho and Wyoming.
Parked out in the shade of a street sign on a flat country road in Western Wyoming.
When I think of Wyoming, this is what I think of.
Photos From The Road – 2007
In 2007 I flew with my Fuji Touring bicycle to Germany and spent a month and a half exploring Deutschland, Poland and the Czech Republic.
My Fuji Touring bicycle is in the big cardboard box at the back. My panniers and the rest of my gear is in the smaller cardboard box in the forefront.
Cycling through one of the small forests near Frankfurt, Germany. The Fuji Touring performs excellently on these types of non-paved roads.
Cycling over a bridge into the city of Frankfurt. In the background are a bunch of the little garden plots that are scattered through out the country.
Here I am with my bicycle along the Rhine River near the city of Bingen, Germany.
My Fuji Touring bicycle leaning up against one of the Rhine River kilometer markers.
I put red handlebar tape on my Fuji Touring for my 2007 bike trip through Europe.
I did a lot of short day trips when I was in Germany. Here I am near Helmstedt, Germany carrying just one pannier on the rear rack of my Fuji Touring bicycle.
Another day trip photo – cycling from Helmstedt to Wolfsburg, Germany and back.
I enjoy reading your comments and exploits and thanks for sharing. I have been touring in China on a Cannondale aluminum bike. I must rethink about the usage of a steel bike for my next trip.
Best,
Tsi
Juan, you could create a free website or blog using http://www.blogger.com or http://www.wordpress.com. Either of these would probably be good for you if you are looking for a free website solution. Crazyguyonabike.com is another website where people host their bike touring blogs, but you can create something a little better looking with Blogger or WordPress. Good luck!
I am also a proud owner of 2009 Fuji touring bike. I love the fluidity of the ride, the result of great frame flexibility. I changed the front drive shaft from Truvativ 50/39/30 to Shimano Deore 44/32/22 to ease the climbing and that made life much easier especially when there is more than 30 lbs to carry. The rack that came with my bike was not stable when full loaded panniers were put on so I again changed to a new one made from China which has much stronger connector and never sway during the ride. I just finished a 500 mile trip without difficulty. I plan to do more next month!!!!!
I own a 1994 Fuji Sarratoga that been highly modified. I have Mavic A19 wheelset, Shimano Deore XT deraileur and crankset tied to Shimano nine speed dura ace bar end shifters. It weighs 33 pounds. How does this compare with the fuji touring?
Terrific stuff Darren. Loved your review of the bike as well as the pictures. Wish you a lot more of such tours on your Fuji. I have been thinking of getting a touring bike for my touring within India and will be considering Fuji.
Thanks for the nice article on the Fuji. I must live in a good bike area because the local bike shop here carries a few different touring bikes at all times.
P Dugan, you must live in a nice area if they have at least a couple different touring bikes in stock. Do you mind sharing what area you live in exactly? I’d be interested to know!
Sure. I live in the westside suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio. Don’t laugh. Cleveland might be a joke, but it’s actually a decent place to live. There’s a lot of cyclists around here. The guys at my local bike shop say they sell a fair number of a certain touring bike model. So they stock it, and some others models too.
P Dugan – I live on the Cleveland Westside and am looking to buy a Fuji Touring bike. Is there a way for me to get in touch with you ?
Fuji made an excellent line of touring specific bicycles made in the 1980’s. That was a special time in the company’s history. Those tourers have 3 places for water bottles, and a special place for extra spokes on the chainstay. Mine is a 1984 Touring Series IV, and I love it!
Matteo
FujiCrazy
I just picked up my 2011 Fuji Touring from my LBS. My LBS gave a $200 discount from the MSRP. They were great, I added Planet Bike hardcore fenders and toe clips, what can I say, I’m old school. Besides touring, I plan on using this bike for commuting.
When I arrived at the LBS, the bike was assembled. My first impression was how well made the bike was. This is my third Fuji bike, so I am familiar with the company. I currentlyI owe a Fuji Team Easton Racing bike with Dura Ace.
However, this is my first touring bike and your comments Darren were very informative and convinced me to look into the Fuji Touring. I was seriously considering a Surly Long Haul Trucker. After test riding the LHT and the Touring, I went with the Fuji Touring, it just felt better. Nothing against the LHT, it’s a fine bike but the Fuji had a better feel and it was with the LBS discount, about $400 less which was also helpful in making the decision to go with the Fuji Touring. .
I can’t wait to ride my Fuji Touring, but the Northeast US is going through a tough winter with alot of snow and ice, not ideal weather to ride. I will let you know how the Fuji Touring is holding up once I get her on the rode, so far I am very impressed with this bicycle.
Thanks again for your informative comments.
Danny Ferreira
That’s awesome Danny! Congrats on the new bike. Please send me a picture of you and your bike once the snow breaks and you’re able to actually get out and do some good rides. Congrats again!
Loved the article. I bought a new 2008 Fuji Touring last October that had never sold in a Key West bike shop and got a great discount. Have been on a one-week tour and planning my next now. Luckily an LBS in town is a Fuji dealer and the mechanic owns my exact bike! I did have an accident in a Century run and the rear wheel was run over so I am shopping for a replacement or whole wheelset.
I am interested in what front racks people are using. Darrin, I couldnt make out which one you have so please respond if you can. I am right now thinking Jandd Lowrider. Do not want any U bolt attachments if I can avoid and do not expect to need a “top shelf.”
great show of your bike that yu have traveled with! really the red is stand out for being seen right? , I hope to do the trips like you have but only in the states for now. keep up your great stories and safe way travels.
Thanks for a great review, I’ve been looking around at the Fuji Touring and the Surly LHT but then just today my local store found a 2009 model in their warehouse and put it out on show for $900 so I threw a deposit down straight away and I’ll pick it up later in the week.
It’s mainly going to be a commuting bike for the moment but I can’t wait to take it to Tasmania later in the year. The only thing I might change is the handlebars as I was so happy to see them go back to the bar end gear changers.
I have a Fuji Touring bike, I love it. She’s called Jessie, I have no idea why!
I bought her in Seattle in 2006 and rode her for many day rides in the US, especially over the Rockies – Fabulous. I also rode her for a Triathlon in Chicago, maybe not the usual bike for Triathlon but its what I had and she did fine.
Now back in UK (travelled for 3 months in USA & Canada in 2006) and ride my bike for work, cycling holidays in France & Germany and just to enjoy being on my bike.
Recently came out of local Sports Centre to find a couple looking at my Fuji who then told me that they had ‘Tourer Envy’.
Thanks for the great review. Just bought a 2011 Fuji touring bike after riding a Fuji 10 speed road bike for nearly 30 years. What a difference! Nice to have this positive input and testimonial. Hope I travel as many miles as you have.
I am the proud original owner of a 1985 Fuji. Touring Series III. It was my first real bike. Lots of century miles and committing I guess it is broken in
Hello,
I will pick up a Fuji Touring tomorrow and start riding it to work the next day. While it will serve primarily as my commuter bike, I may have to give the touring/camping idea some serious thought. The “Touring” is replacing a Fuji Regis (of unknown age) as my commuter bike. The Regis has been fine, but it is a little bit too small. And THAT is a perfect reason to get a new bike!
The Touring that I am getting is black and has bar end shifters, which will take some time getting used to.
I hope the Touring lasts a long time!
Ray
I bought a Fuji Touring Series IV in 1985, and I’m still pedaling it. I love it for all the reasons mentioned in these reviews. I gave it an overhaul after returning from a yearlong tour of Australia and New Zealand, but otherwise it’s the same as when I bought it. I’m contemplating a makeover to incorporate some of the technological improvements and thought I’d compare components with the new Fuji touring bike. Any advice??
Awesome website man, i aspire to take rides like that someday, for now i do back road spins around my town. I also have a fuji touring bike, pretty much the same exact one except mines from 2007. Its a great bike, hope to have it my whole life, though if i ever strike it rich i’d like to a racing bike and a track bike to my collection, possible both from Fuji.
My favorite pictures are the ones in Washington State. I live in the northeast and i think i will start my long term rides from New York to Maine and back, but until then I’ll keep training on the hills near my house. Glad I googled “Fuji Touring Bike” to find this article.
Very nice site!. Really informative and interesting. I am thinking of travelling to the US in spring of 2012 and cycling from seattle to LA. I was wondering if it would be better to buy a touring bike here in the UK and ship it to Seattle and then back from LA or possibly buy a bike in Seattle and then sell it in LA, is this possible?
cheers!
Dave
The cost of buying a bike in the UK, shipping it to the USA, and then shipping it back home is probably going to be a bit greater than just buying a bike in the USA once you arrive there (unless you can find an airline that is still offering to fly bicycles across the Atlantic for free). But trying to quickly sell your bike at the end of your tour might take some time – especially if you want to get a good price for it (so if you take this route, be sure to schedule in a couple extra days just for this transaction).
It is usually better when getting a new bicycle to practice riding the bike for several weeks before you start a long-distance bike tour. But in some cases you may choose to start a bike tour with a brand new bike, as you may want to do in this case. It isn’t the ideal situation, but it certainly can be done.
If the issue is about money, you will probably have to pay several hundred dollars extra for shipping your bike with you on the airplane. But if you buy a bike in the USA and then try and sell it at the end, you may have to sell it for several hundred dollars less than what you paid for it. For it is going to be a toss up as to which is the best route to take.
I found your site looking for a Fuji Touring review and got so much more! Thanks! I see you have brake/shift combo levers, where a lot of touring bikes have bar end shifters. It looks like Fuji may have changed to bar end shifters, perhaps in just the last year. Do you have any thoughts on the pros and cons of each? I like combo levers in general, but I have never done any real long touring. Have you had any problems with yours as reliability seems to be the reason many people think bar end shifters are better (that and you can tell what gear you are in just by looking at the position of the levers.)
Hi Brock,
Yes, Fuji has changed their shifters over the past few years. I personally don’t like this change. I prefer “brake/shift combo levers” over the bar-end shifters that are currently on the Fuji Touring and so many other touring bike models. This, however, is largely personal preference.
The reason I don’t like bar-end shifters is because I rarely ever ride with my hands in the drops, and with the shifters at the bottom of the drops on bar-end shifters, I have to reach my hand down several inches each and every time I want to change gears. With the brake/shift combo levers I usually don’t have to move my hands at all.
While bar-end shifters are said to be easier to repair and maintain than brake/shift combo levers, I have a feeling the reason many touring bike manufacturers are using bar-end shifters today also has to do with money – as bar-end shifters are generally less expensive than brake/shift combo levers.
Still riding my Fuji 1985 Touring Series III. 3rd seat
I just finished a solo, self-contained 3,826 mile cycling trip across USA & Canada this past summer on my Fuji s12s LTD. I upgraded some of the components. Otherwise, an amazing bike. One flat tire. I am looking at more solo rides this year, but am looking at purchasing a new Fuji Touring or Surly LHT. Other than the price, which one is a better value for long distance touring on different road conditions. My s12s could only do paved roads and that was its only drawback.
To update my post from over a year ago, I did replace the original rims on my 08 Fuiji Touring, with Mavic 319s. To recap, my rear was run over in an accident. Bike still rides the same. Did a 500 mile roundabout on it last fall.
One feature I really like on my 2008 Touring is the dual brake lever setup. The Cyclocross levers are handy very often when I am coming to a stop and out of the drops, for example going slow at crosswalks. Nice to have this option and I recall back in the 80s every 10 speed had dual position brake levers. I notice your 2003 didnt come with this feature.
I also prefer integrated brake/shifiters and was surprized to see the newest model Fuji has bar-end. That is popular on other touring bike brands so I guess it’s “in”. I agree that too much hand movement is needed this way to shift, and I actually think it’s too much even from the drops where I ride a lot.
I have had no maintenance issues after initial tuning/tweaking. Will probably ride this thing forever. It is my main bike, occasionally I take a mtn bike on trails.
I loved the pictures from Germany, I spent 6yrs., stationed at one of the area’s you showed in your pictures. I remember it fondly and have always wanted to go back just to tour and see how it has changed, just as you have done. Thanks Any thoughts to touring with a Recumbent?
I’ve never toured with a recumbent bicycle Ed, but I know they are popular with people who have back, neck and knee problems. I’m sorry I don’t have more information on that style of bike.
I also much prefer brake/shift combo levers. I also love disc brakes (my Salsa Vaya is set up with both). I tend toward the minimalist side of life and use Ortleib sport packer panniers. My favorite tours are the ones that include unpaved sections, and with 37mm Conti tires, my bike does fine on them and is still relatively quick on the paved sections.
I think that is so awesome you took your skateboard with you on a tour! I’ve been wanting and planning a tour for longer than I want to admit. I’ve always thought of taking my board with me and after seeing it done I know mine is coming with me. I turn 30 this year and this is the year I’m going on tour.
I have a Schwinn World DBX, disc brakes and triple up front. Triple for going up, disc’s for coming back down! It is an aluminum frame with carbon forks. I put the rear rack and trunk bag on it, love to ride to the grocery store or anywhere else thatI ride it as much or more than I do my other bikes. Been thinking it will be my touring ride, but after reading your review, now I’ll have to find a Fuji to try out.
The DBX has colors very similar to your bike, actually looks a lot like it, I’ll try to send you a pic or two.
I have a Touring, too (2009) and love it. And I started touring in 1979 when I was 16.
One thing I think was a mistake on the part of Fuji is the integrated shifters. When you’re in a remote area your brakes and shifters should be gadgets you can easily fix yourself. If some ten-year-old who thinks your bike is really neat strips out your gears when you turn your back, you’re pretty much out-of-luck with integrated shifter-brakes. I also got narrower tires. Less rubber on the road means less resistance means easier peddling. Other than that, it’s pretty perfect.
BTW, I got a great deal from a Fuji dealer called “World of Wheels” in Barnett MO. It’s a bit out of the way (west of Jefferson City) but Mark Hoover is great to do business with. He doesn’t have much presence on the web because he and many of his customers are Menonites. But he treats you right.
I’ve been looking for an older (cheap) touring bike and have focused mainly on Cannondale and Trek. I’ll consider the Fuji. I hadn’t read much about them but they’re stuck in my head now. Great pics. Really enjoyed looking over them.
bought my Series 4 in about 1982, did 8 colorado mountain passes and a few 100 mile trips including these pass’s.
enjoy gave to a friends son, 63 and no longer able to do the long trips
great review. I have the same reddish Fuji touring bike (2004 model I think?) and feel the same way about it. After something like 17000 miles, (on what sounds like many of the same routes that you have covered) my bike sadly got into its first real accident. The fork and front wheel are damaged beyond repair, but I like the bike enough that I think I will try to find a way to replace them.
I have the 2010 Fuji Touring, like the one in the photo at the start of the review, and it is an excellent bike. Got it in May of 2010, and have put many miles on it out on the Katy Trail. After five or six hundred miles, (my break-in period) I was convinced that I could ride it all day long, it is that comfortable of a ride. Well, I did ride it all day once, not really to see if I could, it just turned out that way. After ninety miles on the Katy, was just fine while on the bike, but ready for a nap shortly after I stopped, us old guys are like that sometimes.
Although I have not put nearly the miles on my Fuji that you have on yours Darren, your review is spot on with my experience. The Fuji Touring is a nice, true touring bike at a reasonable price.
I also agree with Glen, from above. Mark at “World Of Wheels” is very reasonable, and a pleasure to deal with. I thought it was a secret!
I rode from Astoria Oregon to Denver Colorado on the Bikecentenial trail in 1977, a long time ago. I rode on a Fuji Finest, 42 inch wheelbase. that bike road like a cadilac . I set it up with a TA crank set 52-42-26 rear hub was 12 to 26. brakes and shifting was all campy. I loved that Fuji.
Thank you for very useful information and inspirational story.
Hi Guys, I just bought a 2012 fuji touring bike today from my LBS for $900. I did not like the fact that i was not told what the model was. Cos I later realized I could have gotten a 2013 model for about the same cost. The LBS guy was even telling me i just bough the last of his best selling bikes. I think i paid too much for this bike. I want to know if there is a huge difference between the 12 and 13 models. Cheers
Hi,
I m from Malaysia. I owned a 2013 fuji touring. From what I read in US fuji website, there spec is a little bit diffrent from what we get in Malaysia. I have an FSA tripplecrank (though it looks almost identical to the one shown in the fuji us website), 50t,39t, 30t and the rear rack is a 25kg load with tripple legs. The rest are all the same, bar ends 9 speed dura ace shifters, Formula alloy hubs, 36H Vera Corsa double-wall alloy rims and the same tyres Vittoria Adventure, 700 x 32c. Price wise is almost the same, after conversion around $850.
Fuji here only supplies 2 sizes. x/s (49 )and M(54). I have not done much on the bike yet, but it will be utilised as another one of my touring bikes.Initial feel,. good, as expected on a steel frame.
Dear Darren,
I am cyclist from Bangalore – India. I am planning to purchase my first touring bike. I have two choices here one is Fuji touring and Surly LHT. I feel that both are technically equivalent but Surly is way costly than Fuji. Would you like to share some +/- about Fuji in comparison with Surly.
Thanks in adv.
Regards,
Deepak
I have a the same bike. Have done 2000+ miles. A very good bike. Tires are quick wearing and I had to replace the rear wheel and the crank arms after getting knocked down by a car (both were bent beyond repair) but otherwise no problems. I think you could do better if you really wanted, by going custom or super high end, but you end up spending probably double or more for very incrimental gains. This is super good bang for your buck. I really like Fuji stuff overall.
Hi,
which is the weight of the bike? the Fuji touring 2014 is good bang for my buck
thanks
Andrea
I’m not sure of the weight of the current Fuji Touring bicycle models. That is some that should be listed on the official Fuji website https://www.fujibikes.com/bike/details/touring (but at the moment, it is not).
Hi,
I new to this whole thing o bike touring, and your website is helping me a lot. Im thinking of buying this bike, but I want to know if the Sulrey front rack fits on this bike?
Thanks!
Douglas
Hi from Frankfurt, just noticed you were passing though on your trip, hope you liked it here!
-klaus
Getting a 2014 Fuji Touring with this years tax money, I have a deposite on it now, cant wait to ride it!
I just ordered a Fuji touring bike this past Friday (3/14/2014) at a local shop. They had one in stock but I needed a smaller frame, so I had to order. They found a new one in stock one from last year and saved me over $200 versus this year’s model, which I thought was pretty good. Most of my riding has been on Katy Trail in Missouri with a Fuji hybrid I bought a few years ago second-hand, and it is heavy as a brick because it has (unneeded for my riding) front suspension and seat suspension post. Plus I didn’t like the flat bars much anymore – even with bar ends the positions it affords are limited and not conducive (for me at least) to a great deal of comfort. The touring bike I could instantly tell is lighter and with the drop bars and touring geometry should be much more comfortable. And although I don’t know that much in the way of “touring” is in my future, I like the fact that if I should decide to do some touring, this one will serve me well.
Thanks for posting your review – it makes me feel even better about purchasing the bike. I’m looking forward to putting some miles under it when it arrives.
And thanks for all the picture posts as well – sounds and looks like you’ve had some great bike tour trips.
Hi,
I am just about to buy Fuji Touring bike. But I would like to know if it is possible to put Avid BB7 cable operated disc brakes on this bike ? No problem ? Possible but hard and lot of mods needed ? Impossible ?
Thanks for advice
Adam
I bought a 2007 Fuji five months ago on Darren’s advice. Great bike, thanks Darren.
Great write up: makes me feel reassured that I did the right thing in getting the 2015 model of the Fuji Touring in the UK. It was the last of three touring bikes that I tried; I’d expected to get a Jamis Aurora, but I found the Fuji to be a much smoother ride. It was quite a bit cheaper, too, so a winner all round – great spec for the money (on sale at just over $700). Looking forward to doing to touring on it – vglad to see that it’s up to being fully laden. Thanks again for the write up!
I bought two Fuji tourers, for my wife and myself. we’ve done a lot of miles of the last 15 months but i am finding a rust problem with the spokes. They are “black spokes”, but not rust proof! Otherwise, good bikes for the price.
I’m glad that you’ve had such a wonderful experience with your Fuji touring bike. I bought mine for commuting to work, plus the thought of doing some touring as well, however after only 18 months as a commuter bicycle, the front forks snapped on me while riding to work. Fuji does not stand behind their frames and forks. I was going down a hill on a paved street and had just hit my front brakes when the forks nearly sheered right off. Fuji told the bike shop that I bought the bike from that clearly I was lying and that clearly I had a major accident with the bicycle.
I’ve done two tours in two years, totaling 15,979 miles here in the united states on a slightly modified 1996 specialized hardrock. I hadn’t owned a bicycle since I was 12 and am 34 now before I decided to travel by bike. I can get a new 2014 fuji touring at slightly below cost from my local bike shop (in a town of 6,000). Thanks for throwing down your knowledge here, I’m now committing to buying this bike… in all my miles the only thing I wished I had brought along was by skateboard, so even more kudos for that one!
Sounds like you got a good deal Stephen. Good job! Enjoy that new bike.
Great website and really helpful, thanks! I just bought a brand new 2016 “Demo” Fuji Touring bicycle from Evans Cycles in the UK on end of year sale for £395. Seems a bargain. Am hoping I love it as much as everyone else on here loves theirs!
Look forward to your blog,full of good advice and inspiration.looking for a fuji touring bike in cape town,south africa
Just bought my first Fuji touring buke yesterday to begin my 2017 biking adventure. Everyone at Rick’s bike shop in Buffalo was very helpfulin helping me get a feel for the bike…and shared with me some of their adventures i cycling as well…first long trip lanned is Erie Canal ride in spring….Thanks for great pics and info on bike…I am impressed with handling ability….
Hi Bicycle Touring Pro! Love your videos and site! Do you think the 2017 Fuji Touring model is still the same quality as yours was? It looks kind of cheap comparatively; it’s only $720 including a rear rack. The literature they have on their website also doesn’t sound promising- they say it’s perfect for ‘cross country’ (not Across the country), ‘across your state’ etc. -all relatively short distances. Maybe they cheaped on the paint, but it looks department store esc. Another site says your feet might hit the panniers because the stays aren’t as long as other bikes. I like the Surly Long Hall Trucker, but it’s almost double the price. It looks like a solid bike though. Here’s the link to the Fuji Touring if you want to have a look- https://www.fujibikes.com/usa/bikes/city/urban/touring/touring
Here’s a more realistic photo- https://nwprogear.com/product/fuji-touring-2017/
It’s a nice looking bike, just doesn’t look as solid as all the others to me
Any thoughts? Thanks! -Bailey
The Fuji Touring bike has always been a much lighter, cheaper touring bike model. It’s not as strong or as high-quality as other touring bike models, but I still think it is a good starter touring bike for people who are planning road-based bike tours. Where do you live? I am selling my old Fuji Touring bicycle at the moment!
You didn’t really mention what type of bike tour you are planning or where you want to go? As I mention inside “The Essential Guide To Touring Bicycles,” knowing this is very important, as the type of bike tour you are planning dictates which type of touring bicycle is going to be best for you.
What is the gap between frame and rim at the back? Is it possible to install at least 38mm tires with full mudguards?
You’ll have to ask Fuji that or look on their website for the exact dimensions.
dude you are generally handsome in life! Good luck to you brother and happiness and great love in life! Hello from Russia! will travel to Russia write to me solyrka@gmail.com what is your height? And what is the height of the leg? what’s your bike size?
Excellent stories, some courage must have been required to do so much touring! My Fuji Touring Disk 2018 bike has just been dispatched today, eagerly waiting for it to come next week!
Hi Darrin,
I also bought a fuji in 1981 and just recently sold it. But mine was a Fuji America model that I bought in Honolulu, where I was living at the time. In 1982, I rode it from Portland Oregon via Astoria to the Boston area of Massachusetts, mostly on the “bikecentennial” route. Really enjpyed the tour.
Now I am looking to do that route again, 38 years later and looking at touring bicycles. That’s how I saw this article. So, what ever happened to the Fuji?
And when did you get your first Comotion? (nice bikes).
Awesome vids btw.
I ended up selling my Fuji Touring bicycle to a new bike tourist after I got my newer Co-Motion bicycles. I got my Co-Motion Pangea in 2012 and then got another Co-Motion Siskiyou in 2017.
Hi Darren, I have been following you for about 12 months now, and have just put in my order for a 2019 Fuji Touring Black at my LBS. I must add that I live in a small remote town in north Western Australia and was impressed with the knowledge and assistance of ordering this Fuji bike. Your review helped me deciding to buy this bike. It seems a good entry level touring bike for someone like me that’s on a Budget. Thank you!
Wow! That’s so exciting! Be sure to send me a photo of you and your new bicycle so I can add you to my list of Bicycle Touring Pro success stories: http://biketour.tumblr.com/ I would love that!
Great story, I read this article long back read it again today. You are truly inspiring us. Eight month before I bought my Fuj Touring 2018 model from local Bicycle store (Velo Cycle) in Melbourne. Earlier I was so confused which one to buy really this article gave me enough confidence. Also its suits my budget. Thank you so much.
Buenísimo este articulo!! es tal cual.
Compré una Fuji touring de segunda mano del 2016, hace poco y estoy sin palabras…
Llevo años buscando una bici para largos viajes, ir por ciudad o una salida por la montaña de 1 día por ejemplo, (por camino de tierra con algo de piedras, nada bajadas tipo mtb)
Y estoy encantado, es como un tanque, ya que aguanta mucho y si tienes alguna avería es simple o muy fácil de reparar.
Lo mejor que puedes esperar de una bicicleta híbrida o polivalente y viajar cómodo!
Hey Darren! I just bought my first ever touring bike – a 2018 version of Fuji Touring Bike after going through this review. In the last few days I have watched all your trips through Norway/Sweden, Romania – Serbia – Bosnia and gotten inspired to start my own trips here in India where I live. Thank you so much for helping me out.
That’s awesome! Congratulations.
Can you recommend a kickstand for the Fuji Touring Bike
This is a good kickstand: https://bicycletouringpro.com/pletscher-esge-multi-zoom-rear-adjustable-kickstand-review/
You might also consider getting this front kickstand if you are carrying any weight on the front of your bike: https://bicycletouringpro.com/product/tubus-front-kickstand/ Highly recommended!
great trip report and bike review – thanks ! I bought my Fuji Touring bike in 2002 and have been riding it on tours over here in Europe ever since. It’s a great durable dependable bike. Never once had a major mechanical problem.