Fuji Bicycles Absolute

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
Great overall ride. A little heavy for fast distance but great for a casual ride. Comfortable position for easy riding. Highly recommended for anyone

Strengths:
Great for hill climbing. I've taken this up 11% grade hills without any problems. Easy to mount a rack on for travel rides.

Weaknesses:
Too heavy to be fast. Casual position makes aggressive riding uncomfortable and challenging.

Price Paid:  $0.00

Bike Setup:
Syntace cow horn bars, Cane Creek TT levers, -10 degree 110mm stem, Fizik Aliante saddle, removed all chainwheels and cogs--converted to single speed: 42x19.

Summary:
I rode the bike stock for a while, and disliked the compact position from the flatbar. it was totally personal preference, so i changed the bars to a cow horn and dropped the stem 10 degrees.

The bike came stock with Acera derailers and a gigantic cassette, which wasnt really necessary since you wont use the larger gears (ie: the 30 in the back). I really didnt like the shifting performance of the front, since when you want to downshift from the big ring to the middle, it'd drop the chain all the way to the small and then u'd have to upshift once.

I yanked out all the gears and made it single speed for 2 reasons: 1) it's my commuter bike, and i wanted to keep it simple. 2) single gear is awesome for training and forces you to stick with what you have.

The frame is totally solid and rides plenty stiff--not entirely jarring, but pretty stiff (and i bet most of this is attributed to the aluminum front fork!). the mini v brakes are totally awesome and stop on a dime.

the handling is a bit sluggish for my tastes, but once must remember that this is not a bonafide road bike. it's very stable on the streets and get's the job done--that part i like about it..total stability, unlike the snappiness of a true racing bike.

the tires that it comes stock with are not very grippy, but that could simply be changed. i really liked the stock wheelset as it's very stiff (albiet heavy) and has adjustable cone bearings.

Strengths:
stiff wheels.
great stopping power.
very stable.

Weaknesses:
tires are below par, handling is pretty slow.

Similar Products Used:
none. this is my first "flat bar road bike" with such a relaxed geometry. the bike get's a 5 for value, since i got it on clearance (500cdn for an '05) and a 4 for overall because for the type of bike it is, it's great.

Price Paid:  $0.00 at somewhere

Favorite Ride:
anything hilly

Bike Setup:
i put drop bars on it, with profile deign century aero bars, and a cateye enduro 8 comp, sora shifters and ultegra components. selle italia octavia saddle. Shimano spd pedals...and the list goes on

Summary:
ok so let me explain what i got goin on with this bike. Bought it stock and it was good. Then i decided i wanted a traditional road bike so i put drop bars on it and sora shifters and basically gave it new components all around. Basically what i am saying is that this frame makes for a really good touring bike if you want to take it and make it something really special, i have since bought a couple more bikes but i will never get rid of this one

Strengths:
the frame is good
the rest of this bike is pretty much overhauled since i got it and changed it into a touring machine.. the frame is pretty dang rigid

Weaknesses:
i like mine the way it is...granted for me to get this bike tweaked kinda cost me an arm and a leg

Price Paid:  $400.00 at Doghouse bikes

Favorite Ride:
R.A.G.B.R.A.I.

Bike Setup:
century aero-bars
shimano clipless pedals with pearl izumi shoes

Summary:
THIS IS A GREAT BIKE. I have ridden many other "hybrids" and road bikes. This is truly the best of both worlds it bring the comfort of a hybrid and the performance of a road bike into one.

Strengths:
COMFORT, COMFORT, COMFORT...oh yeah it dont handle half bad either

Weaknesses:
some times it would be nice to have drop bars when you are really trying to buck the wind

Price Paid:  $469.00 at Play It Again Sports

Favorite Ride:
country roads w/ moderate rolling hills

Bike Setup:
stock

Summary:
This sweet ride has allowed me to bike to and from work everyday since purchase. I retired my old Ross steel frame mtb after 8 years of hard riding. This bike is light, fast and efficient.

Strengths:
Value - comparable to Trek7500FX and Raleigh C700 for a lot less money. Weight (23 lbs - woohoo!). Cool paint job. Easy to maintain.

Weaknesses:
Tires could be better. As a commuter in the Pacific Northwest, I plan on getting a little more wide - 700x28 and a lot more grippy rubber. Stock brake pads quickly wear out.

Similar Products Used:
Trek 7500 FX, Novara Big Buzz, Raleigh C700.