Re: [CR]Fujita saddles

(Example: Framebuilding:Paint)

Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2004 00:24:28 -0500
From: "Joe Bender-Zanoni" <joebz@optonline.net>
Subject: Re: [CR]Fujita saddles
To: nickzz@mindspring.com, CR List <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
References: <410-22004231121485131@mindspring.com>


Nick is on to it.

In the US, almost all Fujita saddles came on Fuji bicycles. Fuji was very loyal to their suppliers- Nitto bars, Fujita Saddles, Ukai rims, Silver Star tires. Soyo tubulars. Even the lousy Primus pumps, This differentiated them from other Japanese bikes. Also alone Suntour, Sugino, Dia-Compe and Sunshine (Sanshin). No SR, No Araya, No Tahei, Little Shimano.

The leather Brooks Pro type came on the Fuji America. The "Belt" came on the famous mid level S-10-S.

The racing bikes had a sort of Unicanitor copy. Sometimes with wild "lounge lizard" leather in various colors.

I have to say that every Fujita saddle was hard and uncomfortable.

Joe Bender-Zanoni "And I even like TTT saddles- hard and comfortable"


----- Original Message -----
From: nick zatezalo
To: CR List
Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2004 4:48 PM
Subject: FW: [CR]Fujita saddles



> The Fuji S12s that I bought for my wife in 1978 came with a Fuji approved
> leather saddle that I believe was made by Fujita. It was also rock hard but
> actually broke in quite nicely over time.
>
> Nick Zatezalo
> Atlanta, Ga
>
>
>
>
> > [Original Message]
> > From: Gary Chottiner <gsc2@cwru.edu>
> > To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> > Date: 2/11/2004 4:10:53 PM
> > Subject: [CR]Fujita saddles
> >
> > I'm pretty sure a Fujita saddle came on my Proteus, which was made in the
> > mid-70's. The bike originally had a mixture of Campy and high quality
> > Japanese components. The first thing to fail on it was the saddle; it was
> > comfortable enough after it broke me in but one of the steel rails
> fractured
> > after a few years - and that's when I was 20 pounds lighter. No doubt it
> > was an isolated bad apple but my Brooks saddle has held up a lot longer.
> >
> > Gary Chottiner, Northeast Ohio
> >
> > - where I was able to bike to work Monday and Tuesday for the first time
> in
> > a month, but snow covered the roads again last night.
> > _____
> >
> > In a message dated 2/11/04 6:43:26 AM, mail at woodworkingboy.com
> > http://www.bikelist.org/mailman/listinfo/classicrendezvous writes:
> >
> >
> > > Man, the
> > > leather on these is hard as a rock! Either of these saddles ever make
> it
> > > over to your side of the pond?
> > >
> > > Hope the ofuro relieves the posterior pain.
> > >
> > > Dennis Young
> > > Hotaka, Japan
> > >
> >
> > Hi, Dennis,
> >
> > Yeah, I remember the Fujita saddles from mid 60's in Japan. They are
> very
> > high
> > quality "copy" of Brooks all the way. I had one exactly like Brooks
> > Professional.
> > It was very high quality and durable.
> >
> > But, I do not think many of them made jump to the other side of Pacific,
> I
> > have not
> > seen any Fujita but some "Belt" brand name. Is there any connection to
> > those two?
> >
> > Anyway, during 60's, Japanese hardly import anything from overseas,
> because
> > they
> > had to pay 360 to 400 yean to each dollar while yo pay only 106 yen today.
> > This means I had to pay 3 times more money for Brooks saddle at taht time.
> > Check Japanese history for currency exchange, they paid 864 yen to British
> > one pound in 1970. Today, Japanese Yen worht 4 times better to US
> dollar
> > and
> > almost 7.5 times to ritish pound! No wonder they are buying old suff
> > back!
> >
> > Regards to all,
> >
> > KEN TODA, High Point, NC, 33rd year since I jumped over Pacific Ocean!