On Friday I bought a used 1981 Fuji S12-S road bike from a thrift store in Waterloo that my friend Robby spotted. I was able to determine the production year with the serial number thanks to ClassicFuji.com. The site has a great deal of information on the history of Fuji bicycles between 1971 and 1991. The catalog page for my exact model can be seen here. Judging from this, pretty much everything on my bicycle appears to be original. Despite some aesthetic blemishes and rust speckles, the bike functions extraordinarily well and is a much easier ride than my mountain bike – as expected.
I’ve been wanting to get a road bike for some time now, after getting tired of riding my heavy, fat-tired mountain bike up inclines during the school year when I bike primarily for utility (transportation) and not for recreation. I’m pleased to now have two choices – a road bike for getting around town and on campus – and a mountain bike for off-road recreation and for snow and ice as needed in winter. My mountain bike (photo left) is a 2005 Raleigh Mojave 2.0, that I purchased new at the beginning of my freshman year of college from Island Park Cycles in Fargo, North Dakota.