Fuji Silhouette:looking for the good, the bad, and the ugly (or pretty!!)

[Eden]

The bike is not full ultegra - rear cassette isn't, the cranks aren't, the brakes aren't, wheels aren't. The pieces they have on it instead of ultegra aren't bad - and seriously, brakes are brakes. Ultegra ones really don't stop any better than the other ones - it's a huge lawsuit if your brakes don't work.

Gotta disagree with you here... I had a Fuji a while ago. As far as value/price it really was terrific. The one thing I really did not like about it was the brakes. Brakes definitely are not brakes - some really do work better than others. My bike did have cheap brakes on it and they did not work as well as good ones. I thought they were stiff and grabby. The DA brakes on my race bike are totally different feeling - very smooth and sure.

105 vs Ultegra - I don't think you'll notice too much of a difference really. The more expensive the lighter, but the technology keeps working its way down. Today's 105 was the DA of 4 or 5 years ago....

The weight? Yeah 19 lbs is bit hefty for a racing bike, but take a good look at where the weight is. If it is due to a cheap-heavy wheelset, then its not such a big deal. Wheels wear out and will eventually need replacing in any case.

[Cataboo]

Gotta disagree with you here... I had a Fuji a while ago. As far as value/price it really was terrific. The one thing I really did not like about it was the brakes. Brakes definitely are not brakes - some really do work better than others. My bike did have cheap brakes on it and they did not work as well as good ones. I thought they were stiff and grabby. The DA brakes on my race bike are totally different feeling - very smooth and sure.

Obviously I need to try dura ace brakes. How much difference do you think the pad makes and as for stiffness, is that something that just grease/oil takes care of? I haven't noticed any difference between ultegra, 105, tiagra, campy, and forte brakes... I'm sure there's some weight differences of course.

[Eden]

Obviously I need to try dura ace brakes. How much difference do you think the pad makes and as for stiffness, is that something that just grease/oil takes care of? I haven't noticed any difference between ultegra, 105, tiagra, campy, and forte brakes... I'm sure there's some weight differences of course.

None of those are particularly cheap brakes - the brakes I had issue with were Tektro - and the generic ones that bike mfg's use to cut costs. It wasn't pads or adjustment, they weren't made very well. I don't think it would make a huge difference to go from Ultegra to DA , again most of what you get when you get into the upper levels of components is weight savings- don't know about Tiagra or the others as I haven not used them.

It looks like the Silhouette comes with Cane Creek brakes - which as far as I know have a pretty good reputation -though I don't know anything about that model. They still use Tektro on their "sport" models.

[Cataboo]

The fuji sihouette comes spec'd with cane creek brakes, which I assume would be reasonable quality 'cause cane creek makes nice headsets (Okay, so that doesn't immediately imply...)

But anyways, reviews of the brakes seem pretty good:
http://www.roadbikereview.com/cat/br...5_2480crx.aspx

Other than some people claiming you need to switch out the pads immediately. Some claiming it's better than ultegra.

[Eden]

In any case my comment was not directed at those brakes in particular - just at the statement that brakes are brakes. I did find that brakes are not necessarily all equal. There definitely are brakes that work better than others and the level of the other components on the bike may not indicate how good the brakes are - the bike I had with lousy brakes had a 105 drive train.

[Cataboo]

In any case my comment was not directed at those brakes in particular - just at the statement that brakes are brakes. I did find that brakes are not necessarily all equal. There definitely are brakes that work better than others and the level of the other components on the bike may not indicate how good the brakes are - the bike I had with lousy brakes had a 105 drive train.

I just figured I'd look up the brakes actually on the bike since it was one of runsusie's concerns about the bike.

[KathiCville]

For what it's worth, when my BF noticed the Cane Creek brakes on my Fuji Silhouette, he gave them a thumbs-up.....He considered them one of the plusses of the deal. Whereas he didn't think much of the wheelset, so we switched that out immediately to a better set that I had on hand.....I don't have much experience with different brakes so can't really comment on Cane Creek versus others. I don't feel super-confident with the brakes going downhill, but as I noted earlier, that could just be my newbie bike-handling skills in combo with a noticeably lighter bike than I'm used to.

[anne.ossewaarde]

Hello..I'm new to riding and i am traveling home to Michigan from Colorado in a week and a half. I have a Fugi Silhouette 2008 and I am wondering how easy this bike is to take apart. I would love to do some riding at home but don't want it to be to much of a hassle to take on the plane. Any suggestions?