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

[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.

[65.mays]

Hey all,
I've been looking for a bike for a while, and I'm still narrowing down exactly what I want. I'm only 24 so I'm really not prepared to shell out the big bucks for my ideal (carbon, full dura ace speed demon-esque) bike, but what I'm looking for is a full carbon bike within the $1900-$2300 range, preferably with Ultegra. I know there's a lot of entry level carbon bikes out there with 105, but I'm just not convinced that I'm going to be happy with 105 in the long run.
So, here's what I've currently got my eye on: an 09 Fuji Silhouette, which is a carbon bike (women's geometry) with Ultegra. I haven't found much in any recent threads about this bike, but I figure SOMEBODY's gotta be riding it, so if you've got one or have heard anything about them, I'd love to get more opinions. There's really not even much on other online bike review sites, so I'm having trouble getting enough confirmation that it is indeed a good bike. I've got a few questions about it, as compared to the good ol' Trek/Specialized bikes... it says it's full Ultegra, but what does that really mean? Because when I look on the web site at the full specs, http://www.fujibikes.com/Womens/Carb...ilhouette.aspx, that doesn't look like full ultegra to me. Just makes me nervous having some random brand of brakes, etc. that are NOT ultegra. And then there's the wheels. Not so hot, from what I've gathered. But does that really matter so much? I dunno. It weighs in at about 19 lbs (that's WITH the clunky showroom pedals), but sheesh, for full carbon, I was expecting a little lighter.
Oh, so here's the juicy pricing details: MSRP is $2500; current price is $1800. Makes it a little more tempting, for sure!
I guess I'd better also say that YES, I test rode it, and aaaahhhh, it was great! My current bike (try to restrain your laughter) is an aluminum Trek 1100 with downtube shifters, ugh, it's my dad's old bike. So far EVERY new (or newER) bike I've ridden has felt great in comparison, so it's difficult for me to distinguish between them because they're all so much smoother than what I've got now. My bike is a 52, and it's definitely got too long of a top tube (long rides in paceline = yowch!) so I test rode the Fuji in a size Small- SO MUCH BETTER! Anyway, comments? Opinions? Words of wisdom?

I bought the '08 Fuji Silhouette from a local bike shop and was professionally fit. I paid slightly more than what I would have paid if I had bought it from Performance, but still it was only $1750-ish. I absolutely love this bike! No regrets at all! The geometry fits me perfectly IMO. I'm just under 5'5", 145 lbs. and have rather narrow shoulders. I changed out the seat right away to a women's San Marco, which actually comes with the Fuji Supreme(one step up from the Silhouette). I love the seat and it immediately made the bike look racier. I also put 105 pedals on it before it left the store. I had two flats the first time I rode the bike, so I didn't waste any time upgrading the tires to Vredstien Fortezza Super Lites. Great tires, and much lighter. I am currently anxiously waiting for the new wheelset that I just purchased from Performance (Easton EA90 SLX) to be shipped, which will make my sweet ride 1.2 lbs. lighter! I'm a little nervous about the new wheels because of some reviews about hubs loosening, but I took the risk because of the price point and Easton is a good name, and there were enough favorable reviews to say ok.
My first bike was an '06 Trek 1000, that I thought I loved, but now that I'm riding the Silhouette, there is no comparison. I prefer the racy geometry and think it suits my body perfectly. I feel fast when I ride it. I'm happy with the brakes and components, but I admit I know next to nothing about them. I know that the front derailer works a million times better than my old trek, which had a triple. Overall, I think I got a great bike for the money. I stop and stare longingly at it whenever I go down to the basement where I park it, and wish it was time for my next ride! I highly recommend this bike for women that are average size like me. I've compared some other brands and can't seem to find any comparable bikes for the same money. Felt and Scott come sort of close, but the components aren't as good. Happy riding girls...!

[mariacycle]

I should add:

A lot of people do buy Fujis from Performance. They're one of Fuji's biggest dealers with a lot of buying power and can offer prices that other dealers can't touch. Performance's retail stores are like any other chain- some are very good and some are awful, and it's worth checking out your local one before forming an opinion.

QFT. I love my local Performance, they've gone above and beyond for me for two years now and I always go to them.

[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?

[KathiCville]

Hi Anne.......

Welcome to TE!

I have a Fuji Silhouette. I've only shipped it once, for a week-long bike tour where I wanted my own bike rather than a rental. Frankly, I wish I hadn't bothered. Although it was nice to be on my own familiar steed, the hassle of taking it apart, packing the bike, shipping it, and reassembling it two times wasn't especially worth the effort or expense. And the tour company I was using (WomanTours) would have been able to fit one of their own bikes to me for less hassle.

But that's just my experience!

Are you going someplace where you might be able to rent a bike? I've done that now a couple of times on business trips where I was flying rather than driving to my destination. Many local bike shops have rental bikes on hand. It seems to be pretty easy to nab a rental, even at the last minute...although the trade-off is that you might not be able to get a bike that "fits" you to a T. If you're just planning to cruise around and enjoy the scenery wherever you're going, however, it might not be critical to have a bike set-up that is ideal.

Whatever you decide, good luck and have fun!

[Tiffany_S]

I ride an 08 Fuji Silhouette and think it's a good entry level carbon bike. I'm getting ready to upgrade to a Specialized Ruby Pro in a month because I like the fit better.