text: First Ride Fuji S12-S Mixte - Bike Forums
  > First Ride Fuji S12-S Mixte
  03-09-09, 12:34 PM #1
  First Ride Fuji S12-S Mixte
  Had some errands to run, wanted to test out the new bar/control setup on my 1983 Fuji S12-S Mixte
  I live near the National Park Seminary, which is being redeveloped. In the far background, you can see some of the old structures.
  A closer shot. Mounted a blackburn rack and some carradice bags that have been sitting around.
  From the Seminary, there is a feeder route down to Rock Creek Trail. This route has been used since antebellum days, when it was used to haul tobacco down to Rock Creek so it would be floated down to Georgetown. So they say, anyhow.
  Rock Creek Trail hooks up with Georgetown Branch Trail and on to Bethesda. Outside the Bethesda Post Office, the city bike is right at home alongside Wisconsin Avenue. We're sending some bike parts to a lucky ebay winner....
  Circling back to Silver Spring, a stop at the bodega for some essentials.
  Nice shakedown ride, about 15 miles. A few minor adjustment stops. Definitely need more extension on the stem if I'm going to ride it regularly, but have to see what the missus thinks. The ride/shifting is flawless, the smooth, quirk-free performance of so many Japanese consumer products of the 80's/90's. Back then, many derided this quality as the hallmark of soulless Japan Inc., whether it was cars, motorcycles or whatever. But times change and now it seems a little nostalgic.
  Last edited by robatsu; 03-09-09 at 12:47 PM.
  03-09-09, 01:34 PM #2
  Jay, I'm jealous for two reasons. One, you did a wonderful job on the mixte! Second, where's the snow? I'm sitting here watching it come down. Wet, soaking snow. After our warm weekend it's especially cruel.
  Maybe someday I'll head south and join you for a ride ...
  03-09-09, 02:41 PM #3
  I'm a bit jealous, but only because over the winter I also put a set of thumb control shift levers on my 85 Fuji Sagres Mixte, and I haven't got to do a shake down ride with mine yet. During the only half decent weather we have had since November, I was half dead with a head cold, and the wind was blowing 40+ mph.
  Over the winter I changed out the shifters, changed from the angled down stem to an angled up stem, and relocated the frame pump from the handle bars to the rear rack, and changed my seat. None of which is reflected in the little picture in my signature line. Maybe I'll get to ride it sometime before April, if not it will make the first ride on it all the sweeter I hope. So yes, I'm getting quite jealous the more I think about it… You have a great looking Mixte there, and it looked like a really great ride. I hope your happy with yourself...
  03-09-09, 05:51 PM #4
  Beautiful bike. What thumb shifters did you use?
  I still have my mens '81/'82 S12-S in pieces, as I turned my attention to restoring a Motobecane Mirage mixte for my daughter. I was going to put 'touring'? bars on the mixte, but she asked to try out the drops first. Pixs when I get both of them together.
  03-09-09, 07:42 PM #5
  A set of these babies, as pictured on Velobase:
  Shimano "Deer Head' M-700, classics from the 1980's. Like the Suntour XC Pro/Expert ones, these have sort of a cult status. Personally, I prefer the Suntour ones a smidge, but these ones are a little more blingy/silver and give me fond memories of the set of these that were on my first MTB, a Trek 870, back in 1985.
  More about these shifters on Velobase.
  The ones on the bike were used, but cleaned up just about perfectly. I do have a NOS set in the box waiting around for some other project.