In our ongoing mission to get more customers trying and rating product, this year we are providing a selection of bikes to be reviewed over time. Here David Harmes tells us his first impressions of this Fuji Team road bike:
Having agreed to review the Fuji Team 2.0 road bike over a year of riding, my first introduction to the bike followed a fascinating tour of the Gatwick HQ/Warehouse, guided by Rob Jarman. The bike had already been assembled, and Rob placed it on a turbo trainer so we could check the fit. The Team 2.0 isn’t supplied with pedals so after a quick look around, it was fitted with a used pair of studded flat mtb pedals. Not the best choice for a road bike, but in this case quite appropriate as I was wearing a chunky pair of boots!
A quick spin on the turbo, a check of saddle height and reach, a few pictures taken by Balint Hamvas, and then we were soon outside for a few more pictures riding round the car park.
My first impressions of this very brief ride were that the bike was a comfortable fit, the saddle a good shape, and all the mechanical bits were working smoothly. I immediately felt at home.
The Team 2.0 is very smart, being all white with navy blue lettering and navy blue on parts of the forks and top tube, and the geometry looked and felt right for a serious road bike.
Having got the bike home, and finding a spare hour, I decided on a quick ride, both to check my riding position and to see how the bike performed. A quick safety check and I left my home in Abinger Hammer (Surrey), climbed steadily up through Holmbury St Mary, skirted round to the south side of Holmbury Hill, and then up the steep lane to the top.
I stopped briefly at the top to offer help to a cyclist who, with back wheel in hand, was trying to sort out a broken spoke. At this point I realised that I had come out with no tools, puncture outfit, or spare tubes, and therefore the risk of a long walk home with a flat tyre. So having pointed him in the direction of the little cycle shop in Peaslake (about a mile away), I took the shortest route back.
This ride was less than 10 miles with an aggregate climb of 850 feet, but I did learn a few things:
1. Using the STI gear shifters with thick winter gloves on it is easy to change down when you are actually trying to change up! Until I learned to be more careful, this meant the occasional burst of unexpected spinning (interval training?).
2. The compact chain-set is ideal for riding in the Surrey Hills, giving a bottom gear of 34/25.
3. My level of fitness has dropped significantly since last year! (Up until October, I was averaging about 70 off-road, hilly miles per week, but a month in Borneo, eight weeks of my wife in a wheelchair with a smashed ankle, then of course the snow, all conspired to limit my riding time).
My fitness aside, the bike behaved perfectly; gear changes were crisp and immediate, the riding position was very comfortable, good when out of the saddle on the climbs, and I noticed no quirkiness in the handling. I decided not to give the bike (or me) a hard work-out as the damp lanes were awash with grit and mud, so pushing hard round bends or down hills would not have been sensible. I also avoided checking the bike’s responsiveness with hard sprints (OK, this was more to do with fitness!). This will all come later with a few more miles on the clock, and some longer rides, but so far, the Team 2.0 is looking good.
Thanks David and we look forward to hearing more from you soon!
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