Been keeping my eye out for another "project bike." Well, a guy came in the store a week ago with a bike he wanted to sell. What a mess. He claimed it was a Dave Moulton "Fuso", a frame I'm familiar with.

It had about five layers of "rattle can" paint and a melange of parts you couldn't believe. Ancient Campy non-aero brake levers, totally trashed with filthy "A'me" yellow hoods. Cinelli 120 mm 1A stem, scarred from being shoved down too far, with a Cinelli 66-42 bar. A Campy Record headset. Campy Record first generation dual pivot brakes. An 8-9 speed era Record crank, 172.5 53-39, with a Chorus left arm and a Chorus bb. Unidentifiable anodized 36 hole clincher rims laced up to 70's vintage Campy Record hubs. An American Classic seatpost also trashed from being shoved down into a filthy frame. A lower end Campy front derailleur.

But the "frosting on the cake" was a very nice Record Titanium 8 speed rear derailleur. My late '80's Falcon is 8 speed Campy, Record Ti Ergo's but an Athena rear D. I've been looking for an 8 speed backup rear D as that's the one thing not made any longer. Bottom line, I bought the whole shooting match for $100. Worth it, as the last good condition 8 speed Record Ti rear D I bid on and lost went for $138 on Ebay.

The frame is a bit small for me - 57cm c-to-t, with a 56cm top tube. But it does look like a Moulton. The lugs are right, Columbus "Campy 1010B knockoff" dropouts but, interestingly enough, it has a drilled-out track fork. The frame is straight, likely Columbus SL, as were most if not all Fuso's. With all the crap stripped off it, it's pretty light.

Unlike my Raleigh project which was a frame and fork, this one has a good headset, bar and stem. I scored a pristine Shimano 600 170 crank off another wasted frame for $20. I've got a primo 7400 DuraAce front brake laying around, plus a brake lever and a decent 27.2 seat post. A set of wheels, a saddle, a BB, a chain, cog and lockring, some tires and it'll be good to go.

Now it's break out the Dremel, clean up the frame and off to Olympic for powder coat. I'm thinking a root beer brown, but I'm open to suggestions. This one is probably going to be a "for sale" as the frame is a bit small. But I had so much fun doing the Raleigh (which is not nor never will be for sale) I figure it's time for another.:D

That sounds cool.. Is there anyway to tell for sure if it's a Moulton? If it is, you have a very nice frame

That sounds cool.. Is there anyway to tell for sure if it's a Moulton? If it is, you have a very nice frame

I found Dave Moulton's "blog/website" at prodigalchild.net. He gives Fuso serial numbers by year of manufacture, where they are, where the frame size is stamped, etc. It all matches. Plus the seat stays have that distinctive "concave" cap at the seat cluster, practically a Mouton "trademark."

On another google search, I found a picture of my old Idaho riding partner Hal Simmons' Fuso that I helped him track down and advised him to buy when he was looking to "expand" from just mountain bikes to road. That was about 8 years ago and he still has the Fuso.

Now for some advice, Dave. If it is a genuine Fuso, do I commit the sacriledge of removing all the extraneous braze-ons to make it a genuine "fixie", or do I leave it be for possible future restoration to a geared road bike? Insofar as I'm now about 98% sure it's the real thing, and despite the fact that the original fork is missing, I'm torn.:confused:

I'm probably the wrong person to ask. I've modified many "rare" frames to suit my needs. Purists will say keep it original. My opinion is bikes should be ridden. If modifing the frame gets you to ride it more, go for it.

I went through the same thing with my Panasonic Keirin frame. It was a beautiful frame but it wasn't drilled for a brake and it didn't have a water bottle mount.. If I wanted to ride the bike, I needed to make modifications. If I didn't, it would be wall art....

An anology would be a guy that buys a 57 Chevy. Purists will want to restore it and keep it original. Others will want to put in modern seats, wheels, tires and drivetrain to make it more user friendly.

I'm going for it. I really like the clean look with braze-on's removed, particularly the downtube shifter bosses. Now....what color?

ask Dave (Moulton)

I spent the afternoon Thursday dremelling, grinding, filing and sanding. Downtube shifter bosses are a real pain, but it came out nice. Friday it went to Olympic. After racking my brain, I picked a light-to-medium blue metallic (called Puritan Blue with Clear). The guys at Olympic were laughing about how many coats of "rattle-can" it had (about 6 - one for each time it was stolen!) I do feel somewhat badly, as I know that frame was boosted at some time. But I also know that finding the rightful owner would be like finding Saddam's WMD's.

I have some "before" pics that I unsuccessfully tried to post. My co-worker's Nikon is too much. The pics are 1.5 megs, too much for here. Any tips to "reduce them"?:idea:

I have some "before" pics that I unsuccessfully tried to post. My co-worker's Nikon is too much. The pics are 1.5 megs, too much for here. Any tips to "reduce them"?:idea:
Yeah. E-mail 'em to me and I'll reduce them in Paintshop for ya and send them back. If you don't know how to post them here I can do that for ya too.

mike(at)miketechinfo(dot)com is the address

Yeah. E-mail 'em to me and I'll reduce them in Paintshop for ya and send them back. If you don't know how to post them here I can do that for ya too.

mike(at)miketechinfo(dot)com is the address

E-mail sent.:thumbsup:

E-mail sent.:thumbsup:
Annnnnd pics resized, cropped and returned! :thumbsup:

Some great fellow posters here.

Got the Fuso frame and fork back from Olympic today. I wasn't completely sure about the color choice, but seeing it - YES!! A kind of sky blue silver metallic.

Conundrum now is do I do the club ride tomorrow or spend the day at the shop building it? Got all the parts I needed yesterday - wheels, BB, saddle, etc.

Pics will be forthcoming.

I said I'd never sell the Raleigh. I also said I was building the Fuso to sell it.

Well, after riding the Fuso for a week, including the daily commute, I refuse to part with it. It is just one of the nicest bikes I've ever ridden. Light, quick, tracks like it's on rails, and despite being "stiff", it's really comfortable. Truly the product of a master frame builder who knew what he was doing.

Plus it has water bottle braze-ons and a pump peg so it's a go for longer rides (my chrome Silca looks "sooo right" on it.) Dave Hickey is the man on that score.

The dilemma is that I have very limited storage space and the money spent on the Fuso wasn't really "in the budget." Crass me, I expected to make a profit. As much as I like the Raleigh, it's probably going on the auction block.

Meanwhile, the Fuso came out "drop dead gorgeous" (in my opinion.) Olympic Powder Coat did an outstanding job - it really looks like a wet paint job. But you be the judge.

Nice. Interesting contrast in the two shades of blue. At first I thought that the frame should be a darker blue like the tires/bars, but the more I look, the more I prefer it how it is. Can't blame you for not selling it!

That is a beautiful machine you have there. The frame came out very nicely.

I know Dave H. likes ride reports as much as pics.

I hooked up this morning with my buddy Mike. Fortunately, he's older and slower than I am because I've never done more than about five miles on a fixed. The ability to throw a pump, seat pack and water bottle on the bike sure boosts the versatility of this bike.

Rode a few miles from my house in Fountain Valley to his place in Huntington Beach, then down to the coast and up PCH (that's Pacific Coast Highway for the great unwashed masses.)

We went up to Seal Beach (just south of Long Beach) with a nice quartering tail breeze. Turned around as the wind swung to the north and had the same assist coming back south. A moderate pace, about 17-18 mph both ways by his cyclometer (I refuse to put one on a fixie.) Stopped and had a sandwich by the Huntington Pier. A stellar day for the first day of summer.

I dropped him off and rode home. Knowing the route, it was right on 35 miles. But I really felt like I could have ridden another 35. The bike is that good. It's a "keeper.":thumbsup:

Richard, that turned out fanstastic. That bike is a keeper....

Outstanding job

Silver compenents are where it's at.

Richard, that turned out fanstastic. That bike is a keeper....

Outstanding job

Thanks, Dave. Coming from you, that is high praise indeed.

And yes, Pablo. Lugged steel requires silver.:thumbsup:

fwiw, I saw a Mouton "FUSO" original condition never built with columbus MAX tubes, one of the most impressive frames I've seen in steel, the shaped tubes were like current Look frames, nothing is new. this was a special lugged frame one of 50. my 2c

sweet bike.

edit as i was going to go on about taking off original brazings and what not, what the hell that bike looks so smooth you could pour it on ice and drink it.

I just wanted to say. I've owned and ridden a lot of bikes in my day (I'm 61 years old) but I've never ridden a bike that gets more compliments than this one. In every group of roadies that pass me on PCH (yeah, 71 gear inches isn't going to keep me up with the hard core), at least one or two says "nice bike!" Makes one feel pretty good.

And for where I live (flat Orange County, CA), this bike makes more sense for a one or two hour ride than my "geared" bikes. What a hoot!!

Richard,

Awesome bike, looks amazing...I bet it gets tons of attention.

Interestingly enough, I also bought a FUSO a few weeks ago here in Southern CA that has a pretty rough frame, but is complete DA 7400, sew-ups, bladed spokes etc. It's also too small for me, at 54.5 c-c (I'd be all over your 56 c-c) but I've ridden it a few times and it really rides nice so I thought about respraying the frame.

Can you pass on Olympic's contact information, and how much it cost to have the frame powdercoated? Also, if you had any info on how to prep the frame it'd be much appreciated.

Richard,

Awesome bike, looks amazing...I bet it gets tons of attention.

Interestingly enough, I also bought a FUSO a few weeks ago here in Southern CA that has a pretty rough frame, but is complete DA 7400, sew-ups, bladed spokes etc. It's also too small for me, at 54.5 c-c (I'd be all over your 56 c-c) but I've ridden it a few times and it really rides nice so I thought about respraying the frame.

Can you pass on Olympic's contact information, and how much it cost to have the frame powdercoated? Also, if you had any info on how to prep the frame it'd be much appreciated.

Thanks. The more I ride it, the more I like it.

As to Olympic, they have a website - olympicpowdercoating.com. They're located just off Dyer in Santa Ana.

For basic colors, a frame and fork - including sand/media blasting - is $100 + tax. The metallic/pearls with clear coat I chose run $124. In my opinion, a bargain, especially considering what a quality "wet paint" job from Joe Bell, CyclArt or Brian Bayliss will cost. Of course, if you're going for a first class restoration on a classic like a Colnago, DeRosa, Hetchins, or something like that, those guys are the way to go.

But for a daily rider, the durability of powdercoat is hard to beat.

As to prep, I "dremelled" off the shifter bosses, cable stops, etc. I first used a cutting wheel, but didn't go closer than a mm or so to the frame. Then I went to a drum grinder followed by a drum sander on the Dremel. But once I saw the gold color of the brass (the beauty of brass braze-ons) I went to hand filing, using ever finer files, including jewellers' files. I finished up with emery cloth, using the "shoe shine" technique. The secret is a steady hand and don't be in a hurry. Cut, grind, file, sand going ever "finer" each step of the way. I saw a lovely old Centurion Tange Prestige frame that some clown brought in the shop for some work on a conversion. He used a Dremel but he might as well have used a hacksaw. He had cut so deeply into the tubing that I advised him that the integrity of the frame was probably compromised.

Don't worry about "excess" paint. My Fuso had so many coats of rattle-can it was funny. Olympic tokk it all down to the bare metal. They've told me they like working on steel frames (as opposed to aluminum) because steel is so "amenable" to their technolgy.

Finally, I don't get a kickback or anything. From all the powdercoated bikes I've seen, Olympic just does the best work at a very fair price.

As for your frame size, don't count it out. I originally thought mine was too small. I read Dave Moulton's web site (google it) and his geometry worked better for me than I thought. With a 120mm stem and the saddle "slammed" back, the sucker fits me really well.

Good luck. A Fuso is a prize.:thumbsup:

Richard,

Thanks for the detailed response. My main dilemma at this point is whether it stays geared or if it goes fixed. The Kilo TT seems like a good foray into fixed riding for $350, and it might be fun to keep the Fuso as a nice, vintage geared bike since it's matching DA.

But if I change my mind I'll follow your instructions. Or would you mind if I drove down to OC for some help?

Just to be sure I read this right - Olympic will take your frame, crappy paint and all, strip it all off and powdercoat for $100 + tax? That is a great deal.

Richard,

Thanks for the detailed response. My main dilemma at this point is whether it stays geared or if it goes fixed. The Kilo TT seems like a good foray into fixed riding for $350, and it might be fun to keep the Fuso as a nice, vintage geared bike since it's matching DA.

But if I change my mind I'll follow your instructions. Or would you mind if I drove down to OC for some help?

Just to be sure I read this right - Olympic will take your frame, crappy paint and all, strip it all off and powdercoat for $100 + tax? That is a great deal.

I debated keeping the Fuso a geared bike, but the mish-mosh of components meant a lot more expense to bring it up to speed (so to speak) as a decent geared bike. As much of a Campy fan as I am, DuraAce 7400 is really nice. It was the group that got me (and many of my contemporaries) off Nouvo and Super Record in the '80's. Campy was just resting on their laurels at the time.

And that $100+tax includes the fork.:thumbsup:

Prior to starting work on the Fuso, I e-mailed Dave Moulton to get his input.

I didn't hear back from him until a couple of days ago. He apologised for the delay as my message just sort of "got lost in the shuffle."

But he was 100 percent supportive. As he said, he built them to be ridden!:thumbsup:

Playing with the new Panasonic Lumix. I wanted to try some closeups as all the previous picture posts were "whole bike" taken by a co-worker.

Maybe not in order, but I love the old single pivot 7400 DuraAce brakes.

With the old Shimano 600 crank and a 113mm BB, the 42 chainring (on the inside) wouldn't clear the chainstay. I had to space it out 2mm but the chainline still came out allright. Still real close.

Dave Moulton's "signature" concave seatstay caps - he'd use pieces of leftover tubing.

Based on the rear brake bridge, some wag opined that it was an IRO. I pointed out that IRO never made a lugged frame.

And, finally, the fork. Sure looks like a drilled out track fork with no clearance for anything larger than a 700-23. But Dave assured me it was original. He used a lot of different forks during the years of Fuso production.

Great looking bike...The 7400 brakes are my favorites too....

The DA cranks of the same era take a 112-113 BB. maybe the 600 cranks use a 118?

Great looking bike...The 7400 brakes are my favorites too....

The DA cranks of the same era take a 112-113 BB. maybe the 600 cranks use a 118?

If memory serves me right (and your advice), the 600's used a 112-113. A 118 would have really screwed up the chainline. If you look at the frame, Moulton put the chainstays right out at the edge of the BB shell, with no "dented" relief for the inner chainring. Regardless, the chainline is almost "perfect" and it just "sings along" with a deafening silence.:thumbsup:

Regardless, the chainline is almost "perfect" and it just "sings along" with a deafening silence.:thumbsup:


That is what it's all about....:)

Nice bike - I'd keep it simple and fixed,myself. I love the sound of a quiet bike.

Nice bike - I'd keep it simple and fixed,myself. I love the sound of a quiet bike.

That's the way it's going to stay.

Went out for a 25 miler today. I figure that's about a 40 miler on the geared bikes. Boy, does that heart rate stay up.:thumbsup:

And by the way, this should give anyone an idea about how good Olympic Powdercoating can do a bicycle frame. If you're in So Cal, there's no other place. And I don't get paid to say that.