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BIKE TESTS: FUJI SST 2.0
Road Bike Action
August 21, 2009
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Building bicycles since 1899, Fuji is one of the oldest bicycle
companies in the world and has a long history of racing. In recent
times, Fuji has enjoyed success as sponsor of the powerful Mercury team
in the first part of the decade. The domestic-based Mercury featured
standouts Chris Horner, Gordon Fraser and Floyd Landis. Fuji followed
up their sponsorship of Mercury by becoming the official bike supplier
of the Toyota United team for the 2007 and 2008 seasons. For 2009, Fuji
stepped it up a notch and joined the ProTour, becoming the title
sponsor of the Fuji Servetto team. With such a history of racing, it is
not surprising that racing bikes dominate the Fuji line. At the top of
their line sits the SL series, followed closely by the SST line. The
SST stands for Super Stiff Team, and while the SL-1 is designed for
life in the ProTour, the Fuji SST 2.0 sacrifices a few ounces for aero
profiled tubes and all-out power transfer.
THE FRAME
The
Fuji SST 2.0 is constructed using monocoque high-modulus C-7 carbon
with aero-shaped tubes. It features an integrated headset and
replaceable derailleur hanger. The frame is mated to Fuji’s own FC-440
carbon monocoque fork with 1-1/8-inch carbon steerer. The aero,
straight blade fork is designed to keep the front end stiff and the
bike pointed in the intended direction. The Fuji SST 2.0 is designed to
be a pure racing machine and, in turn, is as stiff as possible. The
oversized, aero-shaped downtube, head tube junction and bottom bracket
shell are all designed to deliver power from the pedals to the rear
wheel as efficiently as possible. Every tube on the SST 2.0 is
oversized. The seat tube has an aggressive aero profile, with a cutaway
section for the rear wheel. The aero profile seat tube keeps its shape
all the way to the top tube where a similar shaped Fuji aero seatpost
is used. The top tube is round, but still oversized compared to
conventional frames, and merges seamlessly with the wishbone seat
stays. To further reinforce the racing nature of the SST 2.0, Fuji has
gone with a bold red, white and carbon graphics scheme. With the aero
tubes and aggressive graphics, the SST 2.0 simply looks fast.
THE PARTS
The
Fuji SST 2.0 comes with a complete SRAM Rival group. The Rival is
SRAM’s mid-range group, but is indistinguishable in feel or performance
from their higher-end Force group. Fuji provides their own Carbon Pro
Aero, 300-millimeter seatpost, while steering is handled via a white
FSA Wing Pro compact handlebar combined with a white FSA OS-115 stem
that features a carbon faceplate. The white stem and handlebar
combination combined with black tape and white brake hoods gives the
front end a pro-bike look. To keep the Fuji rolling smoothly, Fuji
equipped the SST 2.0 with Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheels and Vittoria
Rubino Pro II, 700 x 23c foldable tires. A well-padded red and white
San Marco Ponza completes the package.
THE NUMBERS
Our
56-centimeter Fuji had a 73-degree head and a 73.5-degree seat tube
angle, connected by a 56-centimeter top tube. Chainstay length measured
out at 40.5 centimeters, with a wheelbase of 99.1 centimeters. The Fuji
SST 2.0 weighed 16.6 pounds without pedals.
THE RIDE
After
just a few pedal strokes, it becomes clear that the Fuji SST 2.0 is
made for big, powerful riders who spend most of their time mashing the
big ring. The Fuji definitely lives up to the super stiff moniker. Due
to the stiff frame, there was no wasted energy in sprints or on climbs.
The low front end and 120-millimeter stem allowed the Fuji to be driven
hard through corners and provided a comfortable race-ready position.
The SST 2.0 is stable at speed, yet handles fast, sharp corners with
ease. Every tester liked the handling properties of the SST 2.0, but
felt the bike was unable to display its true cornering abilities due to
the harder compound Vittoria Rubino tires. Long, sustained climbs were
best handled in the saddle, pushing a slightly larger gear than normal
and taking full advantage of the stiff frame. Descending on the SST 2.0
was a mixed bag. On one hand, the stiff frame and aggressive handling
made for fast descents and allowed the rider to dive into corners and
accelerate with ease. On the flip side, with the frame being so stiff,
it offered very little feedback on road surfaces, and in doing so
masked the inert sense of speed one develops riding a bike. This lack
of feeling caused us to come into many corners too fast. With the
massively oversized frame we were expecting a harsh ride, and while the
frame is uncompromising in its stiffness, the intelligent addition of
the compliant Ksyrium Elite wheels did a lot to take the edge off
potholes and breaks in the pavement. A couple of larger riders
commented that they would have liked to see some stiffer deep section
wheels to complement the aggressive sprinting nature of the bike, but
the majority of riders preferred the comfort of the Ksyrium Elite
wheels. Along with the wheels, the cushy San Marco Ponza saddle added
much welcomed comfort for longer rides.
The biggest drawback
to the Fuji SST 2.0 was the Fuji Aero Pro seatpost. The seatpost
gradually tapers inward to the seat clamp along its length. Since the
taper is so gradual, the seat must be raised to a certain height in
order for the seatpost to be tightened properly in the frame. Riders
right at or under six feet tall had trouble getting the seat to stay at
the required height (a common rider height for a 56-centimeter frame).
Raising the seatpost to a height that it would stay in place put that
saddle at a height that most riders would begin to consider a larger
frame. Another component that we would switch out was the FSA Wing Pro
compact bars. We liked the bend of the FSA Wing Pro compact bars, but
on a bike that is so sprinter-oriented, we would have liked a deeper
drop, as we often hit our forearms on the top of the bars when
sprinting in the drops.
THE VERDICT
The Fuji SST 2.0
is classic sprinter’s bike. The oversized carbon frame, aggressive
position and razor handling make it ideal for chaotic finish line
sprints. The SST 2.0 is not a super lightweight, fragile,
only-ride-on-smooth-roads bike. It is a street fighter, meant for the
big, powerful riders who are out to win races. If you are this kind of
rider, the SST 2.0 fits the bill.
PRICE: $4000
WEIGHT: 16.6 pounds
INFO: www.fujibikes.com |
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