Bicycling Road Test Bike
Mon, December 19, 2022 
When I was building frames in Southern California back in the 1980s, my business was humming along nicely, I was building thirty FUSO frames a month. The last thing I thought about was that I would be corresponding with people about these very same frames 35 years later.
I certainly did not foresee the Internet and my writing on this blog, a weekly journal. Had I known, I might have kept a few more records for a start. When I started building the FUSO in 1984, I stamped each frame with a simple in sequence serial number, starting with 001, 002, 003, and so on.
At the time the number was a simple way for me to keep track of how many frames I was building. It gave each frame an individual identity, a number that could be written on an invoice when it was sold.
I kept no record of where each individual frame went, apart from copies of the invoice, which are long gone. There was no reason at the time for me to keep that stuff.
In 1989 I built a 56cm. LUX frame number 1650, it was assembled into a complete bike using Campagnolo C-Record components. The bike was shipped to “Bicycling” Magazine, as they had agreed to do a road test, and write an article about it. The article appeared in June 1989 issue. (Picture above.)
The bike was subsequently returned to me, and I took it the Atlantic City, New Jersey, Bicycle Trade Show, in the Fall of 1989. As was customary, when the show closed the bikes were sold off to bike dealers at a discounted price.
Recently, the original owner of this bike sold it, and the new owner contacted me to ask me to authenticate that this was in fact the very same bike that appeared in Bicycling Magazine.
As mentioned, I did not keep records. However, here is a frame that was built in 1989. You can look at the FUSO registry and see other frames close to #1650 with original owners who also bought them in 1989.
It is a LUX frame, the color is pink with blue decals, it is a 56cm. frame built in Columbus TSX tubing.
I even stamped TSX on the bottom bracket shell, which is unusual.
The LUX frame was built to order only, there could hardly be another with the exact same specs. I can safely say, this is indeed the same bike.
Bikes like this have added value because they have a story attached to them. At some point someone will pay big bucks for such a bike, it will be a valuable addition to any collection. I hope the new owner will appreciate that I have just added value to his purchase by authenticating it.
That may sound a little mercenary to hint that someone owes me but let me explain. I always had a “Love/Hate” relationship with cyclists, until I realized that cyclists are just a cross section of people, that come in a whole range of personalities,
When I had my bike business in Southern California, I had a strict “No visitors” policy, because people would hang out all day, and I could not get any work done. I had a business to run, orders to fill, and a living to make. Then to make matters worse, the people who took up most of my time, were least likely to actually place an order.
It really is no different today. Believe it or not, my whole life does not revolve around bicycles. I have moved on to do other things. However, writing on this blog, and answering people’s emails, takes a disproportionate amount of my time.
Don’t get me wrong, I choose to make myself available. I could just quit, but I appreciate the interest, it gives me a great deal of satisfaction. However, there are expenses like monthly hosting fees, not to mention my time. A few good souls donate on a regular basis that helps defray this cost, without them I could not continue.
I will never put a “Pay-Wall” on my blog, that would be annoying and counterproductive. I will not charge for answering emails, but rather rely on voluntary contributions.
As with any gift, “It is the thought that counts.” If someone makes an unsolicited donation of a few dollars, it shows they took the time to actually go to my Registry, and clink on the PayPal “Donate” button.
It shows people care, and ultimately that is all we can wish for in life.
Footnote: Go to my Registry PDF files and download a copy of the Bicyclig Road Test article. Scroll down the page, second below the pictures.
Reader Comments (1)
Must be nice to see your handywork still (steel) rolling. At the end of the day, it's all any craftsman has, a physical legacy that future generations can still enjoy.