The Garage Sale Fuso

In a recent blog, Still bargains to be found out there, I wrote about a Fuso bike picked up at a garage sale.

Mark Worden who found this one sent me these pictures.

Built twenty years ago in 1987, the 30th Anniversary year, the bike was ridden for 2 years then sat in a garage for the next 18 years.

Amazingly, the bike was picked up for $75. Too small for him, a 55cm. Mark passed it on to a friend.

The bike came with sprint wheels and tubular tires, which Mark kept; the wheels seen here are temporary. The new owner is awaiting a new set of wheels. It makes me feel good that another Fuso has been liberated and is being ridden.

The beauty of these bikes is in the way they ride, and they need to be ridden to be appreciated.





Tip: The white decal panels on these frames are adhesive Mylar, clear coated over with multiple clear coats; they are normally very durable.

However, do not, repeat, do not let a bike store mechanic clamp the frame in a work stand, placing the clamp over the decal. It will permanently mark the white panel.

Still bargains to be found out there

I recently heard from two people; each had a story of how they came across a Fuso bike under unusual circumstances and how they purchased those bikes at a bargain price.

Ed Arlt who lives in Northern California was telling a friend he was thinking of upgrading from his hybrid to a road bike. His friend told him of a neighbor of his, an older gentleman in his eighties, who wanted to give away his Fuso because he could no longer ride it.


Ed had never heard of a Fuso, but did an online search and within minutes knew he was on to something special.

He jumped in his truck, drove over and introduced himself to his friend’s neighbor. He was taken to the garage and there behind the lawnmower was a red Fuso in nearly new condition.

The owner told Ed he bought the frame from a Bay Area bike shop in the early 1990s and he hand picked all the other parts and had it built. He then rode it for a couple years until poor health caused it to sit for the last 10 years.

He wanted to give it to someone who would use it. Ed, to his credit, did not feel comfortable accepting such an offer, and paid the old gentleman $200 for it. Still a tremendous bargain.

The serial number on the frame is #100 which makes it even more interesting. It would have been built in 1984 the first year of production, but must have hung in the bike store until the early 1990s. The bike is pictured above.

The second story I received from Mark Worden who told me he came across a 30th Anniversary Fuso (1987) at a garage sale in Encinitas, CA. The owner told him it had been sitting in his garage for the past 18 years.

The frame was near pristine, but the components were slightly pitted, and the front derailleur clamp was broken. It had a $300 price tag on it, but after some wheeling and dealing, Mark came away with the bike for $75. The owner’s wife told her husband “Just get rid of it.”

Unfortunately, the frame was too small for Mark, but he passed his good fortune on to a friend of his who loves the bike. He wasn’t able to send me a picture, but told me he is now looking for a 58 – 59 Fuso and hopes he can repeat his good fortune. You never know he might just do that.

I built close to 3,000 Fuso frames from 1984 to 1993. Most were sold in Southern California. San Diego, Orange County, Riverside, and Los Angeles. A fair number also went to the San Francisco Bay Area. The rest in smaller numbers went to various parts of the US.

Where are these bikes now? I believe a lot of them, like these two examples, are sitting in garages unused. They are just waiting to be liberated, and I’m sure I will be hearing more stories like these in the years to come.

Fuso Mixte: One of a Kind

Following my last post about rare track bikes another singular bike has just surfaced; a Fuso Mixte. Built in 1984, the year the Fuso was introduced; it is the only one of its kind. It was built for a business associate.

While operating my frameshop in San Marcos, which is in San Diego County, California, I used the services of a printing company in neighboring Escondido. They printed the Fuso decals, and they produced some brochures for me.

The owner of the print shop expressed an interest in having a pair of bicycles made for him and his wife in exchange for the work they were doing for me.

The 18 inch mixte frame was custom built for the wife and co-owner of the print business. The other bike was a standard Fuso frame, although it did have a non-standard paint job. Finished in a matching light and dark green metallic that you see here.

The mixte was finished as a Fuso rather than a custom ‘dave moulton’ so the two bikes would be a matching pair.

I never built another like it or even considered it as viable production model; there was not really a market for a high-end women’s bike. When females get into the sport enough to desire a frame of the Fuso caliber they usually prefer to ride a standard frame.

Somewhere along the way the matching pair of bikes got separated but the mixte has now shown up in Florida. My thanks go the current owner Mike Volpe for contacting me and sending the pictures.

Where have all the Fusos gone?

As well as starting this blog a year ago, it was also in November 2005 that I started tracking my bikes and frames for sale on eBay.

In the first ten months of the year there was never more that a week went by that there wasn’t one of my products up for bidding. Mostly Fusos, but a few John Howard and Recherche marques.

Only two custom ‘dave moulton’ came up; one track bike sold on the UK eBay, and a frame sold in September. Both of these were built in England in the 1970s.

Now the flow has stopped for whatever reason there hasn’t been one on eBay for two months; September, 17th was the last.

In the twelve months I tracked sales, there were only a total of 37 up for sale; a mere drop in the bucket when you consider I built close to 3,000 Fuso frames, 200 or so John Howards and just over 200 Recherche frames.

So were have they all gone? I hope a lot of them are still being ridden and enjoyed, but I suspect a lot are sitting in garages and basements, neglected, unloved, and their owners have no idea what they have.

I recently heard from a young man who bought a complete John Howard bike for $6; the components were corroded, the chain rusting, and the tires were shot, but six bucks?

I told the young buyer he could have turned it around on eBay as it was for $200-$300. I’m pleased to say he decided to keep it and ride it.

Where have all the Fusos gone?
Long time passing,
Where have all the Fusos gone?
Long time ago.
Where have all the Fusos gone?
They rust in basements, one by one,
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

With apologies to Pete Seeger, (Peter, Paul and Mary.)

Clueless

Some people selling stuff on ebay do not have a clue. Take this Fuso pictured here; listed as a “one of a kind” custom Fuso. I built just under 3,000 from 1984 to 1993 so hardly one of a kind.

Model year 2000: I retired in 1993.

Size: XL. I’m sorry the seller may be clueless but the people buying my frames are not. Extra Large will not cut it; it’s not a tee shirt. Looks like at least a 66 cm.

Frame Material: Carbon Fiber. When it is obviously lugged steel; I doubt there is one single piece of carbon fiber on the whole bike.

Starting Price: $2,300. I don’t think so. Even my custom ‘dave moulton’ bikes of which I built only 219 in California, do not command even near that yet. The going rate on ebay for a Fuso in nice condition is from $500 to $800. The higher price would be for a Lux model. That is for a complete bike with nice components; frames in good condition (Not needing a repaint.) go for around $240 to $340.

I can understand someone selling a bike and knowing nothing about it, but have they never heard of Google? Type in “Fuso Bicycle” or “Dave Moulton” and you will find all the information you need to know.

If you are selling one of my frames or a complete bike; take lots of pictures. Take close-up pictures of the lugs and seat cluster. Takes pictures of any damage to the paint, etc. Turn the bike over and take a picture of the underside of the bottom bracket shell showing the serial number and the frame size stamped there.

Take at least one good side on shot from the drive side of the bike. But don’t stand above the bike or frame and take the picture from a high angle, or the camera will distort the frame geometry. The head angle will appear steeper than it is and the seat angle shallower.

If the frame is a Fuso Lux for example; take a picture of the Fuso Lux decal on the top tube, because people will ask you, “Is it really a Lux.” Put a link to the "Bicycle" section on my website if you wish. (www.ProdigalChild.net/Bicycle.htm)

When one of my bikes is sold on eBay there is no financial interest in it for me; but I am still interested. These are my “children” and I care whether they have a good home, or if they are being treated right, and are loved.