They also manufacture bags, racks and fenders. They manufacture decent quality products for road, off road, children and police.
To cut costs Fuji Bikes moved manufacturing from Japan to Taiwan, China and Poland. In 2005 Ideal Bike Corporation acquired a 60 per cent stake in the Asian wing of the company that markets the brand in Asia. took over bicycle distribution in the USA and still own the brand today. So despite being named after Mount Fuji in Japan, a symbol of strength and endurance, the company’s finances could not match.įollowing bankruptcy, Advanced Sports Inc. Eventually both parent companies from Japan and America filed for bankruptcy. As the Japanese yen continued to rise, the bikes became more expensive than their competition in America and sales fell even more. In the 1990s the fallout from the Japanese economy affected them further.
Fuji lost its share of sales to others like Specialized, Giant and Trek. They had no product to match and touring and road bike sales declined dramatically. While the company’s product line was highly regarded they did not foresee the boom in mountain bikes sales in the 1980s.
They were often the first to offer technological advances to the public such as triple butted tubing and titanium road frames.įuji offered a bike style for every kind of rider although they were weighted to road and touring styles. American consumers lapped them up and they were considered just as good or better than European designs and cheaper. In the 1970s they began to appear under their own name. In 1951 a Fuji cyclist won the first Asian Games.īy the 1950s Fuji bikes dominated the Asian market and were distributed in the American market under Toshoku America Inc. The company was responsible for establishing the inaugural Tour de Japan, a stage race between Osaka and Tokyo that is still a premier Asian event. They are on the up again however so here’s a bit of their story to fill you in if you’re weighing up your options.įuji Bikes were Japan’s most popular bicycle in the early 20th Century and won many local races. But somewhere along the way, they lost their way due to economic fallouts and the rise of mountain bikes. Despite not having the sex appeal of other brands, Fuji bikes have been regularly tested against other more costly alternatives and regularly come out as value for money with top-level components.įuji is probably better known in the United States than Australia for example, but if you’ve never heard of it, do note the brand is actually highly venerated and rivals Schwinn and Raleigh for legend status. While every second person might be on a Trek or Cervelo, you can almost guarantee your Fuji will be unique. One of the great things about riding a Fuji today is that you will definitely stand out from the crowd. It is also one of the world’s oldest biking brands. Fuji Bikes is the American distributor of bicycles that descended from a Japanese manufacturer established in 1899.