This is a 1996 Fuji Folding Bicycle (technically it is a Marlboro Unlimited) in Red with Gold decals. It is a 20″ / 50cm / Medium (center of bottom bracket to top of seat tube) welded Cro-Mo Steel frame with a steel fork. The stand over height is 30″ directly in front of the saddle.

There are 15 speeds available through the three ring crank with 170mm crank arms with folding pedals and the Shimano 5 gear freewheel.

The rear derailleur is a Shimano SIS and the front is also a Shimano. Shifting is through Shimano Indexed Thumb Shifters.

Both wheels are alloy rims drilled for Schrader valves laced to nutted black Formula hubs. Both wheels have 26″ x 2.0″ black wall knoby tires.

Braking is handled by front and rear Cantilevers.

The original black vinyl Velo saddle is mounted to a black seat post that moves freely in the seat tube.

Black flat handlebars are mounted to a black stem with quick release.

There is a bottle cage on the down tube, eyelets for front and rear fenders and eyelets for a rear rack.

The bicycle rides, turns, stops and shifts through all of the gears and rings as it should.

The Marlboro Unlimited was a promotional bicycle that you could ‘win’ from Marlboro after you smoked 440 packs of cigarettes (1 bike = 2200 Marlboro Miles at 5 miles per pack) and paid $110 in shipping. You could also go to your local Fuji dealer and get the Non Marlboro version for $330 (almost $600 in today’s dollars). Not sure of the tie in between smoking a lot and bike riding, but it was the 90’s. Non Suspension mountain bikes make for excellent urban commuters with their multitude of gears, upright riding position that let’s you see and be seen, and thick tires to absorb bumps from potholes and curbs. The coolest thing about this bicycle (besides the Marlboro Headbadge, of course “which makes it a symbol of cool if you smoke, and a symbol of I’m-so-cool-that-I-don’t-smoke-but-ironically-ride-a-cigarette-ad if you aren’t a smoker”) is that it is a full size bicycle that folds in half. Being a ‘normal’ bike that folds would be cool enough, because, let’s face it, it’s hard to actually look cool on a Dahon or Brompton, but the way it folds also makes it more difficult for someone else who likes Marlboros to make off with your bike. Open the quick release lever and remove the seat post and the bike folds in half. Once it’s folded in half, you can lock both wheels (which are attached with nuts, not quick releases) to the frame and to whatever immovable object is handy. If you take the seat post with you, you’ve made the bike unrideable and probably unpullable behind another bike. I’m not saying that the bike is un-stealable but, if someone who likes Marlboros even more than you has used the angle grinder that they just happened to be carrying around with them to cut your lock without also managing to cut the frame and/or wheels, they’ll have a bicycle that they’re going to need to walk off with and that is not nearly as quick of a get away as riding off into the sunset like the Marlboro Man would’ve done.

For less than the price of a generic Bike Shaped Object that anyone might buy online or from a store that sells bicycles in the Toy Department, you could be riding this vintage bicycle with quality components. The fact that it is still rolling down the road is a testament to how well it was built.

Please examine the photographs and ask any questions you may have about this bicycle or let us know if you need any other photos by emailing us at info@rode-bike.com

 

If any of the terms used in the description are unfamiliar, please check out the Bicycle Jargon page for definitions of common bicycle terms.