The clue is in the name — this one is all about the mass. The SL is Fuji's pure climber, and even in its second-tier 2-series incarnation, it claims a frame weight of 900g or less. A spec with modest and functional in-house finishing kit and matching wheels is completed by Shimano's Ultegra Di2 groupset. It's visually more restrained than some of its rivals, but does that translate into a boring ride?
When Fuji launched the SL line at the 2015 Vuelta a España, the claimed 695g weight of the 1-series frame put it in a very select group of ultra-light machines. The secret behind this impressive figure is what Fuji calls "high compaction moulding" (with both internal and external moulds) which produces a frame that's just about as finished on the inside as it is on the outside. That means there's no superfluous material adding weight, and the process helps ensure the even distribution of resin within the carbon matrix, producing the strongest possible frame. (NB: in the video version of this review we incorrectly state that all SLs benefit from this technology. In fact, it is only the 1-series that uses this particular manufacturing technique.)
Further significant savings come from a reduction in the number of sub-assemblies that make up the frame. The SL's predecessor, the Altimira, had eight bonded joints where one tube meets another. The new bike has just four thanks to improved manufacturing techniques that allow the seatstays and chainstays to be made as two one-piece assemblies, rather than four separate parts.
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Unfortunately, the 1-series is far from cheap, which is where the working-man's 2-series comes in. The SL 2.1 gets a frame that's a tiny bit heavier (it weighs between 850g and 900g with paint, apparently) than the top-tier machine, but which shares the same geometry and outward appearance.
Fuji naturally claims all sorts of improvements in stiffness over its predecessor too, the most significant of which is in the fork, which uses a "re-inforced I-beam" (essentially a central rib running down the inside of each hollow leg) to resist flex.
Fuji SL 2.1 spec
- Weight: 7.3kg (54cm)
- Frame: SL C10 carbon
- Fork: SL FC-440 full carbon
- Gears: Shimano Ultegra Di2 52/36, 11-28
- Brakes: Shimano Ultegra
- Wheels: Oval Concepts 773 clincher
- Finishing kit: Oval Concepts 310 bar, 313 stem, 905 carbon-wrapped seatpost, R500 saddle, Vittoria Zaffiro Pro Slick 25mm tyres
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