When Fuji presented the Kasane to the public for the first time at Eurobike 2022, it certainly provoked a lot of discussion. The US brand with Japanese roots, otherwise known for solid and affordable, rather unpretentious bikes close to the mainstream, presented a racing bike at the trade fair in the middle of the corona years that didn't really want to fit into any pigeonhole: Modern aero shapes are paired with a seating position that is suitable for long distances; a structure appropriate for road racers meets plenty of space for wide tyres that also allow for gravel passages. Race, endurance or all-road bike?
Fuji deliberately did not want to commit itself to this, which made the new model exciting for the public. After all, many prospective customers don't want to choose between the specialists, but would prefer to take everything. Whether the Kasane does a lot of things well or nothing right could not be determined at first. Firstly, the interrupted supply chains to frame and parts suppliers delayed the start of sales. In spring 2023, Advanced Sports GmbH, which distributes the Fuji brand in Europe, even slipped into insolvency. A reorganisation plan under self-administration has since been successful, meaning that business operations have been able to resume since the beginning of the year - and the Kasane is finally rolling onto the market.
Fuji Kasane: The competition never sleeps
While its approach was still considered unusually progressive at the time of its introduction, it has not remained entirely unrivalled with the rapid technical development of recent years. There are now many endurance bikes with 30 or 32 millimetre wide tyres, and the young all-road segment allows even more with a similar design. Mounting eyelets for a top tube bag and brake lines integrated into the handlebars, which were still a combination of two worlds on the Kasane in 2022, have also long been standard there. However, with the sleek aero design of the frame, which is based on current professional racers, the Fuji is still relatively alone in this segment.
On the road, it becomes clear that the sporty look in no way detracts from the claim to be a solid long-distance racer. You take a seat on a bike that is immediately comfortable, thanks in large part to the wide top bar, the comfortable saddle and the voluminous tubeless tyres, which can be ridden with correspondingly low air pressure. The seat post and handlebars also offer excellent suspension, and the comfort on the handlebars in particular is significantly better than on most other bikes. This means you can pedal smoothly even over rough roads.
The steering is also well-tuned, the bike tracks smoothly at high speeds but remains manoeuvrable enough for spontaneous changes of direction. If the bike is challenged with a sportier gait, it can't quite hide the comfort-orientated focus behind the fast facade, but it manages a decent balancing act. Although you sit more efficiently on a classic race bike with aggressive geometry for powerful pedalling, the Kasane strikes a pleasant compromise between race-ready stretched and comfortable upright. And of course, bikes that are a kilogram lighter react a little more spontaneously and lively to acceleration, but they cost about twice as much; the Fuji is by no means heavy for its price.
The Fuji Kasane finds its limits in the gear ratio
The fact that the bike is listed by the manufacturer in the competition category, in which the product information also promises long-distance comfort and adventure suitability, may be confusing in the usual category thinking, but is plausible on closer inspection. The Japanese term Kasane, which could be translated as "multi-layered", seems appropriate to us. The bike's tyres offer potential for shifting between categories: The frame allows for tyres up to 34 millimetres wide, which would make the Kasane a flawless all-road bike. The only point to think about with the Kasane is the right gear ratio.
Depending on your fitness level, you could criticise the test bike for not being equipped for epic mountain tours. The 11-34 cassette offers a relatively wide range, but with the 52/36 crank, the gears could be too tight for difficult climbs. A slightly smaller compact crank could easily be retrofitted in case of doubt. Shimano's GRX gravel groupset with 46/30 is fitted to the more affordable 2.3 model, which is available for € 2999.
At first glance, the combination seems rather inappropriate, as the gear ratios of the Kasane detract from its road bike character. On the other hand, you won't find road racing bikes suitable for touring with really small gear ratios, which also enable less trained riders to master difficult climbs, on every corner. With simple and heavy aluminium rims, this variant is likely to be much slower to ride, but wheel tuning works wonders, as we all know.
The Fuji Kasane in detail
- Price: 5799 Euro
- Weight of complete wheel: 8.1 kilos
- Frame sizes: S, M, L, XL, XXL (test size greased)
- TOUR grade: 2,0
Geometry
- Seat/top/head tube: 537/565/165 millimetres
- Stack/Reach/STR: 579/385 millimetres/1.50
- Stack+/Reach+/STR+: 546/576 millimetres/1.12
- Wheelbase/caster: 1005/63 millimetres
Equipment
- Drive/gear shift: Shimano Ultegra Di2 (52/36, 11-34 t.) | Photo: 1.0
- Brakes: Shimano Ultegra (160/160 millimetres) Grade: 1.5
- Tyres: Vittoria Corsa 30 mm (eff.: 31 mm) | Photo: 2.0
- Impellers (weights): Vision TC 40 (front/rear 1289/1734 grams
Measured values
- Weight of complete wheel: 8.1 kilos | Photo: 3.0
- Driving stability: 8.0 N/mm | Photo: 2.0
- Rear comfort: 111 N/mm | Photo: 1.7
- Comfort front: 85 N/mm | Photo: 2,3
- Ride/ bottom bracket stiffness: 57 N/mm | Photo: 1.7
Advantages and disadvantages of the Fuji Kasane
- Plus: successful compromise between competition and all-road approaches, high ride comfort, uncomplicated handling
- Minus: somewhat tight gearing for steep climbs
How TOUR tests
Jens Klötzer
Editor
