Johnny Rebel

Hi all, I don't post here often, but I thought I'd solicit some thoughts or ideas. I just picked up a nice, white Specialized Sequoia, I think a 1985 or 86. Seems like the frame is a nice steel frame, and it seems to fits better than my other bike (a modern steel cx/touring Bianchi Castro Valley, the orange one). My Bianchi is a 61 but i think 58 fits me better. Everything seems pretty decent on the Sequoia, actually, the wheels are stock and true, and besides the normal need for new rubber and cables, etc. the bike's good to go.

I'm not a fan of DT shifters, so I may take the newish 9 spd bar cons off the Bianchi and put those on the Sequoia, put brifters on the Bianchi, move the fenders to the Sequoia, and call it good. I won't be able to use indexing mode on the 5 spd freewheel on the Sequoia if I switch the barcons, will I? Any potential problems if I stick to friction mode?

The chainrings on the sequoia are 50-46-30, 14-25 in rear. Anyone have experience with that setup? My Bianchi has 50-34 and 11-30, that range works for me. Once I get the sequoia rideable I'll start toying with ideas. Maybe DT shifters will finally be tolerable.

I think she's a nice find?


.

BruceHankins

Nice looking bikes!

TimmyT 

You shouldn't have any problems with friction. The 5 speed freewheel has a center-to-center spacing of 5.5mm. The 9 speed is 4.34mm. There is no hope of indexing with a 9-speed set up. See Sheldon Brown's Cribsheet.

Other ideas: You could find a set of indexed 6 speed shimano dt shifters and put them on the 9 speed pods. Then, you could run an indexed rear derailleur. However, you might have to change the rear derailleur. I'm not sure what is on there now, but it looks like a Shimano Deerhead. Early Shimano rear derailleurs do not always index. You could also buy a set of bar-end pods, like the ones at Rivendell, and just transfer your shifters to the pods and run friction from the bar ends.

The set up on the Sequoia is a "half-step + granny" that is common on touring bikes. I have a 50/44/30 on my Univega touring bike. They were popular chainring selections in the mid 80s. Your Bianchi has a compact 9-speed set-up at 110 BCD that is popular now because it gives a wide range of gear selections on two rings with only one set of chainring bolts.

I think this is a question only you can answer. I'd probably try to run 32s on one bike. There are differences in geometry and materials between the two bikes.

You have two great choices. Ultimately, it will be the one you reach for most that determines what you ride.

The Golden Boy 

The Sequoia is definitely a cool and interesting bike. A high quality Sport/Tourer. Whereas some sport/tourers were kind of afterthoughts or just the middle of the road compromise- the Sequoia is a well designed, well put together bike for everything. And it was the flagship Specialized bicycle. Nothing you put on can outclass that frame.

In my imagination- I'd get some fancy dual pivot brakes. Front and rear racks. Pasela 32s. Suntour XC Pro/XC Comp/Superbe or Ultegra/XT.

Sweet bike. Congratulations!

Johnny Rebel

Thanks, Timmy T. I figured that would be the case with the indexing. I'm realizing I'm daydreaming about tinkering with these bikes since I'm not actually riding at all in January.

ish

The Sequoia looks like a 1985. The 1985 model is a mishmash of fantastic but underappreciated and undervalued parts.

I'd be inclined to put white or dark blue bluemels fenders on it rather than black modern fenders.

bikemig 

Great bike. If you hate downtube shifters but otherwise like the parts on your bike, ratcheting bar ends are the way to go: https://store.velo-orange.com/index.p...-shifters.html. Doesn't cost you a bomb, not a ton of work, and it will interface nicely with all your existing components.

WNG

Wonderful and rare bike. Nice find. The sport touring geometry would make a nice randonneur. You should be able to fit a 6 or 7 speed freewheel in there, but not sure how it'll work with the 1/2 step rings up front. Friction shifting is a piece of cake. The 9 speed bar ends will work fine in friction mode.

Johnny Rebel

WNG, if the rear spacing is 126, will I need to do anything special to upgrade to a 7 spd freewheel?

Thanks for the replies and feedback. I'm leaning towards installing friction bar-ends on the Sequoia and keeping my Bianchi in indexed bar-end mode. I enjoy bar ends -- hey they were good enough for Jose Manuel Fuente and Rik Van Looy.


This is my first vintage restoration (I've cleaned up a couple of ones I flipped, but I fully intend on riding this one for a long time).

WNG

I used to have a list of components that these bikes came with, but IIRC, they are the same Specialized hubs on my Expedition.
126mm will accommodate a 7 speed. But some freewheels will be tight space wise on the drive side locknut. If necessary, you can remove the washer from the non drive side and install it on the drive side to gain another millimeter. Dish is off by the same amount, but it's so small most don't bother to redish.
That should be enough for chain clearance of the chainstay when in the small cog.

Johnny Rebel

Awesome, thanks WNG. I found this component list, too. It just says "specialized low flange QR 126 36h" if that is enlightening.

bikemig 

Yes and no. The 7 spd freewheel will fit fine. You may find that you get some chain rub. You can add a 1 mm spacer to fix this; the axle should be plenty long enough for that but you will probably want to redish the wheel a small amount.

leaping_gnome

I ride my 84 Sequoia with a 8-of-9-on-7 12-28 cassette using a Shimano 6401 freehub with 126 mm spacing. This puts 8 ratios on a 7-speed rear hub using 9-speed spacing. I still use friction downtube shifters but similar barcons are available from Dia-Compe or Velo Orange. I did change my chainset for a 50-34 compact set-up. I honestly don't remember what the BCD was on your original crankset, whether it was 130 or 110. For 130 BCD you can get a 38-tooth ring, for 110 you can get the 34. Either way I prefer it to the half-step gearing.

I love my Sequoia, I commute to work on it and it also serves as my rough rider bike for mixed terrain brevets. Here it is from this past weekend. Good luck with your Sequoia!

Jim

Johnny Rebel

Thank for all the replies and sorry to resurrect my own thread. I've been getting into cleaning her up. I've just removed surface rust and Ive been deciding on a few things. Not wanting to sink a lot of $ into it, I've decided to stick with a lot of original components for now. I might be getting some Suntour barcons for free or I'll stick with the DT shifters on there now. Overall, I'm thinking of keeping it fairly original for a little while and if I love the frame she might get a whole 650b conversion. I hope I can live with the crummy rear brake until then.

Changes: I replaced the 40 cm bars with some 44 cm bars. Did some cleaning on the wheels I put some old 700x28 Vittoria randonneurs for now. I dont care for those tires, and will get some plusher 32s after a few "Dialing in" miles. SPD pedals on the way, too. The big change: removing the 50 tooth outer ring and riding 46x30 in the front. Cheap freewheel and chain are going on next.

Johnny Rebel

In progress

leaping_gnome

Sounds like good changes. I have 44cm Noodles on mine. The 46x30 combo on the front seems pretty good. Save your $$$ and have fun!

Jim

TimmyT 

Looks good. Keep us posted. Why did you remove the 50t ring? I just leave a big ring on if I have a triple. Sure, you're carrying the weight of a ring around with you, but on some downhills, it could be really useful.

What is the deal with the rear brake?

Johnny Rebel

Rear brake engages OK but returns to position in sloooowww motion.

Well, I decided to keep the triple after all. Precisely because when I compared gear inches between my Bianchi and what 46x14 or 13 would look like as my biggest gear...visions of straggling behind on descents went through my mind.

Scored Suntour barcons off of a rotting barn bike. (Barn bike will be resurrected with the DT Shimano 600 shifters off the Sequoia, thats the deal with the owner of the barn bike). The Suntours work, by all appearances, as they should. Yippee. I love the look and feel and aesthetic of these shifters. Kind of my grail component. Not having to deal with DT shifters was another reason to stick with the triple. What a lovely piece of engineering and design.

New bars. Basic black. The other 44 wides I tried we're implements of torture - short drops and crummy shape for me. Not a fan of those flat spots on the drops.

Cables, cassette, freewheel and bartape are all that's left to do. Pedals too.


Couldnt help adding the bottle and frame pump for giggles. Bike actually came with a cool 80's Zèfal, but that needs TLC.

Johnny Rebel

No, I haven't, and I bet they're great. The black bars I put on are nice, lightly used newish Bontragers from LBS - $10. Seeing as the bike (and a work stand!) cost me $150, I'm keeping it budget, but decent quality. I think Noodles in the width I prefer would be pricy?

TimmyT 

You need to pull that apart and clean it thoroughly. Use steel wool or a light abrasive sandpaper on the pivot points. You want them dead (and I mean dead) flat on the pivots --- the finer the sandpaper the better --- almost polished. They probably have oxidation on each arm, and possibly the washers at the pivot bolt. Reassemble them and grease everything. Your problem should be solved.


I'm not a huge fan of barcons, but I'm in the minority around here. They really only work well for five or six gears. I run 8, 9, and 10, so I have shimano indexed shifters which make my life easy. For these cassettes that are more tightly spaced, the ratcheting mechanism is not fine enough.

leaping_gnome

Well, yes, the 44cm Noodles will run about $45, maybe less with some shopping around, but, like saddles, some parts are worth it.

+1 with TimmyT - taking care of your back brake should be straight forward clean, grease, and adjust - unless somethings bent - and that's important to know.

Jim

Johnny Rebel

thanks for the brake advice, will try that out. There is a little rust.

As for barcons and gearing, I'm putting in a 6 or 7 speed freewheel. Would 6 be a noticeable difference?

Glennfordx4

Just a thought worth checking, if you have Dia-Compe BRS Type Aero Levers it is critical the way the cable is routed out of the back of the lever to the bars. I Have had the BRS Type levers with screw in ferrules bind on more then one bike & it always was the rear.

Glenn

TimmyT 

Changing a freewheel only takes 10 minutes. If you have both a 6 and a 7 on hand, why not just try one for 20 miles and then the other? Whichever one is easier to deal with is the winner.

Johnny Rebel

Thanks, Glenn. It might be something along those lines, it seems like a blind guessing game as to how to place the ferrule at the junction of the lever and cable. There is one little bend as the cable goes into the lever, perhaps the culprit.

I took the brake off and removed rust, etc. as advised, but it is still a "slow motion" brake.

Checking the lever, too. There was "dirt" (probably spider egg junk) inside the levers that I cleaned out, but maybe the lever needs a little lube. Well, maybe an upgrade to dual-pivots would be the best place to spend money! I might want modern stopping power in my hilly region with my 200 lb butt flying downhill!