bostonbiketaxi

Hi folks,

I picked up a Specialized that I believe to be an '84 or '85 Sequoia based on the serial number (M4FG0266, as far as I can read), the number of bottle mounts/ eyelets (seat tube, downtube on both sides), the front and rear eyelets for a rack, the headtube stud for a pump, and the chrome drive-side chainstay. (Though my Specialized is red. From what I have seen and read, all of the Sequoias from this era/year are blue. Repaint perhaps? I also don't know how to explain the chrome fork, since Sequoias seem to have the same color fork as the frame, but the fork is stamped as a Specialized).

I'm daydreaming of setting this baby up for some long-ish touring of big hilly terrain on the west coast. And when I'm not touring, I'd like to just have this as a fairly beefy commuter, with racks kept on for groceries etc. I generally value strength/comfort/load bearing capacity over lean agility. Can I turn this “light touring” bike into an “all out” touring bike without being reckless? How can I make this the coziest and strongest it can be?

I’m aiming for insights and recommendations on some new handlebars, rims, tires, brakes, and fenders (or something fender-ish?) that will give me as much comfort, load bearing capacity, and braking power as I can fit into the constraints of this frame. While also allowing me to ride in the rain and splash in filthy city puddles

Thanks very much!

The Golden Boy 

IMO- The Sequoia wasn't meant for that. Think of it as a more sprightly all-rounder.

It's a lighter tube set and a shorter wheelbase than your average tourer. Yes, you can throw some racks, a triple and some ATB derailleurs on it- but it's not meant to be "beefy."

The Golden Boy 

BTW- I'm NOT saying to not throw some racks and a triple and ATB derailleurs on there- just saying that it's not a burly bike.

If'n I had a Sequoia this is exactly how I'd build it.

Suntour XC long cage RD
Suntour Mountech FD
Suntour Barcons
Nitto Technomic/B177 bars
Sugino AT- 48-38-28
Suntour sealed bearing hubs and BB
SR SP-11 pedals
Blackburn rear rack
Suntour Superbe seat post
Brooks B17
Dura Ace 7400 brakes- dual pivot in the front, single pivot in the rear
Tektro RRL brake levers.

Nothing but the good **** goes on a bike of this caliber.

mhespenheide 

The tubing on the Sequoia was more stout than the standard "sport touring" bike, as commented on by multiple reviews. I'm sure it'll handle light loads. Particularly if you use bikepacking-style bags for your bigger tours, rather than panniers.

bostonbiketaxi

Thanks very much! What kind of touring would be in range for this frame then? (I guess I'm unfamiliar with the scope of sport touring/all rounder kinda bikes).

For reference, I'm about 6 feet and 180 lbs. I would aim for traveling for a week or so with a sleeping bag, pad, tent, clothes. On paved road.

Even if maximum beefiness isn't in the cards, I'm aiming for the coziest, sturdiest, comfiest feel I can get for my ass and hands.

bostonbiketaxi

Thanks for the dream part/list suggestions! BTW I just added a gallery to show how the bike looks now (I can't post photos in thread yet due to noob status)

polymorphself 

Trick of the eye, uneven surface or is the top tube not level?

Robvolz 

Does your bike have the built in wiring for generator and lights?

Such forethought!!!!

merziac

Looks like the ground slopes, the basement window is at a slant, maybe both?

Piff 

Sounds to me like you'd be best off getting a different frame. Your two priorities are (1) Heavy duty commuting, and (2) Long tourings in hilly terrain. Standing up to pedal on an overloaded bike just doesn't feel good. Hopefully Jim Merz will drop in to let you know his thoughts at some point.

If you reallllly wanted to do this, I'd recommend a low-rider front rack with panniers for your everyday heavy duty commuting, and including perhaps a half-size framebag, the kind that is shaped like a rectangle and hangs below the top tube.

For the tour, you'd just need to add on a small saddle bag and small rear rack. Might be alright as long as you balance the load well, keeping more weight in the front and keeping the weight as low as possible.

Tubus makes great mid-fork clamps for a low-rider front rack. Your bike will need them if you go this route.

Robvolz 

The original forks had eyelets all over the place. Any chance you have that?

rando_couche

One thing that no one appears to have mentioned: the WIDEST tires you can fit!

Korina

It sounds like it came with the replacement fork. Pity.

polymorphself 

For the Sequoia I believe it would've only been one set of eyelets on the fork ends and no low rider eyelets, can't tell if it has even that though.

bostonbiketaxi

Different sized tires :/ I'll certainly fix that

bostonbiketaxi

uneven ground and two different sized tires

Insidious C. 

BF member Andy_K has lowrider rack mounts added to his Sequoia. Maybe he can comment on how the Sequoia handles touring loads.

Judging from the pic, you have a quality front fork on your bike, original of not.

machinist42

OP's Album.

Andy_K 

Not quite lowrider -- just mid fork. I use it for a light front rack.



This picture looks like I've got a decent load on it, but it's really just more clothes than I really needed for a three day credit-card tour. This bike was perfect for that. I haven't tried a really heavy load.

kwhiner

Doing some changes to my 84 Sequoia agree with much of your list. Keeping it friction with stock Superbe shifters, while using Shimano Tiagra hubs and a 105 gs rd. Keeping mk2 fd and AT Cranks in 175 length. Bars 177 with Nitto stem. Haven't decided on a color for powdercoating thinking white or blue possibly trying to match present gray. Saddle either Rolls or Regal.

polymorphself 

Looks like some surprisingly generous clearance on that thing considering the brakes and geometry. Even with a nice fender line.

Dfrost 

The tube set, which is quite nice on Sequoia frames, won’t be an issue if you were to use front loading rather than rear for most of your load, especially since you mention that you already have mid-fork eyelets. But it might benefit from a bit of fork re-rake for lower trail. @gugie, located in Beaverton, OR, is a popular member of this forum, and has done LOTS of fork rerakes, as well as many other frame mods for C&Vers. He could give you an idea if the rerake would be beneficial and possible without affecting the chrome finish on the fork. He’s quite familiar with @Andy_K’s Sequoia.

He did his magic to my Miyata 912 (a stiff-ish and relatively short wheel base frame, FAR from traditional touring tubes or geometry) working with just the fork, making it a respectable tourer with a front load. It’s equally delightful without a load other than the front bag, empty or full.

I’d expect the Sequoia would be a great bike as a front load tourer. If I was going to replace the modified 912 (that I’ve had for 45 years), either a 531 Motobecane or 80’s Sequoia would be far and away on top of my wish list, including a stop for Gugificazione!

Here’s a shot of the modified 912 - black with red panniers that were intentionally overloaded as a test on this very windy and cold C&V group tour down the Willamette Valley, same trip as Andy mentions regarding his lovely Sequoia a few posts up^. My Gugificazione 912 with front load and lower trail fork handled the winds quite nicely, even when it was a stiff crosswind. If I was still a touring sort of person, I’d use this bike for credit card (no camping, which isn’t my style anyway) tours of any length.

Wharf Rat

I’m not sure how far down the rabbit hole you are willing to go, but you could always do a 650b conversion. By dropping down a size in wheel diameter you gain room for fatter tires. I’d imagine 38’s and fenders no problem, possibly 42’s without. That said, it’s not a cheap conversion. You would need new wheels, tires, tubes and more than likely longer reach brakes. I did it to an 82 Miyata 710 and couldn’t be happier with the results. A web search on 650b conversion should give you a pretty good idea if it’s something you’d be interested in or not.

Andy_K 

My 1982 Sequoia will handle 700x32 without fenders or 700x30 with. I'm using Tektro 559 brakes in the picture above. I tried switching to Tektro R539's, which have enough reach, but the front brake was pushing the fender against the tire. I already had to carve a bit of plastic off the fender to fit in the fork and maybe I could make this work by making an indent for the brake caliper, but the 559's work so I'm just leaving well enough alone.

I also experimented briefly with 650Bx38. That worked, though I had to drop the rear brake a bit for reach and fenders were tighter than I was comfortable with.



I've read that the later Sequoias had a bit more tire clearance, so the OP may very well be able to use 700x32 with fenders.

polymorphself 

Ah, I was deceived then, the tires look far larger to me than 30mm.