madpogue 

If original equipment is a factor, is your preference for a drop handlebar, or upright/flat?

Danmozy66

I would be open to both I think. I can see the appeal of these ‘gravel drop’ bar conversions Im hearing about, but I guess that would require all new braking setup in some cases

ironwood

You have an 80's Specialized Sequoiathat can take wide tires and is an excellent candidate for conversion to 650B.

Danmozy66

what about the way the brakes line up? They are road style (I think called caliper?) brakes. I wouldn’t want to change too much, it’s a precious ride and I like the way that it is all original. Sort of treating this as my “road bike”. Then I have a 26-er, and now enter my need for something in between. A touring, hybrid or gravel thing

tdrich07

I am constantly in search of the same thing you are, and I have at least the same "(mis-)perception" that a 700c wheel is more efficient for long distances on roads (dirt roads in my case which is why I want the wider knobby tires).

The best examples I've found of this in an original form are the late 80s/early 90s Bianchi cylcocross bikes. These included the Axis, Volpe, Tangent, and Equinox. The Axis and Volpe are more common, and if you can find one with the Suntour Command shifters that's the holy grail IMO. I was lucky enough to stumble upon a 1990 Tangent before I even really knew what it was.

I also second the Schwinn "Cross" bikes - CrossCut, CrissCross, etc. I am building up one know with 40-42 cc tires and drop bares, and at least the early version CrissCross is still a very good double butted chromoly frame. There are also some really sweet Gary Fisher hybrids from this same era, but they are not common at all - there was a Sphinx model from one year that came with drop bars, bar end shfiters, and can fit 42+ mm 700c tires.

Danmozy66

amazing thank you

ironwood

You would need brakes with a longer reach. I think the Sequoias were originally equipped with single pivot sidepulls , but there are newer double pivot long reach brakes and the old reliable Dia-Compe 750 centerpulls. There are a number of Sequoias that have been converted to 650 B..

Piff 

The Sequoia is a sports touring bike, more or less. The design is halfway between a touring and a road bike. If you went down the 650b path, the brakes can be easily swapped out for long reach brakes that still have plenty of stopping power. I'd be willing to bet that it might not even need a conversion, it might be able to fit 700c x 32mm tires. Check tire clearance using allen keys, but be sure to check a bit past where the tires currently are since the larger tires will also be taller.

It all is relative though. Your sequoia would be just a regular 'road bike' prior to the 80's, when bike design really tightened up and got rid of eyelets for fenders and shortened chainstays and seatstays.

I agree with ironwood that your Sequoia is already the perfect bike for your desired use- 'touring, hybrid, or gravel thing'. Especially if it can fit 700c x 32mm tires. If not, I completely understand your desire to keep it original and avoid a 650b conversion. Such a conversion could cost nearly as much as a good deal on a used bike.

We even have a review of the bike thanks to SpeedofLite

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...d-sequoia.html

Danmozy66

This review is awesome! Good memory recall. This is my exact bike. I remember looking at this article when I first got the bike, not yet realizing how sweet it really was and then feeling great about it. I love this bike. Side note: from that article, does anyone know what exactly the “specialized special series DB tubing” is? Some type of tange? It feels lighter than 24 lbs and is the most comfortable bike I’ve ridden.

fair points were made in your post. My sequoia is really in nice original shape, and running so good at the moment. I don’t think I want to mess with it and I’d like to keep it trim and nimble and original I think since it’s currently serving it’s job well as a zippy road bike (despite being sport touring, yes)

As for your point about it being ready with 700 already, I am running the max tire size which is (depending on tires) about 28-30mm. Due to the narrowish rim design, it makes the tires quite tall and they would interfere with the brakes at 32mm— I’ve tried.

I think I’m envisioning a canti bike setup that I can smash around and where I can chuck some beefy tires on it like modern 700 bikes have alongside a bunch of racks and accessories if I want

Piff 

Cantis are great, but they aren't a requirement for wider tires. Many examples can be found on these forums where people are using fat tires and double pivot caliper brakes. I only say this so that you don't unnecessarily avoid potentially great bike options. As was already mentioned, there are bunches of very nice road bikes with 27" wheels that will be able to fit a 700c x 35mm tire but don't have canti brakes.

Also, do you have a preference for a freewheel vs a freehub? That will matter a great deal in terms of filtering out bikes.

Danmozy66

Probably freehub. More modern and readily available. I think late 80s is as far back as I’d want to go. Same benefit goes with 700 wheels should I want to modify or replace as I understand it

Piff 

Well, you'll want to keep your eye out for 90s touring, cross, and hybrids then. Makes it easier to skim through craigslist since you can avoid most bikes with lugs, they didn't really survive into the hyperglide freehub era. Which is a great moment to remind you to keep a keen eye out for if the freehub is uniglide or hyperglide. You will want to avoid uniglide. Read about it from Sheldon: https://www.sheldonbrown.com/k7.html

Only problem is that you most likely won't be able to find a lightweight 90s steel frame with the characteristics you're looking for (cantis, wide tire clearance). Most will be using heavier tubing like your '86 Sequoia. But, as you've noticed, the design of a bike and what components you hang on it sometimes make a larger difference than the bare frame weight.

Danmozy66

interesting, good advice. Hm, weird though because I’ve had a ‘93 trek 930 which is lugged and has hyperglide. Also have had an ‘88 Ritchey, and a 91 mongoose IBOC—all three had 3x7 hyperglide I think. Don’t think I’ve ever encountered uniglide (unless my 86 sequoia does, can’t remember). Out of all of these though, the sequoia is still decidedly the lightest

maybe I can narrow it down even further to somewhat lightweight touring or hybrids of the 90s era, that don’t look heinous. Haha unless that narrows it too much

sd5782 

1989 and later Miyata 1000LT. Cantis, 700c, 7 speed hyperglide freehub, lugged, durable, and classic.

tdrich07

I wouldn't hesitate to get a bike with a freewheel (7 SPD freewheels are very readily available from Shimano amd other companies) and especially not one with a lugged frame. Not only can you find great examples of lugged frame, they look way nicer. A lugged frame is a big plus in my book, and if you really want a cassette you can always swap out your wheelset or hubs down the road.

Danmozy66

im on board with this actually

dedhed

Be aware trek later reused the 720 moniker on an entry level hybrid.

abdon 

The thing is that those older bikes usually came with more clearance which is what you want. My '69 Schwinn Paramount is still sporting 27" tires and has enough clearance for fenders. If I moved to 700c I could grow the tires.

For your mountain bike consider a 650b wheel set. The rim being bigger, the tire being smaller, you end up with the exact same geometry as with chunky 26" dirt tires. Here is a 26" on the left, 650b on the right. Both 26 1/4" tall.



Lowering of the bottom bracket affects trail, which could be corrected by more rake on the fork but unless you are swapping forks it is more of a one way street; doing 650b avoids that bit. ​Some of the dia-compe cantis have enough travel to accommodate them both, specially if you judiciously touch things up with a file.

You should also try 28~32mm tires before you go any bigger. Tire suspension is a factor of tire pressure. My 28mm tires on my tourer are mushy enough for cobblestones. My daughter loves her Gran Bois 32mm tires on her 650b tourer, and she's not afraid to jump up and down sidewalks

ehcoplex 

Slightly veering off topic, but there’s a pretty compelling argument to be made that you really only gain a traction advantage with knobbies when riding on mud or slush- unless the surface is such that an impression is left in it from knobbies, a slick/file tread tire will actually have more surface area contact/traction.

Peruano

I recently stumbled upon a Gary Fisher Zebrano, canti's and 700 c tires, triple up front; cr mo tubing; 1995, and the $75 I had to pay didn't scare me. I can live without topend components and lugs until I wear this one out. Sure there are lots of nice mtn bikes out there, but tire selection in the 700c market is a real plus for me.

tdrich07

That's interesting, thanks, I will definitely have to do some research on that.

Piff 

Mud, slush, or sandy! Some trails are downright impossible in southern california without something like a wtb velociraptor on the back. You'll feel like sisyphus going uphill.

Jeff Neese

Another vote for Trek 750. They aren't as common in my area (SE Michigan) or I would have more than one. Extremely versatile bike and I currently have mine set up with drop bars and Schwalbe Little Big Ben tires. It's still in my searches and I'd buy another one in a heartbeat. The 790 is the top-of-the-line in the Multitrack series, but those seem to be very rare. The 730 is below the 750 but I believe still had a full DB chromoly frame.

kommisar

700c, steel and cantis sounds like a surly cross check to me...

abdon 

Or just about any vintage bike with the word "touring" associated with it. Trek 520/620/720, Raleigh portage/Alyeska, Miyata 1000/610, etc etc etc.