... well, not exactly. What really happened is that one day at the shop, totally out of the blue, a guy came in and asked if I was Tim. When I said I was, he said "I met a guy who told me I should show you a bike I have." I was puzzled, but thought, okay, why not, and went outside to take a look. I really wasn't expecting much, honestly.
When I got outside, I was really surprised to see an early 80s Specialized Sequoia road bike, a very early one that you don't see very often. At first I wasn't sure if he was just showing off a cool bike, or looking for a buyer, but pretty soon it was clear it was the latter. And given what it was, and the fact that it was my size, I was definitely intrigued. It looked to be in good shape, though sorely in need of a good cleaning and overhaul, and some new bar wrap and cable housing.
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| Specialized Sequoia, as it arrived. |
For a little bit of background, while Specialized is one of the really big names in bikes these days, back in the late 70s/early 80s, they were a new company offering a small selection of good quality, imported products for bikes. At the time, the name of the company was Specialized Bicycle Imports, and were probably best known for their line of high quality clincher tires, a relatively new thing back then. Somewhere around 1980-82, they introduced a small selection of bicycles, first starting with framesets, then full bikes, as I recall. The first two models offered were the Allez, designed for road racing, and the Sequoia, more of a general, all around road bike, what used to be called a "sport tourer" back then. When I was younger, I really wanted an Allez, with it's racing geometry and striking, simple red finish. Now that I'm older, and will never race again, the Sequoia is much more my style... though truth be told, if an Allez in my size came my way, I wouldn't pass it up!
Back to the bike in question... the fellow who owned it said he'd seen similar bikes on eBay for $XXX, but he'd be willing to sell it to me for half that. Now, I do keep my eye on the classic bike market, so I knew that a) he was right about asking prices on eBay and b) the offered price was very fair, even a bit of a bargain. Not a steal, but a good deal for sure, especially for an uncommon bike in a fairly uncommon size. I told him I'd think about it, and we exchanged information. It didn't take me 24 hours to decide I wanted it, once I had some time to think and do some research. So I met up with him, and exchanged cash for the bike.
Here are a few shots of some details of the bike:
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| Early 80s Shimano Dura Ace rear derailleur. |
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| Campagnolo Nuovo Record crankset, with 180mm arms (really long!) and Look pedals. |
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| Rear Avocet Mod. II hub and SunTour 6 speed freewheel. |
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| Campagnolo Record sidepull brakes. |
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| Front Avocet Mod. II hub and Super Champion Gentleman rim. |
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| Specialized stem, Cinelli deep drop bars, Campy brake levers, SunTour bar end shifters. |
Next time... cleaning it up and making it "mine!" Hint - I didn't keep all the parts that it came with.
2 comments:
I am a happy owner of a 1991 Specialized Sequoia known around these parts as The Mule. It's quite different from your bike. It was equipped with Shimano 105 components and had bigger (wider diameter) tubing. It was sold in the US (or at least at Spokes Etc.) as a commuting bike. It had metal fenders and a front and tail light that operated off a dynamo generator that contacted the rear tread (not sidewall). It was activated using a shift lever on the back of the seat tube. I am told that this version of the Sequoia was a high selling touring bike in Europe.
My Sequoia took a back seat to the Tour Easy that I purchased from Bikes at Vienna. After about a decade of recumbent riding I developed a nerve issue in my right leg and had to switch back to conventional bikes.
Spokes Etc. sold it to me at $300 off its $900 sticker price. It seems nobody wanted to buy such a heavy bike. It has been a terrific touring bike.
Specialized used the Sequoia name for many years, and the bikes vary quite a bit in design. I don't think I've ever seen one like yours though. Sounds interesting!
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