Road Cycling - Questions about Sequoia Expert

I have been looking at the Specialized Sirrus Elite (hybrid) because of its upright ride but have had a number of bike salesmen suggest that the Sequoia Expert is a great bike and would probably be more suitable for me, since I want to do some road riding. I rode a Sequoia Expert briefly this weekend and liked it but was unfamiliar with the shifting and also felt awkward on it, since I have not ridden much in years. Also, I rode the Sirrus Elite and it felt good but part of the reason was because it was easier for me to shift and feel balanced on. I have two questions: 1) Is the Sequoia a well liked bike and one that would be a reasonable compromise between a traditional road bike and a hybrid like the Sirrus? and 2) If I buy one from a dealer out of my immediate area, will my local dealer do warranty work on it if needed? In other words are bike warranties handled like car warranties. I'm not shopping for a lower price and would like to buy from my LBS, so that is not the issue. My LBS owner indicates he may no longer be able to get the 2003 Sequoia Expert in and I know I can easily get one from a shop in Houston which is 100 miles away.

As some of you guys probably know, the Sequoia has some unique features such as an adjustable stem that allows you to ride in a more upright position if desired. Also it has a second set of brake handles on the flat part of the handlebar. I feel these are good features for an older guy like myself. Also I will be doing quite a bit of my riding in a rather congested area.

Anyhow what I am looking for is feedback (pros and cons) about this bike. BTW I did notice that Consumer Reports recently gave this bike a neutral rating in terms of handling. I take some of what they say with a grain of salt, but would like to know if their criticism of the bike is valid? In other words how well does this bike handle at higher speeds going down hills, etc. They appeared to like it in most other respects.

I'm kind of a newbie to bikes at this time, since I have not ridden much in several years, but I use to ride a Raleigh Grand Prix (about 15 years ago). I will add that I use to do a lot of my own bike work myself. So I am familiar with much of the teminology and realize or at least believe that the Sequoia Expert comes with reasonably good components for the price.

Thanks, any comments would be appreciaated. :)

Hello Sciman

I recently purchased the Specialized Sequoia Expert and obviously decided it was the bike for me. If you do a quick search on the forums here you'll find a number of discussions about the bike and peoples opinions.

This was my first 'real bike purchase'.

I chose the Sequoia over other 'road-sport' models and hybrids because of the:

> comfort, smoothness and fit (most important)
> drop bars (multiple hand positions)
> extra brake levers (handy in traffic at times)
> wide brake clearance (for wider tires in future)
> room for fenders / rear panniers and appropriate brazeons if ever I decided to ride in rain regularly or light touring

They basically took a road bike, made it more comfortable and flexible.

I've personally found it more effortless on the road than some more 'hybriddy' alternatives including the Sirrus.

It's good enough to get me and my partner riding into work regularly just to satisfy my need to be on it.

The only downside I've come across is when fitting lights to the bike there's very little room left on the handlebars due to the extra set of brake levers. Speedo + light + brakelevers = very full. If you wan't to add a bell/GPS/other things you might be out of room. Maybe get the bike shop to add whatever you think you'll need just to make sure it all fits.

Best of luck!

My wife and I bought Experts a month ago and so far we are very pleased with them. Very comfortable and no problems with the handling, but we do not come down hills at top speed.

Sciman, I don't have one but I'm reasonaby familiar with the bike and, yes, it's exactly what you describe it as: a "hybridized" road bike. As such, it's quite suitable for fitness and recreational road riding and light touring.

Be up front with your local dealer about the Houston bike. Since they're both Specialized dealers, there should be no problem, but give your local guy the chance to obtain the bike from the Houston store for you.

That Consumer Reports article tried to quantify things that involve too many variables. How many sizes of each bike did they test, with how many different riders of different bydy sizes and types? You can change the handling of a bike by changing the stem length, and the same bike will handle very differently for a 200 pound rider vs a 15 pound rider. So I don't see how they can expect to be able to meaningfully quantify something like "handling" with one number.

Don't worry about the shifting; it will start feeling natural after a few rides. The most important thing is fitting; the whole point of a road bike is to let you stay on the bike for hours at a time and cover long distances. Fit is the critical element in that, and working with a shop that is expert at road bike fitting is key.

RichC

I've been doing a lot of shopping and test riding of bikes the past few weeks. I tried the Sequoia sport and the elite and liked them both alot. Coming from a hybrid, it was very easy to be comfortable. The suspension seatpost and carbon fork take out the stiffness of the aluminum frame, and the bike rides very nicely and easily. Although I decided to go with a true road bike, the Sequoia seemed to me to be a good product with good components at a reasonable price.

Thanks to Everyone,

Today I ordered a Sequoia Expert from my LBS. The owner called his Rep. who obtained a bike from a dealer in Houston. Supposedly, it will be delivered to my LBS Thursday. I am planning to take the clipless pedals off and use old fashion type pedals for a while until I get use to other features of the bike. Then, when I am comfortable with the bike, I will put the clipless ones back on and see if I can learn how to use them.

I hope I can find a way to attach a light if needed and appreciated the comments about limited space on the flat part of the handlebars. I had not thought about that at all. Most of all, however, I liked the fact that nobody expressed a diislike for this bike.

I have thought a lot about this purchase and think I will have a lot of fun with this bike. Of course, else I would not have ordered it. Right? As for going down hills fast, I agree with Fleetwood. It will probably be a while before I go down the side of any steep hills or mountains, so I won't let that bother me too much. My guess is that the bike will do a lot better than its passenger.:)

BTW, I have also decided to overhaul four older bikes that I have in my garage. One for my wife, one for my married daughter, my old Grand Prix and an older Trek mountain style bike that my son use to ride. . What are some good sources of supplies for this purpose? I have a Park bike stand and all the tools necessary but still need spray cleaner, lubes, innertubes and other assorted supplies. Guess I could buy them from my LBS but I remember in the old days that mail order was a lot less exspensive. What are some good sources? BTW I plan to buy my helmet and a couple cables from my LBS, and will continuing buying from them as long as I am treated well.