Fieralds

Hey all. I was hoping on getting a quick appraisal.

I'm looking to sell my '86 specialized sequoia. I stumbled across this bike on CL when someone was just selling a "road bike" with a 58/9 cm frame, which was perfect for me. I got it cheap and added a few things here and there and did some research where I could, and basically got it to the point where it was rideable.

The bike is in its original color scheme of white/blue and almost everything directly mounted to the frame is original. It has the original stem, drop handlebars, royal gran compe 500 brakes, shimano 600 deraileurs, and even the original onza clipless pedals. The paint is original and in pretty good shape except for near the seatpost. there are a few surface rust spots about 1-2mm in diameter, and there is also a little bit on the brake cable housing guides.

The issue with the bike is the wheels and seatpost/saddle are not original. when I bought the bike, it was misfitted with some junky 27" wheels from a varsity or something along those lines. I replaced them with the proper sized wheels and got it to riding condition. I put a few thousand miles on it over the past few months and its held up great. I picked up some new brake cable housing to replace the old, but never got around to it. The saddle and seatpost were also not proper to the bike, so i got a seatpost that fit and put on a specialized riva saddle.

A few weeks ago, a not so bright fellow university student of mine clipped into my back wheel on the bike path and put a bend into my rim. Took the bike to the LBS and they said because of how tight the bend is in the rim, it can't be completely trued, and the rear wheel would need to be rebuilt.

With that all in mind, I was wondering what sort of value that the bike/frame might have?

I apologize the images aren't the best and are low res. If people want more I can grab some more quick ones tomorrow if people need it for the appraisal.





Thanksamillion!

-Fieralds

Edit: I did some hunting and there's not much as far as sample size. The only thing I have to go off of is this ebay post selling for over $300 for just the frame, and I reckon my frame is in better condition than his, and my bike is actually rideable

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Specialized-...item4ac53e6e33

wrk101

That one on ebay is not a selling price, its an ASKING price. Ebayers can and do ask high prices all the time, but that does not mean they get it. Look at completed auctions only if you want to do realistic price search.

Rust is a value killer.

Here's a complete bike, in much nicer condition, that sold for less. I would consider this one to be a deal.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/VTG-80s-SPEC...p2047675.l2557

oddjob2

If you like the bike, you can buy an Alex 101 wheel for under $60.

https://www.rei.com/product/770559/al...00c-rear-wheel

Fieralds

Well, I'm on the fence right now. I'm picking up a Specialized Allez Sport Compact this week as a more serious road bike for the longer rides. Part of me wants to keep the bike, take it completely apart, strip the frame and build it back up slowly over time. I'm hesitant because the rear wheels are 126mm screw on freewheel, and are quite annoying to get ahold of. Some people have mentioned that in restored condition, these bikes are worth a pretty penny. Is it worth taking the time to restore the bike back closer to how it was originally?

bikemig 

126 mm wheels are incredibly easy to find. Seven speed freewheels are easy to find. Both are readily available on Amazon and elsewhere. It is also easy to spread the rear triangle to 130.

I'm skeptical that the bike is worth a pretty penny if restored. The bike is worth something to someone who appreciates a steel sports touring bike made many years ago as a rider. There may be collectors out there who value this bike simply because it is old but I'm skeptical it will fetch a pretty penny (whatever that may be).

wrk101

Hard to get a hold of? Every bike shop and on line bike parts house sells them.

Pretty penny? Depends on your definition of pretty penny, but with visible rust, no. And a repaint is both expensive and does not add value.

Earlier Sequoias in pristine condition do pretty well.

Fieralds

Any links to an actual bike shop that has completed 126mm freewheel wheelsets that don't need to be relaced?

the best i could find not on ebay or used was this: https://www.velomine.com/index.php?ma...oducts_id=1570

and I'm skeptical about the quality

As for the pretty penny, I live in an insanely hot bike market, and rusted out Schwinn Varsities sell for $250. I've seen mentioned elsewhere on the forums that these sequoias can sell anywhere from 500-900 in a hot market and in good condition.

bikemig 

Then this is easy. Advertise in your insanely hot CL market that you are looking for a good quality pair of 126 mm wheels. You should be able to get a pair (or a rear) fairly inexpensively, fix the bike up, and make a nice return on your original investment.

mpp6937

Did you ever sell this bike?

What was the situation with the seatpost(s) as far as size?

orcas island 

This is a $350 -$500 bike in its current condition anywhere in Calif, in my opinion..... These were nice, and like the Specialized Expeditions, have a bit of a cult following.

Fieralds

I did end up selling it as it was. I didn't want to let it go, but I'm getting into cycling a lot more and ended up building up a 2009 Allez Elite w/ Ultegra for the hills, so I sold this one to help pay for that.