This is a recent Ebay acquisition that we could not pass up. It is the perfect size for my wife, and happens to be the closest to mint Sequoia I will likely ever see. Every piece is the way it was the day it rolled off the showroom floor, and it was stored indoors for 27 years and only ridden a few times. I had High hopes, but was stunned once I put it together and wiped it down. Superbe brakes and pedals, Avocet crankset and Saddle, Suntour derailers, Specialized hubs smooth as butter, and the tires still have the mold witness lines with skin walls in great condition.
She will ride it for a bit as it is, but it will quite likely get a set of Albatross bars, the 650b wheels and brakes off of her Miyata. The build quality on the frame is incredible, as nice or nicer than my Rivendell.
Now if only I coud find a 62.5 like this one.
It was unseasonably warm again today with temps in the 55-60 degree range, not that I am complaining. The wind also calmed down a bit and rolling out of the garage I decided to head up the Ventura River Trail and shoot some pics. The light was fantastic this morning.
I made it out to Santa Anna Road in time to catch the sun rise hitting the mountains,
But played around too much with the cameras and gear to cover the distance I had hoped for. I had picked up some new batteries for my wireless camera trigger the other day, and the improvement in range and performance is incredible. More lonely-boy self portraits to follow soon. Heading home:
In time to play a bit with the family before getting back to work.
This bike was as close to a barn find as you could get. My Uncle-in-law, Marty, was the original owner and remembers ordering it custom when he and his family lived closer to the Bay area. He rode the bike often when they lived in Modesto (flat) but it sat idle once they moved to Atascadero (hills). I saw tha bike hanging in his shop for over a year, then he asked if I could help him sell it, although I do not think he really wanted to part with it. We talked about it a bit and I ended up buying it from him.
Albert Eisentraut paved the way for generations of custom bicycle builders in the US. Many of todays top builders are now a second or even third generation product of the Classes Albert has tought over the years. This bike was built around 1973 or 74. Like most of the Model A custom frames of the era it is a beautiful shade of dark blue with yellow decals. Marty, recalls asking for a "Crit" style bike to fit his tall lanky dimensions. By my measure the bike comes in around:
Seat Tube C -T: 64 cm
Top Tube C-C: 60 cm
ST angle 72 deg.
HT angle: 74 deg.
BB Drop: 67 mm
Fork offset; 55mm
Chain Stays: 425 mm
I put the bike back together mush the way it was originally built with the Phil/Avocet hubs and Suntour Cyclone era drive train, but updated the contact points with a berthoud saddle, Nitto stem and RM013 bars as well as some 27mm RoughyToughy tires. A little has changed here and there with some of the build over the last year, but it is pretty much as shown in the pictures. The bike is an absolute blast to ride, and is what led me down the path from my Surly CrossCheck to the Roadeo. Once I knew what a good road bike should feel like, a new benchmark had been set.
The Geometric trail calculates out around 41mm as built. Trail figures in this range generally result in a bicycle that handles better with a front load of at least a few pounds or so. This is interesting as the bike was not originally built with the intent of front loading. I have set up the bike with a HoBo style handlebar bag to carry my camera and extra water for long rides and the leap from great to excellent in the handling was astounding. This was my first taste of the low trail coolaide, and I like it.
Enjoy the pictures, there are not many of these masterfully built frames still around or in pictures on the web:
Watching the sun come up over the strawberry fields, the smell of fresh food all through your ride is fantastic.
And on the way home, the siren song to the north
Some of you may remember my love of riding for wild or semi wild foods from my Walnut Ride. Time to enjoy the dry weather and the morning chill, and ride for the pomegranates I had seen a few weeks ago. No laws were broken and the trees are on public easement. Living in an area surrounded by agriculture it would be all to easy to just grab fruit from the end row of the farms and orchards, but that would kind of defeat the point, and I am pretty sure it is stealing. These particular trees are on the fence line of land grabbed by the water district when they built the Casitas damn. Many ranchers and homeowners lost land to eminent domain with this one, and there are quite a bit of interesting things tucked into the corners of this area without having to jump the fences lined with "No Trespassing" signs. This morning it was a truncated version of a favorite loop to get the quarry and make it home in time for baby duty. Having fresh fruit keeps you out of trouble when you are a little late.
I am looking forward to daylight savings time coming to an end, a little more morning light for a bit.
My default gofast bike is my Rivendell Roadeo. The frame and fork are from Rivendell Bicycle Works.Build:
Handle bar: Nitto RM013 Riv Dirt Drop
Levers: Tektro
Shifters: Suntour Barcon NOS
Cables/Housing: Jagwire Titanium Finish
Stem: Nitto Technomic Delux
Tape: Soma Thick and Zesty
Bell: Crane Brass (needs to go back on)
Headset: Stronglight A9
Brakes: Shimano Ultrega BR-B600 (KoolStop Shoes)
Seatpost: Vintage Shimano Dura Ace
Saddle: Brooks B-17 / Berthoud Touring
Bottom Bracket: Phil Wood 103
Crankset: Ritchey Logic Compact
Pedals: Sakae Low Fats (I have wide Feet)
Tires: Jack Brown Green
Rims: Mavic A117
Hubs: Phil Wood Rivy Freewheel
Freewheel: IRD 6sp 13-28
Bags: Acorn Saddle and Handlebar bag
Parts were a mix of deal hunting, stuff I had and some new from Rivendell. Some of you might even recognise stuff you sold me. I ride this bike for near everything short of technical single track and loads of stuff greater than 15lbs. After almost a year of riding I still love this bike. It has more than served its purpose and there is little I would change.
[flickr-gallery mode="photoset" photoset="72157622875811028"]
She will ride it for a bit as it is, but it will quite likely get a set of Albatross bars, the 650b wheels and brakes off of her Miyata. The build quality on the frame is incredible, as nice or nicer than my Rivendell.
Now if only I coud find a 62.5 like this one.
