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.
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:
