Specialized Sequoia Elite vs Comp

[hermitclub]

I am a mountain bike rider transitioning to a road bike. I've made a couple of trips down to the bike shop and have narrowed my choices down to a Specialized Sequoia Elite or Comp.

Could you please give me some feedback on these two bikes? I'm planning on starting out with 30 mile rides twice a week, then working my way up to 50 mile rides this summer. Maybe with the right bike I can aim even higher?!

Thanks in advance for your input. I'm hoping to go down to the bike shop on Friday to make my purchase so I can ride on Saturday. It's supposed to be gorgeous on Cape Cod on Saturday.

[Starfish]

Hi Hermitclub. Warning, this got long.

I have a Sequoia Elite, and it was my first roadbike, too. I haven't ridden the Comp, so can't compare that, but I like my Elite OK. I've had it for 2 years, and it was a great starter road bike. I talk sort of lukewarm about it when maybe I shouldn't because I definitely would love to have a more performance oriented bike now, and compared to all my cycling friends' bikes, it is heavy and stolid, rather than racy and responsive. However, for all I know, the reason I love biking so much and feel confident enough to want a racier bike is that I started with a good starter road bike? I don't know.

Before I got it, I had never ridden more than about 40 miles on a flat urban trail on an old mountain bike. About 6 weeks after getting the Sequoia, my husband and I did a 6 day tour in very hilly country with days from 60-80 miles. The bike ran great. The next summer I did a flatter 2-day 200 mile ride solo, and this year am shooting for a hard century with a lot of climbing.

Things I like about the Sequoia: it is stable and was easy to learn on; I really love the shape of the bars that come with it; I've had really good luck with the components -- everything seems to hold up well. I was able to go out and immediately start doing much longer, harder rides, and my neck, shoulders, etc, feel great. That is about fit, though. But, I do love the way the bars are wrapped. Comfortable.

Things I would change or have changed already: it is heavy and built for stability, and I love to climb and would like it lighter and a little more racy; I didn't want those funky top-brakes after about 2 weeks. I've had them removed and have put aero bars in their place. I would like the bars lower...I've had the spacers moved to the top. I have tiny hands, and even with the special shims you can get, the brakes from the drops are a very hard reach. I think I'm going to have to get women's bars soon. I've swapped out the saddle. The stock saddle was NOT firm enough for tissue easing, fore or aft.

Also, and this will be tough to find on anything but a touring bike, I think, I have come to the conclusion that a lot of stock gearing is redundant and doesn't make a lot of sense. The bike comes with 30-42-52 and 11-26, and this week I'm getting 11-32 to help with climbing, and truly, I expect to end up with more like 28-38-48. I'm not very strong and fast, but I like to climb and go long, so I hardly ever use the very top gears except descending long, straight, steep grades. There is a lot of good info out there on the web about gear ratios and steps depending on what kind of riding you want to do.

I've about decided that my next bike might as well be a custom bike, by the time I change out gearing, saddle, bars and maybe shifters (due to tiny hands). But, I would not have had a clue to that 2 years ago, and the Sequoia has been a good bike for my starter. Wish I could give you input on the Comp, but haven't ridden it.

Good luck!

[bikerz]

I can pretty much ditto everything starfish said about my Sequoia Elite - including not being wild about it but feeling like it has been a good starter bike.

I had worse luck with components - I did change all my gearing to help me get up hills - I have 24(!)-48-52 front and and 11-37 back (I think that's what it is - anyway - very small in front and very large in back!)

I also swapped my wheels out - I really didn't like the stock wheels, and broke a spoke on a scary descent with < 500 miles on the bike. And I replaced the brakes.

Between all the stuff I replaced and the original cost of the bike, I probably could have most of a decent custom bike by now, but when I bought the bike originally, I had no idea I would enjoy cycling so much, or that I would be riding so many hills, so it probably isn't a compeletly fair statement.

Hope this helps. Have fun buying your bike and on your ride!

[hermitclub]

Starfish and bikerz,

Thank you so much for your input. Starfish, your story sounds very much like mine. I have been riding my Marin mtn bike on the Cape Cod Rail trail now for a couple of years and have worked up to 30 mile rides at a 12 - 15 mile per hr pace depending on wind (something we get a lot of on the Cape). My biking buddy and I are ready for the next step. We'd like to make longer rides, and expand our choices on where we ride.

From both of your reviews, it sounds like I'll be happy with the Elite for a while, but will eventually outgrow it and change out different elements to make the bike more my own. I think that's true with every bike from the posts I've been reading.

I guess it comes down to what feels right when I test it out. I'm looking forward to test riding those bikes on Friday and years of great riding to come.

Thanks again for your input!

[natheless]

I am definitely still in the honeymoon stage - I absolutely love my 2006 Sequoia Elite! (She is sitting in my office right now giving me puppy-dog eyes and asking when we can leave work, actually.)

For what I like to do on a bike, the Sequoia Elite seems to suit me perfectly... but I'm not a very competitive biker - I just like to go for good loooong rides, and while I like to zip merrily along, I don't care about being super-fast or racing or anything like that. I also like the stability - I tested a few of the more performance-oriented bikes and they were very spiffy, but I didn't even want to think about hitting a patch of gravel/sand at the bottom of a hill on one, y'know?

For me, this was a major purchase, so I hope I don't get tired of it in 2 years... (I rode my last bike for 19 years.) Adjustments so far: I changed the stock pedals, which were the one part of the bike I really didn't like, and put on slightly wider tires. I thought I would change the seat, but so far it has been OK, surprizingly enough.

I didn't try a Comp, either, so can't help there.

Happy hunting!!

[hermitclub]

Thanks again to all of you for your input. I went to LBS this morning and rode an 05 Comp. Unfortunately they didn't have an Elite in my size. I fell in love with the Comp and they knocked some money off since it is an 05, so I took her home.

I'm trying to get my work done early enough to fit a ride in this evening, I can't wait.

From your input, it sounds like I couldn't go wrong with either model.

I appreciate all of your help.

Happy riding!

[Hill Slug]

I've got the 2004 Comp, and it's the first road bike I've ever had. It's a good first timer bike. I just replaced the wheels after a few broken spokes. I need to replace the seat, and am shopping around for that now. I'm happy with the extra brake levers across the top, it makes me feel a little more secure. I also like the Bar Phat gel that's under the tape. It makes the handlebar a little more cushiony, and I can then get thinner gloves.

I can't really compare this bike with another because it's the only one I've had. The only other issue I've had is when shifting from the small ring to the middle ring, sometimes the chain comes off. It's like a timing thing, if I don't shift at the right time during the pedal stroke....The LBS adjusted the front dereiller (sp?) but it still does happen, but not as much. So I think it might be operator error....

[Starfish]

Hermitclub - congrats on your new bike! I'm guessing you've got a bike that is going to do just what you need it to. Also, I've been thinking that even though I might someday want a different type of bike, I will probably always keep the Sequoia for a great second bike -- for commuting, for a comfort ride alternative, to keep in the trainer during the weird weather shifts of fall/spring, etc. ENJOY!! :-) And let us know how it goes.

[plantluvver]

Looking in the 2006 catalog, I see Sequoia Expert, Elite, and Sequoia nothing. My LBS put me on the Sequoia "nothing." BF is pressuring me to buy it NOW, because my bike is old, and "keeps breaking". (HE actually broke it, but I don't even want to open that can of worms.) He thought he was "helping" me by shoving it into his truck and giving me a ride home (about one mile ).
In fact, I had planned to browse bikes that day until he interrupted me.

Mary