Wee-man
Active Member
- Location
- North East Scotland
My first experience of the crank forward design was a trial of Andy Heming's Rans Dynamik. With my height of 6' 6" I was over the size limitation of the machine but I did appreciate the riding position and was even more excited when I heard that 'Rans' were producing a version for the taller rider, the 'Sequoia'. I decided to purchase the Sequoia and was pleased to learn that there was an enthusiastic dealer in eastern England.
I bought the Sequoia through Philip and Sara Hobson's 'FeetForwardBikes' based in Lincolnshire. They were extremely helpful and arranged delivery from them to me. I ordered the Sequoia with a pair of 'Freddie Fenders' for our inclement British weather. It arrived in its transit box and required very little assembly, though I did take it to my LBS to help me with assembling the headset. Whilst at the LBS I swapped the standard handlebars for a more swept back pair of handlebars and I also fitted a rear stay fitting prop stand.
I've bodged my Blackburn Standard Low rider rack to fit onto the front forks and I've fitted an alloy 'Avenir' Pioneer touring rear luggage rack. I've also fitted a pair of lights for these late afternoon winter rides.
I've had my Sequoia for about a month now and my initial impressions are of a well made and stylish machine. The wide section aluminium 7005 tubeset makes for a light frame and the metallic green colour is easy on the eye which is just as well as its the only colour available in that model.
Riding the Sequoia is a comfortable experience, the broad saddle and set back handlebars prevent that upper body discomfort that has plagued me on my previous upright bikes. The seat is really a very broad flexible plastic saddle with a foam cover stretched over it. At this time of year its nice and warm to sit on but I suspect in summer it might be a bit sweaty.
Changing gear is straightforward with the Sram twistgrips though I have to say that the Shimano version is far more precise in my opinion. The Sram twist grips are quite long in comparison to the Shimano version and this resticts fitting the short version of the Ergon handlebar grips. Although I'm not really leaning on the handlebars I have found the Sram handlebar grips that came with the bike less comfortable than I would like and 'comfort' is the sole reason I went for this bike. In time I will probably change the transmission as I quite like the Shimano rapidfire gear changers and they clutter the handlebars less.
One safety feature I still need to add is a rear view mirror and I'm not quite sure where to fit that. On previous bikes I usually mount a 'Mirrycle' bar end mirror but with the swept back handlebars I think the mirror would get in the way of my hands. I'll have to browse through the bike shops for ideas on an alternative mirror position.
I probably haven't done more than 400 miles on my Sequoia yet but I'm well pleased with the bike so far. My previous 'comfort' bikes have been the recumbent type (Scorpion FX, Spirit 20/16, ICE Explorer and Pashley PDQ) and whilst they have been great fun they have limitations to where I could confidently ride them particularly in busy urban areas and rough tracks. The Sequoia on the other hand is more versatile due to its more upright riding position, but its still very comfortable to ride.
I'll post some pictures on my flickr site soon.
I bought the Sequoia through Philip and Sara Hobson's 'FeetForwardBikes' based in Lincolnshire. They were extremely helpful and arranged delivery from them to me. I ordered the Sequoia with a pair of 'Freddie Fenders' for our inclement British weather. It arrived in its transit box and required very little assembly, though I did take it to my LBS to help me with assembling the headset. Whilst at the LBS I swapped the standard handlebars for a more swept back pair of handlebars and I also fitted a rear stay fitting prop stand.
I've bodged my Blackburn Standard Low rider rack to fit onto the front forks and I've fitted an alloy 'Avenir' Pioneer touring rear luggage rack. I've also fitted a pair of lights for these late afternoon winter rides.
I've had my Sequoia for about a month now and my initial impressions are of a well made and stylish machine. The wide section aluminium 7005 tubeset makes for a light frame and the metallic green colour is easy on the eye which is just as well as its the only colour available in that model.
Riding the Sequoia is a comfortable experience, the broad saddle and set back handlebars prevent that upper body discomfort that has plagued me on my previous upright bikes. The seat is really a very broad flexible plastic saddle with a foam cover stretched over it. At this time of year its nice and warm to sit on but I suspect in summer it might be a bit sweaty.
Changing gear is straightforward with the Sram twistgrips though I have to say that the Shimano version is far more precise in my opinion. The Sram twist grips are quite long in comparison to the Shimano version and this resticts fitting the short version of the Ergon handlebar grips. Although I'm not really leaning on the handlebars I have found the Sram handlebar grips that came with the bike less comfortable than I would like and 'comfort' is the sole reason I went for this bike. In time I will probably change the transmission as I quite like the Shimano rapidfire gear changers and they clutter the handlebars less.
One safety feature I still need to add is a rear view mirror and I'm not quite sure where to fit that. On previous bikes I usually mount a 'Mirrycle' bar end mirror but with the swept back handlebars I think the mirror would get in the way of my hands. I'll have to browse through the bike shops for ideas on an alternative mirror position.
I probably haven't done more than 400 miles on my Sequoia yet but I'm well pleased with the bike so far. My previous 'comfort' bikes have been the recumbent type (Scorpion FX, Spirit 20/16, ICE Explorer and Pashley PDQ) and whilst they have been great fun they have limitations to where I could confidently ride them particularly in busy urban areas and rough tracks. The Sequoia on the other hand is more versatile due to its more upright riding position, but its still very comfortable to ride.
I'll post some pictures on my flickr site soon.
