Specialized Allez

Parkey

I currently riding a Merlin MTB, but my girlfriend and I are planning to do some long road rides over the summer and so are looking into buying road bikes.

So far I like the look of the Specialized Allez 27. Does anybody have experience of this bike and would they recommend it? If not, what other bike with a similar price tag would you recommend?

robklancs

I have this bike, the 2007 version. I paid 599 for it from evans. It is a great starter bike, the gears are a good enough standard, and so are the wheels for a starter. It is comfortable and the tripple ring makes all hills possible. Well, not all, but nearly all!!

You say "longer rides", how long? I ask this beacuse bianchi have a range in the similar price band and theirs are called the "sportive", they are made to be more comfortable over longer rides.

Also have a look at the trek 1200 and the scott??
But make sure you have a ride before you buy, find the best one for you and the girlfriend.

Parkey

Okay, thanks for that.

We're looking at rides of about 50-60 miles. London to Brighton, London to Oxford, etc.

I think my girlfriend's in love with a Bianchi.

Lagavulin

I've got an Allez ('06 Sport Double - sometimes which I'd gone for the Triple).

My longest ride to date on it has been a little shy of 70 miles and I was still comfortable after it.

My one gripe with it was the wheels which came with it. They were Alexrims on Specialized hubs and they kept going out of true. I am not heavy (10-10.5 st.) but I now just use the original wheels for the turbo.

Other than that I've found it to be excellent and I think it’s capable of far more than I'll ever be able to get out of it.

I'm planning on a new bike for the summer but I'm going to keep the Allez for posterity, for winter/bad weather* and just to reminisce as it got me hooked on road cycling - the bottomless money pit that it is.

For similar money and you're after comfort then there'll be Cannondale Synapses and Bianchi C2Cs. Giant's SCR range seems very popular with first time roadies (I saw hordes of SCR 2.0s and 3.0s out on Sunday) too.


* I just wish it took full-guards and I didn’t have to make do with SKS Raceblades

il_principe

I had an 05 Allez, great starter bike. I've since sold it to a friend who uses it to commute and winter train, and it's still going strong. Wheels are a bit rubbish, though this tends to be the case with most £500 bikes and is easily remedied.

Parkey

Thanks for your replies.

Am I right in drawing the conclusion that it's a pretty good bike to get into road cycling with as a beginner and that it's also worth keeping and upgrading over time, starting with the wheels?

gkerr4

It is definitely a good started bike - lots have them and they are well built, the geometry is fairly comfortable too with a slightly taller head tube than some of the more racy geometry bikes.

it is also (apparently - I don't actually have one although I do have a langster which shares the geomtery of the allez and s very light! and very comfortable!) quite a good frame to upgrade too - being a very light frame.

I would exercise caution on the upgrade route though to be honest as sooner or late you wil want a whole new bike - probably somethng a bit carbon / titanum / other-unobtainium materials involved.

so make sure any costly upgrades can be carried across to this new platform if needs be (wheel upgrades for example)

billiobob

I got the triple chainset bike from Leisure Lakes good price from them and I am paying through the cycle to work scheme. It looks lovely all black so you can look v.cool. Others have mentioned the techical boys toys/ geeky stuff so I won't bother. I changed from a mtb and have some back problems so went for a shorter stem for more upright riding position. Other than that I changed the saddle to my favourite RIDO and tyres to Kevlar (slightly wider and less twitchy) after a few punctures. Allez, Allez!

Parkey

Yes ultimately I'd like to get something made from carbo-ubertanium but at the moment that's not something I can: A) Afford. Admit to my girlfriend.

Good to hear that everyone seems to be satisfied with this bike.

Richie G

Another vote for the Allez here! Bought my 2006 triple in Dec 06. I've done 5000 miles on it since - love it! Have to agree that the wheels & tyres will probably be your first upgrade, although considering the roads round here i think mine held up pretty well. I would suggest you test ride first though - i tried several bikes in the same price bracket before deciding the Allez suited me best. I'd set my heart on a Giant SCR 3 but it didn't fit me as well. I too was used to a MTB, so be prepared for it to feel a bit different. I test rode my bike 3 times, just to make sure! Good luck!

Rich

Todd Sweeney

I have a 2007 Allez Sport double which I bought for (I feel) a bargain £499 from Cycle Surgery in November, and I love it! I only have my last ancient road bike to compare it against, but as a beginners bike I think it is excellent. It is very light, very comfortable and the Tiagra gears and brakes are great. I plan to ride it in my first sportives this year, starting with the Gran Fondo Cymru.

The only downside to it is that you can't fit full length mudguards if you want to later use it as a winter bike, and on my ride on Sunday I did get covered in muck off the roads! You can always fit raceblades though. Also I am going to change the Specialized Mondo tyres that came with it as they seem to offer zero puncture protection.

In conclusion, I am very happy with it and think it is an excellent bike to start off with.

dazzawazza

I've had my 2007 Triple Allez since May last year and absolutely love it. As billiobob said the black and silver looks cool on the standard model. That was actually the deciding factor for me over spending the extra money on the sport model. I didn't like the colour as much on the sport, plus I couldn't justify the extra money just to get Tiagra shifters and chainset. The weight difference must be minimal over Sora.
I would advise changing the brake pads immediately to Kool Stop Salmon - Dura Ace style. £14 for two sets of pads will be the best upgrade for the money you'll ever make.

andy_wrx

The Allez rides very well, will be a real eye-opener coming from a heavier MTB and if you get into road riding you'll love it.

I have an 04 model, was my only roadbike for two years, now also have a Roubaix as 'best' and a Giant TCR for tri's/TT's.

I did century rides and sportives on mine, it's a great bike. It's now got RaceBlades and a rack as winter/wet-weather/occasional-commuting bike, which it does very well - I still do perhaps 1500/2000m a year on it.

As others have said, the tyres and wheels are the poorest bit *but this is true of all bikes in the £450-£600 bracket* : buy a Trek 1000/1.2 or Giant SCR or whatever and it'll be true of that too.

The Trek frame is considerably lower-tech, the Giant has a bit higher-spec componentry for slightly less money.
A LeMond Etape is about £550 and might be worth a look if you can find a dealer near you - Trek actually make/import them, but the Etape is far better than the equivalent Trek 1.2.
The Boardman Comp at £600 looks reasonable too, had good reviews, but you have to buy from Halfords with their reputation for assembling it wrong...

Parkey

*Bump*

Thanks for your replies guys.

I'm looking to buy a road bike in the next month or so with a £600 budget. I have to say that I'm very keen on the Allez, especially given the levels of satisfaction I've heard from people here. I had a test ride of one recently and suffice to say I liked it a lot.

If I'm going to spend this much on a bike I really want to get the sizing right. I've recently been recommended a shop that does fitting, but they don't sell Specialized bikes. The chap in the shop said it was something about their name being spelled wrongly. He recommended a Giant SCR instead, but I have to admit I'm not too keen on the idea of getting one of those.

Does anybody know of a shop that does a proper fitting service and can sell me an Allez? Ideally somewhere near Oxford, London or somewhere between.

Steve_F

Why are you not keen on the SCRs? I have around the same budget and the kit on the SCR and the feel when out on it looks and feels really good. I've more or less made up my mind on the SCR 1.5, the slightly more relaxed positioning felt good for my often sore back.

Luke_284

I got the 2007 Allez 24 Triple in the sale last year and I love it! The black and silver looks pretty good and it is a nice bike to ride, great for starting out with.

I'd recomened it, but if you get the chance to try a few bikes out then jump at it, that's the best thing.

Rich Hcp

I found the Aleez more comfortable than the Giant I tried.

I got a 2007 Allez Sport Triple for a very good price.

Ther are stilll some good deals around

simon_e

Rich Hcp wrote:

I found the Aleez more comfortable than the Giant I tried.

A good reason to shop around and try some bikes before you spend your money.

Both the Specialized Allez and Giant SCR have lots of happy customers and are terrific value bikes. I understand the pull of the Bianchis and, when all is said and done, appearance does matter.

Wheels seem to be the most obvious thing to upgrade first on bikes at this price, but don't talk yourself into that until you feel the need. Spend too long on here and you'll be replacing parts before you've had chance to try them

steve23

i have a 2006 model of the Allez, and that too was my first road bike. IMO, its brilliant!

its now my winter bike, but its still going strong! a few simple upgrades here and there have made the world of difference!!!

one thing you may like to consider is if you might want to fit mudguards at some point!?

i struggled to fit full mudguards on mine, due to the lack of mudguard eyes!!!