Pannier on 2011 allez?

andym88

Right, I think, after much trawling I think I'm going to get the new Specialized allez, just wondering whether or not I could fit pannier racks to it. Starting to get a sore back on my current bike lugging books 20 miles a day to Uni and back in a rucksack.
Don't really want to spend much more on a bike either if it's just going to be sat outside my Uni building. Would this be deemed to be a good choice? or better go for the Trek 1.1 (2010 model) from evans cycles which I know has bolt holes for pannier racks.
Cheers

fastbatard

Not sure about the new allez but I have the 2010 model which does have mounts for a pannier rack. Have you considered mudguards though for commuting? On the allez you're limited to crud road racer types whereas I believe the trek takes proper mudguards.

father_jack

I would second proper mudguards and panniers for everyday to work/uni bike. Oh you don't need pannier mounts (but it helps) as you can fit p clips. Just make sure it has front & rear eyelet holes for mudguards, and brake clearance. I wouldn't waste your time on clip ons you want to know it's going to stay fixed not rub/wobble during a ride.

andym88

Cheers for that, it is a shame though as I sat on the new Allez yesterday and it just felt right! Maybe back to the drawing board then!

Valy

andym88 wrote:

Cheers for that, it is a shame though as I sat on the new Allez yesterday and it just felt right! Maybe back to the drawing board then!

Just my $0.02.

have you considered the 2010 Allez? If Evans price match, you can get it for a about £400.

andym88

Yeah, I thought about and tried the 2010 model but the 11 felt like a much nicer bike, also I could only find the 2010 in silver within driving distance and I really dislike the colour!

Valy

Fair enough. I tried "a" 2011 Allez not sure which model - just for size and it felt quite similar to the 2010 I have now, though it's hard to tell after a short ride near the shop!
I had the disk compatible version of this rack - Topeak Super Tourist Rack. It was pretty solid and pretty light.

You might want to try and haggle for the people to include the rack with the bike, or give you a discount on it. Some bike shops give you 10% of the bikes price to spend in the shop on any accessory in the shop. So for a £500 bike you would get £50 to spend on whatever you want for free.

andym88

Not sure what evans'll do in that sense but I'm gonna try my best! They can only say no right!

Valy

Indeed.

andym88

Just been reading another thread on here about Evans and giving discount so I'll push for at least 10% off! I'll let you know how it goes when I've been in later this week.

Valy

I've read somewhere on here that bike shops would rather give you 10% in accessories of the bike's price than take money off the actual price of the bike.

I think this was down to all the accessories having a very big markup vs the bikes.

keefsloan

I've just got a 2010 Allez double in silver. I wasn't keen on the colour either (really wanted the red) but I figured that I was getting such a good deal on the bike and accessories that it didn't matter (it's a 61cm frame and that was all they had). And I'm not really looking at the colour of the bike while I'm riding it so it has ceased to be an issue for me. I've just fitted a lightweight rack onto the bike (along with Crud RR Mk2's which are fantastic) and it still handles beautifully. I don't really notice he weight, it hasn't slowed me down at all (still doing the 15 mile commute in a little over 1hr, same as when I was wearing a rucksak) and I've got less weight going through my bum into the seat, which is more comfortable. IIRC the new 2011 also has eyelets for a rack so go for it. BTW, no one mentioned locks. If it's outside your uni then get some good 'uns and use them!!

Valy

Indeed - I twice forgot to mention it!

OP -yes a good lock is advasable and maybe even some insurance - about £50 a year for a £500-600 bike/combined with accessories.

I have bought of these: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Kryptonite-Series ... 20b290d78c.

My mum took has one and I have the other - was not intending to use 2 at the same time!

andym88

Yeah, I reckon I'll be getting insurance. Uni is pretty good though, has a proper bike shelter outside my building, which is just outside the security guards office and covered by cameras as it is right next to the main door too! Still, have been using two decent locks with my previous bike, a D type shackle lock and a cable lock with separate padlock to tie everything together. Will continue with this for sure.
I did go for the 2011 in the end, test rode both again one after the other and as its going to be a bike for everything, not just commuting I thought I'd spend a little more and get the one I preferred. They gave me a bit of discount for only having the triple in stock, I hinted that I'd rather have had the double and may go somewhere else, along with a few accessories thrown in; bottle, cage, frame patches and p clips.

Valy

Nice! :P what's p clips?

Pedal clips? :S

keef66

P clips are for attaching things to seat stays that do not have fixing points.

So called because they are clips and are P shaped.

Much like O rings are O shaped rings, and a D-lock is a lock shaped like a D. You get the idea.

andym88

But they're not really a "clip!" You have to bolt them on, they're just a piece of bent metal with two holes in really. Going to use them for the bottom supports and one of the m-part seat clamp mounts for the top I think. It's the 52cm frame so rack shouldn't be too high up like I imagine it would have to be on a larger frame to utilize the m-part seat clamp.
Looking forward to getting the weight of a days books and change of clothes off my back though!

vorsprung

If you bought a Secteur instead of an Allez you'd have rack/mudguard fittings

Or you could forget the rack and use a Carradice SQR mounted saddle bag instead