Specialized Allez 16 2010 / 2011 differences?

wlshyd

To get straight to the point - I know the FSR XC 2009 / 2010 / 2011 models have little to differentiate between them, but is this still the same for the road versions? Am in a pickle as to which one to buy - £450 for the 2010 or £550 for the 2011...??? I have felt them both at my local Evans store, and the 2011 seemed oh-so-slightly lighter, but this might have been me half expecting it to be?

I'm new to the road-scene having just put up my FSR XC MTB for sale on here a few days ago - I just don't have time to go off-roading anymore, and am getting fed up with roadies literally hurtling past me on my commute (only 4 miles each way) making me look as though I am standing still, and sweating half as much as me...!

So I decided to take the plunge and get myself a road bike, and have narrowed it down to the Spesh Allez 16 (or maybe 24 but not too many hills around me (Cheshire)). Decided upon this as I have read countless good reviews on the handling, speed, frame, trainset and weight of the machine - not to mention the £450-500 price tag.

mattward1979

From an article I read the 2011 Allez series is the same geometry as the Roubaix series, so slightly more "racey" and aggressive..

Component wise, they appear the same, with full 2300 gearing and brakes.

As always, best to sit on one, take it for a spin and see if you fall in love with it or not!

rich164h

The spec of most bikes will change from year to year - usually less kit for the same price unfortunately, however the geometry of the frames usually remain unchanged for at least a few years in a row so in theory the 2010 bike would more or less be the same as the 2011 bike.

The the Specialized road range however, there have been four main models. The "Roubaix" (carbon) with a cheaper equivilent in Aluminium, but with the same geometry called the "Secteur". These are relaxed geometry bikes (i.e. more upright) designed for all day riding.

In the more extreme sporty range there are also two models the carbon "Tarmac" and the aluminium "Allez". These however do have different geometries, unlike the Roubaix/Secteur. My understanding is that for 2011 Specialized are changing this though so that the Allez and Tarmac do share the same geometry (Allez likely to change to be like the Tarmac rather than the other way around) so the difference between the 2010 and 2011 Allez models will be greater than just a different in wheels/groupsets.

If you do a search of archived news items on bikeradar you will probably find an overview of the 2011 range.

Rich

invincible

yeah the main differences is change in geometry with the allez matched now to the tarmac

me personally i would get the 2010 version (in silver) & save the yourself the £100 as the price increase is just insane

or if you can afford a little more see if anywhere has a 2010 sport still, they were only £600 for 18 speed version

mattward1979

Bowing to superior knowledge =D I was along the right lines, just got the words all wrong.

Also would like to chuck a +1 at the Allez Sport 2010. Until mine was nicked, I was absolutely in love with it!

wlshyd

thanks for the responses guys - ah ok i was wondering if there were any significant differences between the allez range and secteur. Have heard good things on the Roubaix but being a road beginner didnt want to spend much more than say £600-ish to see how i got on, and then maybe look into upgrading in a years' time or so.

Pending house move is also squeezing my budget, so the £550 for the Allez 2011 would be about the most I'll pay for now. For what i have head though the Allez is very good value for the £550, but wasn't sure if i was spending an extra £100 too much and that the 2010 model would be near enough the same.

As mentioned though the best advice is always to go and try them, might take a mooch back to Evans and try them both. Also spotted a nice Cannondale Sora i think for £599 which looked nice and have always fancied a CDale bike...

Now just gotta sell the FSR XC to fund... Not had many sniffs on here, it is also up on Pistonheads and eBay. Can anyone recommend any other good places to sell with it being a bit of a specialist product?

thanks again

MARKF

I do'nt know about the difference in those Allez bikes,but I think I know the best place to sell the FSR;
http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/ just go to the classifieds forum.
After many years mountainbiking I've just bought my first dedicated roadbike,I got a 2010 Allez elite in the end of season sales,still keeping the mountain bikes though.
Now I need a pump that pumps to 100 psi,never had to go above 35 psi before!

wlshyd

Thanks Mark - i have registered so fingers crossed i can get it flogged on there and then go get the Allez!

Really looking forward to the whole road scene, though i expect i am having to get some clipless pedals as well as apparently the stock ones leave little to be desired...

thanks again

Super Domestique

I have a 2010 Allez after making the move from mtb to road. I also had a good look over the 2011 Allez at the Cycle Show on fri. Ok, not the same as riding it but what I would say is I personally liked the look of the 2010 model better. I liked the straight fork on the '11 version but the lack of rainbow stripes and no 'snakey' seat stays mean it lacks so wow factor for me.

The stays I mention also were there to add comfort which for me was a plus point. iirc the '11 version is meant to be something like 11% stiffer but that was less important to me. Guess it depends how 'racey' you want the bike.

I wanted a bit of comfort without the triple and total comfort of the Secteur range.

Just my thoughts.

Btw, again iirc, the '11 version does have slightly better rims which part way justifies the price hike.

Also if you do go for a '10 version, check out freeborn cycles at they had them for £399. Or get evans to price match if that is where you are buying from.

wlshyd

Great post Super Domestique- that is a big help thanks for inputting. Yeah i have also heard the '11 bike is meant to be a fair bit stiffer but A- being a beginner i don't think i'd notice it and B- outright speed is not going to be my aim, just getting out, covering some distance and having fun.

The 2010 bike apparently weighs just shy of 22lbs - I cannot find any quoted weights for the 2011 bike, does anyone know?

thanks

Silko

If it helps, I owned a 2010 Allez, which I bent. I got the 2011 frame as a crash replacement, so I've effectively ridden both. And, to be honest, I didn't find the 2011 any less comfortable than the 2010, despite the straight seat stays.

I did, however, find the 2011 to be a little more snappy when putting the power down and I felt more confident taking corners at higher speeds. But then I am a beginner, so the cornering may just be natural progression.

The 2011 loses the mounts for mudguards/pannier rack, in case you had ideas along those lines.

Weight difference? Impossible to tell any difference on the road.

Looks-wise, both me and my mate reckon the 2011 wins hands down.

Bottom line, I prefer the 2011 frame.

wlshyd

Hmmm - still undecided, but the 2011 bike is winning right now. At the end of the day £150 isnt going make a big difference so I think i'll just go for that.

Agreed on the 2011 looks - had a good look around both on saturday at Evans and the black/grey version with the red trim looked lovely, and quite Trek-esque (I've always liked the look of the Trek models)

thanks for the input folks

gkerr4

the 2010 bike should be more comfortable - if that matters to you - and it might if this is your first road bike coming from an MTB - that said, it won't be a huge difference.

The original allez - whos geometry was the same unchanged for years - was an "in between" point of the roubaix and tarmac - the roubaix being a comfort oriented bike and the tarmac being an outright racier - note that even the tarmac got made "less racy" in 2008 .

I know this cos when I wanted to get a 'posh' roadbike I had a size 54 langster which fitted me perfectly - i loved the fit - and the langster is (was) an exact match frame as the allez but with no gear hanger and horizontal drop-outs - when I looked at the roubaix and tarmac models, the main difference was the height of the headtube - i.e. the roubaix was raised to give a higher-up riding position. the roubaix headtube (on a 54) was 20mm taller than the tarmac and the allez / langster was right in the middle of the two at 10mm higher than the tarmac (10mm lower than the roubaix) I went with an S-Works roubaix.

It makes sense that they allign the allez with the tarmac now that they have the sectaur (a more recent model - roubaix geometry, but in aluminium only (all roubaix are carbon)) but it will (should) be less comfort -oriented than the older frame.

hope this helps (probably doesnt) - for my money I'd get the 2010 and save the £150 for pedals / clothing / the inevitable wheel-upgrade etc...