Specialized Allez Sport or Secteur Sport?

echobase

Hi there,

There is not much between them........or am I missing something?
I like them both and they are both comfortable but which one should I get?

Any suggestions?
Cheers
J

chiark

Take longer rides, and one will feel a better choice... I had to make the same decision between a CAAD8 and Synapse, and after another longer ride ended up with the Synapse. It's raciing enough, and it felt less "snappy". I can't explain it more.

bertberr

as above really, don't know what size frame you'd get, but on the 54 for example, the difference in head tube height is 20mm, seat tube height about 15mm and standover about 20mm.

Apart from that not a great deal of difference model for model, though the Allez Elite does have the E5 frame, and groupo diff's as well of course.

I've got a fooked back so the slightly more upright position of the Secteur is worthwhile.

HamishD

If in doubt, choose the nicest colour . . .

Or, more sensibly: where on the boy racer to old fart scale do you see yourself? Towards the former, Allez. Towards the latter, Secteur.

chiark

Good point on sizing. I'm 6'0, and tried the 54cm Synapse and CAAD 8 - I initially preferred the CAAD. Then I tried the 56cm, and ended up with the 56cm Synapse.

Bobbinogs

HamishD wrote:

If in doubt, choose the nicest colour . . .

Or, more sensibly: where on the boy racer to old fart scale do you see yourself? Towards the former, Allez. Towards the latter, Secteur.

Oh dear, I've got the Secteur

HamishD

If it's any consolation, I'm leaning towards the old fart side of the spectrum myself - comfiest bike I ever had was a Roubaix. . .

chiark

Indeed, I'm on the Cannondale Old Fart edition. I'm 37, which seems young for MAMILlian activities...

echobase

Thanks for your advise!!!
So its the old fart for me!! Even though I am 30 something!
Comfort is the key to any bike really

So now comes the interesting thing, I had a test ride on the Secteur Elite today and its fantastic!! Probably looking at the Sport as its more in my budget.........but............ now you mention the Synapse and I am torn

Any difference? I think I am going to have to test the Synapse as well.

Is there much difference between the two? Secteur Sport and Cannondale Synapse? Apart from £76

Cheers
J

chiark

In my view, not a huge amount... Just go with what you like after the test rides more.

The Secteur Sport (not Elite - sorry, brain fart there!) gets you Sora Triple groupset with tiagra rear derailleur for £770. (Specialized have dropped prices on the Allez by 10%, but not on the Secteur it seems...?)

The Synapse Sora gets you Sora for £699 with Triple. Tiagra (full Tiagra, including shifters) is £849 on a double.

Here's a comparison page at Evans:
http://www.evanscycles.com/products-com ... 1|ec025342

In terms of differences... You pays yer money and takes yer choice! The Cannondale has a supposedly 'softer' rear as the chain and seat stays are engineered to have some 'give' in them to reduce transmission of the worst of vibrations, but not to flex under power. I smell marketing, but it seems to work in my experience!

I ended up wanting a double, and disliking the Sora shifters compared to Tiagra/105. then pushed the budget, got a good deal, and went for the Synapse 105...

I'm hugely pleased with my Synapse 105. I daresay you would find any number of people on here who are happy with their Allez and Secteur too: none of these are bad bikes at all!

keef66

If it's of any significance to your buying decision, the Synapse has long drop brakes & clearance / eyelets so it can take bigger tyres and proper mudguards if required. No idea bout the Secteur.

If I was shopping now I'd be getting the 105 Synapse

Paul E

chiark wrote:

In my view, not a huge amount... Just go with what you like after the test rides more.

The Secteur Elite gets you Sora Triple groupset with tiagra rear derailleur for £770. (Specialized have dropped prices on the Allez by 10%, but not on the Secteur it seems...?)

The Synapse Sora gets you Sora for £699 with Triple. Tiagra (full Tiagra, including shifters) is £849 on a double.

Here's a comparison page at Evans:
http://www.evanscycles.com/products-com ... 1|ec025342

In terms of differences... You pays yer money and takes yer choice! The Cannondale has a supposedly 'softer' rear as the chain and seat stays are engineered to have some 'give' in them to reduce transmission of the worst of vibrations, but not to flex under power. I smell marketing, but it seems to work in my experience!

I ended up wanting a double, and disliking the Sora shifters compared to Tiagra/105. then pushed the budget, got a good deal, and went for the Synapse 105...

I'm hugely pleased with my Synapse 105. I daresay you would find any number of people on here who are happy with their Allez and Secteur too: none of these are bad bikes at all!

You are quoting the groupset for the secteur sport not the elite so that's misleading, the elite last year came with 105 and this year sram apex

bertberr

Don't think it was intentional... do you? No doubt just a temporary brain frazzle, bearing in mind the topic title and the accuracy of the rest of his / her post...

chiark

Sorry, hands up, I had a brain malfunction in the post... The post was a direct response to 'any difference between secteur sport and synapse' question, and I confused the issue by writing elite instead of sport. 1 word, but big difference!

Apologies for the confusion. As Paul E says, the Elite gets SRAM Apex which is a different animal again...

The trick as I see it is knowing your maximum spend and sticking to it, otherwise you'll end up with the Secteur Elite or Synapse 105 .

Take your time, and enjoy the process!

Yeoer

I had the same question a month or so ago, so i went into my local Speci store to look at both.

I'd pretty much made my mind up on the the 2010 Secteur Comp as on offer it was top of my budget.. rang the shop had one in stock for me to look at... ideal i thought.

Went to look and the sales guy got the Sect down for me to look at, he asked what i was going to use it for and i told him... I'm doing the Dartmoor Classic in June and i'd like a bike which i could do longer rides if i wanted, so you'd think the secteur ticks thoses boxes right, the sales guy went on to say why don't you go for a Allez comp instead... i said i wanted one with the Z inserts to make it comfy etc , basically he told me they didn't make much difference and the 2010 Allez Comp was the bike for me and got one down and put the Sect. back... I then asked about the 2011 Secteurs, complete u-turn followed with him telling me they are the best thing since sliced bread! needles to say i left feeling somewhat confused and feeling his commision had driven the conversation!

bertberr

@ Yeoer - was that in Saltash by any chance?

Seems a strange sales technique , as the 10 bikes are near enough identical to the 11 bikes in terms of frame & forks (with the exception that the base Secteur gets Zertz forks for 2011).

Possibly to do with larger numbers of Allez's to shift? I see Evans are already discounting 2010 Allez's, whereas I haven't found any discounts off Secteurs yet.

BTW, what did you end up with?

Yeoer

Sure was... thats the thing i was looking at the 2010 Comp ie top of the range with Zerts, E5 frame, Carbon backend, 105's etc and he was saying the lowerend 2011's were better suited!

I was so confused after, i really was set to buy a Secteur that day and that put me right off, I then went to the large Halfords in Plymouth and looked at some of the Boardmans, fell in love with the Boardman Team. Came home and did some reseach and ended up buying a nearly new Boardman Team Carbon 2010 model, saved myself a few quid and ended up with a Full carbon to boot and spent the rest on a Garmin 500!. I really couldn't be happier.

I know allot of people who have been more than happy with Certini and the service they get, i guess i must have been unlucky that day.