Specialized Secteur Elite 2012

bandsawman

Any thoughts on one of these?

I want it for the 11 mile commute and pleasure riding on my days off - no intention of entering any races with it.

dartmoorscottydog

bought one in 2009 as my introduction to road bikes after an extensive internet research troll. Great bike - mine came with shimano 105 rather than SRAM as they have now but very user friendly and while not the lightest bike around still pretty fast and more importantly stable. Some people on the forum don't rate them but most of the people who have one swear by them and have a lot of fun with them. I use mine for the commute throughout the year and have had no problems.

EarlyGo

I have the 2010 model. No complaints. It's not the lightest or the fastest but it's very comfortable and well built. The more upright position is good for commuting and lends itself well to long weekend trips.

Regards,

EarlyGo

mattv

I built one of these today. Some funky new stuff on it. Ten speed tiagra is very slick, as good as old 105. DT wheels feel good. Frame is A1 alloy, with a zert built into alloy seat stays? Never seen this before.... It surprised me how light it felt, for an A1 frame. Internal rear brake cable too, to keep it tidy on the top tube. I much prefer this bike to last years SRAM equipped model, at the same price!

bandsawman

mattv wrote:

I built one of these today. Some funky new stuff on it. Ten speed tiagra is very slick, as good as old 105. DT wheels feel good. Frame is A1 alloy, with a zert built into alloy seat stays? Never seen this before.... It surprised me how light it felt, for an A1 frame. Internal rear brake cable too, to keep it tidy on the top tube. I much prefer this bike to last years SRAM equipped model, at the same price!

Thanks for the comments - they're very encouraging.
I was reading somewhere that the zertz really do make a difference, and this new Tiagra gets good reports too.
Great to see they've hidden that rear brake cable in the top tube - I think it really lets the other models down when the top tube is arched but the brake cable is strung out below it like a bow! Only a small point, but it matters to me.

Mattv, any chance you could tell me what yours weighs?

Bobbinogs

I was reading somewhere that the zertz really do make a difference

I am not too sure about that. The problem is that I have not tried the same bike with/without the zertz forks. The Secteur has a different feel to my other bikes but I couldn't say that the zertz inserts offer a tangible improvement. They are a marketing man's dream but I don't think many folks could talk about their benefits with any real authority.

I have found the Secteur to be "ok". It is a bit soul-less and, although sticking RS80s on certainly zipped it up a bit, I can't enthuse about it in the same way I can about my other two road bikes (which are very different to be fair).

The headtube is incredibly big, which was good when I started cycling but now I seem to keep wanting to adjust the bars lower (just waiting for a -17 deg stem as I am at the bottom of the stack). For some, the high head tube is one of the plus points though (it was for me too) and for those who are old hands and like a high position then they won't be disappointed over time (whereas if I was buying now I would buy a very different bike).

One thing to be aware of is the clearance for mudguards. I have a 2010 Elite (bought Nov 2009) and the clearance is minimal to say the least. I find this baffling because the bike has all the bosses for paniers, etc., and is billed as "the bike to ride all day" but I can only just get Crud Raceguards on with 23 mm tyres (if I went to 25mm then I am not sure that there would be enough clearance) and if I commuted/toured I would want a decent setup for the weather.

I like the bit about hiding the brake cable (yes, small point but mine just looks untidy) so it shows Spesh are improving the bike as they go along. They are certainly well made and the SRAM Apex or new Tiagra come with a lot of recommendations (I have a 105 triple which is great for long hilly rides).

So, all in all I have done well over 5,000 miles on my Secteur (which says something) and would thoroughly recommend a test ride to see how you get on. I would also recommend trying the Allez and a few other models to boot, like the Synapse, etc.

Tramdodger

Picked mine up yesterday. Very pleased, I only managed a very quick ride, initial impression is that it does seem to tackle the road buzz very well. Still not sure about the colour scheme but it looks much better in real life than in pictures.

arlowood

Hi there

Bought the 2010 Secteur Elite last September when it was discounted as i wanted to have a change after 14 years riding my steel Mercian.

Have done around 3000 miles in the interim and find it a very comfortable and responsive ride. Mine was a triple with mainly Shimano 105 and that drivetrain has been faultless in my experience. The switch to the new 10-speed Tiagra for the 2012 model is interesting (why did they dump the SRAM Apex set up on the current bike?)

I have done a couple of mods to improve things from my perspective - firstly i fitted a shorter stem to improve my riding comfort. Then more recently I treated myself to a set of Shimano RS80 wheels - what a revelation. The stock wheels on my bike (Mavic CXP22) were OK but not brilliant. The RS80's are leagues ahead and have transformed the ride of my Secteur.

So my advice would be - go ahead and buy the 2012 model and get familiar with riding and enjoying it as I'm sure you will. Then when funds permit - treat yourself to an upgrade with the RS80 wheels - you will not regret it.

daysofspeed

arlowood wrote:

Then more recently I treated myself to a set of Shimano RS80 wheels - what a revelation. The stock wheels on my bike (Mavic CXP22) were OK but not brilliant. The RS80's are leagues ahead and have transformed the ride of my Secteur. Then when funds permit - treat yourself to an upgrade with the RS80 wheels - you will not regret it.

Hi, I have a 2011 Secteur (couldn't afford the Elite).

Gears doing my nut in a bit - clunky, don't seem to change easily/slickly. Not sure how much that's 2300 or me learning to ride!

I have the Mavic CXP22 - what's the characteristics of the upgrade? Ie how has it improved things? Cheers.

wishitwasallflat

I've got the 2011 Elite APEX and I love it but just today broke the second spoke in two weeks on rear wheel - the concept store I bought it in were trying to call Spesh today to ok repair under warranty but apart from that I love mine! Buy it if you want an upright ride dn't if you are after flat back speed. Get the 2011 with APEX if there's any left if like me you would rather spin to imporve CV fitness that load the knees.