Looking to get my first road bike, thoughts on this?

Foxtrot Oscar

Hi all

I currently ride my Carrera Subway v1 8 miles each day on my commute. However I am hankering after more pace and some weekend rides to Stratford-upon-Avon and back, so was contemplating my first foray into the world of proper road bikes.

Someone very near me is selling a Specialized Allez Elite with 9 speed Shimano 105 for £300, and I'm wondering whether this might be the perfect opportunity to make the step to drop bars!

Specifically, I'm wondering:

- Does the price sound reasonable for such a relatively old bike?
- Would this bike be a good option for year round commuting and a casual 30 miles at the weekend?
- The frame size is 56cm bottom to top of seat tube, 56.5cm top tube. I'm 5'11" with a 34cm inside leg...does this sound reasonable?

Many thanks.

andy46

You need to go and sit on the bike to make sure it fits. It's not a bad price but see if it needs anything doing like maybe a new tyre, or the bar tape needs changing you could maybe haggle the price down a bit.

The Allez is a good bike IMO and 105 gear is good quality, I have it on my bike.

jgsi

You'll have to go and and have a sit on it. if it has been well looked after and bits on it not dropping off etc then 300 is a good enough price.
However if the tyres,bar tape, brake pads, chain looking like they have had better days then you going to need another 100 to renew them. Depends on the condition whether to haggle.
In itself, the Allez is an excellent choice.

Foxtrot Oscar

Thanks guys. I batted him down to £250 and am going to check it out on Saturday. If all looks well, drive train in good order etc., then I'll take it off his hands.

andy46

Sounds like a good deal if it in good working order. Bargain!

snowley

definitely a good deal if you can get it for that price and its in good condition. Good luck tomorrow!

tx14

have a go on it. but it might be a bit too long for you. long legs=short torso.

Foxtrot Oscar

Hi all

Picked it up today, here it is.



The guy threw in some eggbeaters and a pair of old Shimano cycling shoes, as well as some spare brake pads and a great conversation. I almost felt bad taking the bike off him, the guy wanted to use his Trek hybrid, which he proudly showed me, as it was a more relaxed ride.

Just got back from a short ride to test it out and I'm delighted. Not that I've got much to compare it against (Carrera Subway 1) but it feels amazing to me as you can probably imagine, light and fast. Very sure-footed though.

Everything mechanical seems to be working fantastically well, the gears slip in the lowest gear but he told me about that. Not intending to use the very lowest gear anyway. I gave it a good wipe down when I got it home and it scrubbed up very well.

It's got a carbon seat post and forks. Bloke said he'd only done ~400 miles on it since 2005! I'm chuffed.

Thanks for the help.

andy46

Looks great, you've done well there. Hope you enjoy it.

Now come the expensive bit... new kit, upgrades etc etc. It becomes addictive.