Specialized Allez 52cm, 5'9"...?

johngti

Got my eye on a nice looking Allez on ebay but its a 52cm frame where I could probably do with a 54. I've sold a M/L defy because it was slightly too big. Question is, how likely is this one to be too small?

It's supposed to be my winter bike so it doesn't need to be amazingly racy. And I guess I could put a 110mm stem on to make the reach a little longer if I need to BUT my main ride is a M defy composite. Effective top tube on the defy is 54.5cm, on a size 54 Allez it's 54.8cm and on a 52cm frame its 53.7cm. What are the forum's thoughts? (Finishes tomorrow night so not a huge length of time to make a decision...)

TerryCTR

I've learned you can't just go on height alone but none the less I'm 6ft with a 34 inside leg and I was fitted for a 58 allez sport recently. At the time the guy said I was on the limit sitting in the shop but once I got out riding he said the 58 was the frame for me.

I would guess its a 54 you would want ideally

arran77

I have a 52 Allez as my wet weather bike and I'm 5'6" with 29" inside leg.

A 52 might be a little small for you perhaps.

Jon_1976

I'm not surprised you found the m/l Defy too big, I would have thought you'd need a M at the most. I'm 5'10" and have had a 54cm Allez and a M Defy. The Defy felt a bit bigger even though the geometry measurements are very similar on paper.

I'd try a 54 before deciding, it's hard to say what you'll find too small. everyone is different.

johngti

Thanks all. I'm in London tomorrow, I'll pop into the covent garden concept store and try them

KonkyWonky

I'm 5ft 7" with a short leg, have an old 50cm Allez as my back up bike. Fits me fine although my best bike is a little larger.

vecfluxx

Assuming the seat tube angles are the same you should be able to achieve the same fit with a slightly longer (10mm) stem as the defy. Also consider if you can achieve the same bar height with the smaller head tube.

You should be able to have a look at the geometry of both and figure it out, don't be influenced by what manufacturers name their frames, only the actual measurements.

thespanishadam

Wasn't Cavendish riding a 49cm frame this year?. Having dropped a size from previous. All be it with a 140mm stem. Nice racey setup!

He's 5ft8.

DHA987S

I'm 5ft8 and ride a 54cm Roubaix, but when I was fitted at the shop they said that for the tarmac they would have had me on a 52cm.

drjs83

Perhaps you should buy your Allez at a local Specialized dealer. They will be able to advise you on the right size of frame and you could benefit from years of good customer service. Relationships with your LBS can really enhance your enjoyment of cycling. They will also be happy to look after your bike as you have bought it from them. Lastly and most importantly, Specialized offer a lifetime warranty on their frames but it is only valid with the original owner. This has come in useful for me at my LBS and I've seen it cause ebay/gumtree buyers much heartache!

johngti

drjs83 wrote:

Perhaps you should buy your Allez at a local Specialized dealer. They will be able to advise you on the right size of frame and you could benefit from years of good customer service. Relationships with your LBS can really enhance your enjoyment of cycling. They will also be happy to look after your bike as you have bought it from them. Lastly and most importantly, Specialized offer a lifetime warranty on their frames but it is only valid with the original owner. This has come in useful for me at my LBS and I've seen it cause ebay/gumtree buyers much heartache!

If I could afford to buy new, I would. Unfortunately I can't. And even if I did, my LBS doesn't really seem keen on developing a relationship with anyone. Other than the relationship where I go and spend a ton of money...

iron-clover

I'm 5' 8" and have a 52cm Trek 1.1 (they're all fairly similar...) and although I do get along fairly well on it, I need a lot of seatpost showing and I have a long stem on to help me stop kneeing the handlebars when I get out of the saddle. Realistically a 54cm frame would be a better fit though.

However, if you're not too bothered about swapping out stems and possibly looking for a longer seatpost (although I haven't needed to) then you should still be able to find a decent position. It'll also be easier to set up a relaxed geometry too with the smaller frame- just watch your knees on the handlebars! :P

secretsam

I'm about your height and have a Cinelli Saetta which has similar Geo, mine's a 54 and fits just so. 52 might be a bit small - as others have said, am sure the Spesh shop will let you try one.

marshall_a

looks like there is a 45mm difference on the head tube length, so unless your almost slammed on the defy, you might find it hard to get the stack\bar height to be comfortable