Looking to spend $800 on a new road bike

aceedkins
aceedkins Posts: 5
edited March 2016 in Road buying advice
The used junk Marin I bought second hand needs a lot of new repairs plus the frame never quite fit me, so I'm thinking it's time I just went ahead with a brand new bike (I'm really not interested in the Craigslist route at the moment). Preferably, I'd like to purchase one in a bout a month, but one of the current (seemingly) best-bang-for-your-buck is the 2016 Allez E5 Sport for $800. These are starting to sell out everywhere though, so I'd need to test ride one and jump on it if I really like it. Do you have any thoughts on the 2016 Allez base model? Is the Sport that much of a step up since it goes from a 8 to 9 speed? What other models should I perhaps be looking at? I just want something that's speedy and rides well with a great frame so if I do decide to upgrade stuff down the road I have that option. Thanks!

Comments

  • Anyone? Thanks in advance!
  • Hey aceedkins,

    I don't have any experience with the Allez personally, other than it seems like an incredibly popular bike!

    http://www.bikeradar.com/tags/specialized-allez/

    The above link is a hub page BikeRadar created for all things Allez which may help.

    Are you located in the US?

    (Variance in price between Aus, US and Canada!)

    Cheers.
    BikeRadar Communities Manager
  • homers_double
    homers_double Posts: 7,978
    I have an Allez, albeit a slightly older 2013 version bought 2nd hand off these pages and it's done me fine for a few years.

    The frame is solid and worthy of upgrading and looks like a real road bike instead of a cheap attempt at one.

    Go for it and you won't be disappointed.

    C3294FC3-C55A-472A-8C40-6A9FB4DE0501_zps53ob3ws0.jpg

    Mine now has full Shimano 105 and a much sleeker saddle bag.
    Advocate of disc brakes.
  • Thanks for the responses! I'm actually going to test ride the Allez Sport e5 2016 (which was actually rated on this site to be the best road bike under $1000) and put in an order for one. They sale Specialized is currently having on the 2016 model for $800 instead of $970 which seems like a sweet deal and probably the best bike I can get for $800. I LOVE the look of the matte black posted above, but apparently so does everyone else because I'd have to wait until the end of May to get one in my size! Not wasting the upcoming good weather for that!
  • Good call, black goes with everything too!
    BikeRadar Communities Manager
  • joshjevans wrote:
    Good call, black goes with everything too!

    I wish they sold the Allez Sport in the green that other Allez models are in, but oh well. I'll probably end up going with the blue.