Specialized Allez Triple

Price Paid:  $700.00 at Velo Pasadena

Model Year:
2007

Favorite Ride:
Lower SantaAna River to Newport Beach

Bike Setup:
Completely stock.

Summary:
Great value for the money. Quite solid throughout, and when tires are kept at 115 lb/sq.in it seems to cut through the air nicely.

Strengths:
Value for Money SPent. Great training bike or for rainy day ride - or for training new riders.

Weaknesses:
SOmetimes the back half seems to "follow" the front half when hammered.

Similar Products Used:
Softride Roadwing, Trek Madone 5.5

Price Paid:  $710.00 at Primeau Velo

Model Year:
2006

Favorite Ride:
Specialized Allez Triple

Bike Setup:
-Shimano Triple Tiagra transmission
-Shimano SPD SL T-Mobile pedals
-Specialized Roubaix red tape
-Specialized Elite cyclo-comp
-Shimano WH-RS10 Wheels

Summary:
Very pleased. All stock parts were Japanese-made Shimano. As being a part of a professional cycling race team, I find myself racing with other members that have much more expensive bikes, and mine does as good as theirs. As for price, got a deal for 200$ off the brand new 2006 XL Allez kept in LBS's storage. Said size was not popular. 710$ for a brand new allez is good. Named her Ally =) . She survived an accident involving a kid passing through front wheel with his tricycle.

Strengths:
-Transmission: Came w/Sora+Tiagra worked as good as a 105 would, changed to full Tiagra to get 9 speed

Weaknesses:
-Wheels: Heavy
-Freewheel: After first 100km gets noisy

Similar Products Used:
-None

Price Paid:  $770.00 at bicycles ect.

Model Year:
2007

Favorite Ride:
not south korea

Bike Setup:
stock

Summary:
Traded my mountain bike to come to Korea. Have been wanting to write a review and brag about this bike but waited until I had 1000 miles on the bike. After 1000 miles on my first road bike I can say I will never own a moutain bike again. This bike is so fast and so fun and I love that my ride starts right outside my door. Great bike for the beginner and I know I will have this bike for years to come. Plan to continue commuting on this bike when I get back home and buy a full carbon dream for my training rides. Have not had to true the wheels or replace any parts. No name brakes seem to stop fine for me.

Strengths:
Looks and handling love the black color and the price. Fast and maybe I am use to moutain bikes but this bike is light.

Weaknesses:
Some lateral flex in the wheels during out of the saddle sprints but nothing major.

Similar Products Used:
first road bike but test rode trek 1000 no comparison.

Price Paid:  $0.00 at Cycle Surgery - Spit

Model Year:
2006

Favorite Ride:
My secret loop in essex :)

Bike Setup:
Base model Allez triple, 52/42/30 front Sora, 12-25 8spd rear Tiagra. Unbranded brakes and other no-name components.

Summary:
Good starter bike but at the time I bought it, I knew I'd be riding lots so really I could have looked at a low-end Tarmac as my starter bike. Back then however I had no idea why people would spend 'tarmac kinda money' on a bike.

Strengths:
Nice frame, pretty stiff. No problems with it. Would like to upgrade wheels and other components but feel this should be done for my next bike (if I can ever justify getting it).

Relatively cheap means I can take it almost anywhere (good part of town, bad part of town), be a little reckless with it, and if it breaks, I can just buy another one.
Recent upgrades are Thomson Elite seat post and Keo Sprint pedal with Spec BG Comp shoes.

Weaknesses:
The brakes. They're just not powerful enough. I'm not sure if it's me not servicing them right, but I've tried new brake pads and various adjustments, but they really need more stopping power. Perhaps I should try KoolStop pads.
I went for a triple, not knowing what kind of gearing I'd need. From now on I'll only look at Compact chainrings.

Similar Products Used:
I've not tried any other bike. The only bike I looked at was Trek 1000, but I disliked certain components on it, the wheels, and it just wasn't as sporty looking as my Allez.

Price Paid:  $780.00 at woodland hills wheel

Model Year:
2007

Favorite Ride:
long beach loop

Bike Setup:
stock

Summary:
i've only had this bike for a weeks, put 250 miles on it. it is an amazingly versatile bike. i've been able to do some pretty major climbs (over the santa monica mountains) relatively easily, and am completely impressed with the way that it handles. i was initially turned-off by the mix of sora, and tiagra components, but they work perfectly, and the triple really helps get over the sepulveda pass.

Strengths:
sora shifters show which gear you're in. geometry is racey, but not too uncomfortable for long rides. passing guys who have been in the game as long as i have and spent 8 times as much as i did. overall great bike. try as you might, you still cant buy speed.

Weaknesses:
the wheels aren't great, which is to be expected. i already knocked the back one out of true on my first 50+ mile ride.