# Specialized Allez Elite vs Fuji Roubaix Pro (Clydesdale)



## jnicholz

After doing some research/looking at bikes at the local shops I have narrowed down to these two. I am 5'11/245 right now (210 lean as of my last bodyfat analysis, so I am not likely to lose a lot of weight).

I really have no preference between the two at the moment, the parts seem almost identical, etc. The one thing I am worried about is how well the bike is going to hold up under my weight. Either one of these bikes would pretty much max my budget out so upgrades/broken parts aren't something I can live with at this time.

The bike shop did mention they thought Specialized to be superior with warranty claims, but both bikes offer lifetime on the frames.

Any suggestions? Any other bikes to look at in the $1000 range? I want to buy local btw, but we have a lot of bikeshops in the area so I can look at most brands.

Thanks.


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## OnTheRivet

jnicholz said:


> I am 5'11/245 right now (210 lean as of my last bodyfat analysis, so I am not likely to lose a lot of weight).


Whoa, your this guys size? He's 5/11, 220 at *6%* body fat. With all that bodybuilding how do you find time to ride?


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## jnicholz

OnTheRivet said:


> Whoa, your this guys size? He's 5/11, 220 at *6%* body fat. With all that bodybuilding how do you find time to ride?


Well, this doesn't really have anything to do with anything...but here goes.

1. Numbers in the bodybuilding world are akin to numbers in the WWF...they don't mean anything. I could find you pics in less than 10 minutes of people claiming 180lbs that look that guys size, and ppl who claim 250 @ 5% that look much smaller.

2. Last time I had a bodyfat analysis they had me as 210 lean (and I weighed right around 250 at the time). That puts me @ approx 16% bodyfat (a FAR cry from the claimed 6% of this guy). In fact I have never been below about 9% in my life so my weight is definitely going to be higher. If he is 220 @ 6% that would make him about 207 which is well within the error range of a standard bodyfat analysis test (in comparison to my 210 lean I mean).

Here is where it gets tricky...to go from my current state of 16% bodyfat down to 6% I would need to drop something like 25lbs of nothing but bodyfat while not losing a single pound of muscle. I will tell you this right now, thats basically not possible. If I went on a cutting diet to get down to that weight I would be guaranteed to drop off a lot of muscle mass.

I use this link as an example: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/huston8.htm

You can follow his progress during his 3 month cutting cycle. He goes from looking very big (but not defined at all) to looking pretty small. He definitely lost a lot of muscle mass along the way (as which happens to most everyone).

My point is, for that guy you pictured to weigh 220 @ 6% I would venture to guess he is an absolute MONSTER in the offseason.

Short answer: no, I am not as big as that guy. I would venture to guess his arm measurements are probably a full inch larger than mine, not sure about chest, etc as the pic is pretty small.

I only mentioned my stats for the simple fact that I have seen a lot of threads where people will say something to the effect of "I weigh 260 but hope to be down to 175 by next year", etc. This is not going to be possible in my case...I will likely never weigh less than 220, at least while I am bodybuilding still.

To answer the question of time, I ride in the mornings before work (I lift after work). I am doing approx 75 miles a week right now, but I would like to bump that up after I get a road bike. Sad to say I am doing my morning rides on my downhill bike right now and its killing me.

Thanks for the help.


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## Rushfan

Whichever bike you chose, I'd pay attention to the wheels. Get a good stout pair of wheels for sure. I have an '03 Allez Elite that I am very happy with, but I had all sorts of problems with the Alex 330 wheels until I replaced them with Mavic Open Pros. No problems now (and I weigh about 200).

But you always want to get the bike that fits you. It's worth getting a fitting to make sure you're getting the right bike.


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## OnTheRivet

You got me. I was being sarcastic because I find it amusing listening to people on this forum talk about how they are 5' something, 200+lbs but aren't overweight. That would make them all bodybuilders, but in fact you do lift so the jokes on me. Maybe I'm a little sensitive because these same type of people call me "skinny" when in fact I'm what used to be considered normal sized.


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## jnicholz

OnTheRivet said:


> You got me. I was being sarcastic because I find it amusing listening to people on this forum talk about how they are 5' something, 200+lbs but aren't overweight. That would make them all bodybuilders, but in fact you do lift so the jokes on me. Maybe I'm a little sensitive because these same type of people call me "skinny" when in fact I'm what used to be considered normal sized.


I completely understand. I am 15%+ bodyfat right now so I need to lose some weight for sure. I just wanted to make sure that nobody was under the impression that I will be weighing in @ 175 or something in the future. I need a bike that can handle the weight for the long haul so to speak. I am obviously never going to be a competitive cyclist, but I love riding downhill/freeride and I want to do more road riding for my cardio exercice (with a real road bike).

Speaking of weight, while I was at the bike shop I test rode the Fuji Team SL. I know that bike is the exact opposite or what I should be looking at...but wow is all I can say. It was going for about double my budget and would probably breakdown on me in the near future...but that 15.5lb bike absolutely rode like a dream.

Thanks for the help.


Rushfan:

Do you think the stock wheels on either bike will be good enough? Would I be better off saving up for a higher level bike? Or rather buying a cheaper bike and dropping $$ on a bombproof wheelset?

I want to do about 100 miles a week strictly on the road bike (with mountain bike on the weekends) so the bike won't be seeing a crazy amount of mileage, but it wont be collecting dust either.

Thanks.


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## OnTheRivet

jnicholz said:


> I am obviously never going to be a competitive cyclist


You never know, I train and race with three guys who were national caliber bodybuilders. All three have obviously lost a lot of muscle mass to be competetive (all three are still pretty big as far as cyclists go) but two have won national masters titles and one was a pro at one time. 
With a good set of wheels you should be able to train on a 16-17lb bike no problem.


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## jptaylorsg

*I'm 240, and ...*



jnicholz said:


> I Do you think the stock wheels on either bike will be good enough? Would I be better off saving up for a higher level bike? Or rather buying a cheaper bike and dropping $$ on a bombproof wheelset?


I tore through the cheapo Mavic CXP that was the rear wheel on my Giant OCR1 ($1000 when I got it in 2003) I changed the rear wheel out to a Velocity Deep V with heavier gauge spokes, and it's been bombproof since. The wheel was really reasonable (<$200), though they're not the lightest things going, and they provided a marked improvement in performance (spokes not popping was an improvement, to be honest) and comfort.


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## bikejr

*...*



OnTheRivet said:


> You got me. I was being sarcastic because I find it amusing listening to people on this forum talk about how they are 5' something, 200+lbs but aren't overweight. That would make them all bodybuilders, but in fact you do lift so the jokes on me. Maybe I'm a little sensitive because these same type of people call me "skinny" when in fact I'm what used to be considered normal sized.


 Sort of like the other group who claims to have some unbelievable average speed (fill in your own number) on a hilly 100 mile ride even though they have only been riding 6 months yada yada yada...

Anything goes on the internet. You can have a black belt in several martial arts disclipines, be a champion kick boxer, be able to bench press twice your weight, have an average drive of over 300 yards in golf, etc etc... in addition to all the bike accomplishments.


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## bikeboy389

OnTheRivet said:


> You got me. I was being sarcastic because I find it amusing listening to people on this forum talk about how they are 5' something, 200+lbs but aren't overweight. That would make them all bodybuilders, but in fact you do lift so the jokes on me. Maybe I'm a little sensitive because these same type of people call me "skinny" when in fact I'm what used to be considered normal sized.


To prevent this being a total thread hijacking--I'll advise the original poster: Take a good look at the wheels. At your (our) weight, I'd be suspicious of low spoke-counts and/or radial lacing. At the very least, I'd suggest triple-cross 32 hole at the back--the front can be a little radical if you just can't bear to part with the flash wheels most new bikes are spec'd with. I always use 3x 32-hole rims, and have no problems at all, but I know slightly lighter guys who've had problems with radial lacing (and as a percentage of total bike and rider weight, I'm giving away very little with the heavier wheels).

On to the real message: Actually, there are all kinds of reasons people are heavier than you'd think. I've heard the skepticism when I try to talk about my size and insist I'm not fat. I'm just about 6 feet exactly (depends who measures), and weigh 245 lbs. I'm pretty much in the same boat as the original poster in terms of body fat, so there's some to lose, but not all that much--yet I'm not a bodybuilder by any stretch.

As an adult, my neck size has never been less than 17.5 inches, and my chest never less than 46, even when I was riding 30 miles a day as a messenger and weighed a very lean 185 (and did no other exercise--no body building, ever). Even at that weight, I was overweight by pretty much all the fitness calculators. Some people are just built wider and thicker than average, and are doomed to be doubted when we say we weigh a lot but aren't fat.

Of course there are other reasons people may seem very overweight on paper that they don't want to get into. My current issue--and the reason I know I'll never see the backside of 220 lbs when I only have time for 75-100 miles a week--is that I have a kidney disorder that makes my kidneys HUGE. Yours are each likely about the size of your fist, whereas mine together would be nearly the size and weight of a rugby ball full of water (think larger than an american football). I don't really have any other symptoms to speak of, so it's not a big deal to me, but it's an extra 15+ lbs I will never be able to lose (which makes it a good thing I'm otherwise built so big--plenty of room inside).

So yeah, most of us high-weight-but-not-fat guys (myself included) could be leaner, but please don't go assuming we're fat and lying about it.


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## jnicholz

bikejr said:


> Sort of like the other group who claims to have some unbelievable average speed (fill in your own number) on a hilly 100 mile ride even though they have only been riding 6 months yada yada yada...
> 
> Anything goes on the internet. You can have a black belt in several martial arts disclipines, be a champion kick boxer, be able to bench press twice your weight, have an average drive of over 300 yards in golf, etc etc... in addition to all the bike accomplishments.


I hear what you guys are saying...but look at it this way, if I wanted to make myself sound like a total badass I sure wouldn't have said 16% bodyfat 

Thanks for the info on the wheels. Between the two bikes I have listed they both seem to have pretty high spoke count rears, but the front of the Allez Elite is radial laced. I am not sure what you would call the front of the Fuji...it looks radial but its kind of 'double spoked'.


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## CFBlue

I rode with a guy like that once, he was a little shorter but sooo built, his calf would hit the derailuer, not the cable, the actully derailuer. Just had trunk for legs, I feel for you guys. You may be better off on that DH bike haha . My team mate snapped TWO Masi frames (so they aren't SUPER nice) at the chain stays, and that is with a cyclists body, he did win "Biggest Legs" for the Little 500 (oh and the race too haha). But back to the stuff, Spec. is good stuff, if you need snazy wheels you can't beat Ksyriums, even at your weight. I have the crapy Equipes for my training wheels and these things have been through hell and back. I was 175 (165 now) but nailed some SERIOUS crap, true as new. Just some suggestions.

K


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## smokedtires

I recently looked at both the same Specialized and Fuji models while shopping for a road bike. I too am built much like yourself and don't ever see myself being "thin" because of my body type. 

I rode a Scott USA Speedster S4 which was a really nice bike. I odered the Speedster S3 though because I wanted at least 105 components. I can't wait for it to come in ! This bike is in the same price range that you're looking at: http://www.scottusa.com/product.php?UID=6240

The 1st thing the owner at the LBS did was take my body measurements. When his Scotts came in, he setup the bike I rode before I got there and it was very close. We used this to determine the correct frame size for me because I'm only 5'1". I couldn't believe we didn't have to make any adjustments before I rode it. This being said, be sure to get properly fitted to your new bike when you get it.


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## oliverpete

*Both are good*

I own a 2002 Roubaix Pro and just recently bought a 2005 Allez Comp Double. Looks like they changed the frame on the Roubaix to aluminum from steel this year so the ride will be different than mine but the specs on the new bike look good. I can tell you that I do like the ride of my Allez a bit better over my Fuji. This could be due to several reasons including the better wheelset, the amount of carbon, or that it's top tube is a bit longer, but in my opinion you can't go wrong with either bike. I would worry more about fit than the wheelset as you can always upgrade when you have the money.
Scott


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## Rushfan

jnicholz said:


> Rushfan:
> 
> Do you think the stock wheels on either bike will be good enough? Would I be better off saving up for a higher level bike? Or rather buying a cheaper bike and dropping $$ on a bombproof wheelset?
> 
> I want to do about 100 miles a week strictly on the road bike (with mountain bike on the weekends) so the bike won't be seeing a crazy amount of mileage, but it wont be collecting dust either.
> 
> Thanks.


I'm familiar with the Specialized, but not the other bike. I've seen posts about problems with the wheels on the Specialized, and some have no problems at all. I went with a set of Mavic Open Pros, 36 spoke, Ultegra hubs, for $220 from Colorado Cyclist as an upgrade after a year with my crappy factory wheels. I'd suggest you consider upgrading to something similar at purchase. Nothing more frustrating than having crappy or inadequate wheels on your new bike...I've also heard very good things about the Velocity Deep Vs, possibly more robust than Open Pros.

As for why the front has a lower spoke count, it's because the back bears more weight/stress, so you can get away with a lower spoke count in front normally. The shop you buy from should be able to set you up with something solid.

Also, might be out of your price range, but have you looked at the Specialized Roubaix? It's a more comfortable design than the Allez.


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