# Specialized Allez I.D.?



## hawker12 (Oct 19, 2003)

I'm thinking of buying this bike and looking for some identification help.

The owner thinks it is early 90s and my google searching seems to indicate it is probably between 1991-94. It is a 43 cm chrome-moly frame, full 105 group, indexed shifters, mavic rims, modolo handlebars and specialized stem. I'm pretty sure these are all OEM parts. Wondering what kind of steel this really is and if there is anything particularly special about this frame. If anyone has geometry info that would help, the old Specialized catalogs I've seen on line don't list it.

Thanks.


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## Guilou (Jan 2, 2010)

Judging by the red with yellow graphics, my guess would be a 91.

I have a 90 Sirrus, probably the same frame. My bike feels really light and when I weighed it with my bathroom scales, it weighed 23lbs.

These isn't much info out there on these early Specialized road bikes.

That is a really-really small frame hawker12. How tall are you?


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## hawker12 (Oct 19, 2003)

Guilou,
I'm 5'4 and if the TT is 50.5 to 51.5 it will probably fit..depending on the angles. That's is a primary reason I'm looking to peg the specific year and geometry.

Looks like it isn't a super lightweight....Tange tubing perhaps?


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

Nice bike...I agree with the early 90's.....


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## aptivaboy (Nov 21, 2009)

Based upon the graphics, either very late '80s or early '90s.


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## crossracer (Jun 21, 2004)

It's got "new" 105 on it, which if i recall came out in 1990. Cause i had a 1991 schwinn which had it on it and it was all the talk of the town that year (the 105 that is)

So i say a 1991

Nice bike.


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## Allez Rouge (Jan 1, 1970)

Virtually certain that's a 1993 model. I own a bike with a frame exactly like that, apart from the size. Same color, same graphics, same same. My LBS built the bike for me from a bare frame set over the winter of 1992-93. At that time, this frame was a new model.

I still have a copy of the 1993 Specialized catalog and am looking at it now. A factory-built 105 bike would be the Allez Comp and should have "Comp" on the top tube, after "Allez" but in smaller letters. That appears to be missing on your bike, so it may have started life as the base RX-100 model.

Is the fork steel, or aluminum? I can't tell from the photo. An aluminum fork will have a decal that reads "Direct Drive Aluminum" on the blades. Also, is there a decal on the chain stay that says "Designed In California" or similar (I'm not near my bike, so I'm working from memory on this part.)


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## hawker12 (Oct 19, 2003)

Allez Rouge,
I don't have possession of the bike so I'm not sure about the a decal on the chain stay, but as I look closely to the photo I don't think I see one. Also...the fork is steel, not Al.

Any idea what kind of steel this might be? In your opinion is this just a good steel bike for the era or is it a bit more special than that?

Thanks.


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## Allez Rouge (Jan 1, 1970)

My bike is currently stored away from my house. I'll go take a look at it to refresh my memory, but that may take me a couple days. In the meantime, here's a picture, and some of what I think I can remember (aided and abetted by the 1993 Specialized catalog).

View attachment 218849


For simplicity, I'm going to use the term "your bike" even though I realize you've not yet bought it.

The "Designed In California" decal is on the non-drive side, so it wouldn't show up in your picture.

Per the catalog, the base, RX-100 model (plain "Allez") had a steel fork, with no decal visible; the upscale models ("Allez Comp" and "Allez Pro," with 105 and Ultegra, respectively) had an aluminum fork. Your fork appears to have a decal right where mine does, although it's too small to read. But the shape of the fork crown on yours looks more like the steel fork in the catalog. Not sure what to make of that.

Looking more closely at your picture, I just noticed two things. There's a lot of room between the rear tire and seat tube -- are those 650c wheels? I guess they are, for a frame that small. The catalog makes no mention of this. Also, my bike's color is called Deep Metallic Red and is more of a maroon color than red. The base Allez pictured in the catalog has a more normal, non-metallic red (i.e., fire engine red). Which does your bike have? I can't really tell from the photo but it looks darker, like my bike.

BTW the Allez Pro with Ultegra was silver, with "gold pearl" graphics that look a little lighter than the darkish yellow on your bike and mine. Very pretty.

Also BTW, although the catalog shows the smaller "Pro" and "Comp" wording on the top tubes, it's possible the bikes were actually built without these. My bike is the Dark Metallic Red because the bare frameset was only available in that color; I couldn't have gotten silver. The catalog pic of the bare frameset has "Comp" on the top tube, but my frame does not.

The catalog gives the head and seat tube angles as 73/73, but your bike looks to have a sloping top tube so the angles on this very small frame might have been different. BTW, these bikes were measured center-to-center, not center-to-top. My bike has a 58cm seat tube and a 58cm top tube.

The tubing was a proprietary, lightweight, oversized, ovalized chrome-moly steel. I chose this frame because at least two bike magazines reviewed it and were pretty jazzed about it, especially considering that it cost a very reasonable $535 in 1992 money. The catalog mentions a frame weight of 1.6kg which is 3.5 pounds; no frame size is mentioned, and I'm sure that excluded the fork. FWIW, we weighed my bike when it was built: 22.4 lbs, pretty much as you see it except for the seat bag, rear blinky light, and computer.

I rode this bike from Spring 1993 until Spring 2006, when I bought the LeMond in the background. She's a sweet riding bike: we've done countless miles together, and I still take her out from time to time. If I could find one of the silver Allez Pro frames in good condition, I'd buy it without hesitation.

HTH! As I said I'll take a closer look at my bike when I can and will get back to you.


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## Allez Rouge (Jan 1, 1970)

Okay, I took a look at my bike; however, there's not a lot more to add to what I've already told you.

Decals:
"Direct Drive Aluminum Fork" on each fork blade. This appears to be present on your candidate bike.
"Direct Drive Cr-Mo" on the drive side chain stay, just forward of the dropout. Again, this appears to be present.
Specialized "S" logo plus the words "Direct Drive Cr-Mo Steel" and "Racing" (running vertically) and "Custom Butted" on the seat tube, above the water bottle bosses. Also appears to be present.
"Designed In California" on the non-drive side chain stay, about 1/3 of the way forward from the dropout. Obviously this isn't visible in your photo but I'll bet it's there.
So, there's nothing on the bike or in the catalog that says anything about the steel used for the frame other than it being a proprietary lightweight material.

Lastly, for the same year Specialized had the "Crossroads" series of bikes with a steel frame with a sloping top tube. These were non-lugged frames but the overall design and proportions look very close to the bike in your picture. The Crossroads frame had a 71deg head tube and 73 deg seat tube, vs 73 and 73 for the lugged Allez. It may be that they used the Crossroads geometry for the small-size Allez models with a sloping top tube.


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## FatTireFred (Jan 31, 2005)

aptivaboy said:


> Based upon the graphics, either very late '80s or early '90s.




I'd agree w/ this (1988), but need closer look at the 105 to be sure.

doesn't look like 650c to me... not sure how prevalent those were back then


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## rajann (Nov 11, 2009)

It's hard to tell from the picture but where the seat stays join the seat lug looks different from the early 90's allez with oversize tubing and different lugs. I think they're both nice bikes but the newer tubing was probably better quality. The graphics look like the newer model, and the older models I've seen have had the rear brake cable routed along the top of the top tube, and look just like the sirrus's in the other recent thread. Hope we can get some more pictures of it, I haven't seen one like that before.


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## hawker12 (Oct 19, 2003)

The owner (dealer) says this is an Allez Comp, even though there is no sticker on the top tube. He says the weight is about 21 pounds, which seems a bit on the heavy side for this size but I'm not sure what tubing this is. Tange #1.


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## abarth (Aug 12, 2008)

Looks like an early 90's Allez with oversized steel tubing with aluminum fork. I had a 54cm with Campy components. I think it was 22lbs. So yours at 21 is about right. I know its not Tange #1. There was no oversized Tange #1 tubing. I heard from Mr. DiNucci it was Fuji 4130 tubing.


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## cobrapatrol (May 18, 2010)

abarth said:


> Looks like an early 90's Allez with oversized steel tubing with aluminum fork. I had a 54cm with Campy components. I think it was 22lbs. So yours at 21 is about right. I know its not Tange #1. There was no oversized Tange #1 tubing. I heard from Mr. DiNucci it was Fuji 4130 tubing.


I am interested in the OS steel tubing and Al fork. Were these "DirectDrive" components? Was Mark DiNucci saying that the DD steel was Fuji sourced 4130? 

Jim


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## rajann (Nov 11, 2009)

One thing I noticed about the 90's os allez were the chainstays. They seemed to be a bit more ovalized and maintained that tallness a bit further back. I haven't had many other steel frames to compare that shape to but it seemed a little different and might be a clue as to the tubing. They felt pretty light and sounded thin. The main tubes looked round to me. I think that direct drive term was used with other different frames too.


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## abarth (Aug 12, 2008)

cobrapatrol said:


> I am interested in the OS steel tubing and Al fork. Were these "DirectDrive" components? Was Mark DiNucci saying that the DD steel was Fuji sourced 4130?
> 
> Jim


Yes, probably Fuji Heavy Industries not Fuji Bikes.

Here is the link to his comment on his blog.


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## Slow Eddie (Jun 28, 2004)

*Not an '88...*



FatTireFred said:


> I'd agree w/ this (1988), but need closer look at the 105 to be sure.
> 
> doesn't look like 650c to me... not sure how prevalent those were back then


I had an '88 Allez - full Suntour GPX group, Wolber CD rims. Lugged Ishiwata tubing, IIRC.

The 88s had those two-tone colors throughout the line; mine had a white fork and head tube, that transtioned to metallic blue about 1/3 of the way back along the top and down tubes, with a decal at the transtion that was a purple band with yellow lettering for the make and model.

I think. Sold it a few years ago; wish I hadn't.

I didn't think SBC made 650 road bikes, even in the teeny sizes (mine was a 52, with 700c wheel fo sho)


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## jsmith112se (Feb 20, 2011)

abarth said:


> Yes, probably Fuji Heavy Industries not Fuji Bikes.
> 
> Here is the link to his comment on his blog.


Interesting, I've been curious about the tubes since the frames seem really nice to me. Never heard of fuji shaft 4130.
Here's a few pics of a newer allez, not sure what year. No original parts or even fork but I think the frames were basically the same for that model.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5460080195/


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## abarth (Aug 12, 2008)

jsmith112se said:


> http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5460080195/


Beautiful lugs. I think those are one of the best looking lugs from a mass production bike. I don't care for the original aluminum fork . How do you like the ride?


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## jsmith112se (Feb 20, 2011)

abarth said:


> Beautiful lugs. I think those are one of the best looking lugs from a mass production bike. I don't care for the original aluminum fork . How do you like the ride?


The frame feels great to me. It's probably a little small for me but I found it cheap (a few small dents) and built it up with what I had around. The fork is an old aluminum Look. Wasn't expecting much but the ride reminded me more of flexy titanium than steel. Like there is frame flex but in a good springy feeling way. My other decent steel frames now feel kind of dead by comparison. They don't have oversize tubing and are a little heavier, probably thicker walled double butted chromoly. I'm around 140lbs and am thinking most steel frames are overbuilt for my weight.


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## 67Rally (Mar 13, 2011)

What is the seat tube diameter on this Allez?

I am finishing up my '89 Allez rebuild - all 6700 Ultegra. I thought that the seat tube diameter was the traditional 27.2, but I can't get my new tube down that *@&$ hole. I don't have caliper or any sort of device to measure the tube, but I put my old post up to the new one and they visually appear to be the same.

I am stuck.


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## 67Rally (Mar 13, 2011)

*More photos of my Allez ES*

I meant to post a link to the rest of the photos I snapped.

Specialized Allez ES


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## allezmonamour (Jan 20, 2012)

*I have the same frame.*

I know this is an older thread but I'll post anyway. I have the same frame as Allez Rouge, in fact I saw the picture and thought it was my bike while it still had DA 7400 on it. I have put DA 7700 on it since and its my everyday rider. I believe them to be 93 frames.


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