# Help: recommend upgrades for Allez Elite!



## futureEDpatient (Mar 8, 2011)

Hello there, 

Been a member here for awhile, but finally got my post count high enough to make a new thread. :thumbsup:

The bike in question is a 2010 Allez Elite Compact with mostly 105 components. Everything is pretty much stock. I love the bike and put lots of mileage on it, however, I feel like I can get more out of it with some upgrades. 

I use it mostly for spirited rides on the weekends and short duathlons and triathlons here and there. From my lurking on this site, it seems like the wheels are the main performance sapping culprit. Any recommendations for wheels for the type of riding I do? 

As you can tell by my bike choice, money is something that doesn't grow on trees for me yet. I have a budget of about 600-800 for a new set. 

Any other upgrades I should be considering beyond wheels? I'm tempted to pick up new 105 shifters for the cleaner cables (mine are 5600 series) but they're so expensive! :mad2: But I know upgrading the shifters doesn't have any performance advantage. 

Thanks in advance for your help!


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## five5 (Jun 20, 2012)

From what I understand, leave the 105 stuff, no need to upgrade. 

Just upgrade the wheels.

Mavic Ksyrium? Shimano Ultegra?


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## tednugent (Apr 26, 2010)

I put Mavic Kysrium Elite on my 2010 Secteur Elite

there was an immediate difference compared to the Mavic cxp-22 rims with Spec hubs (iirc, 32 spoke, 3x lacing, front/rear) 

and put Kool Stop salmon pads & conti gp4000s tires


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## Dallez (Jun 2, 2010)

I have the same bike in the b&w paint scheme and posted some pics recently in the spec pic thread (post #1518). See attached photos for current build. 

I've upgraded the following:

Stock fork -> Ritchey Carbon Pro (~300g savings)
Stock handlebars ->Zipp Carbon SL Trad Bend bars (~150g savings)
Stock seatpost ->Deda Superzero Carbon (~100g savings)
Rival 143 Saddle ->Romin Pro Saddle (~150g savings)
Mavic CXP-22 wheels -> Mavic Cosmic Carbone SL wheel (not sure on wt saved)
Spec. stock tires and tubes -> Continetal Race Light tubes and Grand Prix tires
Shimano R600 Crankset -> Sram Red black edition crankset (~200g saved)

I mainly do weekly solo rides and occasional small group rides with each ride at about 20-30 miles. I do longer organized rides a few times a season. In other words, I am a recreational rider and not a competitive type. I had no need to upgrade, but it was a fun project to 1)try to get the bike lighter, and 2)look better (to me). Eventually I will finish out replacing the shifters to Rival and rear der. to SRAM Rival only for the weight reduction. I know it won't improve performance. That being said, there is nothing wrong with 105. My ultimate goal is to move all my new parts to a Moots Ti frame one day and build the Allez back up to stock for my wife or for an extra bike. 

I would say given your budget and triathlon based riding, a set of deep section wheels would give you the biggest bang for you buck, especially if you buy used. You can get a set of Mavic or Zipps or Reynolds given your budget. Also, the stock fork is a porker. I got the Ritchey Carbon Pro fork with a carbon steerer for $190 (easily found on google) and is a pretty light fork. The added benefit is it will soak up a little more road buzz.


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## MrTopher (Jul 29, 2010)

Damn, those Mavic Cosmic Carbone SL look fantastic and match beautifully! 

I too have a '10 Allez Elite (B&W in color). 
I've upgraded a few things: 
Ultegra compact crank & BB
Ultegra brakes 
Avatar Expert seat
Continental GP4000s 

Nothing has made a HUGE difference, well the brakes and the seat do, these were wise investments. 
Next on my list is wheels, these Mavic CXP-22 aren't cutting it, but I really want to make the leap to a Tarmac. 
But like said above, look for something that will give you some advantage doing your Triathlons.


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## futureEDpatient (Mar 8, 2011)

Thanks for the input guys. 

I also have the b&w allez elite and love the colour scheme. I think it makes it look more expensive than it really is. 

five5 - Yes, I had the Mavic Ksyrium in mind as well as they are about 500g (over 1lbs) lighter than the stock wheels. Was looking if there was something with an aero advantage...

tednugent - I'll try out those brake pads. The stock pads suck. Or maybe it's the tektro calipers. Pads are cheap, I'll try replacing those first. I already changed tires to Michelin Pro 4's as I wore out the stock tires; don't notice a huge difference though. 

Dallez - WOW! Bike looks awesome. It's amazing what a few upgrades can do. Good job changing out the white handlebar bar to black. Dirty handlebar tape drives me insane. Thanks for the input on the fork. Seems like a reasonable investment. I will look into. Your Cosmic Carbone's look amazing! As for buying used wheels, I'm against buying second-hand carbon fibre. I could've bought a used Tarmac for the price of my Allez but was worried about breakage issues since Specialized doesn't honour warranties for second-hand purchases. I believe most wheel manufacturers are on the same boat. 

MrTopher - Yeah, so I'm looking for something with an aero advantage with a modest drop in weight. I think I'll have to get over my fear of buying used cf and bite the bullet.


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## eplanajr (May 11, 2009)

I have a 2009 Allez with following upgrades:
Ultegra drivetrain (I had Sora/Tiagra mix, so it was definitely a jump. I wouldn't have done it if I had 105)
Vuelta wheels. (They aren't the lightest, but definitely have given the bike some new life.)
Kool-Stop Salmon pads (I can second and can't recommend enough, night and day difference in stopping)
Specialized Avatar Saddle (Easily ride 100+ miles without saddle numbness now)

All in all everything I have done has made the bike newish. 

Having done 70.3 triathlons myself (on this bike) All I can really say is that: 


I wish I would have had my current wheel set because of how smooth they are compared to the stock noodles. I feel they climb better than the stock set.
I would definitely invest in rear cassettes that suite the course.
I currently have a triple on my bike. I got the bike new and have only been on the little ring maybe twice ever. I would love to have a double.


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## Dallez (Jun 2, 2010)

futureEDpatient,

Thanks for the compliments. 

I will throw out the caveat that with the wheels and upgrades I've spend as much or more than the initial price of the bike. :yikes: But that was over the course of 2 years, a little bit here, a little bit there, so it doesn't really feel that out of line until I added it all up. 

You are probably right to be a little bit wary of buying full carbon clinchers used. Tubulars would probably not be as worrisome, but with CC's I can definitely understand the aversion. You never truly know how they were ridden and how much life the brake track has left. Also, if you ride in hilly to mountainous areas, carbon clinchers are probably not a good idea given that the brake tracks can deform under excessive braking (=heat build up). The all black is a great look...if you can afford it. 

I would look out for a set of Mavic Cosmic Carbone SLs used or new. I bought my front and rear separately and was able to piece together the set for 900 shipped for the pair, both new. I just looked for the best deal I could find on a front and a rear. I think they are 1740g for the pair. Not too much heavier than the Ksyriums and a lot more aero. And if you are buying used, the aluminum brake track gives you much less to worry about. Also the old Zipp 404s had an aluminum brake track. You might be able to get a set of those used.

_Edit: I forgot to add that I also upgraded my pads to Kool Stop Salmon. It was one of the first things I did. I will say I haven't been too impressed with the OEM (I believe Tektro) brakes, so I would like to upgrade those as well._


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## redstarcap (Jan 5, 2012)

as for all bikes, maybe except the extra expensive ones..
1. get better wheels
2. get your choice of saddle
3. lights and other safety stuffs


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## nsk1 (Feb 22, 2012)

Dallez said:


> I have the same bike in the b&w paint scheme and posted some pics recently in the spec pic thread (post #1518). See attached photos for current build.
> 
> I've upgraded the following:
> 
> ...


I love white bikes! I hope my white allez frame set looks at least half as good when I'm done building it as yours does. I went with a frame set to save money and to help keep the garage less cluttered.


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## VanillaEps (Aug 26, 2012)

How about Stans wheels? I know their MTB wheelsets come highly recommended. Their Alpha 340 road wheelset looks good and light.


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## tednugent (Apr 26, 2010)

IMO, if I got a Stan's road wheel.... I would go for the Alpha 400. (I love my Arch EX 29er, tubless on my mountain bike)...

some of the Notube riders prefer the 400 over the 340


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