# 2009 Specialized Allez



## desertkj (Oct 9, 2008)

I am wanting to get into cycling and am looking at getting my first roadbike. I went and toured various local bike shops and found one that is offering a Specialized Allez Triple for about $1000 with lifetime bike service when he is able to find one. Is this a good bike? Are the components comparable for that price range? I do not know much about this yet and since this is not a small investment for me, I am wanting to make sure I make the right choice. 

I also had another shop recommend a Redline bike that looked nice, but when I mentioned that I was doing research before I made a decision and was waiting for payday to roll around, he hung up the bike and literally told me "come back when you have money", so I am going to avoid funding his business at all possible.


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## btinder (Aug 25, 2007)

desertkj said:


> I am wanting to get into cycling and am looking at getting my first roadbike. I went and toured various local bike shops and found one that is offering a Specialized Allez Triple for about $1000 with lifetime bike service when he is able to find one. Is this a good bike? Are the components comparable for that price range? I do not know much about this yet and since this is not a small investment for me, I am wanting to make sure I make the right choice.
> 
> I also had another shop recommend a Redline bike that looked nice, but when I mentioned that I was doing research before I made a decision and was waiting for payday to roll around, he hung up the bike and literally told me "come back when you have money", so I am going to avoid funding his business at all possible.


First off, what a jerk that bike shop owner was, you're right to not give him your business. He clearly doesn't love cycling.

The Alle is a very good bike and well-liked on this forum. The main benefit at your price range is trickle-down R and d (research and development). The big bike brands llike Trek, Specialized, and Giant have well-established frames that they've worked on over the years. The allez is a great frame that you could upgrade the parts on. I'm partial to Trek personally, but the Allez would be a great choice.


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## desertkj (Oct 9, 2008)

btinder said:


> First off, what a jerk that bike shop owner was, you're right to not give him your business. He clearly doesn't love cycling.
> 
> The Alle is a very good bike and well-liked on this forum. The main benefit at your price range is trickle-down R and d (research and development). The big bike brands llike Trek, Specialized, and Giant have well-established frames that they've worked on over the years. The allez is a great frame that you could upgrade the parts on. I'm partial to Trek personally, but the Allez would be a great choice.


Thank you so much for the input. That is exactly what I am looking for then. I looked at the Trek website and it seems like the 1.2 would also be an option in this price bracket. I'm not able to do a huge investment initially, but would love to be able to upgrade and tune as I improve, so it looks like these two are great options. Now I just have to wait three weeks until I can get it :cryin:


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## Mayday (Jan 22, 2004)

*Lots of choices*

The Specialized looks nice. I have an older Allez with 105 parts that has served me well for many miles. I glanced at the Specialized Web site and the list the MSRP for that model at $880, so the price might be a little high.

I'd suggest shopping around as much as you can, and try to ride some different bikes. Most of the big-name brands have a roadbike model in that price range, and the overall quality will be pretty similar (and pretty good). There can be some differences in frame geometry though, that can affect the way the bike fits and the way it handles, so some might be better suited to your body type and riding style than others.


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## OneGear (Aug 19, 2005)

you might be able to score a lot more bike for that money on craigslist... the CAAD9 is also a great choice, maybe not so much for parts, but the frame is superb and you could upgrade the parts later if you really wanted to. I started with an older model of this bike, and while I don't not like it, I would have went a different path, knowing what I know today. 

I would have went used and built something up myself. If you have a friend who can help spot and build for you, supply him with all the beer he can drink and thank him when it's over.


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## ez12a (Oct 2, 2008)

I'm also a beginner and was in the market a few weeks ago for a entry level road bike and looking to get serious about the sport. Bought the bike for 719.99 + tax with one free tune up after purchase (won't be too necessary..learning how to wrench on my bike myself and my uncle does all his own work)

It's a pretty nice bike, minimal BB flex (i.e. if i start pounding on the crank i get very slight chain rub on the FD if i'm in just the right gear combo). Relatively light, though i haven't measured it. stock brakes aren't bad, but dont give much stopping power. flying downhill at 25+ mph to a red light with stock pads/calipers was a little scary. obviously you will need to adjust your derailleurs after a few rides, mine began hesitating. the name plate on one of my sora shifters cracked from setting my bike upside down. 

Alex S500 wheels are not too great. They're not even listed on alexrims site. Rear became out of true less than 200 miles. I wasn't using the front and borrowed a Open Pro Ceramic Front from my uncle's other bike. with an upgraded wheelset i feel more confident in reliability as well as performance. 

i've since upgraded many of the components with Dura Ace 7700/Ultegra SL mix, and an old but tried/true handbuilt Mavic Reflex Clincher wheelset from my uncle's spare parts bin. Got rid of the sora shifters, S500 wheels, and tiagra derailleur. 

one thing to note, if the LBS pre assembles the bike, make sure things are not over torqued. My uncle noted that the BB and crank was torqued down way too much when he helped me put the DA crank/bb on. perhaps to discourage tampering. Also, he saw there wasn't too much lube on the BB threads. this really disappointed me with the shop i bought the bike at.

anywho, sorry for the long story. I was waiting for the opportunity to share my take on the '09! its a great bike. You won't go wrong. i've ridden over 230 miles on it. seat could be better though. looking to get that replaced with a specialized toupe.

edit: I also immediately changed the tires to Vredestein Fortezza SE. I just love the high psi capability and low rolling resistance of those. Something about the slick nature of the stock tires doesnt sit well with me. They seem pretty soft though and would probably work well in the dry, but while I do recreational riding, i also use this to commute back from school about 8 miles one way so i need tires for varying conditions/commuting. 

i dont know if anyone would change basically everything on the bike as soon as i am, but i'm happy with it the way it turned out.


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## tindrum (Mar 5, 2008)

yeah, this spring/summer has been the first year i've had a dedicated "road" bike, after years of tooling around on mountain bikes, commuters and hybrids.

i think the allez is a great jumping-on point. i did most of my research on the internet, of course, rather than on the bikes themselves in shops, and went out to buy a lemond reno. as it turned out, i liked the geometry and fit better on the allez than on the reno or the similarly spec'd trek or felts. i really had no intention towards getting a specialized, but it turned out that way. 

anyway, i would definitely recommend the bike, but hope on a few in real life and see what you like.... of course, i'm going to be buying a new bike next year, but that seems par for the course around here


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## RookieBeotch (Oct 2, 2008)

I was in a similar position as you about 2 months ago and looking at the same bike, I ended up going with the Allez sport, its a double with 105 components so its a decent upgrade. I also was looking at the triple but the salesman made it seem like the double would have been better for a young athletic guy than the triple (I'm not sure how you feel, it may depend on how hilly your area is) The reason I decided to go with the sport instead of the base Allez was that I was pretty confidant that I was going to be doing a lot of riding so I didn't want to have fun with the Allez then want something more, so i opted to start out a little higher with the 105's and have been extremely happy. I hope this helps and happy shopping.


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## ricasell45 (Feb 13, 2008)

*allez sport and triple*

they both have same frame so you can always upgrade to 105s....


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## SystemShock (Jun 14, 2008)

desertkj said:


> I also had another shop recommend a Redline bike that looked nice, but when I mentioned that I was doing research before I made a decision and was waiting for payday to roll around, he hung up the bike and literally told me "come back when you have money", so I am going to avoid funding his business at all possible.


What a tool. It's good that you're avoiding him, he'd probably be a pain the ass if it ever came to possible service or warranty issues.
.


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## mustang1 (Feb 7, 2008)

I have a 2006 allez as my first bike, also a triple. I'm not an experienced road cyclist but in the 3 years I've ridden it, I've been more than happy enough. The only thing I needed (needed, not wanted) to upgrade was the seatpost because after about a year the bolt sheared off. I then bought a used seatpost clamp which lasted a couple of months before ethe NLT sheared off again (it's a single bolt design).

I upgraded other stuff but that's because of want rather than need. I looked at trek 1000 at re time but decided on specialized as it looked a little nicer. Since then, specialized have altered the geometry to make the bike more cmfortable (increased ht length). 

I don't know what price is good for you as I'm not in USA. Hope you get what you're looking for, good luck!


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