Road Cycling - Specialized steel Allez

I see that Specialized has a Columbus Foco steel bike in the Allez Comp line this year that is very well priced. Appears to be built fairly well also. Is there anything unique about Columbus Foco steel and does anyone have experience on this bike? A couple comments on its comparative ride quality would be great.

Originally posted by rnhood
I see that Specialized has a Columbus Foco steel bike in the Allez Comp line this year that is very well priced. Appears to be built fairly well also. Is there anything unique about Columbus Foco steel and does anyone have experience on this bike? A couple comments on its comparative ride quality would be great.

Hey rnhood, I'm a big Specialized guy but haven't been following the 2003 bikes too much. I'm building a 2001 Specialized Allez Sport. I should check that out. Go test ride one at a local store. See how it is. Cya.

-Dan the Man-

Hey ockey,

If my local store had one then I would not have asked.

Originally posted by rnhood
Hey ockey,

If my local store had one then I would not have asked.

True, sorry for the dumb question.... :(

-Dan the Man-

They ride nice, great choice for the money if you want a steel bike.

Does it come in "American Flyers" red?

Isnt it like $1900 or so?

$1440 and around $1700

They ride reasonably well, though I expected a more compliant ride. I couldn't tell much of a difference between the steel Allez and the aluminum.

Really.I think the specilized alum's ride very harsh.A real stiffy.

I have the Comp Cr-Mo. Ride is nice and smooth for me. Couldn't be happier with it. It is lighter than many Al bikes.

The Elite Cr-Mo is similar (also having Colombus tubing), but it has 105 instead of Ultegra and different wheels. It was a couple of $100 cheaper.

Most of my road bike riding comparisons is limited to test rides. I'll try to comment the best I can though.

I tried a lot of different bikes. When I rode the Allez series, I felt "at home". For whatever reason, the whole series seemed to fit me really well. On Trek's (and Klein), I could just never get comfortable. Always felt a little unstable and stretched out. The Giant (OCR series) felt harsh and slow. Could never find a Lemond that fit me in any bike stores close. So any comparisons would not be fair. One LBS suggested that I just buy one and that I would get used to it. Special order, no returns. Sizing was going to be by the "well I ride a ..., so you must be a ..." method. No thank you.

Also tried a Fuji an a Jamis. Can't remember the models. Rides were ok. Prices were good, but they just didn't feel "right". Bike store steered me away from the Fuji's because of concerns about how the wheels would hold up for someone my size.

I rode my way through the Allez series line as well. Started low and went on up the chain. The Allez felt a little rough to me. Some of that might have been that I don't think the derailer was tuned up as well as it could have been. The Elite smoothed up a lot of the ride, both in the Al and Cr-Mo versions. However, I thought that the Cr-Mo bike felt a little smoother. Was that just psychological? Don't know.

The Comp was a definate improvement over the Elite. Might have been the differences in wheels and component group. Regular comp rode great. Thought the Cr-Mo rode better. Since I want to do longer rides (centuries) decided to get the Cr-Mo version.

I'm still a little concerned about the wheelset on the bike. I'm about 250 lbs and the small number of spokes on the Shimano wheels has me a little worried. But, I haven't had any problems and several LBS have told me that the R540's are good for us larger sized individuals. I guess only time will tell. I can say that they didn't flinch when the "path" I thought was the bike trail ended in a curb to the street.

My wife has an 01 Schwinn Fastback which I have also ridden. The Fastback is definately lighter and faster. But, it is also a double (vs the triple on my Allez) and has an 11-23 cassette instead of the 12-25. Both are bikes are full Ultegra. However, as far as ride quality goes, I would much rather do a long ride on the Allez rather than the Schwinn.

lurker you certainly did your homework. I recently saw the specialized at my LBS, and they had one in each size. I haven't taken a test ride, plus at this point they aren't marked down to much. They look very sharp, and I was wondering the same thing about the Columbo tubing vs 853 steel.

columbo is lighter and 853 stronger.

I drive my wife crazy whenever we need to buy anything. She won't go looking for "fun" stuff with me anymore.

My LBS was willing to match the price I found at other stores. You might want to check around a little bit.

The 04 version will be coming out soon. I think they are making some minor improvements.