bikeguyinvenice

Would my Specialized Allez be ok for riding nearly 100 miles on roads of questionable quality. I want to ride a century or two this year, I haven't done that in about 5 years. My main concern is the wheels. The last road bike I owned had issues with breaking spokes every other ride. So far the wheels on the Allez have been ok.

revchuck 

The frameset is fine for 100+ miles. If it's a recent Allez, the wheels should be fine as well unless you're quite heavy (250+ lbs.).

bikemig 

If you're training to get in shape to ride a century, you'll have plenty of opportunities to observe your wheels to see if they hold up.

The other question is how "questionable" are the roads you plan to ride your centuries on? Wheels that work well for road riding may not work well for gravel roads and the like.

bikeguyinvenice

It's a 2013 Allez. I'm about 155lbs. and declining. Ive had the bike for a couple of months now. Have done plenty of my 30 mile route rides. Which consists of about 10 miles of roads and 20 miles of paved trail.

10 Wheels

Had mine set up for a 1100 mile tour, using 36 spoke wheels.

bikeguyinvenice

The roads I would be riding are not service roads or gravel roads but urban and rural paved state roads. The wheels are 28 spoke wheels laced up to axis rims.

bikemig 

Then if your wheels hold up fine as you train on them, they'll be fine for this ride. A little wider tire will help as well (say a 25c or even a 28c if the 28c fits). If you end up looking for a replacement wheel, I'd go with one of the new wider rims (23mm or so versus what was once the standard 19-20mm width). There are a number of threads on this here.

revchuck 

The bike is fine then. Concentrate on training for the century!