SHaterius

Yes I am looking at getting my first bike, and found one that I think might be a good one. I was wondering if someone who knows a little bit more about these bikes than me would take a look at an auction for me and tell me if it is a good bike and how much I should pay for it.

SHaterius

https://cgi.ebay.com/2004-SPECIALIZED...QQcmdZViewItem here is the link. I measure myself and I plan on going by a bike shop to make sure before I buy a bike, but I am 5'8 1/2" Does a 50 cm fraim sound about right. I thought it sounded small but who knows.

jschen

Not sure about pricing... someone else will have to comment on that.

I just bought an Allez Sport myself, already having a Specialized Roubaix Comp. (I wanted a cheaper bike for commuting.) Unless your legs are ultra-short, a 50 cm frame most definitely is too small. I'm about your height, and I ride a 54 cm. My limbs are a bit on the short side, too. I haven't had the bike long enough to comment in detail (just got it fitted), but basically, it rides almost like a Roubaix. And on these boards, the Roubaix gets rave reviews for superb comfort without sacrificing a high level of performance.

Elvish Legion

You're bout my height, while a 54 is closer to an ideal fit, I'd go with a 50 (or 52) for my next bike

But onto the bike

The Specialized Allez are very sound bikes, I looked at one, rode great. Remember though, the Sora shifters can be bother some...esp if you ever plan on racing.

But if you are just looking for a road bike...I'd say make the bid, but don't get your hopes up. Go to LBS and see what they have in an '05 bike....the allez sport (IIRC it was a 105/tiagra?)

edit: Cross Post with jschen

I still stand by the 50 being an alright size, your seat post will be out rather far...but its ok

DXchulo

It's almost impossible to know without specific measurements, but 50 cm is most likely too small. I'm 5'7'' and ride a 52 cm compact frame, and my seatpost is almost all the way up as far as it can go (which, BTW, is ugly and I've been looking for a cheap traditional geometry frame for a while).

Of course, your mileage may vary, and the only way to know for sure is to get measured or go test ride some similar bikes.

lokerola

I've got a steel Allez, but the geometry looks the same. It's a great bike. Rides like a dream and handles great. Bought it new last year. Same color pretty much as that one on ebay too. Specialized makes good bikes. And tires

Oh yea, I'm 5'6" and ride a 52cm. THe 50 may be too small. Try to get to your LBS and try out a 50 versus 52 compat frame. Compact geometry fits a little differently than traditional.

Nashville Man

Not sure about the size question, but I'd recommend the Allez. I own an Allez Elite and I think its a great bike for the price. It is my first real road bike and I bought it this Spring. I've put about 2000 miles on it and have no complaints.

Waldo

The action guy is b.s.-ing you on price-there's no way that was $1000 new. Also, I don't believe that's the 2004 as it has the alu fork. That would be at least 2003, maybe 2002. Don't really have time to dig to find out for sure at the moment.

Since you're apparently new at this, a new bike with proper assembly, fitting, and follow-up service at an LBS might be a better bet for you.

linux_author

- have the 50cm 2003 model of this bike (see sig linky); 5'8" w/30" inseam... at first, the bike seemed too 'compact,' but with a tad longer stem and raising the seat, i got the fit that works... i like the ride... no trouble for distance riding and responsive for sprinting... upgraded to all 105... bought used for $500...

- my 2003 came w/Specialized-branded crankset...

- the wheelset is not the greatest, IMO

- HOWEVER, something is not right w/the bike pictured in the auction... if you check Specialized's site:

2004 Specialized Allez archive site

you will see that the crankset is different and the fork seems different... the bike pictured in the auction appears to be the low-end Allez... considering that the crankset has been swapped out, and the wheelset is not even mentioned, i wouldn't bid on this one... i'm not saying the seller isn't being honest, but i'd have to ask why the Sugino cranks? what's the wheelset?

- i'd also ask the seller for the specific URL to Specialized's archive page for this model and whether or not the model is 'stock'

(i'm also leery of grammar errors in ebay listings: it's ≠ its)

:-)

gurana

I'm 5'8" and have a 52cm allez sport. I don't know of my limbs are long or short or whatever, but I can say that for me it fits, but I could probably have also gone with the 54cm.

jrennie

I just sold my 04 allez elite and was very happy with it(only reason I got rid of it was upgradeitis) I would recomend a specialized to anyone

Elvish Legion

Check the 04 archives...

@linux_author : Browsing the archives leeds me to believe its a sport triple...but then again who knows if he isn't a scammer right?

And also, if you really want to bid on this bike, let me know he lists an address that isn't TO far from me, I'll gladly go check it out, and get more/better pictures

jschen

I definitely can vouch for the '05 Allez Sport. Took mine for my first real ride this morning. A bit more road buzz than a Roubaix Comp, but quite comfortable, and quite fun to ride. Tiagra all around, except the rear derailleur is 105. The effort on the shifters is higher than on my Ultegra-equipped Roubaix, but it works very smoothly and cleanly. It's not my favored bike (too spoiled by the Roubaix), but I'm definitely very pleased with the bike.

On a side note, this means I now have two bikes near the door in my apartment. When I see them, they tempt me to go for a ride. My Roubaix is anxious to go for a fast, spirited ride along some hilly route, while my Allez (weighed down with a lock and lights) invites me to just go ride (while still promising an exciting ride).

Elvish Legion

When I walk into our spare bedroom I'm tempted to try and ride 3 bikes at once well rebuild 2 and then try at least

jschen

If you manage to ride three bikes at once, be sure to post a picture!

Happily, I can divide my attention between the two bikes. My Roubaix is for my pre-breakfast ride, and my Allez is for my commute. My Allez might feel a bit unloved on weekends, though.

heresy

I am 5'8" with a 30" inseam. I have a 54 cm Allez SE. 50 cm sounds too small.

geekgirl

Hey there,

I agree with the other posters who've noticed this is not a "stock" Allez Sport (seems they stripped off the nicer components and slapped on some cheap stuff) -- no one has actually noticed that this is a COMPACT frame, and that the seller obviously doesn't know what this means...

I ride a 49cm Klein, and had test-ridden a 50cm Specialized Allez Sport when I was shopping around. That picture is *definitely* not a 50cm frame, and if you go to the Specialized website and look at the geometry specs of the 2004 frames, you will see that since it's a compact frame, what Specialized calls a 50cm bike has an actual (measurable) seat tube of 43cm. And the 54cm frame has an actual seat tube of (drum roll, please)...50 cm.

Not sure if you followed that, but I think the bike in the picture is actually a *54cm*, and therefore a likely decent fit for you. Of course, whether you want to deal with the fact that the seller seems to have stripped off the original parts and replaced them with older stuff is another issue.

Just wanted to clear up the likely confusion over the size of the bike in question. You could always ask the seller to measure the "virtual" seat tube, which means from the center of the bottom bracket up to where an imaginary horizontal line from the top of the head tube would cross the seat tube...I'll bet it's 54cm.

Elvish Legion

I'm going to assume thats all true, don't have time to check it.

But something I noticed.

Test road (all 54 cm)

Specialized Allez Sport
Trek 1200
Felt F80

Now unless I'm just totaly off my rocker tonight (wouldn't surprise me) aren't the trek and felt traditional? They all had the same fit, I ended up with a different bike and different geometery than any (ended up with tri geo)