ravenmore

chain in big ring for pics.

ravenmore

nice

ravenmore

thanks for the compliments guys.

lechat

Can't envision that scenario. I never get tired of it. I ride my 17+lb Roubaix 80% of the time. When I get on the CAAD, It feels like riding on air. Seems faster somehow. Probably more apparent than real.

prebsy

I'm loving the old S-works E5 frames. Does anyone know how they compare to the new e5 allez frames?

robncircus

Spooky Skeletor. Light, relatively cheap. stiff.



The old race bike. Custom Tsunami. Stolen

revchuck 

I don't have personal experience, but from what I've read, the earlier ones (2005 and older) were basically custom frames. I've got a 2011 E5, white and blue like the one at the beginning of this thread, and I like it...but it's a standard, albeit well done, mass-produced frame. Mine's relatively heavy at somewhere between 19-20 lbs. - Ultegra 6600 brifters, DA 7800 RD, Force FD, FSA Gossamer crankset, 32 spoke Open Pro rims with Ultegra hubs. Can you say Frankenbike? It was over 20 lbs. until I replaced the Brooks Professional saddle with a Specialized Avatar.

the_don

It's old, but still one of the best alu race bikes

Light, stiff and a great ride. For racing needs better wheels though!

531Aussie

How tall are you? (EDIT: lemme guess: 5ft7? ) Was it you who said a couple of years ago that you were using 180mm cranks at one stage?

sleepy

Great thread. I had my bike stolen last week. Really dug the CAAD9, but don't have the disposable income to get another right off the bat.

Those new Allez's look pretty sweet though... Are they designed strictly for racing crits, or can they handle long rides over varying terrain? The CAAD handled that pretty well, I got used to some of the buzz and just doublewrapped the handlebars.

I've also been scoping a bunch of Orbea Lobulars on fleabay, any info on those?
Feeling those Allez, though...

urbanknight

Despite it being my only road bike, I disagree with the comment about the Allez being a high end bike. Any bike that has mounting bolts for a rear rack and enough room between the tire and the seat tube for my thumb to fit is not a pure race bike. Still, it would hold its own in crits while retaining the capabilities to do longer rides and mildly loaded touring. I'd call it a mid range all around road bike, and I love mine. It handles almost as well as the Tsunami I previously had (RIP), and the ride quality is a little smoother to me.

531Aussie

I'm not sure how strict the rules are on bar position (and I don't wanna hijack this guy's topic), but my understanding is that the bars have to be in the blue zone. There was a very short woman disqualified here a few years ago in an elite-level race for having her bars really low

https://www.uci.ch/Modules/BUILTIN/ge...I0MDY&LangId=1 (p5)

revchuck 

I switched from a CAAD9 to an Allez Comp E5 due to frame size issues - the CAAD9 was my first road bike, and the shop that sold it to me (not my present one) gave me one a size too small; also, the head tube on the size Allez I have (61cm) is relatively tall (235mm), which my long-ago-injured lower back appreciates. The ride is similar. I think the seat stays on the CAAD might be more more vertically compliant. I also think that switching to a more comfortable tire like a GP4000 in 700x25 would mask the differences.

ravenmore

Just curious - what led to this position/setup? For me a traditional/proper setup/fit gives me a better handling ride and I'm able to put out more watts at a lower heart rate. Just curious.

ravenmore

depends on how you define 'high end'. As someone mentioned, the older E5's like mine were pretty much custom hand built frames. They were very high up in Specialized's product line up at the time.

eippo1

Actually, there are 2 different 2011 Allez bikes being sold and none of them have mounting bolts. The Sport and base have a frame and fork close to what you are riding. The Elite and Comp (and frameset) use a model with a tapered steerer for even stiffer, beefier handling esp. for crits and racing. The wheel has also been brought in a tad. So, you're right for older Allez models, but things have changed because they want a bike that will compete directly with the CAAD and it more than holds it's own with responsiveness.

2ndGen

I'm diein' to see a head on comparo with the new Allez and the CAAD10.

I've heard nothing but awesome things about it and both Cannondale and Specialized seemed to have taken the
same road with their low cost aluminum bikes (designed like they were carbon with tapered tubing and shaping).

The Allez is a clone of one of Spec's top carbon rigs and the new SuperSix EVO
has a lot of the design features of the CAAD10 (with the stays of the CAAD9).

It's like what Ford does with their truck line...they'll test the market for design changes with
their lower line and if it hits, the same features come out on their higher lines of trucks.

2ndGen

urbanknight

Thanks for the clarification. I also see that the 2011 Elite and Comp have a 10mm shorter head tube. Too bad, I would have liked that bike better.

zitter

sorry for the bad picture, but here's an updated picture of mine

eippo1

Holy crap is that rear wheel in tight. I'm almost surprised they don't have a braze-on mount with how close it is. Beauty of a bike, though. Kinda reminds me of the Orbea Lobular.

zitter

The tire clears the FD clamp by 2-3 mm haha. I'm running 25mm tires so if I switch back to 23mm I'd probably have a bit more clearance. I wish I could have gotten a size smaller on the frame, but I got it off ebay for a great price so I can't be too picky. My plans for the future are a zero setback seatpost and some decent wheels.