Originally Posted by
That Linux Guy
Got my new Specialized Allez Double Steel a couple weeks ago.
The bike came with comfy white bar-tape but the comfort factor didn't help it keep from going from white to inside-a-chicken-McNugget-white within days. I got some Specialized Bar Phat black handlebar tape (it's called Bar Phat because it's thick, cushy tape with gel pads underneath on the top bar area and in the drops).
Either way, the bike rides awesome and it's worth all 550000 pennies I paid for it.
I've looked at this bike a few times, in my thus-far-only-window shopping, and it seemed to be a really nice value. Now 2.5-or-so months later, are you still as chuffed about it as before, or have you found some of its hidden deficits? In sum: would you recommend this for a budget-minded commuter?