Here is a pic just out of the stand and waiting final adjustments. I bought this frame off eBay a couple months ago. The frame lived a hard life. It was converted to a "fixie" but was fortunately not altered further. I am sure this is how it acquired the dent in the top tube. I was the only bidder given the sorry state it was in. From my reading, Speciailized contracted with Dave Tesch for 200 Allez frames. He was not a fast builder and did not fill the entire contract. For whatever reason, I became enamored with Tesch bikes sometime in the 1980s. It was a Bicycling article that did it. Why Tesch stood out to me more than the other builders, I cannot say. But, I've always wanted one. I have now acquired three, with this being the latest. I can't wait to get this one on the road.
It is built with a friction Sprint group. Bars and stem are Specialized (not sure who made them, but I like the quality of both). Sprint hubs and Araya rims. New Challenge Strada 25 mm clinchers. We had a debate between tan wall and black wall tires. And, between white and blue bar tape. Given that it is my bike, I won both those debates
Did I make the right choice?
