Cassopher

Just built up a ln Allez Sprint disc and I took it out for its first test ride yesterday. I noticed some handling issues from the front end. Best way I can say is it was very twitchy. I almost felt reluctant to reach for my water bottle at times. The frame is a 52 with a 110 Tarmac stem. Looking for any advice from more experienced riders or mechanics on what may be going on. Thanks for any input.

nomadmax 

Provided all thr fasteners are tight, it has proper air in the tires and the headset bearings aren't notched, it's probably just matter of you spending more time on it.

Crankycrank

+1. Yup, that's made to be a quick handling bike which may feel twitchy if you're used to riding a bike with more stable geometry. What were you riding before? As mentioned after more time riding the Specialized it may feel more comfortable but may not be your cup of tea either. I have two bikes, one with race handling which is really fun to ride because it reacts so quickly but also wears me out faster on long rides due to having to stay on top of keeping it stable. The other is a more standard or "endurance" geometry as it's sometimes called these days which suits me better but is a little slower turning but less work to ride in a straight line. Having said all of that, first check if your headset is adjusted properly and do as nomadmax suggested since you may have something loose or worn out.

HillRider

Did you build up the bike from a bare frame or was it a complete bike you just did the finishing adjustments? If you assembled it from parts was the fork matched to the frame? A fork with the wrong A-C (axle to crown) length and/or wrong rake would have a major effect on the bike's handling. If you used the factory fork, then it's a matter of getting used to the bke as mentioned above.

Cassopher

My other bike is a Tarmac SL7 which is a Cadillac as far as handling goes!

Crankycrank

I say give the Allez some time to get used to since you may learn to like it and you still have the Tarmac for a when you want the Cadillac instead of the Ferrari.

cxwrench

The Sprint has a .5* steeper head angle, the fork has slightly less rake, but the trail is the same...58mm. They should feel nearly identical.

blamester

If it still feels like this after a few miles
and everything is mechanically sound try a longer stem. Or invert the one you have..
Do you ride the hoods? Rotate the bars a bit and see. Bring a tool on your ride.
Takes a bit of experimenting to get these right sometmes.

oldbobcat

Don't you have any friends or bike shops that could test ride the bike or check it out?

And regarding the stem, a longer stem isn't going to fix the handling if it's too long for your reach. An 11 cm stem on a 52 is quite normal. A little longer than average, actually, for riders who aren't licensed racers. Trying to fix twitchy handling by extending the reach, without seeing the bike, is pretty random.