Gotte

It's actually a road bike, an Allez Epic carbon frame circa about 1994. I'm kind of concerned about the frame - I heard they have issues, but I was wondering about the components, Richey 2004 wheels, Shimano 105 levers/changers, rear derailier.
It's £250, the lot. I don;t know, but I'm guessing that's too high for a 13 yr old bike with issues. I've had a look around, and some folks do seem to like them, but I hear warnings all the time about the BB coming off the tubes. How much is a good offer for the lot?

mr-mac

I am guessing it is just a specialized epic (not an allez epic). They did do a CF allez epic back in the 90's but I think it was very early 90's (90, 91)

Carbon fibre road bikes with alluminium lugs and alluminium forks (the forks are junk - get rid and replace forks if you intend to keep it)..

I guess if it is 94 it will be it is either clear laquered so looks like carbon tubes with alluminium lugs or it is ruby finish (which is mainly black blended to metallic red ruby colour forks, head tube, bottom bracket, rear dropouts, seatpost stud area and rear brake bridge area and will have either silver or yellow writing...

I havn't seen any reports of the early epic carbon fibre bikes falling apart (there were such a low number manufactured there are not that many about and the only ones I can find anything about on the web are still being used)...

TBH they are quite a flexy frame and have a very severe geometery (you can't even fit a pink between downtube and front tyre and that's on 700x23 tyres)... So not the most comfy bike to ride... I picked up a brand new 105 groupset in the mid 90's for £150 (ok it was on sale but not the most expensive stuff in the world when I bought it). I found the cranks a little flexy as well....

John

mr-mac

Sorry if it is an earlier allez then yeah I did notice a few reliability problems (think it was a 5yr warrenty)...

If it was a 94 and is actually an epic (they had a lifetime warrenty, but only valid for original owner) They seem to have been more reliable than the allez epic and are obviously not quite as old (maybe they sorted the glue by the time they made the epic)...

John

Gotte

Thanks for that. Curious. It does have Allez and Epic on the frame it's clear laquer over black carbon, with 80/90s looking graphic. It's got the alu lugs, and an Alu BB, which I read indicated it was an earlier version. I checked the serial, which started with something like GC9, whic I read somewhere indicates it's an 89.
I've passed on it. I rode it, and it was nice, but I heard a snapping type creak when I slalomed, and I didn;t like that. Also, there was quite a bit of flex from the bottom of the frame.

Thanks anyway. I'm off looking for a nice steel frame on Ebay now, to build up into a road bike.

mr-mac

The early frames are very flexy. the noise was likely seatpost creaking but you can't be sure...

John

Gotte

Thanks. TO me, the noise sounded closer to the front, but that might just have been me convincing myself not to buy it.