Hi everyone!
I am new to riding and I want to start training for the California Aids Ride from San Franscisco to Los Angeles next year.
I picked up a starter bike yesterday. After extensive research on the internet I figured out it is a 1993 Specialized Allez.
The bike is in pristine condition and has been stored for years. I was wondering if some of you more experienced riders can share your knowledge with me?
Specs: 1993 Specialized Allez with RX100 group, Mavic wheels, CRMO tubing custom butted, Modolo handle bars. 10 speed.
I paid $260.00 did I get ripped off or is this a good deal?
Wheel tubes have weird stems? They are very thin and I have no idea how to blow up tires? I ordered new tubes and tires. Does anyone know what these are?
Any recommendations for upgrades to make this a better ride?
Thanks and good riding!

I'm sure you have Presta inner tubes, these are really more common on lightweight road bikes (and Mtn. bikes) than the Schraeder valves you are more familiar with (like on car tires). You just need to get a Presta compatible pump, and ALL the support staff on the Aids Ride will have pumps that fit these tubes, have no fear.
The '93 Allez was a pretty nice bike, Taiwanese and pretty "tight" geometry, but a well-built bike and a good value.The RX100 stuff might be showing its age and may need refreshing, but maybe not if it's really been stored for years...otherwise if it fits and you find it comfortable for 8+ hours in the saddle, then you did fine with your buy. I'd suggest trying to fit the fattest tires you can get away with in this frame for increased comfort on the road, but it may have such tight clearances that you can't even get a 28mm in there without rub.

Unless it looks AND rides like brand new, I wouldn't have paid that much. Maybe $200 at the most, but that's just me. Maybe it wasn't that bad a deal, pictures would help. Bikes do drop in value quickly, and this one is not really old enough to be valuable from a vintage standpoint. The weird stems are Presta valves, and can be aired up using an adapter from your local bike shop. Or you can buy a pump which already has the ability to air it up. If you ordered tubes without Prestas, the stems will not fit in the rim.,,,,BD

Oh so the new tubes will not fit huh?
I ordered a Presta pump, the tubes didn't put me oout that much so maybe I can resell.
Thanks

Decent deal, depending on condition.

You didn't do badly at all. If it's actually a 10-speed, then it was upgraded at some time, since they were originally spec'd as 8-speed. I owned a '93 Allez "Comp" for several years. If it had been 2cm larger, it would never have been pried away from me. It was the lightest steel frame I've ever owned. I only sold the frameset (for $185, BTW) because once I realized my shaved-leg days were over, I also realized that my more-relaxed riding was better done on a slightly larger frame.

The aluminum fork was not my favorite, but it had a nicely shaped crown and worked just fine. I recall the Allez getting rave reviews from the bike mags at the time. Specialized was being very tight-lipped about the source of the "Direct Drive" tubeset, with its long-pointed lugs, and mags were describing it as "pseudo-Italian."

I was still young enough then that I was doing some occasional age-group racing, and often trained with a group of Cat 3/4 kids. The bike gave nothing away at all. Its motor was its only shortcoming.