ddmann

As I hinted in Neil's "roadie/cylclist" thread I got a screaming deal on an Allez Monday. I had a nice long post explaining the whole process from wanting a second wheel set for road work to how I picked this up but,........$#@$# BF forum said I timed out. ^%$#%$

Anyway here she is with a few extra shots. I got the bike sans; saddle, stem and pedals for $400. And the guy threw in a set of Vittoria's to boot!



Here she is completely dressed, sooner or later I will replace the pedals with what I have on my Volpe, (clipless on one side platform on the other).



new stem



brake extenders



saddle and bag

So far compared to my Volpe she feels like a Masserati!

dbikingman

Nice bike and a great deal. I will have to watch for it screaming around Spokane.

txvintage

Nice ride. Red makes it that much faster, but white bar tape would turn it into cruise missle!

Griffish

Beautiful...I do have to agree with txvintage on the white bar tape.....that would be....nice.

Brando_T.

cars painted red go faster, i have to assume bikes painted red go faster.

did the dual brake levers come on the bike that way? if not, how big of a deal to install?

ddmann

Not too sure how difficult it is to install the cross levers. When I bought my Volpe last year I had them installed as part of the deal. A couple of days before I bought the Volpe I had test ridden the Specialized Tri-Cross which comes stock with the cross levers. When I went back to buy it, (the tri-cross that is) the model I had test ridden had been sold. The Volpe was my second choice, I managed to finagle the levers into the deal. Now I cannot seem to ride a bike without them! It sure makes moving your hands around while riding a lot less stressful when you know your never really far from a brake handle.

I just lucked into this deal. I sometimes run into a bunch of roadies on my evening rides. I first met the group last fall. All of them real nice folks. While all of them are in full kit, they just don't act like snobs. Several in fact helped me quite a bit. Learning how to master things like cadence, clipless pedals and the like. The last few weeks I have been having a conversation with a few of them about buying a second wheel set more attuned to road work. No matter how I figured it after buying the wheels, tires and cassette I was looking at the north side of $350.

Last Sunday Curt, pulled up alongside me and told me I should stop by his house sometime on Monday, claimed he had a deal I couldn't refuse. Turns out he was right! Not a bad wheel set eh?

txvintage

Gee, thanks. I've been sort of looking around for a wheel set deal. Somehow, I doubt I make out as well.......

Neil_B

I suppose I can get those to replace the 'suicide levers' on my old Raleigh.

txvintage

The suicide levers are only bad if you totally rely on them to stop you. If you are just cruising around town at moderate speeds they work "OK". If you grab them in an emergency situation while hauling buttocks you put yourself in the position of possibly learning how they earned their name. They just can't get the required leverage on the brake calipers to stop quickly.

The type of wheel you have makes a difference as well. If you're riding steel 27" wheels, ditch those levers asap. Steel wheels weigh a ton, but the worst part is they are smooth, and chromed, and just about the worst braking surface ever conceived. This is multiplied by powers of magnitude in wet conditions.

The nice thing about suicide levers is that you can take them off and just use the normal levers. I really need to do this with my 1978 Panasonic Sport 1000. It has steel wheels, weighs about 3/4 of a ton, and is a 10 sp. With me riding it, the combined weight of rider and bike just don't work out with the suicide levers, but they are right there to grab......

kenseth03

+1 on the white bar tape.
Beautiful bike and a great deal! Have fun!

zpl

It looks like your saddle is positioned pretty far back and that stem reach is enormous. It seems to me that the bike is likely too small for you. But if you're comfortable on it, do what works for you.

Congrats on the new bike!

Snapperhead

Sweet bike. Specialized rocks! Got my Tarmac in Feb 2008 and love it! Enjoy!

ddmann

Well your partly correct. Yes the seat is set back a bit. I have a body distinctly not built for bicycling. I stand about 5' 11' a hair taller if I straighten up like a soldier! My inseam is 31 or 31.5 inches which makes most pants either a little long or a little short on me. My sleeve length is 37 inches minimum, but I prefer to track down a 38 inch. These are not measurements that match up well to any factory produced bike.

However, with a long stem and a set back saddle I am good to go. That said during my ride this morning I gradually moved the saddle a bit forward about a sixteenth of an inch per adjustment. After three moves it just might be right. Or I may move it back one notch. With my Volpe I was fiddling around with stem length, stem rise, and bar angle for quite awhile before everything was copesetic. I am hoping it will not take as long the second time through.

masi61

You don't mention what your weight is. I was just curious because, if you are out of cycling fitness (like I am) I can understand how a person might make transitonal adjustments to their bike as they put in more miles. I notice the high rise stem (is that a 30 degree upward rise?) which is fine, but then on top of that I notice the handlebars turned up to where the drops are nearly pointed toward the ground and also the hoods on the Shimano brifters are also angled back. We (Clyde forum surfers) are not seeing your position on the bike, however I believe you should gradually work on migrating those drop bars into a safer position. I'm not saying the flat section on the drops needs to be horizontal to the ground as many racers prefer, but maybe you could work toward where that flat section on the drops is in line with the rear axle. There is an aesthetic side to this sure, but more importantly I believe it is a safety issue if you want to be able to ride on roads in varied terrain and not just flat bike paths, you need to have a stable steed. I weigh 262# and am 6' tall with a 33.5" cycling inseam. I have been fiddling with saddle setback and height as you have. I also changed stems once and am about to go with a traditional bend drop handlebars, going to move away from the anatomical bars.

My main concern is that if you drive down the sides of river valleys or larger hills, you are going to want to move to the drops in these conditions. In your present configuration, your hands are going to want to slide right off those drops, making your need to "white knuckle" it down even tepid descents. Changing hand positions should feel natural on a well fitted bike, unfortunately to my eye your "cockpit" is looking more unnatural. Sorry if it seemed this post went negative - didn't mean to, really I'm just sharing my opinion on what has worked for me.

Mr. Beanz

Good points Masi!....OP is worried about access to the brakes with the second levers but I don't see it possible operating the brifter/brakes from the drops.

ddmann

Masi thanks for your concern. You mentioned a couple of safety issues that all should be aware of. I forgot to mention a couple of facts that should put your mind to ease. First issue is my weight, while I have only been back on a bike for 2 months, (a broken ankle sidelined me for nearly a year) I am down from an all time high (Low?) of 274 lbs. to my weight this morning of 258 lbs. Riding just a little bit every day seems to work some weight loss magic. My goal is to get back down to 220 lbs. maybe a bit less if all goes according to plan.

After my ride this morning I made a couple more changes to the set up. I pulled the seat a little more forward and dropped the bars just a tad. I NEVER ride the drops, (as a kid I had an absolutely horrendous crash while stuck in the drops and unable to reach the brakes) so ease your mind on that point. I spend about 60% of my time on the hoods and the rest on the "bend" of the bars. These two positions allow me to move my hands around as much as I need to avoid numbness, and with the brake extensions my hands are never too far from a brake lever.

My hope is that as I lose more and more weight I should be able to both lower and shorten the stem. I am not sure how much of either will prove to be optimum, but I am a patient guy. Plus riding is just too damn much fun to get anal over what is “proper” vs. what is comfortable and keeps me on the bike(s).

terbennett

Sweet ride. I've always liked the look of the E5 Aero frame. Not only that, you got a smokin' deal. Unfortunately, I can't be fitted as well on a Specialized frame. If I could, I'd own one of those too. Congrats on the purchase!!

KingTermite 

Nice ride...gonna bring over to the other side of the state so I can have a look-see?

bigbossman 

Not hard at all. You need to remove the brake cable/housings, install the levers, cut the housing in two to fit, and then re-string the cable and adjust.

dscheidt

It's not at all a big deal. The cross levers work by pushing on the housing, which makes its effective length longer. That means the cable has to be pulled at the brake calipers to make it shorter, which applies the brake. Installation is easy: figure out where you want them. ( I've got mine a bit more outboard, so I can mount computer and light nearer the stem). Pull the cable from the brake. Mark where you have to cut the housing. Cut the housing, finish the cut ends. Install the cross brake (they're hinged, and held in place with a bolt, so you don't have to disturb existing mounted stuff.) Rethread the cable. Adjust the brakes.

It's a really good time to get a new cable, new housing and new bar tape, though. I really like my cross brakes; I use them when riding in traffic, so I can sit upright, which increases my ability to see and be seen.

ddmann

As a few members posted my cross levers were mounted too close to the stem and I have had these moved out about two inches. Sure made the bike a lot nicer to ride. I have about 200 miles on her so far and I am happy as a clam.

I did have to move the saddle forward a bit, and it took a bit to get used to the 105 brifters, (the left side in particular). My Shimano PD 324, (which I also have on my Volpe) pedals arrived yesterday they will be installed tonight. I can hardly wait to clip in and go this evening. It's funny I never realized how much I liked clipless pedals until I didn't have any, (how'd that song go again?). The gearing is a wee bit different than the Volpe. Top gear is indeed taller and so is the lowest granny. I had expected a couple of the hills I ride might be a bit more difficult with the taller granny but I was wrong. Turns out the skinny slick 23's provide so little resistance that I can pull a much taller gear, (and I am going a wee bit faster).

I'm now thinking about turning my Volpe into a commuter and add a rear rack and fenders to it. I teach at the local C.C. and I live about 8 miles away. Seems like this bicycling thing is taking over my life and brain; yesterday while doing student orientations I kept thinking about how cool it would be to gas up my truck once a month rather than twice!

WickedShark

Nice bike I just got the Tarmac Expert this week.

X-LinkedRider

Very very nice. Any big plans?