I jumped back into biking a short time ago and bought what I thought was a very well thought out purchase, a Specialized Crosstrail Sport Disc. I was planning on having the "one bike fits all my needs" solution. However, I ran into a problem I had not expected, I was not sure what my "needs" were. I wanted something to ride for fitness, something I could ride on mild trails be them dirt or gravel. I wanted something I could cruise on in the city or get out on the road. I still want all those things. However, after riding the Crosstrail for nearly two weeks I have put 77 miles on it only missing one out of the last 13 days. All but 7 of those miles have been by myself though the plan was to ride with my wife and all of those miles have been on roads or paved river pathways in my city. I have found myself wanting to go faster and ride longer than the 7-10 miles I have been riding daily. The more I am out I feel the Crosstrail does not fit my needs. My LBS has a 30 day trade/money back program that will allow me to swap out for full retail value. The staff that work there have sized me to a 58cm bike and think the Allez fits my needs best. However, I still love the idea that I might ride on gravel trails and do not want to feel like I have been beat up after a ride which pushes me toward the Diverge. (FYI My LBS carries Specialized, Trek, and Salsa).

So...

Concerns for the Allez:
Will it handle/ride rough on gravel?
Will I be comfortable on slower/scenic rides with my wife (she rides a Trek commuter bike)?
Will this be too much of a "race" bike for endurance rides?
Will the caliper style breaks be acceptable on wet weather rides?
Will I notice the carbon fork upgrade in the Sport or Elite model?
Will adding a 28c tire make it more of an all around ride?


Concerns for the Diverge:
Is it too much of a dedicated cyclocross bike or is this what fits the "one bike solution"?
Will I need to get a thinner road tire (currently has the 30c)
Will it be 'fast' enough to keep up with pure road bikes if I do group rides?
It has disc brakes but I have heard negative things about mechanical brakes... thoughts?
Slightly more than I wanted to spend.

Thanks in advance,
Nate

My comments are based on 3 months and approx 1000 miles of Allez ownership. Ultimately I figured out that I had been fitted with too large of a frame and parted the bike out to build a smaller frame set up. I'm much more comfortable now having gone from a 61 to a 58. That's not got any reflection of the Allez though, just the acehole at the LBS that sold me too big of a bike when I didn't know any better as a newbie rider.

The Allez is a hot bike. It climbed very well and rewarded my effort with good performance. I highly recommend them, just make sure you buy it wanting a hot rod bike. It's not supple and it's not slow handling. I personally wouldn't want any sort of off road ride on one. And causal riding wasn't really good for me when I had it. I kept my old hybrid to ride with my wife. The Allez was a "get kitted up" bike which means I felt compelled to go ahead and put on my bib shorts and of course clip less shoes, whereas the old hybrid is more of a cargo short and Nike ride when the wife feels like going along.

Thanks Ayers!

Try looking at this review of the Diverge.

GH

Ive had my Allez Sport for a month now and ill give you my 2c

Concerns for the Allez:
Will it handle/ride rough on gravel? - Dont even try it. Big pebbles are even scary sometimes on this thing
Will I be comfortable on slower/scenic rides with my wife (she rides a Trek commuter bike)? If you can manage to pedal slow enough then yes.
Will this be too much of a "race" bike for endurance rides? I flipped the stem on mine and it became quite comfortable, but will be probably flipping it back down shortly. I havent had any rides over 2 hours yet, but I think its more than capable.
Will the caliper style breaks be acceptable on wet weather rides? I dont ever ride in the wet.
Will I notice the carbon fork upgrade in the Sport or Elite model? Honestly I test rode the base Allez with Claris and the ride difference was negligible IMO. Now going to the Comp I would expect a big difference from the Full Carbon Tarmac Fork
Will adding a 28c tire make it more of an all around ride? Definitely, the 25cs are great on smooth roads, but anything else is kindof harsh.

Concerns for the Allez:
Will it handle/ride rough on gravel?
I've ridden mine on dirt and some gravel, with the 23mm tires. The packed dirt was fine, the small gravel was fine, but when I'd hit a bigger rock, it felt like the equivalent of rolling your ankle. Maybe the larger tires would be helpful.


Will I be comfortable on slower/scenic rides with my wife (she rides a Trek commuter bike)?
My wife occasionally rides her Schwinn hybrid or Quintana Roo roadbike. I never had a problem riding slow with her. Just don't expect it to be any kind of workout for you. I also used to ride the critical mass ride downtown until some drunk girl crashed me. You can ride it pretty slow if you need to, it wont kill you.

Will this be too much of a "race" bike for endurance rides?
No. It is fine.


Will the caliper style breaks be acceptable on wet weather rides?
Yes. They have always worked fine for me. Just change your riding style when it is wet and allow more time.


Will I notice the carbon fork upgrade in the Sport or Elite model?
I have no idea but if you pay for it, tell everyone it was totally worth it. It will make you feel better.

Will adding a 28c tire make it more of an all around ride?
Probably.


I have had mine almost 6 years and love it. I have ridden it everywhere.

Not sure if it's just me but it sounds like the Diverge might be better for you. You're trying to make the Allez be the Diverge based on your questions and concerns you have about the Allez.

I also test rode the Diverge and it felt great, can't comment if it would keep up with road bikes since I haven't raced any in group rides. However, most reviews i've read made a point that you won't get dropped unless you are a high level racer because at that point lbs will make a difference and the Diverge is heavier than the Allez.

Agree with this. Have you road tested either one? Go for some test rides and see which you like the best. The Diverge will probably be closer to your MTB in geometry, but still have good road performance.

Road test and buy the one that rides the best for you.

GH

My LBS has a short little path around the shop and they let you ride it for however long you want. Plus, they have a 30 day money back 60 days in store credit swap out if I am not happy. The 58 Allez felt better than either the 56 or 58 Diverge but the sales guy said a shorter stem would make a ton of difference on the 58 Diverge.

I assume a proper fitting is worth it, just like in other sports? I think my LBS does the Perfect Fit program.

Thanks!

Thanks everyone, I ended up with a 58 Diverge!

Wow, I'm in the exact same situation about as you bike wise. Tolesy, do you think you made the right choice? How do you like the Diverge? I'm leaning towards getting the Diverge but I worry about the extra weight slowing me down, but IDK..I'm a newbie.

You need to weigh how much off road use you will do. I have been told that combo bikes do well at neither. The Diverge is too heavy to be a race bike and not built for true off road. I have some trails near me and was thinking of a dualsport bike until I realized I was never really going to use the off road paths, the paths were really meant for mountain bikes with some suspension and settled on a road bike (Specialized Secteur Sport) Ironically, I was looking at the Allez too but felt a more relaxed geometry would be better because I only started this Jan. and was largely a couch potatoe before. NOw, I almost wish I got the Allez. My flexibility has dramatically improved but then again I have been riding close to 5 or 6 days per week since getting the bike or , in the winter, being on a turbo trainer. Now, I no longer need the relaxed geometry but still love the Secteur and how it rides.

The only thing to ask if if you need a more comfortable ride out of the Allez if it could even take 28 tires. The brakes might not accommodate them. Also know that tires are not the most accurately measure item. Some tires are actually larger than their package indicates. I think the Michelin Pro 4 in 25 mm are actually close to 28 mm


Best of luck with your Diverge. On this thread, cycling is all about N+1 anyway. When you get your first bike, you will quickly want another one.

Welcome to the addiction.

The allez is not designed for gravel or dirt roads. Don't quote me on this, but I think it accepts a 28 tire max.

You can flip the stem, but the headtube will be shorter. You'll be riding in a more aggressive, racing style position.

You can flip the stem down on a diverge and swap out for smaller tires, but you can't fit a 30c on an allez, nor make the head tube longer.

The diverge is a much better ride for your needs.

Is the diverge more upright than the allez?

Significantly more upright. The Diverge is short front-to-back like an Allez, but it’s higher, giving a more upright rider posture, rather than the full tuck of the Allez.

You can ride a Diverge fast, and comfortably, on mixed surfaces; the Allez is for going fast, period.



**Zombie Thread! One of the pitfalls of browsing on your mobile device

the interesting thing is thought , diverge has less stack and more reach, according to the website , doesn’t make sense