Maybe your dad would enjoy helping you discover what kind of bike you will use and enjoy more.

He seems to have shown a loving interest in getting you the first bike. (If only we all had dads who showed a loving interest.) Thank him for showing a loving interest, and by inviting him into the process of helping you finding a bike better suited to your taste/lifestyle, I think it will likely soften or remove any hurt or anger he could feel by wanting to get rid of the Allez.

People get mad whey they feel their love is being rejected. So just make a clear distinction between your dad's interest in you biking (which you are not rejecting) and the bike that's just not a perfect fit.

I like to stop and lollygag when I ride, look around. I originally bought my bike for commuting to work..... so my commutes take a long time and often involve a stop in the park to enjoy the sunrise!

Keep the fast bike for fun rides with dad. But, go get a second bike. A fun cheap beater bike that you can trash. Ride around at night to go see your friends & stuff. Have fun. Be good.

Something else to consider.

Take the clipless off, relax the fit a little, go with some slightly wider tires, and ride the one you have?

Ultimately, you should be happy on what you ride, but considering the circumstance and the level of butt hurt this might generate, taking your lessons to the store with your own money later might not be a bad decision.


I am a dad that bought his son an Allez a few years back, hoping to find some bonding time. My age, physical ailments, and his youth don't ride in the same group once he was on a road bike. He was doing great keeping up with me on a slick tire MTB.....He quickly got bored with the riding club scene and likely didn't touch his bike again for a couple of years. I took the initiative to take off the clipless pedals, I flipped his stem, and adjusted the post and seat position to slightly more relaxed....he takes it places on his own now, just to ride.

Good point. I anticipated this issue with my son which is why the only relatively high dollar bike he has right now is his mountain bike. For road and around town use, he used to use an old mountain bike with slicks, then an old hybrid, and now he rides an old road bike that is actually pretty light and fast but looks like a beater because the frame is pretty scuffed up. When he rides, which is getting less and less because a lot of his friends are now driving.

My 13-year old son has 2 bikes: a race bike and a commute bike. The race bike is a mishmash of spare parts on a Nashbar aluminum frame. Inexpensive but still too nice to let get beat up on the middle school bike rack. So I gave him my old steel SSCX to ride to school: shorter stem and seatpost to fit, platform pedals, slick tires, and a rack/panniers. I think he likes the SSCX better, actually. And I've infected him with the N+1 virus.

Make up your mind

I now know what is wrong with the younger generation. Bad parenting advice.

I agree.

Keep the Allez. The bug may bite again someday.

Meanwhile, ditto the advice to check craigslist and other used ad sites for a suitable beater to bomb around on and modify to suit yourself. Look for a 1980s-'90s rigid fork mountain bike. There are zillions that usually sell for $50-$150 in our area in decent condition. Univega Rovers, Treks, Stumpjumpers and Rockhoppers, etc. All looking for a new home. But they may need some work -- overhauling hubs, bottom brackets, headsets, etc., to replace the old grease, check for worn bearings and races.

Just swapping tires and handlebars can transform these very flexible bikes from decent off-roaders to spritely urban cruisers. I put 1 & 1/2" riser bars with a little back sweep on my '92 mountain bike and slightly less aggressive tires that I can safely run at lower pressure for a comfortable ride. The ride is more upright, comfy and I still get in a 14 mph average pace over 10-60 miles when I feel like it before wind resistance overcomes input.

There are also tons of 2000s era hybrids needing a little love. Probably in great shape and ready to ride as-is. So the somewhat higher costs, $100-$250, might be worthwhile to skip having to rebuild the hubs, etc.

If you do shop around for a beater, ask the seller if you can remove the wheels to check the hubs. Spin the hub axles on the removed wheels with your fingertips. Feel for crunchiness or grinding. You won't notice this just be spinning a wheel mounted on the bike -- the momentum overcomes any slight resistance and dampens the crunchy and grinding sensation. That's a sign of worn bearings and cones (easily and affordably replaced), possibly races needed new hubs -- in which case it's cheaper to buy an entire new ready made wheel using affordable Weinmann or comparable rims, hubs, etc. Figure $50-$100 per ready made wheel, usually double wall rim. Just to keep a ballpark budget in mind while shopping around for a used bike.

I dunno-from what I've seen on CL, you might want to try putting on a set of 'hanger' bars and a banana seat.......