bungle73

Hi,

I can get it for the bargain price of £399. However, it has a aluminium fork. Apparently, in theory, a carbon fork is a lot better. Is this something that would make it worth looking at something else, or do you think it would be ok? The guy in the Cycling Weekly review said that the fork was less harsh than other alu forks he'd ridden.

It would be for general road riding. Not racing or anything like that. My first road bike.

I was also looking a the Avantis (Giro 1 or 2) on Wiggle, but there's not much info about them anywhere, and no customer reviews.

I also looked at the Point R from Mango, but again not much info. Probably because it's a small independent company.

But I'm leaning towards the Specialized because of the price, and it gets good reviews.

bungle73

I'd be coming from a slicked up (1.35" Schwalbe Kojaks) hard tail MTB. Do you think it be worth my while getting a road bike? I've been tempted by GCN's videos, and the general positive things I've been reading on various forums.

dvdslw

If you're wanting a road bike, go for it. I rode mountain bikes exclusively for years until one day I just had to have a road bike, problem now is the mtb has a pretty thick layer of dust on it. You may be perfectly happy with that Specialized but I'd spend a few more dollars and get the next model up with a carbon fork.

deex

I started with MTB and at the beginning of Januaru I bought a used Allez on Craigslist. I still enjoy the trails, but I really love going long distances in the road bike.

DOS

What specific model is it (sport, E5)? I thought all Allez models came with at least carbon fork blades (lower end alu steerer, higher end full carbon). Anyway, Allex alu frames look to be really nice, at least the smartweld ones. What spec does bike come with (shifters, wheels, etc)?

thin_concrete

How are the roads where you plan to ride? If they're not really smooth, you may want the carbon fork to smooth out the bumps.

bungle73

It's last year's bottom end Allez. That comes with an alu fork. This year's version comes with a carbon fork.
They're not the best, so maybe choosing a bike with a carbon fork would be wise.

Thanks for the replies.

thin_concrete

It's not going to be a panacea, but carbon forks telegraph less vibration, so it may be a smoother. What's the price delta between the all aluminum model versus the one with a carbon fork?

quicktrigger

FWIW, I have the same bike and then put a basic carbon fork. SERIOUS ride improvement on chip seal roads. Combined with working out front and back tire pressures, and I LOVE the bike. IMHO, buy it and upgrade the fork.

bungle73

Well, the reduced, last year's version is £399. This year's, with the carbon fork, is £600......unless I chose another bike.

Thanks. I'll take that into consideration.

quicktrigger

I wanted to be clear about the fork. I bought a generic road carbon fork from Nashbar (US company) for $85, as I wanted the improved ride quality, and was not so concerned about weight. I'm sure you could find something similar in the UK for a similar relative price from one of the online stores. But before going that route, you would probable want to ride the bike for a while on your usual route while adjusting tire pressures. You just may get an acceptable ride doing so, and not need to spend for the upgrade, unless that is what you wanted to do. JMHO.

bungle73

Since I've returned I thought I'd update this thread. I ended up buying a Point R from Mango Bikes in the UK. I've done close to two and a half thousand miles on it so far.

colombo357

I just had a mango smoothie last week.

bungle73

I assume there was no bike in it?

colombo357

Turns out it did not, but I had my fingers crossed at the time.