Nixhex

So, I currently have a 2003 Specialized Cr-mo Allez with ultegra 6500 (2x9) and I really like it. It looks sweet, it handles really well, in general I like it a lot.


But... I've got the bike lust.


There's a 2016 Focus Cayo AL with Ultegra 6800 2x11 on FB near me for $500. That seems to me like quite a deal. And for some reason in my mind I feel like the Focus will be faster. And also prob look cooler with the 50mm carbon wheels I have.


Talk me off the ledge. Tell me my Allez is fine and I don't need new(er) shinier things!

jaxgtr

almost seems like too good of a deal right now. But it could be that they are in financial difficulties and need to part with it....I say what the hell, its worth a look

Pizzaiolo Americano 

Are you asking us to talk you out of a new bike? Wrong forum for that...

Nixhex

I feel like I'm going to have to go check it out. In all seriousness though, I shouldn't expect any noticeable performance difference between it and the Allez right? That's just it singing its siren song, right?

jaxgtr

I would think you would see some improvement versus a 2003 frame in the weight alone....however, is the geometry the same? Will it fit you, will you like the geometry of the focus compared to the Allez? Only you will be able to tell

downtube42

You will be faster if you're inspired to be faster. So jump or no, depending on whether it inspires you.

Nixhex

Prob just need to go ride it and see.... Reach is 10mm longer, stack is similar, head angle is 1 deg slacker on the Focus.

Just out of curiosity, is it considered a dick move to bring my own stem to fiddle with the fit on a test ride? Dude has about 30mm of spacers under the stem in the pics.

znomit

Jump jump jump jump jump

Iride01 

At 20 plus pounds that will be a heavy bike if you regularly go up hills. Even short hills. What's your Allez weigh? Other than two more speeds once you get over the excitement of more shifts, there really isn't anything better about it.

If you are in rolling to hilly terrain and you ride often, you'll appreciate a more normal for todays bike weight of 17 to 18 lbs when riding hills.

Nixhex

I think the Allez is 20.2# the way I have it setup rn. The spots that I ride are not super hilly, though there are some short punchy climbs, but nothing longer than about 1-2 min.

One of the things I've been wondering about is frame stiffness. I don't think the steel Allez is especially stiff, and I have a crappy aluminum felt frame that I ride as an F-around bike, and I definitely feel like I get more speed for my effort with the Felt. Although not a night and day difference, it definitely feels more efficient. Which has got me wondering if a stiff ass aluminum frame, although maybe not lighter than my Allez, may give me more performance for my efforts. But then again that may be rubbish.

scuzzo

its kinda a lateral move... but for 500 it seems like a steal.. i love steel,, so i would just move up a group set or something on the frame you have.... steel is getting rare... and i still love my schwinn peloton some time i like it more then my lite speed... sometimes

Nixhex

If I keep the Allez I'm going to swap on a SRAM 1x setup on it. i only regularly use my 53T and 13-19 on the rear anyway.

mcours2006

That's a steal. The 6800 groupset alone is probably worth the price. Go for it.

Seattle Forrest

It's too good to pass up and you don't have enough bikes.

Maelochs

I was going to say something like this.

Keep in mind, after five years or so, depending on use and abuse, the brifters might have issues .... but I have used 6800 on my best bike since 2015 and it is an amazing group set.

Also keep in mind that it can be hard (and expensive) to find 6800 parts. I had to get a 8000-series cassette and I had a heck of a time finding a brifter when one broke (due to an unfortunate cable snag and failure---the brifter didn't fail through use, but due to cable failure.) So .... whatever.

On the other hand, if you really want a second bike---and of course you do---is the Focus really what you want? Yeah, it might be a little stiffer (hope it has a CF fork) and the 6800 group is wonderful .... but the bike is going to be pretty much the same as the Allez, perhaps.

https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bi...l-sora-review/

Up to you .... I love 6800 .... and $500 is a pretty easy price point .... if ti fits, and is in really good shape, it is tempting .... but it might just be another, and not a better, bike. Your call.

Nixhex

Thanks, I really appreciate that post. Very well thought out. I've read that Cayo review like 5 times now, lol. Trying to sway myself one way or the other....

Honestly, I prob would not pick this particular bike if I had to go for a 2nd, but it does seem like a steal for the price.

ridethecliche

I'm going to guess that the bike is long gone in the time you've been thinking about it!

jadocs

If you hem and haw too long, it's going to be gone and there's nothing you can do to bring it back. Did you go look at it?

Nixhex

Haven't looked at it. It has been snowing/icy here, and since I'm in Tulsa, OK people kinda shut down when this happens....

That said, this thing has been on FB for about a month. I dont know how.

jadocs

Well if it is truly a good deal (I don't know because I'm not familiar with the bike) and you are in the market for one, then I would act.

Iride01 

Just because it's a deal doesn't mean you have to buy it. We used to joke about a friend in back in our college days that bought five clothes irons because they were a "deal". Maybe she's used them all in the 45 years since. If so, I guess they were a good deal.

If you are like me and haven't bought a brand new bike in a while, then don't wait 41 years like I did. Save that five hundred dollars and double it a few times. Maybe in a year or two you can get a new bike with new components.

Just getting back to the ..... Talk me off the ledge part of your post.

Nixhex

I'm just getting into road cycling as of April/May of this year because I couldn't go to the gym, so I bought the Allez because it was inexpensive (paid $320 for it), and it allowed me to see what I think about road biking. At this point, I'm all in and I'm loving it. But because I'm new I don't really have a good idea of what it is I like in a bike yet, so I'm definitely trying out different bikes wherever possible.

That said, I also have to balance that against my other expensive hobby (most of the way through rebuilding an old Ford F100), and attempting to piss my wife off the least amount possible through all of it. So if I were to buy this bike, the Allez would be getting cleaned up and going on sale asap to try to cover the majority of the price difference.

Iride01 

'67 f100?

Nixhex

It is indeed a 67 F100. How'd you know? It's not much of a looker (going for sort of a rat rod style I guess you'd say), but it has an aluminum headed 408ci windsor with a blower on it. So it should do some pretty solid burnouts, lol.

Iride01 

Just a guess. I had a 67 F100 I got in the early 80's. It had the V8, 351cu in. I think, and 4 speed manual that 1st gear was so low you could pull anything if you had enough weight on the rear wheels. So easy to work on, and I could sit on the wheel well in the engine compartment and get to everything.

Seat was almost gone with springs showing through to the floor below. Wife wouldn't ride with me in it unless she absolutely had too.

edit. Let me say that it would have probably carried bikes well. That way the conversation won't be too off topic and relevant to BF.