Finally got some pics of my very first road bike. Actually, it's my first "real bike" not bought at sports store in the mall.
Anyway, i LOVE this bike!!! I test rode Bianchi, Cannondale, Trek, Specialized, and Klein. But this bike just seemed to ride the smoothest and it fit me very well. Props out to Boone Cycles in Houston for spending hours with us for the initial test rides and then a couple more hours for the final fitting once my bike came in.
Foco steel, carbon3 fork, full ultegra, seemed like a lot of bang for the buck.
I added the pump, bike bag, and cateye cordless7.
I've only got 50 miles on it so far, but plan to rack them up pretty quickly!

Nice bike. You are good to go.
Color of blue is kinda unique.
Those Shimano wheels always look so sweet.
How are they on acceleration?

P.S. You'll be turning that stem down in no time, I'll wager.

nice stuff

[bike snob]take off the reflectors [/bike snob]

Hey, I want to turn my stem down also. Is there anything special you have to do to flip the stem? anything to look out for in particular. It seems like a simple job, but one that seems like it could be a tad bit more difficult then anticipated.

Nice!

I'll look for you in the Shiner Bash...

Ooooo, pretty!

Great looking bike! I really like the blue - very unique. I hope it's as fast as it looks...:-)

Phatman, flipping the stem is no biggie. Just pop the split clamp off the front releasing the handlebars, then removed the top cap, and then the stem..Be careful, your fork may slide out at this point depending on your headset..Then flip the stem,and put it back on. Make sure you tighten the top cap BEFORE you tighten the side bolts.

Good choice on the bike!! Why did you pick the Cro-mo version over the Al version?

yer take off the reflectors b4 u get into group rides....its just not funny wen u get mocked fortunately I heard about this b4 i started riding my bike and took them of ASAP

Brendon

mmmm triple too yummy! my mate has those 16 spoke wheels, came on his Raceline ever heard of them? anyways they keep their shape pretty well, although he does jump like the rail tracks like I do to avoid the jarring. Why choose the smaller frame and pump the seat up?

Brendon

Nice looking ride. Going with steel was a wise choice. Your body will thank you many times after longer rides. Enjoy!

Just be careful taking off the reflectors.
Some laws state bikes are required to be equipped with them if they are ridden on the road. My state does. Enforcement is RARE, but, why give them an excuse?

Nice ride. I love the Allez. I REALLY like the Cro-mo. I want to ride one, but noone down here has one.

:thumbup:

Looks like a great bike! It also answered a question I had and that was does anyone make a steel compact frame.

Zack

Thanks guys!
I got the steel for comfort. It's so light anyway, i didn't see any advantage to getting the aluminum.
Never thought of flipping the stem. hmmm.....
Thanks for the tip on the reflectors.
The blue is one of the reasons I got the bike. The net makes it look a little turquoise, in reality it's a little more deep sky blue. And the shimano 450 wheel set was another factor in my decision just cause they look cool. I'm an artist so everything i buy is based heavily on form as well as function.
Oh, and i forgot to mention i have the speedplay pedals if you couldn't see them in the pics. I love them and don't agree at all with the reviews about being on ice. I don't have any problem keeping my feet in one position. My wife on the other hand tends to kick her heels out to one side so she got the Look pedals so the lack of float would force her foot into the correct position.

Sweet bike! Nice to see people returning to steel. Enjoy it!

I guess I'm just NOT cool, because I don't give a flying #@%& what other people say about my reflectors.

I had reflectors on my Bianchi and they would still be there if the LBS mechanic had left them on when he did an overhaul. I would have left them on (because I like to be as visible as possible) but I don't really care that he took them off.

Mostly, I hate people telling what I must do to look cool in their eyes. I'm over 50 and I have been in and out of style at least 3 times without ever changing.

That's just the frame size that fit me best. 54"