dnewnham

I would say the quality of the welds is good, not perfect, but a whole lot better that what you see on a many aluminum bikes. The fork is really nice, as good in my opinion as any high end steel bike (minus the chrome and flashy paint). The campagnola and brooks gear might be more authentic on a lugged or fillet brazed frame but it would look cool on a double steel. I swapped my derailleurs to 105 and switched to a velo orange compact crank mostly because I do not like painted components.

mazdaspeed

Having fondled one in person, the build quality is pretty good but not as good as a nicer older frame. It didn't feel or look cheap by any means, but the components were pretty low end and heavy. The whole bike was surprisingly heavy, definitely heavier than any of my current steel bikes.

Overall I would buy one if you like it, it's a sharp looking bike and probably rides nicely. That said I know for a fact that you can build a vintage bike that's better in every measurable way for less than $600...

canam73

I'm going to guess that you would do just as well money wise to find an old lugged frame and build it up with Athena, brooks saddle and decent wheels if that's what you want. You won't get much for the stock components on the Allez if you you try to sell them anyway. And while you may not find a high end chrome lugged frame you can find some pretty decent deals on plain old double butted lugged chromoly frames with out trying that hard.

j3ffr3y

I'm currently lusting over one of these, my LBS has them for $580.

tk1971

Went to two different places, but there are no more 2010 models. Apparently they went for about $550 (a good deal). The 2011's are $700. One LBS guy lied to me and told me they were only available in black, when I asked about the red (while straddled on a 2011 black). They're nice bikes. Quality is good. That red reminds me of of an XC (also red with white Specialized logos) that I shouldn't have sold. Maybe next year I'll jump on a closeout 2011.

tk

koulis1984

hi you all after owning an allez steel for 7+ months and having done almost 7000 km i am thinking of upgrading the drivetrain and need some advice
1)can anyone tell me if the existing crankset will work with a 10sp set up (105 for example)
2)can the stock rear hub accept 10sp cassettes
3)i all else works i will get these would i need the "standard frame" or "light alloy" version

sorry for posting it here and thank you in advance for any answer

rlevine

well let me chime in.
i'm a fairly new rider, with a few months and a couple hundred miles (2 or 300 maybe?) under my belt. i'm rocking a 1988 schwinn world. i got an amazing deal for it on CL ($50...which in my area is a great deal). let me tell you, i love this frame. unfortunately the drive train was shot and it turns out to not fit me well. i was actually forced to ditch the stem shifters and derailleurs all together in favor of a single speed (begrudgingly) because i could not get the shifter/rear derailleur to function properly.
so...the allez steel is remarkably appealing to me. i want to take road cycling very seriously, but i don't feel i should be forced to pay ridiculous amounts of money for it. it bothers me that "entry level" road bikes are $800 and up (new, of course). this is one reason i like the allez steel.
a lot of people here have been bringing up the used market as a way to build this bike (or better) at an equal (or lower) pricepoint. i have not experienced this to be true in my area. first of all, i've found it quite a challenge to even find a bike in my size. (i'm kind of small. i believe my current bike is a 53 or 54 and it seems a bit too large.) furthermore, the prices seem a little inflated. a lugged, 1970's or 1980's steel frame boring old bike can run up to $300, which to me seems a little ridiculous since i'd have to swap out the brakes, levers, derailleurs, etc to bring it up to date. so for $200-300 could i find all the necessary upgrades to build me a bike comparable to the allez steel? i'm unsure.
and if i were to be so lucky and extremely patient enough to find all of this stuff used, in good condition, and at a reasonable price, how long would i have to wait? i kind of need/want a bike now or soon. and like some may have mentioned, i don't necessarily want to worry about the quality of used parts whose history i do not know. a new bike is a blank slate with a known history as well as a warranty and LBS support.
and lastly, i like a little customization. right now i'm using bullhorn-ish "chop and flop" bars which i find extremely comfortable. sometimes i miss my drops, but that is definitely outweighed by the comfort i have on the risers. with brifters, your handlebar selection is somewhat limited. with DT shifters, i can basically do whatever combination of handlebars and brake levers i want. also, the conversion to brifters from these DTs is quite easy. technically, i supposed i could convert from brifter to DT if i wanted, though that would be slightly more difficult on an aluminum frame. a steel frame makes these kinds of conversions very easy.
to summarize, i've found that this frame offers me a whole lot at a relatively low price point. other than this, i'd be looking at something like a trek 1 series, other specialized aluminum frames, etc (also limited by what LBS's near me carry). there are some great "entry-level" (less than $1k) road bikes out there, but i'm being drawn to this allez steel. i don't know when i'll be taking the plunge on a new bike, but when i do i'll let everyone know (if you care) and of course post pictures.

and apologies for the long post. it's a bad habit i have when posting on message boards.

deuces.
randy

K. Olsen

1. No reason it shouldn't
2. I would say yes as 130mm seems to be the standard on spacing the rear. Might want to measure just to be sure.

b3l5tele

This is my Allez SE that I purchased new from the LBS in the early 1980's. It's all original except for the handle bar tape, brake hoods (which deteriorated), tires and chain.

kabex

I saw this bike on the online catalogue then proceeded to read this entire thread, however I'm noticing it's now at $719? That sucks, I would seriously consider it for $600.

They need to sell this bike here in Mexico, the cheapest 2300 AL allez goes for $1000 so if they could get this one to a lower price point I think it would actually sell, since it's a Specialized after all(it would compete with local brands- they suck). If it was $500 and sold locally I'd have bought it long ago.

I'm watching old cycling movies and got this vintage bike bug!!

waldoz

I am looking at this bike used. Does anyone have problems with putting fenders on this. I know its old but I thought someone had said the pb fenders would not fit this. Pics or info would be great! This will be a rain bike. If you have pics with everything rack and fenders that would be a plus.