Hey guys, i am looking into getting a new bike this fall or next spring... my LBS is getting a 2011 secteur in stock in my sixe (xxxl frame 64cm)... i will go and ride this thursday when the shipment comes in. I currently ride a BD cyclocross 64cm, and the way it is set up, i have 3-4" drop from seat to handlebar.

Obviously one difference between a secteur and the specialized tarmac is price point, but the tarmac is also designed as a more 'competitive' cycle. My question is could the secteur be set up to be more aggressive if i get into more crit's next year? This year was my first year cycling more seriously, and i may even enter a 20 min +2 lap cat 5 race later this month (hoping they won't drop me too bad at 20-22mph). Anyhow, i know that it is hard to make a bike be good at everything, but i would like to find a bike that will be comfortable for a century and also be able to sip around some city streets in a cat 5 crit or something... I am also doing my first TRI this year and will likely do more next year (including 1/2 IM).

I am sure most answers will be to get 3 dedicated bikes, and while i did go to school for 8 years to be able to afford nice things, those pesky student loans keep me from doing that until i am 50 it seems lol


cliffs notes: can the secteur be a decent bike from centuries to crits and tri's

Sure, it's basically an alu roubaix. The Tarmac is carbon, so the Allez would be a more direct comparison.

It shouldn't hold you back in a race, you can't get the bars as low as you would be able to get a Tarmac or Allez, but unless you would have the stem slammed all the way down, it's not a limitation you would be likely to run into.

The biggest difference for racing is that the wheelbase and steering trail are setup to make the bike more "stable" which is great for most riding but not ideal for hard cornering. That said, for cat 5 racing and your level of experience you may not notice.

And as far as the speeds of the races and getting ready to race, don't worry about that too much. Its more importan that you are comfortable in a group close to other riders at high speeds. See the intro sticky in the racin forum.

I'm not 100% sure but I suspect a 4" drop will be too much for the Secteur.

I'd look into an Allez. Same geometry as a Tarmac, much lower price. It also doesn't sound like you're doing 75-100 mile rides, so you should be fine with the more aggressive setup.

thanks for the tips guys, i will definitely read the sticky... I love the idea of getting in to a race, and i am less worried about my performance than i am about causing a wreck and hurting someone else... I have to go to work on monday, and I am sure that others do as well... i attended my first crit in Grand Rapids, MI this year, and i decided i needed to get into that!!!

I have done 1 century this year, and plan on another in september, i will also be doing cyclocross races this fall with my current bike

As others have said:
Competition Race - Tarmac or Allez (for 2011, the geometry is identical, just carbon vs aluminum)
Competition Endurance - Roubaix or Secteur (same thing about geometry)

At a cat 5 level, the difference between an Allez and Secteur will be negligible in terms of speed. The biggest factor is which one you can tolerate during your next century. Obviously the Secteur is more appropriate for longer distances.

Bottom line, ride both the Secteur and Allez. Which one you buy will depend on which one you can set up to fit you perfectly.

I have no idea if this applies to you or not, but I'll share an observation. Being a tall guy like yourself I notice that large bikes make it easy to have large saddle to handlebar drop. There must be something about designing a bike that you just can't get the head tube that high for bigger models (wheel size and fork size fixed? I don't know). So I would bet that with the largest model you'd be able to get a decent drop if you remove the non-essential spacers and flip the stem.

eric, i think you are right... there were 3-4 spacers under the stem on the one 64cm bike i sat on... i was hoping to be able to order a speicalized bike from the factory without head tube cut, but it sounds as if they don't do that, unless someone out there knows otherwise, and that i should push the subject with the LBS (with whom i am VERY happy) 'plug for cross country cycling and fitness'

Can't you just have it cut down further if you want more drop?

yes, eric i could... i was hoping for the longer head tube so that i could run spacers on top for more 'aggressive' positioning, or spacers under for a more upright century + ride. My BD bike came with the head tube cut, and its short... that's why i have adapted to the large amount of drop, but if i am going to get fitted on this bike, i would like to be able to have some adjustability for different rides... at the local crits i have been to, it looks like that is what i saw... seems like i saw quite a few lower cat guys with their spacers above the bars to lower them for the races, and i am guessing they ride longer rides in a more upright position... is this poor practice, or the whole point of spacers and adjustability?

i hope to ride the allez and the secteur bikes in the same size etc to compare the two.... i am wondering if having those zerts in the seat stays on an aluminum bike would really be worth it. I just hope i don't dream of the full carbon versions (tarmac or roubaix) after i get an aluminum bike... i read that the weight difference is negligible... I havn't noticed many problems with my cheapo BD cyclocross bike as far as 'rough ride' but maybe it's just a time where ignorance is bliss? lol

My Tarmac came with an uncut steerer tube. I think its usually the shop that does it.

Get an adjustable stem, or one with a large angle? Then merely flipping it will change your position dramatically.

test rode the secteur comp today... it is the only one that comes from the factory with 64 cm frame... also rode the elite with the double tap shifters without the carbon seat stays and zerts... yes, i noticed a difference, is it worth the 200 price tag... yet to be determined....

without trying to notice, i have never had complaints about my current bike... but i test rode with 'racier' saddles today and my TRI shorts... as opposed to my current bike with thicker padded gel shorts, and a avatar body geometry gel saddle (with zerts)

some of my decision will be made by merely frame size availability... the tarmac/allez do not come in a 64cm... There was about 4 fists full of seat tube when i got on the 61,

Am I reading this right that 2011 models will have 64cm frame options? I can't find anything about it online and the 2011 models on the Specialized website still just say XL is the biggest. I may be in the market for a bike and would like one that big if they are truly going to hit in those sizes. Any clue if anything other than the Secteur will be available in that size? I'd love a Roubaix in 64cm.....my crashed one was 61cm and I had it really maxed out.

Did you make sure both bikes had the same pressure in the tires (tires were inflated to the same amount)? That will make a big difference in ride quality. I just mention it because there have been a number of people who have ridden Allez's with and without the carbon seatstays and they said they couldn't tell the difference. That was between a $1200 and a $1400 model or something, though.

Like other people said, the Sectuer and the Tarmac are in completely different price ranges. It's the Sectuer / Allez that are aluminum and are cheaper (endurance road / race road), it's the Roubaix / Tarmac that are full carbon and at the same price level (endurance road / race road). You'll notice vibration dampening more and more the longer you ride (like you'll notice it more after 20 miles than after 10 miles). But on the Rouabix / Tarmac level, plenty of people ride Tarmacs on centuries. It's a little different because a high end tarmac has a lot of vibration dampening that they can put in carbon but probably not aluminum, but if you want to see a debate on the geometry differences, here's a recent thread that might be interesting -

"Any Specialized Roubaix owners who've "switched" to a Tamarac (or other "racier" bike"
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...0#post11275270

For people who's only goal is to do a century a more relaxed geometry is better, but for people who ride all the time and build up the muscles for the more aggressive positioning and steering of the "race" bikes, it doesn't matter as much.

Not always on the bigger frame sizes with big head tubes. Often times we find ourselves wishing for a bit more steerer than we get.

Is that because it's already cut, or is the uncut steerer just not long enough?

The uncut steerer is just not long enough on some of the BIG bikes. I am guessing that for the entire size run there may be only 3 or 4 fork lengths.

Gotcha

from what i saw in the specialized catalogue that they had at the shop one of the secteurs (comp), and one of the roubaix (elite?) will come in 64cm... it's right in the little book thing with all of the specs in it. It's weird that it'll come in the comp version for secteur, but not elite, so getting a 64 with SRAM stuff may be a bit of a challenge, without some doing

i'm kind of excited about today, going to local shop to demo the 2011 tarmac and roubaix... yeah!!!

I couldnt find it on the website either but I thought the website was still 2010 info. Either way thats cool to hear there will be 64cms, Im that size and am in the market too. What other bikes from other makers are there in 64cm?

If you go to the Specialized site you check the menu bar on the left...there's an item that says "2011 Early Bikes" and you can look at a few models. As for others in that size, I know Fuji makes some still and Cannondale makes CAAD 9-4 and 9-5's in 63cm which is pretty close.

Thanks!!!!

So i went back to the LBS (actually the farthest away of 4 local ones... i prefer this one). I rode secteur and Allez. Secteur had about 1cm higher handlebars with all spacers under and stem down. Allez also had all spacers and stem down. The difference was that today i rode 61cm bikes. The cockpit definately felt smaller, but it is more 'different' than it is wrong. Both bikes definitely felt snapper than my current (BD cyclocross) bike. I also think that my seat to BB position was much better, i think it was a tad more 'forward' on the specialized bikes, even though the seat angles were similar, and i have the seat pretty far forward on my current bike at this time.

I think I am leaning toward the secteur because i have lots of room to move down in spacers to get a lower more 'aggressive' position, but was very comfy as it were. I think it may be harder to get the allez into a more comfortable position for longer rides. But it is so hard to decide... I am sure either way I go, it will leave me wanting some aspect of the other. However, the front/rear zerts in the secteur were awfully plush.

The WB difference in the 61cm models is about 2 cm, which i am not convinced will make a huge difference. Head tube angle is 0.5* different i believe.

Regardless, both bikes rode GREAT. My wife is getting a new (demo) dolce on friday, so while she is getting fitted, i will probably ride both 61's again. I am glad to believe that I can safely fit on a 61 as well, because it gives me WAY more options for available bikes.

Thanks for listening... i hate deciding on a new member of the family.