I've made various upgrades to my heavy '99 steel bike, e.g. new wheels, but I think the time has come to upgrade the frame. At first I toyed with the idea of getting an eBay carbon frame but I worry, not about their quality or durability, but whether the frame would fit well. It's frustrating that a lot of the eBay frames I'm interested in do not list the exact dimensions. Also, I like the idea of a quality frame (seems many here think the E5 frame is up there with the CAAD10, if not quite, but a lot cheaper) from a reputable company.

Finally, and I'm sure some would disagree with my tastes, I like the look of the Specialized frames with their bowed top tube and tall head tube.

With all that said, are there any other compact frameset I should consider in that price range?

Thanks.

nope. its the best frame out there. and you can buy it as just a frame. there are few within that price range but the spooky skeletor might be a contender.

Thanks for the reassurance about the E5. About the Spooky, it seems a lot more expensive.

I have an S-Works E5, the predecessor to the Allez E5. One of the best bikes I've ridden. It's up there with a CAAD 9 and I suspect CAAD 10 (haven't ridden the latter yet).

I currently ride a 2010 Allez Elite Comp. I love the bike so far but recently had the opportunity to rent a Tarmac while on vacation. The Tarmac was the same frame size, group set (105) and wheels but had a much better ride and seemed to take less effort in the climbs. I think the only real difference was saddle and stem. Frame geometry seems fairly comparable as well.

So - would the E5 be a straight forward way to upgrade by just moving everything from my Allez over? And if so - WHICH E5? There seem to be quite a range of different E5 designs on eBay. There are also some Tarmac frames on eBay right now...same thing?

https://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trk...All-Categories

Thanks in advance.

There's just one E5 frame currently offered, or do you mean which year?

BTW, anyone know how much the E5 weighs?

I found this link digging around the Specialized website - lists both an S-Works E5 and Tarmac E5 for 2006: https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/...1&menuItemId=0

Also found this white paper. - S-Works Tarmac E5 1358g / Carbon AL Monocoque
S-Works Tarmac Carbon 1165g / carbon
https://www.specialized.com/OA_MEDIA/pdf/Witchcraft.pdf

Don't know how I missed your post. Thanks for the info. The weight for the S-Works Tarmac E5 jives with what I found for the current E5 -- around 1360g for the 52cm size.

Alas, when I placed an order at the local Specialized dealer, I was told their system showed no availability till late May.

I'm now looking at a cheap carbon frame.