Stix Zadinia

Hello everyone

I usually post in the commuting section, as I'm namely a commuter; nowadays, however, I'm wanting to get outside the city more, pick up more speed and also tackle the streets more (instead of just sidewalk/bike path). For this purpose, and after much going back and forth this past couple of days (even nearly giving the LBS dealer a stroke today ) I ended up buying an Allez E5 OSBB frame.

He has offered to assemble the bike quickly by transferring the parts from a Secteur (that I had ordered originally); however, since I'm already well into the expense (originally planned to pay $1200 for the stock Secteur, but changed my mind at the last minute about the eye-catching red frame for my daily commute), I'm thinking of putting an assembly with all the parts chosen by me (not the dealer guy), as to give the bike the 'stealth' look, like I've seen others do with this frame.

I don't want prohibitive gram/shelving parts, just a somewhat basic, clean (black) looking and functional aluminum setup for the commute; the condition being, of course, that all the parts are black (and clean; no letters/logos), in order to make the look as cohesive as possible.
For instance I'm thinking about getting this 53-39 double crank set, along with the corresponding chain (I think I'd prefer SRAM over Shimano for this build).

Don't really know that much about road bike parts yet, and I already know it's going to take me a while to get familiar with all the options and details; I'm supposed to go tomorrow morning to the bike shop and tell the guy what to put on the bike (the shop doesn't have a huge selection of parts), so instead I plan on just finish paying for the frame, and tell him I want to take a bit of time to decide (i.e., get the parts somewhere else, if needed); that's why I'd really appreciate your input, to help me get the process (of putting the bike together) moving along a bit faster.

I've already checked other threads about stealth builds on this frame, such as this and this, BUT, as I'm not really interested in 'shelving off grams' from each component (the bike will still be used mostly as a daily commute, with a heavy backpack sometimes), I could really use help in putting the components together with a more budget-friendly and practical approach to it (while maintaining a bit of a 'race' look of course).
I'd like to put some deep (40mm) black rims on it eventually, but it seems like getting something like that in aluminum is rather impossible.


Thanks very much for reading, and for any opinion or suggestion you have for this build!

svtmike

You will need some kind of adapter to use that crankset with the OSBB (I believe for 2013 that means PF30 in Specialized-speak for a non S-Works frame) bottom bracket. The Praxis Works adapter is well regarded around these parts, but I am not positive that it is compatible with GXP cranksets.

https://praxiscycles.com/pages/conversion

Personally, I find a standard double way too tall for loaded commute duty and would go with a 48/34 or 50/34.

Stix Zadinia

The standard crankset for the Allez Compact (or the Secteur I originally paid for) is indeed a Shimano 50/34 with a 8-speed, 12-25 cassette; it comes with a 2300 'group', along with deraileurs and shift levers. I'm being charged $500 or maybe more for that along with the remaining components; not sure if it's a good deal or not..

I was hoping to upgrade to a 10 speed setup, 53/39 crankset with an 11/something on the cassette. Specifically I was thinking about SRAM Apex (which, despite being their low-end groupo, is still a 10-speed setup like the one I had in mind).

rpenmanparker 

OP, what do you mean getting "getting something like that in aluminum is rather impossible"? Maybe 40 mm is hard to find, but 30 mm is all over the place. See Kinlin XR 300. If you object to the machined silver brake track, you would have to go with a track aluminum rim (no brakes so no brake track), which is readily available in all black. Problem is braking is not as good as with the machined track, but should be okay. Of course the black will wear on the brake track over time.

rpenmanparker 

No offense OP, but it seems to me you are trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. It may just be me, but I just don't think I often see someone trying so hard with bike aesthetics so far down the product range both regarding frame and parts. Holding out for just the appearance you want usually costs lots of extra money for special parts swapping. Most folks don't spend that extra money on a lower end bike. I hate to use this term, but it feels like throwing good money after bad if you know what I mean. Such specificity is usually reserved for a higher end bike which is thought to be able to support the extra expense.

Stix Zadinia

Ah, very good info, thanks! I guess I will stick to the regular machined silver brake track then, security is much more important than looks, especially on a commute

None taken! I get where you're coming from; however, bear in mind I'm upgrading components from the stock Allez build. Not to the extent of say Dura-Ace or SRAM Red, but still an upgrade worthy of the frame, I think (notice the higher-end builds I referenced have been done on this very same frame).

At under $1k the E5 is still a somewhat entry-level frame, so it's not like I am putting medium or lower end components on an S-Works carbon frame, either.

As for the rim I talked it out today with the dealer, and so I'm going to build the wheels with the 40mm aluminum rim available locally, as he said it wasn't really as bad as I would have thought, and 'upgrade' it in any case with Shimano hubs and better quality, black spokes.
He also showed me some proper Shimano wheels and I plan to get those (which are much lighter and with fewer spokes) later on as my primary set, but for now the heavier 40mm wheels will also help me cut costs on the build a little more.