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TECH NEWS
specialized allez 20181.jpgSpecialized Allez revamped for 2018 - lighter frame, new carbon fork and mudguard mounts
“Build the best alloy road bike” was the goal for Specialized in updating the Allez, the entry-level aluminium model in its large road bike range. What it has achieved is an E5 aluminium frame and all-carbon fork that chops some 450g off the previous frameset weight, packaged up with a more relaxed geometry and the addition of mudguard and rack mounts.
There are three builds topping out at a cycle to work friendly £999, ensuring the new Allez looks like an even better choice in the entry level market than it already was.
The Allez has long been a popular model in the US company’s range, offering well-engineered aluminium frames, bags of speed and performance, and keen price points. Despite the prevalence of increasingly affordable carbon frames, Specialized (along with Cannondale, Trek and BMC) has continued to invest in aluminium, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with the material.
- Review: Specialized Allez E5 Sport 2017
For 2018 the new Allez has had a massive makeover, it’s an all-new frame and looks very different to the previous model. The most substantial change is a claimed 450g saving off the frameset (frame and fork) weight compared to the outgoing model.
The weight has been shed by “aggressive butting profiles” in the E5 aluminium frame, along with a full FACT carbon fork derived from the Tarmac. There’s also a tapered head tube to increase front-end stiffness to improve handling. Specialized appears to have moved away from the Smartweld construction process it was using with the top-end Allez models last year, though there is one Smartweld model carried over from last year.
Visually the frame is different to the old model. Dropped seatstays are aimed at improving the aerodynamics, which Specialized has tested in its own wind tunnel, which it calls the Win-Tunnel… We don’t know if any other brands have put their aluminium frames through the same wind tunnel testing? There’s also fully internal cable routing, as befits a modern road frame, the previous Allez had external cable routing.
While it’s clear Specialized has sought to increase the performance of the Allez platform, the company is rightly aware that a large part of its appeal has been its versatility; it has long been a popular choice in the cycle commuter market. So the new bike has rack and mudguard mounts to turn it into a daily commuter.
Previously the geometry has been closely inspired by the more expensive and aggressive Tarmac, but Specialized has relaxed the angles and measurements of the new Allez. It’s now taller at the front and the wheelbase is longer, changes that should imbue the bike with a bit more stability and a forgiving ride.
- 13 of the best aluminium road bikes
The range will consist of three bikes priced from £599 up to £999 using the new Allez frame, and a Peter Sagan Superstar frameset option at £1,300. The range is topped by the £1,600 Sprint Comp which uses last year’s Venge-influenced Smartweld frame.
Bikes will be specced with a new compact shaped handlebar, 25mm Espoir Sport tyres, and Body Geometry saddles.
The most affordable Allez (£599) is equipped with a Shimano 2000 Claris 8-speed groupset and Axis Sport wheels.
Step up to the Allez Sport (£799) and you get Shimano Sora 9-Speed and a Praxis Alba 2D chainset with Tektro Axis brakes.
The pick of the bunch and coming in just under a grand, ideal for the cycle to work scheme, the Allez Elite (£999) packs a Shimano 105 11-speed groupset, with an 11-32t cassette, DT R460 wheels and Espoir Sport 25mm tyres.
There’s quite a leap to the Allez Sprint Comp (£1,600) which uses the aero aluminium frame with D'Aluisio Smartweld Sprint Technology that was introduced a couple of years ago.
More at www.specialized.com
David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes.
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28 comments
So what is this Smartweld stuff (I used to work for a Spesh dealer, so konw that almost no other company in the game relies so heavily on this kind of bullshit). Well, in their own words:
"DSW, however, takes the joint and gives it back to the engineers. This means we're able to move the joint away from the area of the highest stress, making the finished frame's balance of strength, rigidity, and weight more pronounced than any alloy frame in history.
We've also taken comfort into account by employing a butted tube design, where excess material has been removed from low-stress areas. This allows our engineers to create a natural compliance in the tubes of the frame, so you'll experience less of the harsh ride characteristics that've plagued aluminum frames and more of the smooth ride qualities that we've engineered into the frame."
Well now. 1. Even in the pictures in their own material, the joins are where they have to be - headtube, BB etc. 2. I suspect 'Dale would have something to say about those claims. And 3. I was riding tripple butted Al frames 20+ years ago for Christ's sakes.
Like I say, Spesh are absolute pass masters at marketing, but I bet they are hoping that not too many people head down to Decathlon and wonder where their extra grand would go on an Allez.
See Simonmb's post above though, the £1600 model isn't endurance geometry, it's a different beast altogether, think SBC pitch the £1600 model as per your first point 'good for crits' etc.
I don't actually know why I'm putting so much effort into defending these bikes
guess I've just got a soft spot for nice rim braked aluminium frames, I still don't even know if these are particularly light or not!
Wasn't the 'USP' of the Allez that it was always a cheap way into a road racing/ fast riding ?
So good for crits and thrashing around etc as not the end of the world if you total it
Now it's 'endurance geometry' and up to £1600 but still without the discs that these customers seem to want, so kind of pointless alongside everything else.
If the first three models are Allez, the fourth (Sprint Comp) appears to come from different parentage deserves a different name altogether. It's the illigitimate (and sexy) sister.
Yeah fair cop, I didn't really look at the spec of that model as it's not the one I'm interested in anyway, I just remembered the funky shaped seatpost and thought 'aero'. But as alloy frames go it's not exactly a cookie cutter taiwanese catalogue frame so it's not going to be the cheapest out there.
Whereas you are every online, big batch, generic open mould carbon fibre frame company's dream customer (winky face etc. etc.).
To be honest we're sort of arguining at cross purposes, I'm not trying to defend the value of the £1600 model, I'm just trying to defend the choice of aluminium as a frame material. If the new Allez models turn out to be the weight of bricks or handle like cows then I'll be first in the queue for a Ribble...
Well it does, because you were dismissing the Allez because it was aluminium and I'm asking would you dismiss a steel bike just because it was steel?
All I was trying to get at is that aluminium has a place at any price bracket if it's done nicely, same as high end steel. That £1600 Allez isn't exactly run of the mill either, it's more of an aero bike, and you don't know that it won't be a similar weight to the Ribble either.
Comparisons with the Ribble aren't exactly fair anyway, one's a high street bike and one's an internet only bike, I'm a fussy bugger (could you tell? ; ) ) who likes having a shop he can go back and complain to, so that's worth it for me.
Aero bike? Really?
You are Specialized's dream customer. My local Spesh dealer's not stocking them, on the basis that they won't sell any at that price. I note they are aready widely discounted from £1.6K - funny old thing.
Not disputing the quality of the Ribble, doesn't happen to float my boat though, just saying that because one company's bike gets good reviews, doesn't mean that people mighten't want to consider an alternative at the same price... Or are you suggesting that nobody should by anything except Ribble from now on?
Plus, just because cheap carbon exists doesn't mean there isn't still a market for nice aluminium, you must be horrified that people still pay good money for steel bikes!
Edit: Is this the review you're referring to?
http://road.cc/content/review/223929-ribble-gran-fondo-disc
£1500 for a 9kg carbon bike with 105 that apparently isn't especially comfortable for an endurance style road bike? I'd bet that £1600 Allez gets very close to 9kg if not actually under.
Sure the Ribble is better value, you're getting discs for that money (assuming you want discs that is) but you're comparing direct online sales to high street prices, so not exactly a fair comparison.
I'm just saying that is a shed load of money - £1.6K FFS - for what it is. It's not even good value for a 105 nice Al bike - have a look at the guides/reviews on here. None of that has anything whatsoever to do with steel bikes
I was thinking of this one more particularly: http://road.cc/content/tech-news/223797-unboxed-ribble-r872
"The R872 comes Di2-ready no matter which build you opt for, and our test bike comes specced with a full Ultegra Di2 groupset. A carbon seatpost has a budget Selle Italia Flow X1 saddle atop of it, and the Fulcrum Racing Sport clincher wheels are reliable everyday alloy hoops with sealed cartridge bearings for durability.
As with all bikes from Ribble you can customise pretty much every component on the bike. The recommended build comes in at £1,666, and our version with the Di2 upgrade comes in at £1,966."
Eh... can't comment specifically on the Allez, but you are aware there are still an awful lot of expensive aluminium framesets out there yeah?
Cannondale in particular have been carving out a decent niche of high end aluminium for years, look at the various CAAD9/CAAD10 models.
I think the comfort argument has pretty successfully been debunked, and at this price range I'd argue the weight argument also (i.e. at the low end two similarly priced bikes, one carbon, one aluminium, probably wouldn't have much weight difference, if only because the carbon model probably has cheaper components on it).
Personal preference I guess, for a given price/spec I'd always take aluminium over carbon, less time chasing creaks in my experience!
Take it you havnn't read the Ribble reveiws then?
And whatever you bike's made of, it's got to be put together and maintained properly.
Have to agree with you there Bigtwin. I pad 1.4 for a full carbon Giant with 105 two years ago (yes, I know all about brexit and the fall in the value of the pound - thank you very much all the smart arses that are bound to point that out ). Plus, I just don't like ally as a bike frame material
.
Just look at the recent Ribble reviews on this site. Why on earth would anyone pay that for an Allez? Fair enough entry/commuter steed on bike to work etc, but no, makes no kind of sense beyond that.
"Allez Sprint Comp (£1,600) "
1.6 large for an ally 105 bike?
No. Really, just no.
2018 cycle to work bike sorted then
I can understand them not doing a disc version, after all, every man and his dog is doing endurance geometry disc road bikes now, put discs on a £999 Allez Elite and it becomes heavier with cheaper components, wouldn't stand out in the market.
a bit of a surprise that they've not introduced a disc option, especially with the shift to a more commuter friendly geometry.
my first road bike was an allez (2010 model I think with the carbon seat stays) really liked the ride. still have a bit of a soft spot for specialized.
Great paint job.
However, these very light alloy frames......are they as thick as a coke can?
If so, i can't see them being very robust. Maybe im wrong.
Could be they've just applied the butting techniques from more expensive models. It is a remarkably large saving but they're a reputable firm with a lot to lose if they fuck up their frames. So they probably haven't.
Those Red Hook paintjobs are utterly wild and look amazing in the flesh.
Google Specialized Red Hook and this comes up!
Now I ride a bright pink singlespeed but not sure I could get away with this!
Yeah I saw that review, but think that was Sora kit etc? A quick google suggests there's not much in it weight wise, approx 130g for the groupset and I'll bet at least 100g in the wheels.
So hopefully the 105 model would be approx 9.2kg anyway, and then the frame weight savings.
Could bring it down to 8.75kg?
Plus those Espoir tyres are apparently 370g each! That's a 270g saving right there if you went with GP4000s or something, so 8.4kg before you even looked at fancier wheels or finishing kit.
The reason I'm interested is I was looking at some other more expensive models with similar features (Rose Xeon or a custom build) but both are more expensive and with the added faff of not being able to buy local.
Allez with some upgrades could be the ticket.
Which model is the grey and pink one in the main photos? I like that paint job very much.
Can't see it on their website but their Allez Elite is apparently available in 'Red Hook' colours, with the image still to follow: www.specialized.com/gb/gb/men/bikes/road/performance/allez
Verrrrrry intersted, if it is in fact a lightweight aluminium frame with 'endurance' geometry, a threaded BB and space for 28mm tyres (according to SBC website).
Would be nice to know what that was, can't find much info on frameset weights?
last year's Allez weighed 9.44kg so we're looking at around 9Kg for this one.
Anyone interested in an used 2017 Allez?
Decent bikes but for £50 more than the Claris model, Decathlon will sell you a 2x11-speed, Aksium-wheeled Triban 540. £600 is quite a lot for a Claris bike, even if the frame is a good 'un.