So I’m gearing up for getting my second road bike, this time a personal build from the ground up. Build specifically for the type of riding I’ve been doing predominantly (crits and short distance road races + occasional R&R). I’m staying with aluminum, staying with a 1x setup (had it for 2 seasons now, loving it to death) and this time going for discs.
So the “problem” is whether I should stick to my initial plan for an allez frameset build, or to go with a caad option (as these are also a very popular option from what I gather).
Aside from the esthetics which is fully subjective, which frame would you peeps go for in this situation and why? I’m leaning towards the allez, but if there are better options then I will most likely take them under consideration. Are there any decent alternatives to the caad and allez? Anyone here maybe rode both frames and can compare?
I’ve owned and raced both and they are both very capable. The Allez just beats out the CAAD12 in handling and stiffness, but the CAAD may have ridden better. The new edition CAAD would be killer in disc so that on training days you could run big tires. That said, I’ll always contend the Allez is the best amateur race bike available.
I have an Allez Sprint Disc and I love it. Granted it is the most expensive bike I’ve ever owned so I don’t have a great comparison but it is stiff, direct feeling, reasonably priced, and surprisingly comfortable. It definitely is a little less comfortable with 25’s but when winter came I put on 30mm Corsa Control TL’s and its amazingly comfortable. And it could maybe even fit 32s.
I’d go Bowman palace disc if it were me. Love the look of that bike (plus that threaded bb is better than a bb30 imo). Not to say that don’t like the allez Sprint, but they are so common now (at least where I live).
I’ve owned a Allez Sprint Disc for a year now. It is a fantastic bike. I have owned carbon road frames in the past and feel no difference in stiffness (note - I am ~5’9", 150lbs). I have nothing bad to say about the frameset. Best of luck searching for the new bike.
The Allez sprint is awesome. I build a lot of them for customers. It’s a little harsh for my taste and the aesthetics aren’t quite my speed, but the handling is just so much fun. I haven’t ridden the CAAD13, and so I can’t comment on that one, but the CAAD9, 10, and 12 were all superb to ride. Not quite as aggressive as the Allez, but smoother. Personally, if I were building an Aluminum road disc bike, I’d probably go with a BMC TeamMachine ALR Disc. They don’t fit me right, but the teammachine is one of the most balanced bikes I’ve ridden in a while.
To be quite honest, there aren’t a lot of objectively bad options out there right now (coming from the major manufacturers, anyway). Pick one that tickles your fancy, invest in good wheels (please, please invest in good wheels), and ride the hell out of it.
I’d say Canyon Ultimate AL as well, but they have been discontinued. I absolutely love mine - no idea why they canned it. Probably because it was every bit as good as the carbon Ultimate, at 1/5th the price.
That is why I’m leaning towards the allez. Staying with aluminum I want to potentially have the best there is, having something that is an animal and an absolute hoot to ride when really pushed
Yes, I did actually notice the Bowman, the threaded bb is definitely an the plus side. I’ve read a lot of good things about them, though the esthetics of them are not my thing - they look just too similar to what I have now. The allez on the other hand (at least where I live) is considered a novelty bike. I actually never saw anyone riding one (on the streets or during events), and the ones which I have seen online on auctions and such are like unicorns - just so rare.
Ever since I nearly totalled my shoulder I don’t ride anything smaller than 28c I sued to ride 23c, then I crashed, changed to 28 and now I grips like a tank, so much more confident in corners, thing is just planted and definitely much more comfortable.
wow, didn’t see that one! Technically it is available in my region so would have to double check for actual availability. Wouldn’t mind having it in those colors
I’ve heard it tends to be harsher, but then again I only ever ridden one bike (an aluminum one as well) so I don’t really have a benchmark to compare. I don’t know whether my current ride is harsh or smooth, it just is. But given that the allez has a carbon fork and seatpost, which my current rig does not, and the fact that I’m staying with 28c then I guess the ride will not be any worse than my current one.
Yeah the BMC is also one sexy beast. Quite expensive in my region though, and no frameset option I think.
Haven’t looked at Ridley, thanks for the heads up. Trek - not a brand fan sort of like my approach to apple products, I think they are not as good as they claim to be and they are overpriced. Their marketing is good though
The canyons are good, but the looks is just to similar to my current one, just as with the Bowman, great frame but it just lacks that something for me
I guess it will be a regional thing, with customs costs, brand availability on the market and such. In Poland treks tend to be on the “shiz” side, If you have one you’re the man so to speak (not all of them but still). Maybe the aluminum ones not as much but the top end carbon bikes have crazy prices. Recently saw a top end Madone for around 60K of our local currency. For comparison, you can buy a small shitty flat for 60K where I live!! A small flat, for the price of a bike…
So true, the top end Venges and Tarmacs are bananas as well. What I like is though that despite Spec prices the allez frameset in comparison is not that expensive. The new one is like 5k, old models you can get for like 4k. Normally it might sound like a lot for just a frameset but when you consider it is basically the best that aluminum has to offer, and that it will outperform most if not all carbon frames at this price point then it becomes something of a bargain.
Yeah there isn’t a lot of BMCs rolling around as well. Nice looking bikes too.
And about the bike - trek emonda alr is the same price for the frame or you can find whole bike from 2019 for around 5k (new) - but only gray because purple one from 2019 is sold out everywhere It is not as funky and colourful like allez but quality of build and ride is great. With H.2 geometry I think it is more all rounder than allez l, which is more “racy” in my opinion. I only mention emonda cause it is sporty, quite aggressive but you can easily use it for an endurance trips. Disc version is more expensive but the sole frame is the same as rim.
