I would really appreciate your advice on a new bike.
I currently ride an aluminium canyon endurace ultegra disc mechanical.
The majority of riding is indoors and I am planning to start racing crits this year. I also have a couple of longer distance 100 mile gran fondos coming up. I am a light rider at 58kg.
I have thought about 2 different bikes which are quite different. I will be purchasing on a cycle to work scheme so the final price I pay will be approximately 40% less.
Option 1: Allez sprint disc frameset with Ultegra mechanical groupset, CL50 wheels with GP5000 tyres and latex tubes, Power expert saddle, Aerofly bars with SL stemUltegra L/H power cramk and Ultegra 8000 pedals
Ā£4700 or Ā£5600 with di2
More aggressive geomtry with deeper wheels and better cockpit. Maybe better for indoor training as aluminium frame plus I travel alot with the bike in/out of the car. But much more expensive for di2.
Option 2: 2020 Specialized Tarmac expert. Has ultegra di2 and roval cl38 Ā£4750 would have to buy pedals and power meter separately.
Shallower wheels and lower spec cockpit. But has di2 and definitely better all rounder.
What do you guys think or any suggestions for alternatives?
First impression is that it seems to be a lot of money to throw at an alu bike.
I personally am not fond of the looks the new welding technique gives, as well.
In your shoes, Iād go for the ābetterā frameset with lower specs components and upgrade when my means allow it
A team mate of mine has the Allez Sprint. He says the bike is quite uncomfortable ā which is not an issue if all you want to do with it is race. But if you have other uses in mind, probably you should look for a more comfy bike.
If I were you, Iād forget about brands, Di2 and the like, and start test riding as many bikes as you can. Frame >> components.
I would take the Tarmac hands down in that scenario. Aluminum frames generally ride pretty rough, especially that one. It would be bad for fondos and just general riding. Resale value will be quite a bit lower too. The Tarmac is a great bike and worthy of any upgrades you might do later.
I would look used. If you do a lot of indoor training on an ERG maybe find a really cheap bike to just leave on the trainer the whole time and keep the outside rig for outside.
The problem with the cycle to work schemes in th uk is that retailers often will charge rrp or only give a minimal discount. This is to cover commission costs of using the scheme.
Once you include tyres, latex tubes, saddle, nice handlebars and workshop costs to build the bike up suddenly the classic āvalue allez sprint crit bikeā becomes quite expensive.
I am very apprehensive about spending this much on a bike but as I mentioned above because of the cycle to work scheme I will only end up paying approximately 60% of the quoted cost.
Having a dedicated trainer bike is awesome because it means being able to just hop on anytime and not having to worry about seeing it back up from the last time you took it out and vice verse when doing an outside ride.
I just use my old beginner bike. It even has a cracked frame, but it doesnāt matter since I use it with a direct drive trainer. Obviously not a good idea on rollers.
Maybe take a look at the Palace 3, Aithein Disc or Emonda Alr Disc framesets with ultegra mechanical as a starting point under Ā£1500, Also worth looking at smaller brands Sensa, Tifosi, lapierre.
Iāve always been a huge fan of alloy bikes and was hoping to get an Allez Sprint. I ended up getting a deal on a Tarmac Expert that was too good to pass up.
Itās easily the best bike Iāve ever ridden, hands down. Itās doesnāt have that aluminum āsnapā that I like so much, but it handles so well at any speed and is plenty fast.
Iām starting to think that aluminum frames feel fast the same way that narrower, higher psi tires do. The extra vibration and feedback gives the sensation of speed, where smoother is actually faster. My old alloy cervelo soloist with deep wheels and 23s felt like a rocket, but my Tarmac sl6 with 28s is the actual weapon.
Tarmac. There really is no comparison to carbon. I have owned aluminium bikes and currently have a Moots Ti and an S-works tarmac. The tarmac is my favorite. You will not be disappointed. I think that the aluminium push is alot of marketing from the bike companies. If it were all that great you would see world tour teams riding aluminium full time; not one race a year at the tour down under
I have an SL6 which I find to be my favorite bike Iāve ridden (Iāve only ridden my Aspero once so far, but thats pretty awesome too). The Tarmac is a great all around bike. I feel like I could just have that for a road bike and never feel like I am missing anything.
Too many people make a big deal out of aluminum frames. People have heard others say that and then get in their own heads and think its true. I had the first Red Hook Allez and I had no issue riding centuries on it. I was always comfortable using carbon wheels, latex tubes, proper tire pressure. Now I wouldnāt spend 4k+ on it, but to act like its some crazy low end bike that just shakes like crazy is a silly assessment.
I think thatās the point.
No one says itās a bad bicycle, but i donāt think anyone would splurge that kind of cash on an alu bike these days.
You might be able to alleviate some of defaults of the alloy frame with top of the range cockpit and wheels, but wouldnāt it make more sense to start with the best core componenent you can, if the final delivery is equivalent?
Iād say that based on what you are aiming to use the bike for, the Tarmac may prove the better option.
For the price you are getting your Di2 and still have room financially (compared to the other bike with Di2) for better wheels.
If you are planning to do any riding other than just Crits (which your post suggests is the case) then it is likely (all else being equal) to be better as an all rounder but still great for the Crits.
I have never owned one but have ātestā ridden one for an extended ride and thought it was an excellent bike - a noticeable improvement in terms of responsiveness to my Cannondale synapse that is more of a relaxed Gran Fondo type frame, but not so aggressive as to feel very uncomfortable.
Best of luck with the Crits regardless of what bike choice you eventually make.
Iām surprised nobody has said this yet - but only race what you can replace. Are you gonna be cool when you go out for crit and someone crashes you out and lands on top of your frame/wheels and breaks them?
Also - I have heard that people avoid power meter pedals for racing because of the lower clearance for pedals strikes.
Iām about to build up a Allez Sprint for crit racing. Originally had my heart set on an S-works Venge, but donāt see the benefit other than looks. Iām not anywhere near fast enough to justify crashing a $5500 frame for the sake of saving a handful of watts.
My planned spec:
Allez Sprint frame
Ultegra R8020 mechanical + hydraulic disc
Enve SES 7.8 disc
Aero road bar TBD
Stages Left power meter
The fairly large cost bias toward the Enve wheelset is justified by their 50%-off crash replacement program.
Iām opting for the 7.8s because theyāre more aero for 25mm tires and way more aero for 28mm tires. Separated air has a hard time reattaching when using 28mm tires on 60mm or shallower rims, according to some folks.
But agree this is rare.
