Looks nice. What is up with the cable to the rear brake?

In the article it says the bike they tested was a pre-production model; I would guess that the exposed cable running underneath the top tube will be rerouted internally once the bike hits production. At least I would hope so.

Edited: Although looking at the junction between the seatstays/toptube/seat tube, it doesn't look like there's really a clean exit point for an internally-routed rear brake cable without having to bend the cable a considerable amount. Maybe it will stay external...

Thanks. Definitely an interesting option for aluminum on the market. Question is whether it can best the CAAD 12.

A couple of pics.

I really wish they offered the Propel SLR and the aero Felt aluminum bike in the US. Perfect crit bikes. Maybe we'll start to see more aero aluminum frames soon.

I'm very excited about this bike and already have a special project planned :)

This new brewing class is perfectly sensible for racing bikes. Like others have said, wish they would all come to the US. I hope manufacturers keep the price point options reasonable on these.

Does the Allez Sprint use aero shaped tubing for headtube and downtube? Or is it meant to be pseudo-aero with the rear wheel cutout?

BMC has a new option as well. Saw that this evening, and it comes in at a helluva price point with 105.

Looking at it, the downtube looks rather... round... and it looks huge. I'm a bit confused and disappointed by this. They hydro/air formed the tube (notice the flat spot for the water bottle cage) but it appears that it doesn't have a very aero profile in contrast to the seat tube. They easily could've made it more aero with a minimal compromise to the bike's stiffness.

I agree with you that they definitely have the technology/resources to make it more aero than it appears from the photos posted. That being said, I understand why Specialized might do it the way they did----the Allez Sprint frame is about as aero as it gets for aluminum road bikes currently available on the market, with the exception of maybe the Giant Propel SLR alloy and the Felt AR15, but those aren't available in the US. Neglecting to put aero profiles on all the tubes now makes it really easy and inexpensive for Specialized to roll out "upgraded" models with aero profiles on the downtube, headtube, etc. in subsequent years.

Right now, the competition for aluminum aero road bikes is not really there at all, so I don't think Specialized feels too much pressure to release an Allez Sprint model that rivals their own Venge in terms of aero, for example. They can milk the profits from this current model, as well as the profits from any "upgraded" models in subsequent years, assuming the market for aero aluminum bikes continues to grow.

It also makes it easy for their marketing team when they do release a new aero model to claim that it's "40% more aero than the previous model", or whatever number they decide to throw out there. Just my opinion. Interested to hear other's thoughts.

Seems like a reasonable take on things. Specialized didn't become a + $500 million company by luck. There to make money.

This is now listed on the Specialized website, there are two models, a basic "Comp" model with mostly SRAM Rival and a higher "Expert" model with full SRAM Force.

Interestingly, both are single-chainring only and given the shape of that downtube I would assume that they will have to stay that way. That's a very interesting marketing choice, they're openly pushing them as crit-racing bikes, but it seems as though they will be alienating a lot of their potential market by limiting it to single-ring, certainly me for one.

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/road/allez



[Edited to add]:

http://www.bicycling.com/...ialized-allez-sprint

Bicycling report that a traditional 2x setup is on the way, now I'm excited:

Quote:

The Allez Sprint will be offered as a frameset and in two different SRAM complete builds as a criterium-specific 1x bike by the end of the month. Another month later, traditional 2x versions with front derailleurs will be offered as well. Pricing is yet to be determined. We are receiving a test bike, though, so keep your eyes peeled for our in-depth review.

This is the rear brake cable exit for anyone interested. Could be cleaner, but certainly better than cable ties to the top-tube!

Interesting. Doesn't looknlike you can fit a center pull like a TriRig in there.

Why would you want to? If using it for its purpose (crit racing), Ill take a better stopping brake than a more aero brake if that means I can carry more speed and brake later getting to the turn.

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Twitter

I haven't had any issues with lack of braking power with my Omegas. Can easily lock up the wheels any time I want and there is plenty of modulation as well.

So are you saying this new Allez Sprint isn't meant to be aero and is just for show? It looks semi aero. Aero looking seat tube. Aero looking seat post. Rear wheel cutout. Flat back of downtube for water bottles.

So I don't see an issue with the thought of running an aero brakeset if you want to race on aluminum and looking for something aero. We don't get the Felt AR 15 here. We don't get the Giant Propel SLR alloy here. For a nice race frame, you have the CAAD 10 and 12, and the new Trek Emonda ALR. Neither of those being aero in the least bit.

I'm asking this genuinely (so hopefully I don't get torn apart on here), but is there any measurable difference in time saved between running a rear Omega as opposed to a normal SRAM rear brake as shown in the pic? Especially for a frame like this (assuming it could fit an Omega)?

I can't imagine that even the most sensitive wind tunnels out there could pic up on that difference if tested with a rider pedaling... but feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. If there was a difference, wouldn't it be so insignificantly small that it would just make sense to run the brake that had the best stopping power?

"To compliment the Allez’s stiff frame, the front end runs an S-Works FACT carbon fiber fork up front to ensure precision handling. And when you own your own wind tunnel, you better use it for everything possible – the New Allez was no exception. The down tube, seat tube, and seatstays have all been aerodynamically optimized to reduce drag, without sacrificing any of the explosiveness that crit racing and sprinting requires. The result is a bike that saves a claimed 1.3 meters in a sprint compared to a traditional Allez according to Specialized."

http://www.bikerumor.com/...allez-dsw-x1-expert/

Man, I like Specialized, but their marketing department must think that people are morons with the random unsubstantiated numbers that they stuff in their press releases. It annoys me that they do it every single time.

Saying 1.3 metres is completely meaningless, they may as well say 1.3 hours or 1.3 miles. Idiots.

If I didn't know better, at a quick glance I might think it was a carbon frame.

I went to the debut of the new Venge and this bike last month and spent a couple of hours with Mark Cote, the Specialized Win-Tunnel manager. Couple of things about this bike that he relayed. In their wind tunnel they found the biggest aero component for a road bike to be the seat tube/seat post and the interface of the seat stays. Which is why they spent so much time with this on the Venge ViAS and the Allez Sprint. The Sprint even uses the Venge ViAS seat post. They essentially duplicated the back half of the ViAS with the front half of a Tarmac. The head tube is a semi aero shape, as is the downtube. The shape of the downtube came straight from the 15/16 Tarmac. Mark said that aero numbers on the Sprint are as good or better than the first generation Venge.

Honestly, it was a super informative experience. Enough so that I bought an Evade helmet based on what I heard. And to their credit, the Evade changed my comfort level on a bike here in Houston. Mark Cote indicated that airflow across the head was increased by some stupid factor without an aero penalty. And he was absolutely right about the airflow. I went from being miserable with sweat dripping into my eyes in 95 degree/95 percent humidity to barely getting a sweat bead rolling down my face just by switching helmets.

I would love to see a whitepaper or at least confirmation from Mark or Chris Yu on this fact!

More and more the Allez Sprint is looking like it will be my race bike for '16.

They showed a graph which showed aero numbers for the different bikes. The Sprint was right there with the old Venge.. What was interesting was the new Venge. Zero Yaw/head on the new Venge and the Shiv TT had basically identical numbers. But as the yaw angle increased to 20 degrees, it actually become more aero than Shiv TT by a healthy margin.

I'll be honest, I've never been a real specialized fan. But I left with a new found respect for the amount of R&D and engineering that they described to us and why they did certain things. From what they did with the Venge and Sprint, to the testing and design of the new shoes, to putting Cavendish's entire lead out train in the wind tunnel, to putting Cav in the tunnel with Greipel sized riders behind him to figure out what position worked best to disrupt Greipel's airflow. Pretty cool stuff.

OK...WHO HAS ONE? I'd like to know if I wanted to get the anodized alum. from w/black fork, what would the 'total' difference in cost be?

I doubt anyone does. No estimated dates yet for shipment as of today.

I was told eta is early December for complete bikes, framesets sometime early 2016.

Sorry been crankin' pretty hard on projects and haven't gotten to a whitepaper....yes, the Allez Sprint is about the same drag as a gen1 Venge in low yaw. In crosswind, it doesn't sail as well so it's not quite as fast as gen 1 Venge. Suit it up with an aerofly and you've got a pretty bitchin' bike.

And to those that just called out the marketing as BS or unsubstantiated - hey, we're doing our best but can't hit every channel all the time. The numbers are all legit and the aero team here on ST can run the deltas of a bike the drops CdA on the order of 0.015 m^2 versus a traditional competitor - this definitely is on the order of more than a bike length in a 200m sprint.

Mark

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Mark Cote
MITAerobike
Specialized Bicycle Components

Will there be a frame that's compatible with a front derailleur? 1x system on a road bike isn't for everyone.

Yes, it's on its way but a few months out....no defined timing yet

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Mark Cote
MITAerobike
Specialized Bicycle Components

Any new information on availability?

They are available in foreign markets already. Specialized is really trying to push the 1x stuff here.

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Heath Dotson
HD Coaching:Website |Twitter: 140 Characters or Less|Facebook:Follow us on Facebook

I've not seen any availability or pricing in the UK as yet.

If you look at the Asian market they are being sold there.

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Heath Dotson
HD Coaching:Website |Twitter: 140 Characters or Less|Facebook:Follow us on Facebook

Does anyone know if the frame will be Di2 capable?




Thanks.


Any ideas when they will start being sold in the USA market? I'll need to do a gear ratio calculation, but the 48x11/32 looks like it should cover most gears fairly well.

I've ordered this polished aluminum frame, building it up with the featured SRAM components, Zipp 404's, Rotor 50 tooth narrow/wide Q-ring. Any suggestions to 'bling' it out?

I'd guess a polished silver bike pretty much defines bling, maybe just ride it really fast

Have you had a chance to ride it yet? As anyone else ridden one yet? Seems to be a lack of reviews out there. Still looks like an interesting option.

2x version of the bike should be out soon from what I have read online.

I really love mine. I was surprised at how much of an improvement it was over my Soloist team. The bike jumps really well, and it takes some of the road buzz out. The overall feeling is a really solid and nice handling bike. I can't say enough good things about the SRAM 1x system either, really solid shifting and it is eerily quiet.

Do you have any experience on a Cannondale CAAD to compare it to?

I have seen them, looked them over, but haven't ridden them. On aesthetics I'll take my Allez Sprint any day of the week.

Have any pictures to share? The Specialized/press pictures sure make it look nice.

What tubes have an aero profile to them? Seat tube and down tube?

They are definitely pretty in person. I can't wait for whatever 2017 model comes out (will be a 2016 carryover i'm sure with different paint options) and I can get a '16 on sale. I definitely want to add it to my collection of Allez/Tarmacs.

The top half of the seat tube is def an airfoil. The seat post itself is off the Venge ViAS. The down tube is really reminiscent of Cervelo's latest squoval design. i.e. a rounded front edge and a flatter back edge. Aero appears to not have been the #1 priority, responsiveness, and handling appear to have been the primary priorities. It seems like they made things as aero as they could with those priorities. Overall it makes a great bike but it isn't as fast in a straight line as a ViAS. But I'm not signing up my check book to dive a ViAS into the last corner of a crit either :)

Looks very nice. Thanks for sharing.

I have yet to see one in person. The local Specialized dealers don't stock it and have told me they don't plan to stock it because it is "too expensive of an aluminum frame" and they would rather stock the low end Venge and Tarmac at the Allez Sprint price point. Don't really understand that completely, but it is what it is. If I get one, I'll have to order it sight unseen.

I ordered it sight unseen and the dealer was told I ended up getting one of the first shipments. In a spate of bad luck it arrived while I was out of town for the week on business, then when I got back I got a nasty cold and didn't ride at all that week. So this bike has been sitting there taunting me for a solid 2 weeks and I started to get some doubts about whether or not it was going to be any better than my Cervelo Soloist Team, and if I would be able to notice anything. The first ride eliminated any concerns, the bike is smooth and fast. Well exceeded all my expectations.

Chris has posted this:
https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/t31.0-8/12615442_10153425536323325_7880431141166838030_o.jpg
Possibly the best color combo ever!

It looks good but unfortunately Bianchi own that color combo!



Ironic, given how litigious Specialized are when it comes to other people getting too close to their trademarks!

No they don't. And I didn't even have to read what you posted to know that. Maybe you should actually read it?

Jeez, you're not much fun, are you?! Do I need to edit that advert so that it's all in pink for you?!

Awesome. I'm happy to hear that. I have a CAAD that I like. Just thinking I would like to upgrade to something new and that Allez Sprint sure looks like a potential fit.

Do you think you would be happy with the Allez Sprint after a 80-100 mile ride? From the sounds of it, the ride isn't harsh at all. With proper wheels, tires and pressure, seems like it should be no big deal.

One thing is, I wish the cable routing was a little bit nicer. The RD cable entrance on downtube and exit on downtube looks a little out of place.

I'm probably the wrong guy to ask about comfort. I have done plenty of centuries on my old Cervelo Soloist team and this bike is way more comfortable than that in stock form. Coming from CAAD I doubt, but don't have any real basis for this, that you would have any problems.

The rear derailleur cable routing is probably my only niggle on the whole thing. I think they had to do it the way they did because of the way the bottom bracket is setup, but I'm not sure. The entrance up top isn't so bad, but the piece of cable housing that exits the downtube and goes to the chainstay is kinda annoying.

Are there any openings in the bottom bracket in case one wanted to run Di2 on the frame? Or maybe you haven't had the crank off yet?

I took the crank off to put a power meter. The whole thing is pretty open inside. The two halves are welded over a cylinder that I think has 3 cutouts in it. You could probably run a di2 cable all the way from the cable entrance to the hole in the drop out if you had the patience of a saint, a steady hand, and a wire fishing snake. I don't think there are any walls that would prevent you from doing it.....but it would def be a 3-4 beer job and involve words that you wouldn't want small people hearing. Having said that...it would be pretty damn sweet, but so would Red ETap with way less swearing.

Yeah SRAM eTap would be very nice. Just the price tag is much higher than a Shimano 6870 setup. Once eTap Force or Rival comes out, then I might be able to spring for it.

How do you like the 1x setup? I like the idea of that for crit racing, but for training and general riding I like 2x for the tighter gears. Do you feel the 1x has too large of jumps in hearing?

I really like the 1x stuff....it is eerily quiet and I've really grown to appreciate that part of it. The stock 'Expert' setup comes with a 50T front and a 11-32 rear. I've got an additional 11-28 on it right now. The 11-28 is single tooth gaps up to about the 17 I think which is perfectly livable. I live in an absurdly flat place where you could have welded the fr. derailleur on my last bike into the 53 and it would have taken me months to notice. Now I just don't have to feel guilty about cross chaining :)

Mark, is the "traditional competitor" that you tested against the regular Allez DSW? A CdA reduction of 0.015 m^2 is around 15 watts, correct?

In case anyone is interested: This is my Allez X1 build out with SRAM Force 1 and 52t and 10-42. It was under 16lbs with no pedals and uncut steerer tube. You can see frame and fork was 4lbs. I have since replaced the stem with a Zipp Sprint.

Out of curiosity what do you see as the advantage of the running 1X on this bike? The 10-42 cassette does offer a huge range but at the cost of a some pretty big jumps across the middle of the range. If you were racing crits and could get away with an 11-28 cassette I see where the 1X comes into its own, but by the time you need the wide range set-up I would have thought a traditional compact system would work better.

You are correct, if I was racing crits I'd have a much smaller cassette. The bike is setup this way because my Shiv is setup this way. So when I train on this bike, it's the same as my "race bike". I always hear the "big jumps" comment regarding the 1x setup. I have not noticed it racing or riding. The advantage of this setup (IMO) is the simplicity. Mechanically, it's one less thing on the bike to go wrong/need maintenance. I have dropped my chain during a race but that's not happening with this setup. Also, it's dead quiet. While riding, you just click up or down. That's it. No thinking if now is the time to move the front chainring, no loss of momentum. It's not for everyone I guess, but for me, it works.

I really like the aesthetics and overall concept of this bike. 1X drivetrain, giant downtube, and standard 64mm wheels... all great ideas as a straight up race bike. The polished frame, International orange accents and blacked out deep section wheels just looks bitchin. Specialized's alloy forming is cutting edge stuff, the shapes in this frame are incredible.

$3,750 for the Edition is a lot for a crashable crit bike, though. This bike is probably not ideal as a training bike. I'll bet aero section alloy + deep section carbon = buckboard ride. Buying the Edition would be a dedicated crit investment... Unsurprisingly, the lower end models are far less sexy.

Part of me really wants to go 1X in my TT rig as I am all for simplifying the bike for travel. I just don't have the self belief I have the power to make it work very well. It's probably a marketing/tradition thing but I feel nervous losing the little ring even though I realize 52x46 is a little gear.

Scott8888, you've got the power man, don't worry about it. My shiv has 50t and 10~42. I raced that at IMLT 70.3 in Sept and I was fine. Check out your current vs proposed gear ratios, you'll be surprised. I've never looked back.

Do you know if the 'Expert' model comes with a long cage or a Med cage? Heck, I've got one sitting in my car, how do I tell what it is?

I'm assuming you would have to do the long cage to get the 10-42 to work. I'm thinking about running that as an option for the one mountainous ride I do a year. A 50-42 is serious goat type gearing, and the 50-10 will be more than enough to get me in plenty of trouble on the way down.

As for this bike being livable day to day, I'm completely happy with it so far. It is way more comfortable than my old daily ride (Cervelo Soloist, Aluminum). I'll update it once I get the CLX 64's on it, but it should scream. I know some people will call me crazy for putting these wheels on it, but for my primary bike/race bike I think it is combo that will do me well far into the future, plus getting a pretty good deal on all of it doesn't hurt either.

What size frame did you go with? 56cm?

i'd think you could run a medium cage on the 10-42. Thats not too much chain length to make up with the single ring up front. I'm running a short cage X9 with a 50t front & 11-36 rear

pyrahna, you hit the nail on the head: "A 50-42 is serious goat type gearing, and the 50-10 will be more than enough to get me in plenty of trouble on the way down." This is exactly what I have found on my Shiv and this Allez with the 52t up front.

I also agree that this bike is fine day to day putting 100+ miles/week on it.

To answer your questions: I have the "long cage" on this bike to accommodate the 52t & 10~42. I do not know what the Expert comes with, sorry.

When you get a second, can you measure the distance between the centers of the pulleys on your long cage?

It is exactly 3" from center to center. I checked both on my Shiv and the Allez. I personally ordered the one on the Allez and I checked the box when it arrived, it is the "long cage". Hope that helps.

I have to disagree about the aesthetics being cutting edge or incredible - Lots of aluminum bikes have shaped aero-esque tubes. And in these BikeRadar pics of the Allez Sprint, the bottom bracket welds are especially lumpy for alloy, and the exposed center seam is just bizarre:



The head tube welds are even louder. If these are pics of finished frames, then I think Specialized created this alloy bike just to exaggerate the aesthetic advantages of carbon over welded alloy:



Cannondale had smooth, pretty welds decades ago. Even my lowly $600 2011 aluminum GT has a squoval-y downtube and tapered/shaped top tube, joined by nearly invisible welds throughout:

I am no expert but I believe the weld difference is that the Allez Sprint is using butt welds and not fillet welds. I also bet that the GT and Cannondale frames had someone sand the weld down prior to painting.


This one looks very nice:

So according to these pictures, there appears to be a large amount of variation in how obtrusive the welds are on the Allez Sprint - ranging from really ugly to reasonably ok.

But that weird center seam on the bottom bracket is consistent, and in my opinion, it's a total party foul. Wiping down the bike will push all kinds of nasty greasy sweaty gatoradey grime into that crevice - and in centuries of bike building, nobody else felt the need to place a seam/joint there - It looks like someone tack welded those halves together in their garage.

Most of the difference you see in the welds is due to lighting conditions.

The difference you see between the main welds and the 'weld' holding the BB halves together is that the BB isn't welded together, it is brazed together. So there is a visual seam but it is much more flush to the main structure than the main welds that are actual welds.

As an aside, it surprises me how people are turned off by visual perceptions to things that were decided on a primarily functional standpoint. It's the engineer in me, but I appreciate that they used different joining techniques in different spots due to, what I assume is, perceived structural benefits.