Anyone else see this yet? Pretty sweet to see the new aluminum shapes/technology coming out, in my opinion. This, as well as the new Giant Propel SLR alloy, seem like pretty attractive options for crits/road racing. Interested to see how far this aluminum trend goes.
http://www.bicycling.com/...ialized-allez-sprint
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.
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
:
http://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear/reviews/first-ride-2016-specialized-allez-sprint
Bicycling report that a traditional 2x setup is on the way, now I’m excited:
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.
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.
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?