Upgrades for Specialized Allez?
Discussion
Getting into the roady thing a bit more now and am looking to upgrade my totally standard Specialized Allez.
For mtb, I'm fine and I know what I'm doing! Road is new brands and ranges so need some help!
The bike has a full Sora group set which works, but I know others are better. I tend to run a mix of xt and xtr on my mtbs.
Would a 105 group set be much better? Would I need to go to Ultegra to see a big difference?
Also wheels, can £2-300 get me a noticeable better set than the specialized built axis wheels that it came with?
Cheers
For mtb, I'm fine and I know what I'm doing! Road is new brands and ranges so need some help!
The bike has a full Sora group set which works, but I know others are better. I tend to run a mix of xt and xtr on my mtbs.
Would a 105 group set be much better? Would I need to go to Ultegra to see a big difference?
Also wheels, can £2-300 get me a noticeable better set than the specialized built axis wheels that it came with?
Cheers
The new 105 and Ultegra groups are excellent / good value but you will def need new wheels as the freehubs are longer for 11 speed.
Fulcrum 3 are a light stiff wheel which take a lot of stick and are available as cheap as anything in that weight range. You can get hand made wheels too which could be a smidgers lighter.
To be honest, just sticking decent folding tyres on a bike can make a lot of difference though, and a decent saddle....
Fulcrum 3 are a light stiff wheel which take a lot of stick and are available as cheap as anything in that weight range. You can get hand made wheels too which could be a smidgers lighter.
To be honest, just sticking decent folding tyres on a bike can make a lot of difference though, and a decent saddle....
I had exactly the same question with my Allez last year.
The difference between Sora and Ultegra is huge, but you would need to upgrade the whole group as none of the parts are interchangeable. As mentioned above, you would new wheels too as the 11 speed hub is longer.
I went for a pair of Mavic Cosmic asks and it he two upgrades transformed the bike. I actually think that the Allez frame is pretty good, and pretty light for an relatively cheap ally frame. Mine cost me about £650 a few years ago, but I've spent another £1500 on upgrades since then!
The difference between Sora and Ultegra is huge, but you would need to upgrade the whole group as none of the parts are interchangeable. As mentioned above, you would new wheels too as the 11 speed hub is longer.
I went for a pair of Mavic Cosmic asks and it he two upgrades transformed the bike. I actually think that the Allez frame is pretty good, and pretty light for an relatively cheap ally frame. Mine cost me about £650 a few years ago, but I've spent another £1500 on upgrades since then!
I would say 105 bare minimum, Ultegra if you can afford it. Ribble handsome good winter wheel deals on recently, C24s are good but don't the rims wear through quickly?
I went for hand built having originally binned the axis and then replacement fulcrum 3's. The Fulcrums are ok, however new wheels are wider rims and virtually the same weight with more spokes and affordable replacement components.
If you are going to replace shifters and bar tape are you happy with bar width? Have you had a fit as now is the time to change them.
As this is PH should we be trying to get you to buy a new bike?
I went for hand built having originally binned the axis and then replacement fulcrum 3's. The Fulcrums are ok, however new wheels are wider rims and virtually the same weight with more spokes and affordable replacement components.
If you are going to replace shifters and bar tape are you happy with bar width? Have you had a fit as now is the time to change them.
As this is PH should we be trying to get you to buy a new bike?
I'd imagine you could get something from Canyon for that price that includes most of, if not all of, your spec. Not sure I'd bother upgrading anything on an Allez, I'd probably keep it as it is and use it as a winter/commuting hack. When I had mine I p/xed it on a Roubaix and have started upgrading that instead...
Check out Pauls Cycles, should be able to get that spec for £1500 and better if you don't mind an older frame:
http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m7b0s6p5774/CANNONDAL...
http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m7b0s6p5475/CANNONDAL...
http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m7b0s6p5774/CANNONDAL...
http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m7b0s6p5475/CANNONDAL...
I have one bike with Sora 3500 and one with Ultegra 6800. Yes, the Ultegra is slicker and it's quieter... However, by all accounts, 105 5800 feels every bit as good as Ultegra 6800, and is 2/3rds the cost. But Ultegra has a nicer looking finish.
Lighter wheels will make a difference to how responsive the bike feels- how quickly it seems to accelerate or stop - but not really so much to how it feels at steady pace. By contrast, deeper section wheels can make a difference to the effort required to sustain higher speeds, or the speed you can sustain for a given effort. Many people buy them also for their appearance.
Lighter wheels will make a difference to how responsive the bike feels- how quickly it seems to accelerate or stop - but not really so much to how it feels at steady pace. By contrast, deeper section wheels can make a difference to the effort required to sustain higher speeds, or the speed you can sustain for a given effort. Many people buy them also for their appearance.
SixPotBelly said:
I have one bike with Sora 3500 and one with Ultegra 6800. Yes, the Ultegra is slicker and it's quieter... However, by all accounts, 105 5800 feels every bit as good as Ultegra 6800, and is 2/3rds the cost. But Ultegra has a nicer looking finish.
Lighter wheels will make a difference to how responsive the bike feels- how quickly it seems to accelerate or stop - but not really so much to how it feels at steady pace. By contrast, deeper section wheels can make a difference to the effort required to sustain higher speeds, or the speed you can sustain for a given effort. Many people buy them also for their appearance.
I know what to expect in terms of weight from a wheel upgrade, I run carbon rims on my full suss. How does the section effect a fixed amount of effort though?Lighter wheels will make a difference to how responsive the bike feels- how quickly it seems to accelerate or stop - but not really so much to how it feels at steady pace. By contrast, deeper section wheels can make a difference to the effort required to sustain higher speeds, or the speed you can sustain for a given effort. Many people buy them also for their appearance.
5678 said:
I know what to expect in terms of weight from a wheel upgrade, I run carbon rims on my full suss. How does the section effect a fixed amount of effort though?
Aerodynamics. The spokes create most of the wheel's resistance to movement through the air. A deeper wheel has shorter spokes. The most aerodynamically efficient wheel would be solid, like rear solid disc wheels seen on the velodrome track. Be aware that the deeper a wheel's cross section the more it's susceptibility to crosswinds. So for road riding it's wise to limit how deep you go.One of these http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBVIMITULT/viner-mitu...
And some nice wheels with the change.
And some nice wheels with the change.
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