# Would you recommend Specialized Allez Elite?



## noadapter (2 Jun 2009)

Looking to buy my first road bike, looking to spend £1000 max . The Trek 1.7 and specialized allez elite catch the eye. Testing a Trek1.7 bike tommorow, so see how that goes but the Specialized Allez Elite has to be ordered from Evans before i can test it, so any specialized riders would you recommend it to a novice rider?


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## Wigsie (2 Jun 2009)

A big fat YES! love mine and it was head and shoulders above the Trek in my mind.

Although the key thing to remember is it was MY mind... they are both great but you must try them both and see what suits you best, make sureyou do or you will be wondering for ages what the other would have been like.

Good Luck!


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## therams (2 Jun 2009)

I have the Specialized Allez Sport and my only regret was not shelling out the extra for the Elite!

Like you it was my first road bike, so I have nothing to compare to really. I did ride the Trek (1.5) and it was not as nice as the Allez. 

I have done over 1200 miles on it since January, and no problems.


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## monnet (2 Jun 2009)

I've got an 07 Elite. Absolutely brilliant. Never had any trouble with it (beyond the general wear and tear of putting it through 7000 miles or so). I find Treks often have a top tube that is slightly too long for me. Again, emphasis on my opinion there. 

I wasn't a novice per se when I got the Elite but I was coming back to the sport after a couple of years out. I found the riding position was great - very relaxed and comfortable for long rides. Within 4 months of getting it I'd done several imperial century rides which would have been unthinkable on my previous machine. 

For the style of bike it is it's responsive and fairly quick (I only started to notice the limitations of mine when I started to get serious about training and doing chaingangs etc but even then it held its own against much flashier numbers). Mine also came with some great bits of finishing kit you don't normally see on bikes in that price range (notably the Alias sadle and the zertz seat pin it sits on).


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## punkypossum (2 Jun 2009)

I rode both the spesh and the trek - the trek felt more comfortable, partly because the top tube was SHORTER than on the specialized!


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## amnesia (3 Jun 2009)

The Allez Elite seems to get lots of very good reviews, so I would say yes.

Also try out the Boardman Team Carbon which has won loads of awards this year.


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## weepiglet (3 Jun 2009)

I was in the same situation about 6-8 weeks ago as I was keen on the Spesh but I couldn't find anywhere that had my size in stock. As a result I saw a Trek 1.9 which usually retails at £1200. Went in to the LBS, said I only have £1000 to spend and they said ok as long as it was paid in full! I asked them t o through in pedals and they did that too so I was well chuffed. They even got me a 60cm frame in 3 weeks as these were also few and far between. The only downside was that I had to buy the accessories myself but I did't care as I got such a deal on the bike with Ultegra kit all round!

As well as bargaining, it might also be worth waiting for a few weeks as the 2010 bikes are due out meaning you could get a good deal on an 'old' 09 model.


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## Maz (4 Jun 2009)

I also have a Specialized Allez Elite. Great bike IMO but don't have much to compare it against. It is my first ever roadbike, never having ridden a dropbar before, but very soon got used to the geometry/gears etc.


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