First Road Bike: GT GTD Sport vs Specialized Allez

[olliewest]

Hi there,

I am about to purchase my first road bike and have whittled it down to two models.

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/gt/gts-sport-2015-road-bike-ec070846

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/allez-2015-road-bike-ec070568

I dont have a huge budget, but from considering my budget and reading some reviews, these seem to be my favorites so far. I want something that i could possibly upgrade parts on if i really get into cycling and want to progress (without having to spend upwards of £1k for a new bike).

The reviews for the Allez are fantastic but it doesnt have carbon forks as the GT does and from speaking to some cyclist's I have been told to get carbon forks to dampen vibrations - this is my only concern for the Allez. The reviews for the GT GTS Sport are limited but Cyclist did an article/review on the GT which looks pretty impressive; http://www.cyclist.co.uk/gt/184/gt-gts-sport-review

In short i cant decide between to two and the spec's are a foreign language to me.

any advice and help would be greatly appreciated.

Ollie

 

[danhoro]

I'm slightly biased because I own one, but if you can stretch to 550 then I would go for this: http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXRT58ALUAPEX/planet-x-rt-58-alloy-sram-apex-road-bike

Decent frame and wheelset for the price, and a significantly better (full) groupset than Shimano Claris.

 

[Globalti]

Don't let the lack of carbon forks be the deciding factor, a decent alloy frame and forks will ride nicely. My prejudice against alloy was destroyed when I bought an all-alloy Specialized Tricross, which makes a great all purpose road/off road bike. I think there's good alloy and bad, depending on the grade and how it is shaped. Carbon forks do give a slightly smoother ride on rough roads but as a beginner you're hardly likely to see a difference and a set of decent tyres will make a bigger difference to the feel and the handling. You must test-ride both bikes and go on which position suits you best because you'll be spending longer on this bike than on a mountain bike. Ask Evans about getting a bike fit session and some basic mods done to the riding position. If you buy the Allez from a Specialized Concept store the basic fit is included and you can expect a 12.5% discount, or parts.

More importantly: from which retailer will you get the best advice and afer-sales service and within easy reach of home or work?

 

[I like Skol]

I love my 2011 GT roadbike so I voted for GT

www.evanscycles.com/products/gt/gtr-series-3-2011-road-bike-ec024770?

IMO GT make some cracking bikes that seem to be overlooked by many buyers for some reason?

There are 6 GT bikes in my household at the moment and 3 of them are mine

 

[jonny jeez]

Specialized.

Cant go wrong. And 100% of the votes agree with me!!

At Time of posting (being that I was the only vote)

 

[Hill Wimp]

^^^^

Wot he said. I'm a Spech girl all the way apart from my Ridgeback Tourer. The frames are superb.

 

[olliewest]

thanks guys.

Don't let the lack of carbon forks be the deciding factor, a decent alloy frame and forks will ride nicely. My prejudice against alloy was destroyed when I bought an all-alloy Specialized Tricross, which makes a great all purpose road/off road bike. I think there's good alloy and bad, depending on the grade and how it is shaped. Carbon forks do give a slightly smoother ride on rough roads but as a beginner you're hardly likely to see a difference and a set of decent tyres will make a bigger difference to the feel and the handling. You must test-ride both bikes and go on which position suits you best because you'll be spending longer on this bike than on a mountain bike. Ask Evans about getting a bike fit session and some basic mods done to the riding position. If you buy the Allez from a Specialized Concept store the basic fit is included and you can expect a 12.5% discount, or parts.

More importantly: from which retailer will you get the best advice and afer-sales service and within easy reach of home or work?

thanks for the advice. Not sure I'll be able to test ride either as my local bike store doesnt stock the models that i want/afford and my nearest Evans is 22m away so was going to make an online purchase (doing bike to work scheme and using evans as i get a further discount through my employer). is that a bad idea then? its all very new to me this biking lark

 

[olliewest]

p.s. i have been measured so i have a good idea what frame size to go for

 

[mustang1]

Get the Allez. That other bike sounds like something Volkswagen makes.

 

[olliewest]

p.p.s. pedals and cycling shoes, are all standard cycling shoes and flat pedals compatable with each other? (not the clip in ones) as they all look really bizarre to me. might be a silly question but im a self proclaimed noob

 

[Globalti]

No. This is a bit of a minefield. You'd do better to start with trainers and the shop pedals with straps, then next month if funds allow buy yourself some budget cycling shoes and SPD cleats and pedals. Eventually you can graduate to road-specific shoes and pedals, keeping the first SPDs for touring and off road stuff.

Typical shop pedal with strap: works fine with any grippy shoe but strap crushes your foot and cuts off blood making it cold:

SPD pedal with shoe and cleat: extra rubber makes the shoe heavier, pedal is strong therefore heavy, good mud-clearance and easy walking:

Road pedal with shoe and cleat: lightweight, rigid and efficient, wide platform but pedal one-sided and awkward and you're not expected to walk far.

 

[Globalti]

Buying online is OK if you know how to set the bike up and service it. However I would advise any new cyclist to buy from a decent bike shop so as to ensure correct setup and advice. It's a msssive investment of time, energy and funds and you can easily get it wrong and be put off cycling. If the shop won't do a simple setup for you, walk away. For this reason it would be worth taking the time to visit a decent Specialized dealer or Concept Store so as to buy that superb Allez and get it set up right. Where in the country are you? Regulars on here will recommend a competent dealer.

Sorry to say this but reports I've read on Evans don't make me confident that you'd get the undivided attention of a competent bike fitter for an hour or so.

 

[djb1971]

I love gt but voted for the specialized

Orange is a winner

you'll like the 32t cassette too if you're new to climbing very steep hills on a road bike. The one on the gt can be changed too if you like that bike.

 

[olliewest]

No. This is a bit of a minefield. You'd do better to start with trainers and the shop pedals with straps, then next month if funds allow buy yourself some budget cycling shoes and SPD cleats and pedals. Eventually you can graduate to road-specific shoes and pedals, keeping the first SPDs for touring and off road stuff.

Typical shop pedal with strap: works fine with any grippy shoe but strap crushes your foot and cuts off blood making it cold:

SPD pedal with shoe and cleat: extra rubber makes the shoe heavier, pedal is strong therefore heavy, good mud-clearance and easy walking:

Road pedal with shoe and cleat: lightweight, rigid and efficient, wide platform but pedal one-sided and awkward and you're not expected to walk far.

thanks for the sbove info, realy helpful. as im doing this through the cycle to work scheme, i'd like to if possible get the shoes and pedals all in the same package as it more cost efficient. i know that in itself is a little risky incase the shoes dont fit 100% etc.... but if i were to go for the road shoes, i was thinkibg these;http://www.evanscycles.com/products/shimano/r065-road-shoe-ec069343
with these pedals;http://www.evanscycles.com/products/shimano/r540-spd-sl-road-pedals-oe--ec050917

would these be compatable or need a clete.

i may just get the standard shop pedal if unsure but it would be good to bundle it all together if poss.

reg set up, i should be able to do this myself but if i do have any issues we do have a good local cycling shop in the town and I'll be able to book in for this (for a fee im sure) and as part of the deal with Evans there is a service included within the first couple of months.

thanks again for your help and advice!

 

[Globalti]

Yes that road shoe would be fine with that pedal and the pedal should come with a cleat, which needs to be bolted to the base of the shoe. You are going straight to option 3, the most efficient and lightest but also probably the most difficult to clip into and walk in. However there's nothing like plunging straight in!

A few warnings: you WILL forget to unclip and fall over sideways so practice starting and stopping on grass until your brain learns to unclip before you stop. I repeat: you WILL fall off. Be sure to set the "jaw" of the pedal at its lowest tension to start with. Be sure to grease the bolts before attaching the cleat to the shoe. Be sure to do the bolts up extremely tight. Be sure to use a good quality hex key and, when undoing the bolts, clean out the sockets so that the hex key is fully engaged. Be sure to sit on a table with your legs dangling and check the posture of your feet then get as close as possible to reproducing that posture with the angle of the cleat on the shoe, so that you are not forcing your knees to operate at an unnatural angle. Be sure to get the seat height, angle and position on the rails right. Advice is available on here or from a decent bike shop.

On that free service, the bike will need some minor tweaks within a few days of starting to ride so you need to learn how to adjust gear cable tension as a very minimum. If you rely on a disinterested mechanic to fettle your precious bike you're already on the road to disappointment; bikes need a bit of TLC and minor tweaking as well as regular checks to keep them working at their best.