NEW USER, NEW BIKE

[dingdongdead]

Hello there
im a student from brighton and im looking to buy my first road bike in about 8 years.
i have a budget of about £500, any suggestions?

i found this second hand specialized allez elite, 2006 model, which has done 250 miles, everything is in complete top form and ive struck a deal for £550.
what do people say?

please read this comment also

"In fantastic condition hardly used. Please note the spec of this Elite is better than the current one i.e. 105 and not Tiagra/Sora"

what are peoples opinions?
i personally think it sounds like a good deal seeing as its not used and brand new ones tend to lean towards the £1000 mark

many thanks
tom

 

[punkypossum]

Still seems a bit steep to me for a 2nd hand 06 model (but then I'm really not an expert in how much bike values drop)

 

[marinyork]

Sounds expensive to me but I don't know anything either. You may want to delete the duplicate posts you made elsewhere.

 

[Ivan Ardon]

The current Elite is fully 105 equipped, not Sora/Tiagra.

Either the seller is confusing the Elite with the standard 2009 Allez or he's telling porkies to bump the price up.

 

[dingdongdead]

hmmm i dont know what to do now.
i dont think i could afford the elite as its £900+ and the standard allez isnt as well equipped, correct?

 

[alecstilleyedye]

the standard bike is perfect for someone starting/coming back to cycling. don't be fooled into parting with more cash than you really need to.

unless you are actually racing, there's nothing wrong with a sora/tiagra groupset anyway.

 

[dingdongdead]

so your saying a brand new standard allez would be suitable?
im not going to racing. just long rides of a weekend and when im free from uni in and around brighton

 

[Ivan Ardon]

I have a 2009 Allez 27. If you can get on with the Sora shifters (you can only change down while you're on the hoods unless you have fingers like ET) then it'll be absolutely fine for what you want to do. The derraileurs themselves work quietly and do the job that's asked of them nicely.

The 2009 frame is very nice and it'll be worth upgrading to a better groupset if you get the bug, but you certainly won't be disappointed with the Allez as it is.

 

[punkypossum]

There is a few hardly used Allez from last year on ebay at pretty good prices, might be worth a look...

 

[Matt]

I pick up my Allez 18 tomorrow, which is my second road bike (upgraded from a Giant SCR4)

It seems good enough for me though, and around your £500 budget

 

[Danny]

If the 2006 Elite has really only done 250 miles then I still think it might be worth it. However I would want a convincing explanation about why it has been so little used.

And I would check out some of the used Allex on eBay that PP mentioned and at least see how much they are going for. You might be able to argue down the price if similar bikes are going for much less.