Specialized Secteur

[HaloJ]

LLooking forward to the long school summer holidays, when I shall try out whatever I buy on the lanes of Lincolnshire and chez my French inlaws who live in and around.....Roubaix!

With that in mind I'd suggest you get the Secteur. It's the none carbon version of the Roubaix (apparently designed with the cobbles in mind) that we all aspire to upgrading to at some point. Comfort over speed but I'll tell you the Secteur isn't slow and it loves hills.

Not sure what the shifting is like on the standard bike using the 2300 STi shifters. On the Sport's Sora shifters I find it next to impossible to shift up (on the cassette) whilst on the drops, although I can shift down. Up shift is accomplised by a little thumb button which only an ape would be able to reach from the drops.

As a futher note the graphics have been changed on the this years models and not even Specialized website is showing them correctly. The black block around the logo has been removed with just the outline specialized logo on the main frame.

Abs

 

[Norm]

On the Sport's Sora shifters I find it next to impossible to shift up (on the cassette) whilst on the drops, although I can shift down. Up shift is accomplised by a little thumb button which only an ape would be able to reach from the drops.

I was cogitating this one a few days ago.

The thumb switch is perfectly located when riding on the hoods and I've never needed to change gear from the drops because I'm on the hoods when accelerating or ascending. I only really use the drops on a flat section which requires the consistent effort.

Although I also have an issue fighting the stomach to get comfortable on the drops, but flipping the stem over did help with that.

Then again, the thumb switch is still easier to find than friction shifters on the down tube - I'm sure you're too young to remember them, Halo.

 

[Martok]

Then again, the thumb switch is still easier to find than friction shifters on the down tube - I'm sure you're too young to remember them, Halo.

She does remember them, as do I!

In fact, when we first started looking at bikes and 'racers' as I still call them, I was very surprised to find that the gear shifter WASN'T on the down tube!

I'm a bit old, I am...

 

[Norm]

I still call them racers, too, although one of mine is a drop-barred bike from the '70s with friction shifters, so I think it's allowed.

 

[kilf]

Secteur owner here couple of hundred miles chalked up love it....In-fact I am having to force myself to have a few days off the bike this weekend as ive been riding it none stop at pace (pace for me anyway) and my legs just reached the point where they weren't recovering...its a great bike and the less aggressive position definitely suits me...I got the secteur elite for £580 on the bike to work scheme ...best bargain ever

 

[jimheaney57]

I'm mid 50's as well and just got a Sectuer Elite a few weeks ago. It's a great bike and I highly recommend it for what you are talking about using it for.

At the end of the day though it's down to how it works for you so most important that you get a good test ride.

As said above, it's good on the hills. I was out yesterday and on some of the hills I think I was climbing almost as fast as I was descending on the other side. I get a bit scared coming down short steep hills on narrow country roads

 

[PaulBowden]

HAVE GONE AHEAD AND BOUGHT IT (Secteur entry level bike at £549, from extremely helpful Arrow Cycles, Lincoln.)
Am looking forward enormously to getting out on it - because teaching gets in the way, this won't be before the weekend, unfortunately - and to experiencing the difference (pretty massive, I expect and hope) between it and my last 'proper' bike.... 1982 Raleigh Royale!
Thank you so much, to everyone who contributed ideas and comments - they were much appreciated and really are helping me to understand a sport which I hope to become more and more involved in.

 

[ian turner]

Consider buying some new pedals too as it comes with the clip and strap variety which caused my size 10 feet to clip the bike somewhere near the gears every so often and my feet would slip out sometimes as one clip size fits all it seems. So I lasted two rides and then fitted clipless spd-sls

 

[shippers]

Yup, I was going to mention the pedals. I've got size 12 feet, and really struggled to use the clips.
I switched to these...
http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebw...2&f_SortOrderID=1&f_bct=c003154c003147c003261

 

[funkidunc]

HAVE GONE AHEAD AND BOUGHT IT (Secteur entry level bike at £549, from extremely helpful Arrow Cycles, Lincoln.)
Am looking forward enormously to getting out on it - because teaching gets in the way, this won't be before the weekend, unfortunately - and to experiencing the difference (pretty massive, I expect and hope) between it and my last 'proper' bike.... 1982 Raleigh Royale!
Thank you so much, to everyone who contributed ideas and comments - they were much appreciated and really are helping me to understand a sport which I hope to become more and more involved in.

Good on ya Paul. I was deliberating between allez and secteur. Got a secteur three weeks ago with spd pedals and loving it. Even started to commute on it and its uphill for the final 6 miles but it eats up the roads!!

Dont forget to ask for your free sportive pack,. you are entiteld to one if your secteur is purchased before the end of June
http://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/news/specializedsecteurcampaign-freesportivestarterpack.aspx?&id=75

I asked my lbs about it and they contacted Specialized and are sorting me out with it

 

[rovers1875]

Hello again folks, nice to have the forum back on line. I picked up my new Sectuer last Thurs, and rode it home from Bury to Accrington (17.5miles).
First impressions the pedals are crap (I junked the clips and straps straight away). Anybody any recommendations for replacements (I don't like clips and I cycle in trainers)
Other than that, I haven't stopped grinning all weekend, my legs, arms and backside are killing me. My misses thinks I've had the thing surgically attched. I even volunteered to pop into town to the shops so I could play on it a bit longer.
I did think it may take time to get used to the gear change and skinny tyres ( my last drop handle bike was a 5 speed, steel framed Raleigh bought in 1975) but within a few moments I felt right at home.
So far loving it.

 

[Willo]

I was cogitating this one a few days ago.

The thumb switch is perfectly located when riding on the hoods and I've never needed to change gear from the drops because I'm on the hoods when accelerating or ascending. I only really use the drops on a flat section which requires the consistent effort.

Although I also have an issue fighting the stomach to get comfortable on the drops, but flipping the stem over did help with that.

Then again, the thumb switch is still easier to find than friction shifters on the down tube - I'm sure you're too young to remember them, Halo.

I too have been thinking about this a fair bit (as I consider my next bike, once I've paid off the current one on the C2W scheme!!). After playing around, I actually like the positioning on the basic 2300 STI levers on my Allez. As Norm says above, I find the thumb switch perfect for riding on the hoods, where I am almost always positioned when wanting to change. Also, as with Norm, I only tend to use the drops on long flat sections when I'm in a big gear. It gives me the dilemma that this may outweigh the benefits for me of upgrading to a more expensive/better groupset next time. Maybe would get used to a different set up, but the 2300 certainly felt more natural for me when looking at bikes.

p.s. Paul, enjoy the bike; I'm sure you will

 

[Norry1]

There are a good few happy Secteur owners on here. We even have our own club here

I myself has a Secteur Elite. It's my commute bike and I absolutely love it. It has relaxed geometry so has less of the heads down racer look that the Allez has

So, has the Secteur "Club" disappeared? If not, where is it???

Martin

 

[potsy]

So, has the Secteur "Club" disappeared? If not, where is it???

Martin

The new improved site doesn't support 'social clubs' but Shaun is working on it so we might be able to resurrect it one dayB)

 

[Norry1]

The new improved site doesn't support 'social clubs' but Shaun is working on it so we might be able to resurrect it one dayB)

Ah, okay, thanks. Mine's arrived now and I was going to post some first impressions. I'll post on the general site.

Martin