Bike Noob

Because I'm Always Learning Something New

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Partners

Not Entry Level

07.09.2013 by Ray Niekamp // 5 Comments

A few weeks ago, I had my bike over at the bike mechanic’s place. David is an experienced wrench, and has even worked for one of the domestic pro race teams. Now, he’s our very own club mechanic, and I have taken my bike over to his place several times and waited for him to finish up with another club member or two.

This time, we were dealing with my balky front derailleur. He made short work of the repair, but he really wanted me to do something about my rear wheel.

“It’s on its last legs,” he said. “I trued the spokes, but the hub is shot. It’s time to spring for a new wheel.”

We kicked around some ideas for wheels. David, who admits to having champagne tastes when it comes to bikes and components, recommended a high-end wheelset that I just wasn’t going to go for.

He finally agreed with me that a lower-end model would be just fine, and would still be an upgrade from the stock rims that came with the bike.

“I know these are no-name wheels,” I said. “But for an entry-level bike, I think they’ve worked out pretty well.”

My bike is a 2008 Specialized Allez Elite Compact. That means it has upgraded components over the base Allez.

It's got a different saddle now, and the water bottles have been moved to the frame, but this is pretty much it.
It’s got a different saddle now, and the water bottles have been moved to the frame, but this is pretty much it.

“You know, this really isn’t an entry-level bike,” he said. “Look at what you’ve got.”

He then started at the front and worked his way to the back, pointing out features I’d taken for granted long ago.

“You’ve got a carbon fork,” he said, “but you also have a carbon seatpost and carbon seat stays. The geometry of the bike is race-like. It’s an aluminum frame, okay, but aluminum can take a beating, and it’s relatively light.

“As a matter of fact,” David added, “Dave Wenger has an Alleez.” (David says the “Specialized guys” don’t use the French pronunciation for Allez — ahl-LAY — meaning, “go,” but instead call it the “Al-LEEZ.” I won’t.) If you’re involved in cycling in the Austin area, you’ve probably at least heard of Dave Wenger. He’s one of the top racers in this area.

“Really?” I said.

“Yes. He uses it in local criteriums, where he can really bash it around. Now, it’s been upgraded all around — wheels, drivetrain — but he races an Alleez. That’s really a pretty good bike you’ve got there.”

Well, that made me feel better. I’ve had some components changed on this bike, too — had an Ultegra rear derailleur mounted, although I also downgraded to a Sora shifter. The Bicycling magazine Buyer’s Guide says the current Allez model — the Comp Compact M2 Apex (sigh) — offers “the vibe of a race machine but manners best suited to riders taking their first, exploratory pedal strokes, or to more experienced rouleurs seeking a bike with ride-all-day comfort and enough get-up-and-go for the local Tuesday-Night World Championships.” So, entry level and beyond.

Frankly, I can’t vouch for all-day comfort on this bike. I’m pretty done in after four hours in the saddle. Still, it’s good to know that the Specialized Alleez — excuse me, the Allez — is nothing to be ashamed of when I line up at club rides with the Madones, and the Wiliers, and the BMCs, the Cervelos, and Kuotas some of my fellow riders are taking out.

And a new member who’s been riding with us for just a few weeks decided he needed a better bike than his old steel 10-speed. He bought an Alleez — Allez — too.

 

Like this:

Like Loading...

Categories // Bikes, Specialized Tags // Allez, bike

Discontinued Products

08.09.2012 by Ray Niekamp // 1 Comment

I wanted to replace my worn out Vredestein Fortezza SE tire with another exactly like it. It had exhibited excellent ride and wear characteristics during the time I owned it, but eventually it wore out — after well over 3,000 miles — and it was time to retire it.

I had bought it at a Performance store in town, so I headed over there again. But in the aisle with the tires, no Fortezza SE to be found. Performance doesn’t stock them anymore. They’ve got a higher-end Vredestein tire, the TriComp Road, at twice the price of the Fortezza SE. Okay, certainly I could find one somewhere else.

I hit the Vredestein Tire website, and navigated my way past lots of contemporary music and nifty videos to their tire listing. Sure enough, there was the TriComp — but no Fortezza SE. The TriComp looks to be a great tire, with an advertised excellent grip in both wet and dry weather, and very good puncture resistance. But I wondered what had happened to my Fortezza SE.

I gave up, and put a Continental Gatorskin on the back of my bike. I still have a Fortezza SE on the front, and it should be good for another thousand miles or two.

But have you ever noticed that whenever you find a great product, it gets dropped from the company’s product line? Runners know this. When I used to run, I found a great pair of shoes that cushioned my feet and provided excellent support at the same time. I ran in them until the black outer sole wore through. When I went to get a replacement, the line had been discontinued.

The replacement product is always touted as being an improvement, and it just might be.  But very often, it doesn’t work exactly like the item it replaced. Some runners used to buy two or more pair of a favorite shoe, knowing the model would be discontinued, and wanting to make sure they would still be able to enjoy it well into the future.

Or golf clubs. My wife started building up a collection of Ping hybrid clubs several years ago, when we were still regular players. She had two, but when she looked for two others of different lofts to round out her set, she found out that Ping had dropped the G5 line, and added a G10 or something. I was able to find the two additional G5s she needed, but I had to go on EBay to do it, and battle through a couple of different auctions, losing twice, before I was able to land the coveted clubs. What I thought was funny about that was that the G5 had replaced the G3 line just a few years before.

(“What’s the difference between the G5 and the G3?”  “Two.”)

Obviously, some of that goes on in the biking industry too. Bikes, of course, are always changing. My bike is a 2008 Specialized Allez Elite Compact, which means it came with upgraded drive train components — Tiagra front and 105 rear — over the base Allez. The current Allez is offered in six different versions, including an Elite Compact. But the current Elite Compact is different from mine. It has a 10-speed cassette instead of my nine — improvement. Both front and rear are Tiagra — slight downgrade. It also has alloy chainstays and seatpost — mine are carbon fiber. The wheels are probably better than mine. All in all, my four-year-old Allez is a good match for what’s rolling off the Specialized line now.

I know one constant in life is change. But it’s still frustrating when change makes you rethink your cycling situation and moves you in a (slightly) different direction.

Have you ever been flummoxed by the discontinuation of a cycling product you really, really liked?

Like this:

Like Loading...

Categories // Equipment Tags // Allez, Equipment

Get Email Updates

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 257 other subscribers

Categories

  • Accessories
  • Bike fit
  • Bikes
  • Blogging
  • Books
  • clubs
  • Cold weather
  • Community
  • Commuting
  • Components
  • crash
  • cycling
  • Equipment
  • Favorite rides
  • fitness
  • food
  • guest post
  • Heat
  • Injury
  • logs
  • Maintenance
  • Mental
  • Nutrition
  • Odds 'n ends
  • People
  • Poll
  • Racing
  • Records & stats
  • Review
  • Rides
  • running
  • Safety
  • soreness
  • Specialized
  • Technique
  • Technology
  • Tips
  • tires
  • training
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Partners

Recent Posts

  • Getting Back on the Bike: Road Cycling Tips for Older Cyclists
  • Are BCAAs and EAAs Good for Cycling?
  • How to Fix Numb Toes When Cycling
  • How to Find and Vet a Bike Club
  • Celebrate Pearl Izumi with Big Savings in the Memorial Day Sale

Categories

  • Accessories
  • Bike fit
  • Bikes
  • Blogging
  • Books
  • clubs
  • Cold weather
  • Community
  • Commuting
  • Components
  • crash
  • cycling
  • Equipment
  • Favorite rides
  • fitness
  • food
  • guest post
  • Heat
  • Injury
  • logs
  • Maintenance
  • Mental
  • Nutrition
  • Odds 'n ends
  • People
  • Poll
  • Racing
  • Records & stats
  • Review
  • Rides
  • running
  • Safety
  • soreness
  • Specialized
  • Technique
  • Technology
  • Tips
  • tires
  • training
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized

Archives

  • May 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • March 2022
  • October 2020
  • November 2018
  • May 2018
  • September 2017
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • January 2016
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • September 2008
  • August 2008
  • July 2008
  • June 2008
  • May 2008
  • April 2008
  • March 2008
  • February 2008

Copyright © 2026 · Modern Studio Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Go to mobile version
%d