First Ride: Specialized Allez Comp
The Allez Comp’s race-inspired E5 Alloy frame is built up with Apex, SRAM’s workhorse group, which performs nearly on par with SRAM’s highest end group. It wasn’t too hard to motivate for the test ride with the scenery and weather Monterey had on offer during Specialized’s 2012 Global Launch.
After test riding the S-Works Tarmac SL4 (click here for my review) during the Specialized Global Launch in Monterey, I wanted to do a comparison test of a bike in a much more realistic price range for the average rider. While it’s nice to ride and write about $8,000 bikes, there are many more consumers looking for something in the ‘real world’ category, and we wanted to see how the $1,450 Allez Comp Apex budget racer stacked-up against the Pro Tour machine.
The Allez has always been a bike designed with an emphasis on performance; yet with the Tarmac’s emergence in 2004 it lost a little mystique and was pushed down into a lower price category, but still kept its race-inspired design. The Allez name has seen just about every type of frame material throughout its history, but the current incarnation uses Specialized’s E5 alloy throughout. Designed to exactly match the Tarmac in terms of geometry, it allows one to get on a race styled bike for a fraction of what the S-Works Tarmac SL4 would set you back.
The Ride
Finding the right fit is critical to getting the best performance possible out of your bike, and Specialized helped make things easier with their Elite-Set stem. It uses a shim system that allows four different angle adjustments in order to easily dial in your preferred bar height, without having to swap out stems. Once I had my critical measurements dialed in, it was time to hit the road.
Even though I was only able to get one ride on the Allez Comp, it was a solid 4.5-hour ride in which I covered 75 miles of the best terrain the Carmel Valley has to offer. The first thing that I noticed as I accelerated out of the saddle was a solid front-end, comparable to the SL4’s. The Allez Comp’s fork has carbon legs with an alloy crown and a 1-1/8 to 1-1/2 inch tapered steerer tube, which is the foundation for the front-end’s stiffness.
I’ve already spent some time on bikes equipped with SRAM’s Apex group, so it was no surprise to me that the shifting performance was stellar. In my opinion, Apex is hands down the best group for the sub-$2,000 price range. An important feature for someone who may want to upgrade components in the future is that all SRAM road groups are cross compatible with each other. So, one could upgrade the rear derailleur with Force or Red while still keeping the Apex shifters.
The 2012 Allez Comp gets an upgrade in the bottom bracket over last year’s model. It features a BB30 bottom bracket, which both lightens and stiffens the crank. When powering up a climb, there was noticeably more flex in comparison to the S-Works Tarmac SL4; but then again, just about anything you compare to the SL4 sees the same result. Comparing it to other bikes in its price range that I’ve ridden, the Allez’s bottom bracket is stiffer than that of the KHS Flight 750, and comparable to Cannondale’s CAAD10.
Thanks to the identical Tour de France winning geometry of the SL3 (the SL4 has a slightly shorter headtube) handling is spot on, especially descending. The front-end’s stiffness was once again appreciated when pushing the limits in the corners on a descent. The front wheel held true to it’s line, with minimal lateral or torsional frame flex.
Where did I notice the biggest difference between the two bikes? One word: weight; and for once I’m not talking about my own. The Allez comes in close to 20 pounds, approximately 6 pounds more than the S-Works Tarmac SL4. This is a combination of heavier wheels and components, not the frame alone. Yeah, six pounds is a lot; but on the other hand so is paying $1,000 for every pound reduction in weight between the two.
Final Thoughts
I wasn’t sure if riding the S-Works Tarmac SL4 just before the Allez Comp was the best approach. Would the bar be set so high that I would be soured on everything else I rode? It actually turned out to be the opposite. My time on the SL4 made me realize just how good the Allez Comp really was. Its shifting performance was flawless, frame stiffness was more than adequate, and the geometry was dialed – all for less than $1,500. Weight is going to be the biggest difference between the two bikes, and of course, it affects performance. But, its weight is inline with similarly priced rivals. When it’s time for an upgrade, a pair of Mercury S-Series alloy wheels would set you back $650; the result would be a drop of nearly 1-1/2 pounds in rotating weight over the stock wheels, giving you an advantage for race day.
A compact BB30 crank is added to the Allez Comp for 2012. It gets SRAM’s high-end chainrings which are also found on the Red group, and comes with a 52/36 combination. Most compact cranks come with 50/36 rings, but since the Allez is designed with performance in mind they opt for a 52-tooth outer ring for a higher top-end.
Like the rest of the frame, the rear-end shares the same geometry as the SL4 (other than headtube length). This day and age, it’s not often we get to ride anything other than carbon frames, but it’s refreshing to know that metal frames are still plenty competent.
An 1-1/8 to 1-1/2 inch tapered head tube helps keep the front-end straight as an arrow when sprinting and pushing it hard through corners. Specialized has made the fitting process easier by using an adjustable shim in their stem that allows for four different handlebar height adjustments.
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