After doing some prep yesterday I had the Allez ready to go for Coffee ride #4. After this photo was taken I did some saddle adjustments and after riding the bike I will do some more to dial it in. I took some measurements last night too so I could compare to a data base I started on the fleet and I noticed this bike has the longest reach - seat post to handle bars of any other bike, so I made a note to pay attention to that when I rode.
I have already talked about the SunTour GPX shifters, derailleurs and brakes on the bike which are stock according the online catalog The stem and bars should be Specialized but are Nitto and Sakae, the bars are a nice width but unfortunately have a big scrape near the stem. I have done this before when I didn't check for burrs on the inside of the stem or failed to lube the bars before threading the thick middle through the stem. I will have to see what some bronze wool does to smooth it out. Not a big worry its just cosmetic.
I have always loved an engraved seat stay cap and I am thrilled the Allez has them, just a very cool detail.
The bike would have come stock with SunTour GPX cranks, however Shimano 600 was used on the Specialized Allez Epic (carbon) bike of this year so this isn't too far off. I have seen many examples of bike with components mixed and matched from the same year amongst models. My Moto_GT for instance has the wheel-set of a higher end Grand Jubilee.
The purple splash graphics behind the brand and model decals is so 80s and although I usually like something more understated I was a young man in the 80s so I like it more than I am embarrassed by it and it certainly makes it easy to identify the era of the bike.
The Turbo saddle is stock and in decent shape with a few tears, I did see a throw back Selle Italia model on Amazon for $57 but I will go with the one on the bike for now.
As I mentioned in an edit to another post I caved and ordered the wheels that are exactly what was specced on the Allez in 89, 700c Wobler rims and SunTour GPX hubs with a FW rear hub. They cost me $90 but I think I can get that or more for the Ultegra/Mavic wheels so the price should be pretty small in the end. I ordered a 13-25t 7 speed SunRace FW to pair with the stock wheels. I can get the bike to shift to a 28t cog but its very grindy because the chain, jockey wheel and cog are all so close together, the 25t won't be as hill friendly but will run quieter.
Ok enough about components, the ride was short but good. The bike is very light and felt effortlessly fast, might be the 23c tires, and responded quickly to pedal input. The steering felt responsive without being twitchy and the long stem felt fine, not stretched out as I feared it might. This bike is definitely a change of pace from the rest of the stable. I am going to need to drop some tonnage to take advantage of it but once the stock wheels and smaller FW arrive I hope to do longer flat rides on this bike to see how my initial impressions bear out. Hopefully I will have a few dry days before winter fully sets in. I have some 700c x 26c Soma tires that were on my Miyata 912 long ago I am going to run on the stock rims for now, they are red tread whitewalls so they will probably be a bit much but its just temporary.
Ride, Kinda New bike day, GRIN, Repeat.
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