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Stuck between choosing the 49cm and 52cm Specialized Allez Elite

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Stuck between choosing the 49cm and 52cm Specialized Allez Elite

Old 08-06-20, 03:06 PM
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folhas
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Stuck between choosing the 49cm and 52cm Specialized Allez Elite

Hello everyone,

Been struggling with bike fit for a while, and with COVID killing inventory it's made it even tougher.I've decided to put in a pre-order for a 2021 Specialize Allez Elite

I'm 5'6" with some tiny legs. My inseam is 705mm (27.76in) barefoot & 725mm (28.54in) with my shoes/cleats on. Following the height guides - I should get a 52cm frame. This frame gives me no clearance with a stand-over height of 745mm. My bits are squished. In fact - this is was a main reason for selling a 54mm roubaix I had.

With the 49cm frame, I will just barely have clearance with shoes on. 720mm frame, so 5 mm to be exact. Pretty negligible.

I know standover height is not that important to bike fit - but living in a city where bikers are an afterthought, I do have to stop a lot.

I'm thinking of going 49cm, and if I need I can add spacer/ larger stem to get the right reach IF I feel cramped in the cockpit.

Need some more opinions on this matter - LBS recommended 52cm and deal with stops by standing on my tippy-toes
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Old 08-06-20, 03:24 PM
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If you don't try the 49 cm you'll never know. I rode exceedingly large frames for my size and never had an issue. Not sure why people seem to want both feet on the ground. Maybe as a result of me growing up on the large frames, I got into the habit of standing on one leg with the other on the pedal ready for the light to change. Of course the bike has to lean a little, but not much. However I do have longer legs than many people four inches taller than me.
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Old 08-06-20, 03:39 PM
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I'm 5'7 (170cm) with a rather short inseam as well ... 28-29". I ride a 52cm Roubaix and the standover height is a non-issue. I wonder where they're measuring it, since these Specialized bikes have quite pronounced sloping top tubes.

Are you able to try out the bikes in person? That would solve a lot of issues ... :/

The standover height on my bike is listed as 756mm and I've never had an issue standing with both feet on the gorund
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Old 08-06-20, 03:59 PM
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Smaller frame may also have a lower stack, perhaps that is why the dealer recommends the larger frame ?
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Old 08-06-20, 04:49 PM
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Originally Posted by SapInMyBlood
I'm 5'7 (170cm) with a rather short inseam as well ... 28-29". I ride a 52cm Roubaix and the standover height is a non-issue. I wonder where they're measuring it, since these Specialized bikes have quite pronounced sloping top tubes.

Are you able to try out the bikes in person? That would solve a lot of issues ... :/

The standover height on my bike is listed as 756mm and I've never had an issue standing with both feet on the gorund

Unfortunately my LBSs don't have anything smaller than 54cm available in store. it's been tough finding bikes in my area - even used.
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Old 08-06-20, 04:58 PM
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Originally Posted by Iride01
Not sure why people seem to want both feet on the ground. Maybe as a result of me growing up on the large frames, I got into the habit of standing on one leg with the other on the pedal ready for the light to change. Of course the bike has to lean a little, but not much.
^This.
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Old 08-06-20, 06:17 PM
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Remember that the Allez geometry is more aggressive than that of the Roubaix if that matters to you.

Glenn
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Old 08-06-20, 07:08 PM
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Originally Posted by Iride01
If you don't try the 49 cm you'll never know. I rode exceedingly large frames for my size and never had an issue. Not sure why people seem to want both feet on the ground. Maybe as a result of me growing up on the large frames, I got into the habit of standing on one leg with the other on the pedal ready for the light to change. Of course the bike has to lean a little, but not much. However I do have longer legs than many people four inches taller than me.
I do that, but I do stand over the top tube with both feet on the ground when I first swing leg over saddle. THEN I clip the left foot in, and stand as you say, and at stops always clip the right foot out to stand on.
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Old 08-06-20, 07:42 PM
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To me it sounds like 49 might be the better choice, for these reasons . . .

I'm 5-6 and I ride a 52 Langster, it's now discontinued but the frame is quite similar to the Allez Elite. My LBS at the time used Allez Elite to size me before special-ordering my Langster frame.
My inseam is just a bit longer than yours and when I stand over my 52 in sneakers I can feel the top tube just slightly. The geometry of these frames is fairly aggressive, as noted in the post a couple above. My bike fits really well, I wouldn't want it any larger.

Also -- a couple months ago I bought a Sirrus X, which has frame sizing in S / M / L rather than by CMs. On the Specialized size chart, my height indicated a Medium frame was my fit . . . but when I test rode a Medium it was way bigger than I was looking for. The next day I found a Small and it was a much better fit for me. I realize the S / M / L sizing is much broader than frames sized by CMs, but in my case the Specialized recommended sizing was too big . . . and I found the same applied to my kids, when I bought them each a Sirrus X, the size chart indicated they would fit Smalls but we opted for Extra Smalls and they fit properly. So I think the Specialized size chart runs a little larger than what's accurate.

My last note is on personal preference, I'd rather have smaller frame than one too large because it's easy to adjust the seat height and the stem height rather than deal with a too-large frame. And I personally don't want a frame that's too large for my standover height, it feels unwieldy to me and I like the smaller / more aggressive shape of these frames.
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Old 08-07-20, 09:21 AM
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I am short and between sizes as well. I always go with the larger bike. If I go with the smaller ones, the seat has to come way up and the stack is already lower on the smaller frame, usually putting me in a much more aggressive position than I want. I also don't care if I can put two feet on the ground...
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Old 08-07-20, 12:31 PM
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I am sort of in same issue....so 56 is smaller, 58 is bigger, 57 is perfect for me. when I purchased my 2018 Allez elite I got the 58, shortened the stem and got a seat post with some forward set. No issues on fit after thousands of miles. My gravel bike is a larger yet, way to big even after mods and now I really don't ride it. My "show off" carbon bike is a 56. Put a longer stem on it and its fine and fun to ride but by far the best comfort I get is on my Allez. Go the size slightly bigger if its your only option....just my opinion.
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Old 08-07-20, 08:53 PM
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I'd buy the smaller frame. I'm the same height with opposite issue. I have a cycling inseam of 83cm and a 73cm saddle height. I ride a Colnago C-RS size 48 that has a 527mm stack and 383mm reach. I use no spacers and a -17 stem to produce a 10cm saddle to bar drop. I could ride a 45cm, since the stack is only 1mm less.

It's easy to increase stem length and bar reach for a long torsos. With a low saddle height, the stack height should not be a problem. The stack is actually tall at 535mm.

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/al...ext=90021-4044
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Old 08-12-20, 07:13 PM
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Don't forget that bike fit influences bike handling. A smaller frame with a longer seatpost and stem will handle differently than a larger frame with a shorter seatpost and stem, even if the static fit is the same. Which setup one prefers is, of course, a matter of taste, but they will be different.

I prefer the handling of a larger frame... less twitchy / turny, more swoopy / carvy. The bigger bike feels like it turns more around the bottom bracket, the smaller frame more around the headset. Sorta kinda maybe... it's tough to describe, but easy to feel when riding.

--Shannon
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Old 08-12-20, 09:55 PM
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I got the 2021 Allez. I think it’s pretty cool.
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Old 08-13-20, 09:19 AM
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Originally Posted by ryan_rides

I got the 2021 Allez. I think it’s pretty cool.
It looks GREAT I think that color is cool
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Old 08-13-20, 01:58 PM
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I'm basically your height with your same inseam (5'6" with a 29" inseam). I've had this same debate with myself: size up (S) or size down (XS). You should be able to fit on both, but for me it always came down to geometry. The XS frames, to me, look super small aesthetically and aren't my cup of tea. I feel like I'm riding a child's bike. On an XS, I can really get the seatpost up and out of the frame for a more "pro" look, but generally those head tubes are short and, for me, would require too many spacers. On an S, I'd hardly need any head tube spacers, but my seatpost wouldn't be all that tall. To mitigate the whole head tube spacers vs seatpost height conundrum, I specifically looked for Endurance frames in size S that have tall head tubes, sloping top tubes, and short seat tubes. That allows me to use one 10mm spacer at the head tube and at least have 5" of seatpost showing, Not that much I know. I think this looks better than a super small frame with lots of seatpost and head tube spacers.
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Old 08-13-20, 02:16 PM
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Nice color!!!
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Old 08-13-20, 04:05 PM
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I'd go with a 49 in your case.

I'm 5'7" with 29.5" inseam and all my bikes are XS (~49cm). I slam all my stems and they're all 110-120mm long. I have no reason to think why a 49cm wouldn't fit you.
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Old 08-15-20, 12:14 PM
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Originally Posted by aclinjury
I'd go with a 49 in your case.

I'm 5'7" with 29.5" inseam and all my bikes are XS (~49cm). I slam all my stems and they're all 110-120mm long. I have no reason to think why a 49cm wouldn't fit you.
x2. I'm 5'6" with 29.5" inseam and barely fit a 51cm. You are a bit shorter so the 49cm should fit. Also you might want take into account is the reach will be longer on the 51cm and might not be as comfortable if its way out there. You can make a small frame fit with a longer stem and seat post but harder to make a large frame fit due to the frame being fixed.
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Old 08-17-20, 11:51 AM
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Originally Posted by jimmyodonnell
It looks GREAT I think that color is cool
Thanks. This is my first road bike. I used to have a fixed gear track bike but I was hit a month ago (hit and run; been hit twice this year) and my bike was destroyed. So I got this with the help of a few friends of mine. I was lucky that my LBS had this on the floor too. Eventually will be going one-by and upgrading the whole groupset. already put over 300 miles on this bike. I like it.
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