kevinabbot

Soooooo I am a climber. I want to do road races but as a budget minded college student about to attend Penn State some people were telling me to go with a good alloy frame because if I crash and brake a carbon frame I am screwed and to be honest I will be. A few things about me 1) I am a climber (I am 114lbs) so yeah. I was going to get an Emonda SL 6 Pro but now I am thinking twice about it because I won't always be able to ride in hilly races because in Colligate you don't get too many options and honestly weight isn't the biggest deal for me I just want a bike that can climb fairly well as I can climb along side local racers with my Domane ALR.

Sooo with the bike my budget is 1900$ and I know the prices I say will be below MSRP but just go with it. I am planning on getting an Allez Sprint Comp for around 1100. I am going to get Bontrager Aeolus Pro 5 wheels and a Bontrager XXX Carbon Aero Handlebar. The 2 wheels and handlebar will come out to be 680$.

So that would be my plan..
I know I am breaking apparently a "big" rule of no Bontrager on Specialized but honestly it does not impact anything.

What are your thoughts and anything else I should upgrade with the extra 120$ and please only rec Bontrager products because that's the only way I am getting stuff for cheap.

Dean V

I have an Emonda ALR5 (2019 rim brake). It goes very well. Frame weight is the same as the SL6. Just replace the wheels with something better + bars and saddle of your choice.
With some carbon tubulars for racing it will be quite light.
It also has clearance for 30mm tyres if you need to ride/train on lousy roads.

Princess_Allez

The allez Sprint won't be ideal for climbing due to its geometry. It's a very sharp-handling bike. Are you buying used? $1100 sounds like a realistic price if that's the case. I paid $1550 for mine- as a model year leftover.

Dean V

Compared to an Emonda the Allez has 1mm less rake and 5mm shorter chain stays.
How would this make it worse for climbing?

smashndash

I have an Allez sprint comp. if you are absolutely decided on the bike, I think you’ll want to swap out the saddle. The toupe isn’t super popular. It didn’t work for me because the nose was too fat. The wheels and bars are a good swap. I’d also recommend some top end tubeless tires so you can run them at a lower pressure. This bike rides very rough, to the point that it feels slow on bumpy tarmac. On rough descents, the bike feels like it’s skittering across the top of the tarmac. Though I have no experience with other road bikes, and I’m fairly light at 140# riding a 54cm frame, which means this frame is probably too stiff for me.

I also went with a shorter crank for a better fit and better shifting (Shimano shifts better than praxis). Could be worthwhile.

One warning: be very gentle with the front mech hanger. It’s made of very soft aluminum and deforms very easily. Once damaged, it cannot be replaced, only deformed further. A nearly fatal flaw of this frame imo.

shelbyfv

Maybe some helpful, though repetitive info here https://www.bikeforums.net/33-road-b...-concerns.html or here https://www.bikeforums.net/33-road-b...ng-speeds.html or here https://www.bikeforums.net/33-road-b...ns-racing.html or here https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycl...a-sl6-pro.html

rubiksoval

Really? Who told you that?

Because in the half dozen threads you've started on the matter, the overwhelming consensus was that your equipment at this point really doesn't matter.

And you keep ignoring that.

metz1295

Specialized has a new Allez Comp that is being compared to carbon in terms of weight. Up your budget $300 and go for it. I look forward to your review. :-)

https://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear...p-disc-review/

My personal, frugal, opinion has never understood upgrading equipment on a new bike. I'm of the thought just buy the better model build. Or upgrade when something wears out or breaks.

ThermionicScott 

Are you actually a good climber, or are you just light? Not the same thing.

shelbyfv

Sounds legit! The new Emonda will definitely help.

shelbyfv

The mint color is really pretty, though IMO it would look better with a matching fork.