gerg10

I am finally ready to purchase a road bike. I have ridden the Specialized as well as the Giant a few times each, both feel great. So as for the "which one fits better" for me its a draw, maybe specialized my a hair. Im just wondering if anyone can give me a little push in one direction or the other. Giant $900 Specialized is $1050

Thanx
Greg

SpecializedOkie

I was in the same situation a year ago, with the decision between giant and specialized. I went with the specialized and have been very pleased with its performance over the past year, I have an '06 Allez comp.

Nashville Man

Specialized.....they just look better.....IMO.

Gee3

I was in the same boat too. I chose the Specialized because of the technology involved in building the frame. (read: the bling aero seat tube! haha) Both bikes felt very similar but the Spec just was nicer looking to me. So I chose that. And I'm very happy with it. Although if I had the extra I would have gotten the Carbon Giant at about $1500 but I was already stretching the budget.

wrobertdavis

Both will be reasonable and good bikes. Look for differentiators beyond the bikes themselves, if both are comfortable and feel good to you. Does one have a "same as cash" plan that might help your cash flow? I assume these come from separate dealers. In my area specialized and giant are never handled by the same dealer. A dealer is a huge asset to your enjoyment. Their lifeblood is repeat sales and ongoing sales of accessaories and gadgets to feed your avocation. Go with a dealer that is actively involved with promoting cycling. Do they support local rides? Do you know others who could tell you about their service and general experiences?

Bob

gerg10

Thanx everyone for your opinons and advice. I think I want the Specialized, but they only have it in the silver color...ugly IMO....I like the the white one, but they said they cant get it anymore because they stopped making it to start producing the 08's I'm a little bitter about it but what can ya do. I guess just wait for the 08's.

Lucky07

I have an Allez Elite & love it. I did swap out the wheels & brakes after a year. The Alex rims & no name brakes didn't hold up. Most bikes in that price range skimp on those components.

ukepete

Got a Allez Elite last year.No problem with it at alll,wheels are still true,brakes stop strong with Dura Ace pads,and considering it has a aluminum frame,it rides very smooth. I did get rid of that Avitar seat and put on a Serfas RX.changed my front stem to a short high one instead and am very happy with my bike

crd15

allez elite.. hands down.. i mean cmon look at it

madturtle

hey I've got a silver allez elite... and I like the silver .

I've got about 2800 miles on mine and one crash. Other than standard maintenance I've got a little creak in the crank arm that recently appeared but I think I figured out how to fix it (loctite 641) and I've got a new high spot on my rear rim that I can't figure out seems unlikely it happened in the crash but what else? I don't know, might be another thread soon...But I'm not complaining I think it's performed great so far based on my limited experience.

If the $150 doesn't matter too much too you I'd second going with what seems like the better quality shop and/or who will put the most experience/effort into a fit. Also when you go in to purchase you should try and deal w/ a manager for larger purchases. In my experience the managers might knock the price down on a bike a bit (same for skis and kayaks in my experience); something the other hourly sales people probably aren't authorized to do. Also might get a few more add ons at a discount that way (tubes, accessories, whatever). And if you want the Spec you might "mention" you are also looking at a Giant for $150 less when you go in to buy it.

MONGO!

Get the cheaper one and spend the $100 on a fit.

supertj

I bought a Giant OCR1 for $900 with a free computer and lights thrown in. It was last year's model.

Giant's customer service sucks though. BUt you hopefully won't have to deal with them. Most don't need to ever.

roccobike

Uhh! I'm looking at buying a Giant, please expand and explain, what happened?