brf4n

i finally got my bike after 2 weeks (the dealer forgot to order it after the first week).

just went on a 5 hour bike ride across my town, up the mountains, down the mountains, downtown, uptown, and now back home.

furyx

bottles

Atol

I had that same Wal-Mart rubber bottle strap. It's a pain in the ass to use and it eventually ripped on me.

Good looking bike though.

rangerdavid

+1 on bottles. Pedals too. Very nice looking bike. I like!!

brf4n

hehe, i like them because it allows me to bike for long periods of time in the middle of nowhere. So far I can carry 2.5 liters. i got them from k-mart for $6. one of the holes is getting weak, but that's only cause i stretched it. those bottles in the pic don't stretch the rubber.

it also is nice because i get to drink seltzer water instead of regular water...it's good when you're on a boring stretch and you need something different to keep your focus...

jamesuh

I have an 09 Allez Elite in red and I love it, enjoy your new bike!

Innes

you need to flip your stem twice.

Scorer75

Enjoy it!!! How do u drink? Do u unscrew the bottle each time you want a sip?

urbanknight

Granted, it only carries 1 liter per bottle, but at least you're not unscrewing the cap every time you want to take a sip. Not sure why seltzer water keeps you entertained (you must ride in some pretty boring landscape) but can't you put that in a bike bottle as well?

liquefied

Carbonated water mixed with intense exercise just seems like a bad idea to me.

Ygduf

Thanks for reminding me to change my bar tape tonight.

brf4n

The landscape isn't too bad, I mean, it's the Santa Ynez mountains in Santa Barbara, it is actually really beautiful and amazing. I guess I meant when I get pissed off cause I hate working out sometimes, whatever helps helps...whether it be good music, fizzy water, taking my shirt off to get a tan, that sort of thing...

I only really drink when I stop, but if I have to drink while i'm riding, I just unscrew the cap with my teeth and put it in my pocket for a couple seconds. Yeah, the only thing with those tops of water bottles, is that you can't really put anything carbonated in it, since with every bump on the road, it'll agitate the water more and it'll open by itself and all of a sudden you'll be wondering, "why are my feet wet?"

I dunno, I like it cause I can go to the store before I ride and get any drink I want and know it'll be secure. Then when I'm riding, I remember I have something sweet/sugary/fun to drink, and be all excited. I'm probably the only person who thinks like this, but yeah, it's fun. If you put orange juice there, or Gatorade, or a coke, or cactus cooler, then it's like a quick energy boost, kind of like those packets they sell at the bike shop to keep your energy up (the sweet ones filled with carbs).

bikr13

How much did you pay for it?

sheddle

Specialized makes the greatest water bottles in the world, for about a buck 99 at every LBS ever. Buy them now.

tigershark

pedals

bkwentz

Poke a hole with a nail in two lids and keep those in your jersey. makes any bottle into a squeeze bottle.

umd

Hey, another Santa Barbarian. Did you get that from Bob's in Goleta last weekend?

NuBiker

I went on a ride this morning too in Santa Barbara county, north county. Closer to foxen canyon- sisquoc the smoke was awful, had to go to los Alamos area, the smoke also awful from another fire. Damn, I am surrounded by fires. Tomorrow I will go coastal.
Nice looking bike, I love black and white.

BigBlueToe

What's up with the curving top tube? I have an Allez too, but it's older. Does the curved top tube serve a function, or do they just do it because they can?

alpha_bravo

Sloping top tube is the trademark of a compact frame geometry. The sloping top tube helps create a smaller rear triangle. It all adds up to a lower center of gravity for better handling and a stiff frame.

umd

It's not just sloping, it's an arc.

The Tarmacs are the same way.

brf4n

For $1300 (no tax) I got:

The bike

44 cm handlebars to replace the 42 cm ones

2 extra tubes

1 pump

2 knog beetle lights

3 tire tools

patch kit

extra kickstand (i took it off though)

24 oz waterbottle

cages

I think it was a pretty good deal, since they waived the tax and gave me all that free stuff.

brf4n

I went to Bob's on Upper State for one week straight, and they got sick of me pretty fast. So I ended up not buying from them.

Then I went to Bicycle Bob's in Goleta (they have this exact bike on the floor), and they were super nice. But that same day I went to another bike shop in Solvang, and they said if I made my mind right there they're give me all those free accessories and hold the tax (all the while giving me the cheapest price).

I already knew what I wanted, I was just shopping around to see what I could get.

Bicycle Bob's is OK, but I dunno...it was a good place when I was younger, but nowadays when I go in, I don't really get talked to like a 27 year old, so yeah...

brf4n

The fire is pretty lame. I hate how every year we get two fires that almost burn the town down.

Although, one positive is that you can bike really late since it stays hot.

I picked black and white, because one night, I was looking at pics of bikes in the dark on my laptop, and the ones that really stood out where the white bikes. They glowed, while all the other bikes, didn't. I am really happy with my choice :-D

umd

I saw a guy in the goleta bobs trying out a black/white allez last Saturday when I was in there. Dr j's in solvang is good too though. Corey is a great guy.

The fires are annoying, at least this one isn't Here. As for nearly burning the town down, there were 3 in the last 2 years but before that IIRC the last one was the painted cave fire nearly 20 years ago.