RiddleOfSteel

I have been withholding from all of you this last week or so, especially in light of the many early-era Specialized fans/enthusiasts among us (I am included in that as well).

Putting around with an IT band that has yet to get itself fully together after going bad halfway into an easy 25-30 mile ride back on Independence Day (you bet it felt every bit as good as you think... :/ ), I have been either completing bikes for myself or completing bikes and posting them for sale. Yes, I have been on a half dozen or so easy two-way commutes since the injury (I waited two long weeks to do the first, commute is two miles each way) just to gauge things, but the more I get into it, the more I am content (as one can be...) to keep resting and just give the thing a chance. Right in the middle of a lovely mild Seattle summer. Such as it goes. I am thankful that walking around is no issue, as is general strength and mobility. A number of us across the age spectrum are in various states of rest and recovery, so although I am bummed out, I count my blessings.

Prologue mostly over, a friend of mine sends me a link to this 62cm '85 Allez SE. Top tube is a whopping 60cm and I think, given Specialized's late-'80s geometry, that I'm looking at a 74°/74° HT/ST angle bike, which would put the top tube, "normalized" to a 73° ST angle, at 61cm, and thus too long for me. My '74 Paramount is 73°/73° with a 60cm top tube, and that is the longest I will ride, keeping handling and general aesthetics in order. Alas, this is not the case!

Also not the case is my previous assumption, based on scarce catalog info, that the maximum frame size from Specialized--an American company building bikes for the American market--was 61cm CTC, which yields a 62cm CTT frame size, 1cm smaller than what I ride (comfort and aesthetics dictating, naturally). Well lo and behold, prior to 1988, a 62cm CTC frame, which comes out to 63.5cm (aka 25") CTT, was what they offered. Fantastic!

This was the ad's picture. The frame and fork looked great, and the Specialized headset, BB, and 175mm crankset with original chainrings was all there, and for a...very nice price.



Suffice it to say, I was interested, but also trying to keep in line with my continually semi-failing attempts to move bike-related items out of my place, not into them. I thanked my friend for the link, reiterated my bike-reduction endeavor, said the TT may be too long, and concluded that at the price it was advertised it would be gone in two seconds.

........

Four days later, I check to see if, hilariously, it's still available.

Three days after that, it's slung over my shoulder, headed home (carefully!) with me aboard my Prologue. In my mind, I tell myself I will measure it rigorously, and if it is found to be too long for my preference, that I will build it up nicely with parts I have and send it along.

Dang it...

Yeah right. This thing is dynamite, and ever since I contacted the seller, my excitement for the bike/frame and build has only grown. And after I waxed the paint it was more:

RiddleOfSteel

Per the Specilized catalog for 1985, this is the American Flyers bike model (not actual frame/bike, of course), as we know. No Tim Neenan or Jim Merz signature on the NDS chain stay. Just a single "SE" badge on the DS of the top tube. This was a Suntour Superbe Pro bike from the factory. That is one heckuva "second tier" bike, isn't it?

The paint is near flawless. The decals are perfect, and I really like that "ALLEZ" script.

The bottom bracket has new grease coming out of it and is in perfect adjustment. The Specialiezed crank bolt dust caps are also present, although the 5mm allen key hole is too rounded out to remove. The headset has new/good grease and all it needs is tightening. What kind of bike is this???

It was a friendly exchange with the seller, a fellow early Specialized enthusiast and owner of a same/similar year red Allez, albeit in a much smaller size. He told me he got this one in a trade and knew it was much too large for him, and put it up for sale not knowing who would be so tall enough as to need it. Well, there's a lot of us, and one of them is me!

Some more as-found pictures:

RiddleOfSteel

The Build Begins

I have had most of an Accushift-era Superbe Pro groupset lying around, with me continually wondering what frame they may adorn. I've bought and sold earlier friction-shift era Superbe and Superbe Pro, but have been much more possessive and select on letting go of my later Superbe Pro, even after trying to sell some of it for a time. So guess what? They finally have a home!

Consider this build to be an update and upgrade to a 1985 model that someone could have made. 7-speed index shifting replaces 6-speed friction shifting. Aero brake levers and hidden-spring Superbe Pro calipers replace traditional brake levers and heavier-spring calipers. The 120mm or 126mm Superbe Pro rear hub receives a 5mm spacer on the drive side to accommodate a 7-speed FW, no need for a new hub/wheelset. Newer Superbe Pro honors the original build spec, but the upgrades are welcome and in the same logic train.

Here is what I had on hand:

Superbe Pro rear derailleur - bought as parts and fixed using another Accushift-era RD (anchor bolt to the dropout)
Superbe Pro brake calipers
Suntour/Dia-Compe BRS 300 brake levers - similar in shape to Superbe Pro (which I've had, but they had bad road rash and had been sold years ago), but aesthetically nearly perfect (ok, text is worn, but no road rash!)
Suntour Accushift Plus 7-speed shift levers - same exact shape as the same era Superbe Pro, and nearly as glossy, just a few rungs below although they work very well
Shimano Dura-Ace 12-21T 7-speed FW - because shifting is important, and Uniglide teeth shift so much better than the block-type cut of Suntour (or everyone else for that matter) cogs...I also had it lying around.

Here is what I was able to obtain:

Superbe Pro hub set from our own @Dfrost - 120mm rear spacing that I've bumped to 125mm with the same axle, confirming that it clears a 7-speed freewheel
Superbe Pro front derailleur (from the Accushift/Accushift Plus era)

I do have 175mm Superbe Pro cranks, but they 1) aren't original to this bike 2) not quite prime time ready as they need more polishing (the anodizing was toast, so I removed it and did a bit of wheel polishing).

Mother's Mag & Aluminum Polish has been blessing every single part going on to this frameset, including the crankset. It's been a bit crazy, but oh boy has it been paying off!

But first, some hub overhaul pictures:

Hubs post-polishing and post-spacer-adding.


All the rear bearings sit in a cage and are slightly smaller, IIRC, than what I normally see in, say Shimano rear hubs. They had good grease in them. I added more.


In case you couldn't tell, all the cones of these Superbe Pro hubs were flippin' mirrors along the bearing tracks. Delicious!


Confirmed 7-speed FW fits! Chain clearance will be a touch snug, but I've run tighter without issue a number of times.

RiddleOfSteel

Now for photos of components. Part I.

These things glow. About as much as the paint! Front shifter has a lovely indexing feel and "snap" sound. Rear shifter is micro-ratchet (love this bit of Suntour engineering) when pulling the lever back, and retro-friction feeling when pushing it forward. Gears are always held--definitely better than Shimano here, IMO.


52/42T chainrings in nearly-unused condition. Clamp-on Superbe Pro FD happily sitting above.


Limit stops have not been adjusted at all--and honestly, I wound the screws for cleaning. Derailleur is, however, aligned and at the correct height.


The rear derailleur awaits orders...

RiddleOfSteel

Photos of components Part II.

The angle is a bit close-up and extreme, but the hood shape is really comfortable. Permanent mounting will happen with the cables, cable housings, and inner cable housing ferrules installed (then the brake levers will be slid onto the bars).


Some of the the most beautiful brake calipers to come out of the '80s, with a sublime feel to them as well.


Why no Specialized stem and bars? Well, I don't have any and couldn't find any. I had a 100/105mm Cinelli stem to hold Cinelli Criterium bars--my favorite classic drop bars because of the comfort they allow when riding the brake lever hoods.


A generic black era-correct-enough Velo saddle (for now) sits atop a freshly polished SR Laprade fluted 26.8mm seat post. It's at its max height, and that height is about 3-4mm too low for my normal fit. I'm not going to worry about it.


And finally, a parting photo of the bike as she sits. Brake levers are not buttoned down, though they are in pretty much the place they'll be.

As for wheels, I have some H Plus Son TB14s in the hard anodized grey in the mail as well as spokes.

I am heavily considering running white Benotto Cello Tape to match the catalog even moreso, and to deliver that final bit of delicate '80s bike color composition excellence. White Fizik tape would be nice, but a bright white is too harsh at this point. Your thoughts on the Benotto tape (and potential $33 price tag for a new roll on Ebay) are welcome!

As always, dingy apartment hallway pics... It's also raining and three flights down to the outside of the building.

ryansu

pretty sweet RoS, I am selling on a too small for me 92 56 cm Allez and hoping to someday find a 58 cm.

RiddleOfSteel

Thanks! Another Very Red Allez, this time a 1986, in 52cm form, is for sale locally, complete, for $350. That's crazy.

I just installed modern cartridge type pads on my calipers and due to the shorter pad length of then-current brake pads, my longer ones decided to dig into the fork as there was no cable holding the caliper arms closed, and the caliper arms spread quite widely. First blood! I have blue tape there at present for further protection and will be hopefully cabling the brakes tonight.

mountaindave 

If you could find cello tape, it’s pretty dang cool. I still have the tape I took off my wife’s Alex SE - it’s not pristine, but I think a picture of it (washed and reinstalled) is in the Allez link in my sig below. It has since been replaced by white Fizik tape when I put aero levers and interrupters on (at the demand of she who must be obeyed). You’re welcome to the period and bike correct tape if you want.

cudak888 

I think I have red cello tape, but slightly wider than the usual stuff, and perforated down the center. Be glad to dig it up for you if it sounds interesting, Riddle.

-Kurt

Essthreetee

Love it. Just be careful once you get it up and riding...you’ll have to be on the lookout for “The Cannibal”. Makes me want to watch that movie...hmmm....yep, maybe after I get back from my ride.

Mr. 66

I think the white Benotto that's frosting on the cake! What's the spec cable housing?

RiddleOfSteel

Thank you for the cello tape encouragement, guys. I just cabled up the front and rear brakes. White Shimano SLR housing and cables with the cylindrical heads (an older type) as opposed to the newer domed head type--they fit the brake lever slot (the domed did not...at least they wouldn't have without a lot of filing/grinding).

I need to get to a few things, so I'll post pictures in a few hours, but I used white electrical tape instead of black like I normally do, and wrapped the cables/housing in a spiral fashion beginning from the brake lever and ending at the center "collar" of the bar (where the Cinelli logos are). The logic for both of those decisions was to camouflage their presence should I go with white cello tape (which I was heavily considering and will now do). I suppose I could always get clear semi-flexible tape which wouldn't obstruct the color of the aluminum at all.

I will look out for The Cannibal, though the Cannibal may just be my left knee trying to ruin my fun when riding...

RiddleOfSteel

Well, it's been a solid week and a half. The TB14 rims arrived a week ago, while the spokes and nipples took their time on carrier turtles. My tires are still en route, but you can't mount tires to unfinished wheels so it doesn't matter. Nevertheless, the stalled progress feels like forever, but I'm back doing something.

A few pictures of my spoke lacing station (aka a cozy counter top wedged between low-hanging cabinets, the sink, and a fridge) as the Superbe Pro hubs get that much closer to being used again! 32-spoke, 3-cross lacing front and rear. @Dfrost was again extremely helpful (we built the last pair of wheels for my '85 Paramount together) and printed out a portion of Zinn's bicycle maintenance handbook--the wheel building section. This is my first solo wheelset build and I'm in the truing phase on both wheels, but wanted to take a break and update you all on last night's progress. I will get the rear wheel a bit better and likely call it an evening. Both wheels will be incredibly close to finished tonight, but it's a lot of fine tuning that needs more energy and patience to execute.

Game time.


Everybody is holding hands in the front.


Holding hands in the rear. Check the sweet bowed spokes--it's a new trend.

Tulok

I want to ride it! It’s my size!!

RiddleOfSteel

It'd be a long drive, but at least you're in very northern Utah! BTW, with your proximity to Ogden, did you try and get down there for the 150th anniversary of the Golden Spike [...and more importantly, to me, see UP's 4014] ?

Narhay

Another nicely photodocumented and built project by you. Looking forward to seeing this one built up. Your apartment wrenching reminds me of my time in my townhouse...makeshift workstations that are then shoehorned into some closet or another.

Mr. 66

If you want the cello tape I can help.

RiddleOfSteel

Thank you! That small square of countertop is thankfully tall enough to stand and work at for someone my height. Essentially all the component cleaning and polishing happens there, as well as frame compounding/waxing. I should really get a table, but room for that is currently not available because there are bikes in the way. Naturally. Which is why I'm selling a number--sold a pricey one this weekend, so that helps the space issue and the funding/financial "zeroing-out" of this project (which it more than does).

I ended up completing the wheels last night. Couldn't stop. Rim tape has been applied, and I spun the Dura-Ace freewheel on (yes, with plenty of grease!). Spoke tension is pretty darn even. The spoke ends stop about 0.3-1.0mm shy of flathead screwdriver slot's lowest point in the spoke nipples, which I would say is pretty darn good. The TB14s built up easily and lateral truing also brought radial truing, of which I was very grateful.

I was also very happy to have the overhauled Superbe Pro hubs spin easily and for quite some time as I trued the wheels. A nice reassurance that "good old stuff" is also "good current-year stuff," at least this time.

RiddleOfSteel

We shall work out a trade!

Tulok

ahhh, you had to bring up the golden spike.

I planned for an an entire year to be there. But the day before, unforeseen events meant that I MISSED it. 😭😭 I did go there to see the regular stuff there and it is worth visiting any time! But I didn’t see the big celebration and The 4014.

Which also reminds me that I don’t live in Utah anymore! We moved to Lancaster, CA that same month. 👍🏻

RiddleOfSteel

Sorry to hear that! As I'm up here in Seattle, and knowing that traffic etc would be complete madness in the area, it was a lot easier just to live vicariously through the many RR fans who took video of 4014 and 844 making the journey there and back to Cheyenne. I found it quite funny to see a slow, line of cars pacing the locos in one direction of the highway, while the opposite direction had no traffic. Our family drove out to Promontory Summit about ten years back and took part in the whole Golden Spike reenactment.

velojym

When I was a kid, this was one of the first *good* bikes I wanted... but never got, after seeing them featured in a movie I kinda liked.

RiddleOfSteel

It will be interesting to see how it performs. I've had a run of great bikes, and I suspect this will be up there. I suppose if one is hanging Superbe Pro on a frameset as original equipment, it better be a great frame. And for us real tall (and thus heavier) guys, this frame feels super solid, and that's backed up by its weight. I think a full build is going to be closer to 23 lbs, not some 20-21 lb feather, and it's not even chromed underneath. I never weighed the frame, fork and headset together only as there was always a crankset and BB attached and they were already ready to go (new grease, perfect adjustment), but I would imagine it's 3200-3300g and not 3000g like my lightest SL or Prestige-tubed framesets are. It's a bit of a tank, albeit a very red and very pretty tank.

Tulok

Very pretty

mhespenheide 

That is awfully dang pretty, and in such great shape.

I'll be interested to hear your thoughts on the handling once it's up and riding. I've got an '82 or '83 Trek 660 frame in the basement that's 60x58 with parallel 74-degree angles. I keep thinking that I need to build it up, but it's a touch too small for me...