hubcyclist

I went to my LBS to try out an 54cm allez again, as I've been gravitating toward that model based on a prior test ride. Also tried a 56cm domane, which was nice, but felt a little too relaxed. Definitely liking the allez still. But it's funny how shop people try and steer away from claris, sora, and even tiagra to 105 at the slightest hint of being a semi-competitive rider. If they're to be believed, 8 and 9 speed components will be obsolete in the next year, nevermind that 8 speed has been around about 20 years already. Fortunately, I know that my gearing isn't the reason why I suck lol Actually, the most straight talk I've gotten came at the sponsor shop of some of this forum's esteemed members (C.B. on tremont) where the sales guy didn't try and totally disparage lower level shimano stuff.

revchuck 

I've been on an Allez of some sort since 2011, currently have a 2015 Comp Race. I also work in a Specialized LBS, so take this with a grain of salt. I'd go with the Elite since that's where you get into the DSW frames, IMO they're better overall than the standard E5 frames (which aren't too shabby themselves). Actually, I'd go with the Comp due to the sweet brushed aluminum finish.

I'd also go with nine speed as a minimum due to the fact that there's a wider assortment of cassettes available; also you can get better quality than base-level cassettes in nine speed whereas eight speed is restricted to base-level cassettes in other than Campy. Ten and eleven speed setups are better still in this regard, plus the hood shapes for current Tiagra and 105 are nicer.

dz_nuzz

My take on your bike decision is: The heart wants what the heart wants. You could always upgrade the groupset later, but it is worth considering being "neutral serviceable". Remember that 8 and 9 speed will mean that you won't be able to use someone else's wheels and if you need neutral service they wont have any components for you. My girlfriend used to ride a 9 speed bike while racing and she had a few situations where having older components made it harder to get help.

TMonk

hubcyclist

the neutral serviceable thing is much more of a valid argument for someone racing as opposed to "the gearing will put you at a competitive disadvantage" or "you won't be able to find parts for it" lol i don't really think people are really trying to mislead when they say certain things, it's just kind of dogmatic stuff that gets recited as gospel

I think I've been talking myself into 8 or 9 speed versions only due to budget, but I do like tiagra at the very least, the shifting felt a bit more crisp compared to the sora

caloso

I bought a Tiagra group for my son's bike and was pretty impressed. It's heavier and not as nicely finished, but it's cheap, has the same hood shape as the higher groups, and shifts smoothly and reliably. It used to be that 105 was best bang for the buck; now it might be Tiagra if 11-speed isn't necessary.

grolby

Hey @hubcyclist. The lower-end Shimano stuff is definitely disparaged too much, BUT it's worth considering going to 105 for a couple of different reasons. First is the neutral service angle when racing, which isn't a huge deal but it's nice to not have to worry about whether a neutral wheel will work if you need to take a free lap in a crit. Second, the ergonomics on the 11-speed Shimano stuff really is a step up. It's just nicer to use and functionally superior, in my opinion.

One other thing to really think about is the time frame you expect to be using this bike for. It's pretty clear that you and/or your family are pretty price-sensitive, to the point that you've resisted upgrading the very old bike you've been riding and racing on despite clearly wanting something newer. I think that's admirable - the older and less expensive stuff really does work quite well, and there are other priorities in life than having the latest and best equipment. However, that also means you're likely to keep riding whatever you end up riding next for a long time. The MSRP difference between a Tiagra-equipped and a 105-equipped Specialized Allez is about $300. I'm not going to trivialize that amount of money, it does represent about a 25% increase at this price point. But consider how that extra $300 will amortize over many years of ownership. Over five years, or even ten years, that isn't such a large amount of money and you'll be enjoying the slightly nicer 105 group for years to come. For me, personally, it's worth spending that extra up front for something I plan to use for a long time - that's why I buy expensive road shoes, for example. It might not end up being worthwhile for you. But it's something to think about.

shovelhd

5800 is so cheap you'd be crazy not to convert. You need new wheels anyway.

grolby

I think this discussion assumes a complete new bike - @hubcyclist's current machine is a couple decades old.

Flatballer

Checked out T-Town today for Tuesday racing. Was great looking, great racing. Some fast dudes for just a Tuesday night. Also did a ride beforehand. It was really pretty, really hilly beautiful farm land, almost no cars, it was great. I'm excited to be around here.

revchuck 

FB - I went to college in the area (Kutztown). I remember how nice it was around there, you'll have a blast.

himespau 

Good point. If the frame still works for you (I think you were wanting to try sizing down though), just a 5800 set and some wheels from one of the UK sites would be a much cheaper option. If the fit is an issue, that doesn't help.

gsteinb

There's rarely 'just a tuesday night' at T-Town. Pretty sure there were at least two olympians there last night. Did you move? There's a Thursday night crit in the bike park across the street from the velodrome.

topflightpro

I think Grolby makes a pretty good argument. Also, while you will still be able to get parts for 8,9 and 10 speed stuff, the fact is, the industry is moving to 11-speed and maybe even 12, 13 or 14. Given how long you probably plan to ride and race this bike, it probably makes sense to go with the 11-speed 105 stuff. That puts you in the best position going forward should you need to make upgrades or changes.

Flatballer

Yeah, I got there a little late after my ride so I missed introductions. But I saw two Barbados kits and what looked like a Netherlands kit, and who knows who was in other kits.

Didn't necessarily move yet since we still own our house, but my wife is working on getting it ready to sell. I'm in a hotel in Allentown during the first week or two, but then I'll be living in Yardley with in laws.

The guy who I met in the parking lot and rode with told me about the Thursday night crit and the derby ride and stuff. Seems like a great area to ride. Might need to get a garmin to learn some new routes, but that would mean upgrading the PT, so we'll see how much I get to ride first. Cue sheets for now.

Harlan

4 years of running my dogs on bike and today marks the first dog related incident. They chased a chimpmunk past my front wheel and I went down hard on pavement. About 6 inches from the grass we were about to go onto and into the woods. A bit of road rash which doesn't bother me but also a bruised-ish ribcage that I'm supposing will make working out annoying. 10/10 would do again.

Ygduf

did the dog apologize

topflightpro

I assume they blamed the chipmunk for causing the crash.

Harlan

They were more like "Why did we stop and why are you on the ground gasping for breath?"

Flatballer

Also, we didn't get the chipmunk. Sorry.

Flatballer

Ended up picking up a nice Lezyne steel pump from the LBS near T-Town. Price was really quite good. Threads onto the presta so I don't have to hold it on. My Topeak Joe Blow Sport was starting to not hold at all anymore without a lot of help. Much better for the track too, can actually handle higher pressures a lot better.

topflightpro

FB, those Lezyne pumps are nice. Just be careful if you have removable valve cores. If you don't release the air pressure (little black button on the pump head) before unscrewing the head from the valve, it can sometimes unscrew the valve core instead.

dz_nuzz

Also, make sure you don't accidentally lose the little O-rings that go on the ends of the hose. Those things have a habit of falling off after a while, and when they do you are left with a useless pump.

himespau 

+1 to both of those comments. I'm a big fan of the chuck to the point of having put a lezyne hose on a cheap nashbar pump, but I have also screwed out a valve core (that I didn't know was removable) on my hardest wheelset to change tires (GP4ks with Pacenti SL23 first edition - I've heard the new ones are easier to change).

Has anyone tried those silca chucks that work like a pneumatic tool to change from presta to schrader? I picked up a silca pump dirt cheap at a garage sale but some of my wheels the stems don't stick out far enough for the regular silca chuck that just slides on to grab well enough to stay on when pressure gets high, so I thought I might tried that other chuck as it threads on. I could just buy tubes with longer stems, but I just got a lot of the short ones and want to use them up.

Flatballer

Good to know about the air release, I wasn't sure what the point of that was. I'll try to be careful.