Storm Knight

So a couple years ago I bought a used Specialized Allez Sport. I believe it was a 2007 model but not certain, as the previous owner was also unsure. I've tried looking it up but cannot find exact matches. It has a bright red frame. I have enjoyed riding the bike off and on, but this year I decided to really get into cycling for fitness and for doing one-day bike tour events. Last year I bought a mountain bike (brand new) so I have that aspect covered. Okay, so here is my situation now (and I hope you'll forgive me if I don't get some of the terminology right): my Allez has three chainrings on the front and a 9-speed cassette on the back. I've been having trouble lately with chatter/grind in certain gears, usually when in the middle ring of the front chainring. I've spoken to the local bike shop that is our Specialized dealer, and the guy on the phone said that my particular drivetrain configuration is not made anymore and that they recommend either getting a new bike from them or another store, or buying a used bike that has a more "modern" drivetrain configuration. He did say that I could bring it in but could make no promises as to how well they would get the drivetrain in tune, and that there would be a higher fee for working on my bike. He also said that if I didn't want to lay out the cash for buying a brand-new road bike, that I could try to upgrade the components and was happy to try and sell me a new "groupset" and install it on my bike. I told him I'd think about it.

So I ask you folks...what are your thoughts here? I am not in a position to spend $1500+ on a new road bike at the moment, so I would rather see if I can do some upgrades on what I have. I have also heard that road bikes are at a premium and order backlog is significant, and thus it is a seller's market and prices reflect that. I'd rather wait out the supply/demand issues created by supply chain challenges and just upgrade the bike if possible. IS this possible?

Thanks for taking the time to read my post. I look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Storm Knight

HillRider

What are your current components? What crank and derailleurs? "Upgrading" to 10 speed is relatively straight forward but not real cheap as you would need at a minimum new shifters, cassette and chain if you were willing to keep the current triple crank and derailleurs. Going to 11-speed is a lot more expensive as you would need a new rear wheel, new derailleurs and probably a new crank as well as all of the above.

Perhaps all you really need are a new 9-speed cassette and chain and both are still readily available

Barry2 

Find a better bike store.
Find one that at least wishes to see the bike before condemning the drivetrain to total replacement, and offering to sell the the parts and labor.

Barry

Crankycrank

There are many unknowns with your bike that we can't really comment on since you may just need an adjustment or a new chainring or chain or any number of other problems and options to fix them without spending huge dollars. I recommend looking for a Co-Op near you so they can help you sort this out and if you can identify the problems, we can help you deal with them such as finding the right parts and for less $$. Where are you located which also might get you some answers from someone nearby who can recommend a Co-Op or at least a good bike shop.

Ross200

+1 on a better bike shop. 9 speed triple drivetrain parts are still made and as available as anything else in the current market. The idea of charging extra is a big red flag for me.

Storm Knight

Rear derailleur is Shimano 105. Rear cassette is a 9 speed. Front derailleur and brakes/shifters are Tiagra. Don't know model of front chainring (which is a triple), as there is nothing on it to indicate brand/model that I can see.

RustyJames 

I have a similar vintage Allez that I bought last year so I’m familiar with your bike. (Mine is an “Elite” so it is mostly Shimano 105 with an FSA Gossamer crankset.)

I think before you start throwing parts at your bike get a second and maybe a 3rd opinion. It could be as simple as a basic service will get your bike in shape.

Storm Knight

Well, that's part of the issue. The local Specialized dealer/bike shop is wanting to charge me a premium for doing anything to it and won't even guarantee they CAN do anything with it. I'm not a bike mechanic and I don't have the time to learn how to work on bikes. I just want to ride. I have enough money to pay for reasonable repairs and maintenance performed by professionals, and perhaps even some component replacement. But I DON'T have the money to spend over $1k on parts or $1500+ on a new bike right now. There are a couple other bike shops in my area but they are not Specialized dealers and want to charge even more to deal with my bike (and with the same "sorry, no guarantee" disclaimer). What happened to the small local bike shop that had mechanics who could and would work on ANY bike? Are those a thing of the past now?

HillRider

There is nothing wrong with the quality of any of those components. A new 9-speed cassette and chain with proper adjustment should correct your problems at far less cost. I agree, find another bike dealer.

RustyJames 

If there is a local Specialized dealer nearby I would think there are other shops in the area, yes?
I can think of 2 mom/pop shops not far from me that I would trust completely. Maybe a basic Google search would turn up a reputable place near you?

urbanknight

As someone else mentioned, those are quality components and chances are something is just out of adjustment or maybe worn. If the derailleurs are properly adjusted, probably need to replace the chain, maybe the cassette and/or chainrings.

MudPie

Your 3x9 (3 chainrings x 9 speed cassette) setup was very solid and common back in the day, so nothing wrong there (I still have a 3x9 mountain bike). Your components are decent, so nothing wrong there. Before investing into parts, do the cheap things first, like adjustment of both derailleurs, lube chain, lube the shift cables that slide inside the housing, align the rear derailleur hangar. Try to do one thing at a time to pinpoint the issue. For example, if lubing the cables does wonders, you might want to consider new cable and housing. I'm not sure why your local shops want to charge a premium since the components and setup are nothing out of the ordinary. The little list of my to-dos can be done by any shop, Specialized or non-Specialized. The above idea of a co-op is a great idea.

MudPie

Out of curiosity, where are you located. Perhaps someone in your area can point you to a quality shop.

Canker

Sounds to me like all you need to do is adjust the cable tension of the front derailleur.

dabac

Bicycles are still far less proprietary than cars. You should not need a Specialized shop.
I’ve heard of that happening under 2 different circumstances:
- a customer dropping off a really dirty bike. Getting your hands dirty, or having to wear gloves is an unavoidable thing. But some bikes need cleaning before they can be reliably diagnosed. That’s an extra task that needs to be covered.
- a customer wanting a rush job when there’s already bikes waiting for service.
Can’t tell from here If either applies to your situation
Not entirely unheard of, depending on the nature of the complaint and the type/condition of the bicycle.

(getting tired of editing)

OP, it seems like there’s either something missing from the picture, or the shop(s) simply don’t want your business. Maybe it’s what’s missing is why the shop don’t want your business.
I can’t tell from here.
But 3x drivetrains were perfectly adequate and accepted for YEARS. Nothing wrong with them as such, even if the biz has moved on to other configurations. Your particular bike might pose a challenge due to corrosion, damage or contamination. But your brand, type and configuration is still readily serviceable.
Find a co-op/bike kitchen or another shop.
Post your (general) location and ask for suggestions.

regarding that ”higher fee”:
- some shops around here run a program where the original owner only pays for parts and not the time when dropping off a bike for service.
Maybe that was what the shop was talking about but didn’t explain properly. You as a 2nd owner would be charged more than an original owner.

Kai Winters

It is possible the bike hasn't seen a lot of maintenance during its life. It is 15 years old and it is quite possible it needs a thorough cleaning, degreasing, lube and adjustments. It may need a new chain and cassette...again depending on maintenance.
Your bike likely will work great after some or all of the above and will be much less expensive, though still not cheap, than buying a new drivetrain, etc.
As has been said the 9 speed drivetrain is nearly bullet proof but there are some items that need replacing such as the chain and cassette. The rest of the drivetrain just needs a good cleaning.
Our shop calls it a "tune up plus"...we remove the pedals and regrease, remove the chain, cassette/freewheel or replace as necessary, rear and front der. and thoroughly degrease and clean, check/adjust the bottom bracket, headset and front/rear hub bearings as well as the normal tuneup stuff. The frame gets the same.
Find a good local shop, maybe not so local, and tell them what your bike is doing or not doing. If they are a good shop they will only give you a rough estimate when you arrive. It takes some time, 15 minutes or so, to go over your bike properly and give you an estimate that is accurate...but even then a mechanic may wind up coming across something unexpected during a tuneup, etc.
The mech will also check tire wear and may suggest replacing the tires depending on wear.
Were it me I'd want the chain and cassette replaced...unless it has been replaced recently...the chain roughly after 3000 miles...the cassette not so often but depends on how long the chain has gone without being replaced. I'd also replace the cables and housings to get much smoother shifting and braking. I'd want the hub, bottom bracket and headset bearings checked and while accessed you may as well have them removed, cleaned and regreased if they don't need replacing...very likely you can just replace the caged bearings with new ones or better yet go to uncaged bearings as you can get an extra bearing of so making for slightly smoother workings...likely you'd not notice the difference but it is there.
Don't forget the bike's brake pads...If they are original they are likely quite worn and the rubber has hardened...it's not expensive and you will have a much better braking system.
Depending on where you are located you might be looking at $200ish for basically a "restore" which is far less expensive than replacing the drivetrain, etc.
You might have to replace the chainrings too but that likely isn't necessary...depends on wear, etc.
The Allez is a great bike and with some good care and maintenance will last a very long time.
Good luck and keep us informed.

blacknbluebikes 

As said above, start with a tune-up. That 105 groupset is fine and parts are readily available.

squirtdad

who is making 9 speed triple cranksets other boutique cranksets like velo orange and rene herse? how about new shifters? maybe microshift? certainly not shimano or sram or campy. There is not much 9 speed being made from what i have seen

squirtdad

new cables for shifting and brakes, clean and lube hubs, headset and bottom bracket (if it is ball and cup), flush shifters with wd40, clean and lube chain

https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help

HTupolev

Shimano.

Yes, and also Shimano.

Shimano still has multiple current-generation 9-speed groupsets in its catalog, including a 3x9 road-targeted offering in the form of Sora R3030.

squirtdad

I stand corrected....... last time I was searching for 9 speed it was at a different level. Hubris get's you every time

BCRider

I feel for you. But don't give up. Perhaps give the smaller less flashy looking shops a chance? Talk to the mechanic and get a feel for if they are just pushing parts or will actually service just what needs servicing?

That being said the days of $50/hr shop labor are well behind us. So you'll likely need to open up your pocket book at least a reasonable amount.

Another option is to at least have a good close look at things yourself. I'm not suggesting you actually buy all the special bike tools and haunt the YT videos on how to lace your own wheels. But it's possible that what ends up being needed might be quite basic.

I don't think it's an outlandish idea that a bike owner should be able to rapidly change tires and tubes, perform basic gearing adjustments to sweeten up shifts and correct things like front cage rubbing. These are all nearly "tool less" repairs that simply need a keen eye and willingness to learn a few basics.

And from what you're describing it sure sounds like it might simply be that the front derailleur cage is rubbing the chain in some of the gears. This may well be just an adjustment is needed. Or perhaps the front derailleur's clamp has shifted on the downtube or the cage been bent at some point. They aren't all that tough to side impacts or crushing force. But things like this are the sort of adjustments that you can learn about without a major time commitment. And which can be handled with the tools in a typical bicycle style fold over handi tool.

While you're looking around the crankset and front derailleur check that the bottom bracket isn't backing out of the thread. This would show up as a gap where the BB flange meets the BB shell. And would show as some wobbliness in the crankset axle. For that matter a blown out bearing in the BB itself would also show as a wobbly crankset axle too. This is all stuff you can inspect and evaluate yourself for zero dollars and only a few moments worth of learning.

It'll also go a long ways to sticking it to the shops that just want to rob your wallet apparently.

Good luck and I hope this helps you to empower yourself in at least this small way. If you give it a go and find things you're not sure about we are here for you. And there's certainly lots of YT videos as well.

cpach

Find a better bike shop, one that has a business that has a strong focus on service (which does include some shops with a lot of retail, also). Setting up road triples well can bit a little more tricky, but any reasonably competent mechanic can do the work. 3x9 has plenty of gear range and relatively close steps between gears, so depending on your riding style there is no very compelling reason to upgrade. Parts are still available--current Shimano Sora has compatible 3x9 levers, and Microshift makes some as well. Derailleurs, chains, and cassettes are actually much more available at this exact moment than 11/12 speed stuff. From the sound of it you need better setup and possibly a new front derailleur to address your immediate problems--it's also possible you have worn chain, cassette, maybe chainrings and pulley wheels, but none of that would contribute to chain rub in the middle ring.

The most compelling reason/time to upgrade would be if your shifters are beginning to fail, given that they make up such a significant proportion of the cost of a drivetrain. If and when that happens, a simple upgrade would be to move to 10 speed Tiagra 3x10, which you could actually use with your existing derailleurs with a new chain and cassette (technically the chainrings aren't compatible, but in practice they work fine). But if you were antsy to upgrade beyond that, then sure, why not, it's not hard to do. The biggest challenge would probably be that your freehub body is not designed for 11/12 speed cassette spacings, but you can run a 11-34 11 speed cassette if you want because it'll fit on a 10 speed freehub body.

mitchmellow62

OP: I agree with all the comments recommending another LBS and the idea that simple adjustments may be all that is needed. However, are you aware that there is a trim function for the front derailleur? It moves the derailleur slightly to eliminate chain rub when the chain is on the more extreme cogs of the cassette and the middle chainring. For the Tiagra 4503 brifters it is described in this document: https://si.shimano.com/api/publish/s...0B-001-ENG.pdf . The description is in the lower left of the document. I bet I rode my 2003 Allez Sport for a couple of years before realizing it had this function I bought it new and blame the LBS for not telling/demonstrating. They were my first brifters. Mine had Tiagra brifters and front derailleur, 105 long cage rear derailleur, Alex wheels, Specalized brakes and a cartridge BB/Truvativ(?) crankset. There are days I wish I had kept it. But I'm so obsolete I have never escaped the 9 speed era. I like to call it vintage.

BCRider

There is also the trimming feature on the cable stops that fit the lugs on the downtube. The screws at the FD are for the high and low end limits for the big and small ring positions and the cable stop can be used to set the trim for the middle ring.