I think this video is just advertisement disguised as a review. This guy sounds like straight from the specialized marketing departement. Most bike 'journalists' lack the integrity to criticise the big brands for their pricing and sub par products.
@@googlekonto2851 Hi Google, thanks for your comment. As this is a news video about a newly released bike, there will inevitably be large portions of the video where we explain what's new and what claims the brand (Specialized in this case) is making. Us reporting the claims does not mean we necessarily believe they are true, but communicating them to our audience is part of our job. I have no problems criticising any product or brand where appropriate, but we've only had access to the bike for a few days (and I've been ill, as Felix mentioned), so I've only been able to give my initial impressions on it. If you'd like more detail on my first ride review - as well as a quick look at the value proposition for this bike - then you can read the written version on our website; www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes/road-bikes/specialized-allez-sprint-comp-review/ For the sake of clarity, BikeRadar's reviews are 100% independent, and any sponsored content will always be clearly marked as such. Thanks for watching. Simon
Originally, the whole idea of this bike is that it's a race-ready frame that people on a budget can afford to crash without being too worried. Now it's $3K for aluminum frame, mechanical 105 and cheap wheels. Any racer will add carbon wheels and a power meter and suddenly this is a $5K "budget" bike. A similar bike was about half that just a few years ago.Specialized has been particularly aggressive with their increasingly outrageous pricing increases over the past two years. Vote with your wallet, don't buy this.
Left Spez 4 years ago after owning 4 bikes from them. Disgusting to see where the prices are. And I thought it was ridiculous 3 years ago already. Taking the piss
There are simply too many rich people that make Specialized moves away from mass-market. For the same profit, selling 10k bikes a year is a lot easier to manage than selling 100k bikes a year.
I was interested , then i heard the price. Specialised are frankly taking the mick with that price. Giant TCR Advance 1, with ultegra and a carbon frame, costs less than that. And the welds on the downtube aren't great. I have an alloy racer now, wish more brands made them, but the prices are just daft.
I wish the video provided at least some reasons to go for this instead of similarly priced CF bike. They said it can match carbon's ride quality...but how is not losing out on ride quality a good argument?
My race bike is alloy and it’s beyond good enough for anything I want to do with it. Doesn’t hurt that it’s a full kilo lighter than the top spec Allez.
@@garrettsmith8286 it’s rim. Fuji Roubaix but built up with r9100 and custom carbon rims and a full Enve cockpit. The full build list is real long, right down to the Ti fasteners. Comes in at 6.7kg ready to race and rides like a dream! Cost me about $6k in parts but worth every penny when I compare it to bikes costing that much straight from the factory. Tires are 28 Corsa Controls with Vittoria competition latex tubes. Originally I had Corsas with tubolito tubes but that proved to be not enough puncture protection for my local roads.
The question is : does it have a threaded bottom bracket? Probably not - which is a bit of a shame …. but saves a bit of weight for the cost of having squeaky problems sooner or later. Also the geometry matters more than a few hundred grams! So what’s the point in going downwards and downwards in weight (?).
Those welds! Ye gods that looks shocking. I could choose instead the Trek Emonda AL5, aluminium, 105, better looking and save over £1000; or an Emonda SL5 carbon,105 etc for the same money, or a beautiful Orro Venturi STC aero bike, carbon, full 105, and still save money. Specialized are taking people for absolute fools.
I would agree with you on looks and price. But the geometry of the Emonda AL has a way higher stack for the same reach. So that means its not nearly optimized for the budget racer. H2 geometry isnt race ready in my opinion.
@@luukrutten1295 ... thank you, yes, but that doesn't make it more expensive to make though. At this price point I'd be looking at the Orro Venturi for a fast bike.
these manufacturers are bonkers. 7500 euro for top spec (which isn't even top spec) and 3300 for a basic alu frame and 105. big yikes. paid the same (as the ltd model) for the last venge model with ultegra di2 and you get a carbon frame 7.6kg. Milking and scamming people
Specailized are marketing scammers. The bike is so expensive for what it offers. They did the same with the tarmac and aethos. Journalists keep on promoting them and we keep on believing journalists. Vicious circle.
Yes, and a huge pr budget so that half the professional peloton is riding Specialized. A big chunk of this insulting price goes to their marketing team. A lot of good and great things come out of USA, but this is USA when it's worst. And it does make the journalists seem gullible, or assume their audience is.
You’re bang on. Happens far too often in almost every industry. Know of the regulator of big pharma out in the US called the FDA? Majority funded by big pharma, the industry it should be regulating. Red Tractor certification? ‘Allowing people to recognise food that has been produced to high standards across the whole length of the food chain’? Majority funded by the food industry. Dolphin safe certification? Funded by the fishing industry. We’re living in a world full of crooks.
My wife has a cheap Decathlon road bike with a partial Shinano 105 groupset and waaay better welding. Cost less than 1000€, so more than enough juice left for decent wheels, powermeter and whatnot. That Specialized is nuts. I really hope that they don't sell even one.
Ridiculous! I just got a second hand deal with trek alr5 105 disc with dura ace rotors for just 1300usd. Looks good than this. That welding is just pain in my eyes 😂
This is for those that want SL7 Tarmac at the best price possible. The current CF Tarmacs at this price (window) are all using SL6 molds. IOW, you carry extra weight (over a pound?) in exchange for budget-priced SL7 style cable integration.
It’s hilarious that a budget alloy road bike, with shimano 105, is now £2,650. 105 carbon bikes of between 5-10 years ago were between £1,500 - £2,000 max! Then you’d stick a nice set of wheels and tyres on it. The bike industry has lost touch with the consumer.
Useful review. So I bought my 61cm bike 2 months ago and am enjoying it immensely - on club rides it keeps up with way more expensive carbon bikes and does well on the TTs. Great bike for the price point, especially as I paid 80% of new price for a new bike.
Until you ride one you wont get it. I have the original Allez Sprint and chose to ride it over my Tarmac SL5. It is so much fun to ride, it excelerates like nothing else I've ridden and I've set strava climbing PR's on it. If it was possible to blind test I'd would think it was carbon. It not cheap but a decent carbon bike is outrageously expensive now and these are so close to the carbon equivalents but feel more alive. The handling is the the best I've had. I've owned Cervelo's Cannondale, Giants and I apsolutely love this bike. I have the new one being custom built as we speak and can't wait to ride it. I'd say try one before you knock if you like fast fun racing bikes.
Since now you have both Allez Sprints, what difference did you feel in the new one over the older one? I went to a few LBS' today to see the bike, but I can't test it out.
As the cost of well equipped carbon bikes goes up and up there has to be a market for bikes like the Allez. My experience is that a well designed, and well made alloy frame performs as well as all but the most expensive carbon in all aspects except weight.
It's fantastic to see bike companies come back to Aluminum and putting solid tech on these bikes such as cayon Graval bikes, salsa, ect... It's much more affordable, more more Environmentally friendly, better carbon foot print, and recyclable. I have a Aluminum Gravel Bike and love the ride both on and off road. This specialized is very very temping to grab. I can wait to see it up close.
on a frame vs frame comparison id go for the Ribble endurance Al disc, the welds are miles better and you can have the frame custom painted and it will still come out 100s of pounds cheaper. also their bike builder means you can change pretty much anything on your build.
good video by the reserve presenter 👍 I wanted to like this but price is crazy if it’s even available - keep $s dry until the industry returns to normal 🤞
That 41s is in their tunnel and rest is just math. How many times youve escape for 50km on your own? Only guys who fall into their claims are the one who never raced in their life.
41 seconds is also deceptive. That's in a controlled wind tunnel. Since when does a cyclist bike in wind tunnels? 41 seconds...what about red lights, stop signs, road conditions, wind direction, elevation changes, etc. All these factors are not included in the 41 seconds.
I have a giant contend ar 1 aluminum road bike build coming in at 8,4kg size L. It uses bling carbon wheels, has heavy pedals and even a power meter. All at the price of the cheapest allez sprint. Insane pricing from specialized.
The time savings would’ve been more if the teardrop seat tube was kept from the previous Allez. I suppose the majority of the time savings came from the integrated cabling additon.
I’m a collegiate crit racer in the CA Bay Area, barely 20miles from Morgan Hill- I am literally their exact target customer with this bike, and local to them, too. They are crazy if they think someone like me has $3,000 to spend on a brand new race bike that can be laid down at any moment. Absolutely ABSURD. My roadie got stolen last week and I’ve had to accept that I simply cannot afford a brand new bike to replace it. The pricing is just way too high, no matter the brand, no matter the frame material.
You’re not their target customer. They see the hype of the 2020/2021 frames going crazy during the pandemic and capitalized. Why have a low retail which allows them to be resold higher when they can charge more and make more inventory. Sucks for the common gju, just pushes us to look for older models or smaller brands from overseas
Second hand is literally your go to. You've got the knowledge and skills to assess and maintain a second hand bike without the premiums that you would otherwise have to pay for a first-hand one.
@@calebgonsalves2970 every bike I have ever owned has been second hand, apart from the cheap fixie I commuted I’m in high school, which was 1/15th the price of this new model. I did also have an Allez Sprint of my own for a while, which was used. You’re right. But it’s so lame how something that has zero miles and 11 speeds HAS to cost $2000+. That’s just so much money for a bicycle.
@@neelsahay5227 If I were you I would look for an aluminum frame or a standard carbon frame with traditional geometry. Between the 2008 to 2016 time window. An older TCR with aluminum bars and wheels or a Scott or a older Allez etc would be amazing.
Your Honest review is refreshing. The shaped tubing is impressive, no sure I believe Specialized implying the welds on bikes are weakest points. Lower skill is required where they have their TIG welds. And finally I remember for years companies touted how much stiffer their new bike was, now that mantra has shifter to "faster ".
Cost of building your own LTD with comparable groupo and wheels would be about the same MSRP. Ride aluminum; cheaper in the long haul, especially if you insure your bikes and their rates are different depending upon frame material. I race cat 1 road on aluminum and its fine. I like my emonda ALR more than my SLR.
Eventhough the "welding" looks like a speed hump, I heard so many bike fans that 'Allz Sprint' is a good bike. I'm happy Specialized still offers decent colors so that people can start and enjoy riding road bike 😊
There's welds then there's welds Some welds are designed for high stress some just for jointing metals. Some fuse with the metals with the same metal or alloy some use different materials to bond.
Not sure where people get that this is a budget bike; it's not. It's an aluminum option for people who want an alternative to carbon frames. And as for pricing, I used to complain about Specialized pricing but then I realized that they are an American company and do a lot of research to push bike technology - that costs $$. I will pay more to buy American.
Assumingly because they assume aluminium frames to be second-rate, no matter how it's built for what kind of riding. I've ridden three aluminium bikes that feel differently from each other: 2008/2009 Colnago Primavera (sluggish, but not very soft as far as I can remember), Cannondale CAAD12 (pretty compliant) and first-gen Specialized Allez Sprint (not as compliant as the CAAD12).
The wheels aren’t the low point: it’s the little front chainring. I’ll never understand why such beast bikes comes w such small front rings but, that’s an easy fix. I’m so glad someone’s still interested in making this style of bike.
3,5k for an ALUMINIUM frame is already absurd by ANY mean, but that fact that those weldings are looking EXTREMELY ugly and worst than a low-end Cannondale from 10 years ago is simply laughable.
My 2019 allez sprint is the same color. I built it with a Campagnolo record groupset and a cero AR30 wheelset. It weighs 15.7 pounds with pedals and bottle cages
The 2022 Specialized Allez costs about 3700 USD and comes with mechanical 105 and weighs 8.8kg. If I compare that to my current race bike, it will go against a Cannondale CAAD Synapse that is fitted with Sensah Empire, coming in at around 8.3kg on alloy wheels. And that is with the super heavy Tiagra cranks. The build will cost about $1100 given the current world circumstances. If we add the wheels that get sponsored to me, it will get much more expensive but I have no idea what the wheels I use cost and I don't look it up because that might affect how I treat it. But with Carbon 50mms, it is around 7.7ish kilos. I could save a lot of weight if I buy a better cassette, chain, and crank but that would also substantially affect the price of my bike so I don't wanna discuss that. I guess my question is if Specialized expects me(and a lot of people here whom I've read also have cheaper bikes that are lighter than this Allez) to want to buy this bike considering it's too expensive for the spec it has? To be honest the only thing that I like about it is the looks and that impression can change when I inevitably work on one in a bikeshop in the future.
Alloy all day. Not into spending $500 more for carbon to save 1 kg. Also, more crash resistant and I believe more environmentally friendly than carbon.
Food for thought: While alloy might be more impact resistant it’s prone to sudden material failure, in comparison to carbon’s slower failure. Carbon is also repairable, whereas alloy is not. In this instance you’d be paying $1700 frame only. That money would easily get you an entire carbon bike second hand, or a decent carbon fibre frame brand new. As for environmental impact, aluminium must either be recycled or has to be extracted from the Earth, whereas carbon fibre is comprised of manufactured materials (granted some nasty resins). Having said that, I own a steel mtb and an alloy road bike, the latter of which I bought for £700 from a friend. It’s lighter and has a higher spec than most of these ‘budget’ bikes from Specialized haha
@@Jan-uc2pq good points. Yes, alloy is theoretically more prone to failure, but my guess is that it’s never happened on a bike (or at least no more failures than carbon frames). I suspect they beef it up, and the repetitive stress on riding over a lifetime isn’t enough to cause failure. Yes, $1,700 is a lot but it’s a premium brand. You can’t compare premium brand price to cheaper brand price or used price. I would buy Canyon or Giant for less (except maybe Aethos - I love the aesthetics). Ya it has to be recycled, and I bet only a small percent get recycled.
Another point is you'd be surprised how good carbon is at surviving a crash these days. Back when Carbon bikes were new it was a genuine issue but these days if you're in a crash that breaks your bike you'll likely be pretty broken yourself.
@@austintinoC00l that's true, my uncle used to flip his Giant and ended up crashing his bike to the sharp end of the barriers (that you'll find in highways). The bike surprisingly survived despite how hard the impact is.
Nice looking bike....wondering how all that cable routing through the head tube will fare with maintanance and reliability. Interesting that you mentioned it feels close to carbon in comfort. Well reviewed!
I E got a carbon best bike but my old rim.brake alloy bike is still great. With a carbon fork and bars you can hardly distinguish. I like how alloy is recyclable and a cheaper option for everyday road warriors.
My £700 Dolan GXA frame has mostly invisible welds and it looks beautiful. The £550 Boardman SLR 8.6 (complete bike!) has better welds than this. It’s a joke.
@Ryan TF the welds at the head tube are ugly, the others aren’t too bad. I’m not a welding expert so my opinions is purely based on aesthetics. Same as most commenters on here getting all angry about welds on a bike they’ll never buy anyway
@Ryan TF but you’re not going to buy one. Neither am I. Neither are any of the hundreds of unqualified TH-cam welding experts. So who cares? It’s a bike. It’s just not important, there are other options.
Hi Angel, the aero handlebar on the LTD build is the S-Works Aerofly II handlebar. You can find full build specs for each build in the news story on bikeradar.com; www.bikeradar.com/news/2022-specialized-allez-sprint/
It does look more aggressive, get a spare headset for when your current one wears out. There's no aftermarket substitute as far as I can find. Is your frame's paint showing signs of bubbling?
Quick thoughts: 1. The aero claims of 41 seconds fast over a 40k for just tube shaping upgrades is marketing garbage. 2. This frame is probably more expensive than the average aluminum frame to produce, and it's cool looking, but pricing takes it out of the range where you'd ignore numerous well priced carbon aero bikes . 3. I'm sure this will sell out and I'll race against a million people in the next few years on it.
I purchased a 21 allez. I WAS interested in this bike till I saw the price. I was shocked. 3k for an alum bike. Doesn't matter what the marketing says. It is what the product value is. So, I bought a carbon Giant TCR. For almost 1000 less. Don't get me wrong I like specialized but I will not just throw my money where value is not there.
I just wish that the alloy bikes out there also had alloy/steel forks- I'm intentionally avoiding carbon because it's just worse for my needs (and the environment) so a carbon fork is a deal breaker.
Specialized is obviously committing suicide with it's current pricing for everything they sell. When I go to their website to check out the offerings I get turned off by the asking price no matter what the item is. As a cycling community we need to stick together and vote with our money that this behavior is unacceptable. You TH-cam reviewers need to quit taking money from Specialized and spreading the marketing lies if you care anything about promoting cycling. If you don't believe what I'm telling you BikeRadar just read the comments.
The ROSE SL is a far better made alloy frame - there literally are no welds to be seen except near the BB, it is actually a very fast bike, and well spec'd and 2/3 the price of this bike. Im really disapointed by the finish of this bike, it looks nasty.
Hi Edward, thanks for your comment. Bear in mind this video is mainly a news piece, so we're mostly just communicating the information that's been given to us from Specialized, plus the extra info we were able to tease out via asking questions. While Felix did give my first ride impressions of this bike, we've only had it for a few days (and, as Felix says, I've also been ill), so we haven't had a chance to give it enough testing for a full review yet. If you'd like even more detail on my early impressions, you can check out the written first ride review on bikeradar.com; www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes/road-bikes/specialized-allez-sprint-comp-review/ Thanks for watching, and stayed tuned for the full review in due course. Simon
I'd love to get an allez sprint. problem is i weigh 255 lbs and spesh told me i'd blow it to smithereens!!! oh the price of living as a super clydesdale!!
Make it $2,000 for the 105 model... or even $2,500.. Then it's a good deal. If not, might as well buy a TCR. It will have better re-sell value down the line
![CAMPปลิ้น | รวม Highlight 2024! PART [1/2]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/6hnvNnvYloU/mqdefault.jpg)
What do you think? Happy to see alloy return as a ‘superbike’ material? Would you choose an Allez over a Tarmac? Let us know in the comments!
I think this video is just advertisement disguised as a review. This guy sounds like straight from the specialized marketing departement. Most bike 'journalists' lack the integrity to criticise the big brands for their pricing and sub par products.
@@googlekonto2851 Hi Google, thanks for your comment. As this is a news video about a newly released bike, there will inevitably be large portions of the video where we explain what's new and what claims the brand (Specialized in this case) is making. Us reporting the claims does not mean we necessarily believe they are true, but communicating them to our audience is part of our job.
I have no problems criticising any product or brand where appropriate, but we've only had access to the bike for a few days (and I've been ill, as Felix mentioned), so I've only been able to give my initial impressions on it.
If you'd like more detail on my first ride review - as well as a quick look at the value proposition for this bike - then you can read the written version on our website; www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes/road-bikes/specialized-allez-sprint-comp-review/
For the sake of clarity, BikeRadar's reviews are 100% independent, and any sponsored content will always be clearly marked as such.
Thanks for watching. Simon
@@googlekonto2851 you silly goose it’s not a review, it’s a product launch!
@@apv1 It’s clearly a review. A product launch would come from Specialized themselves.
The welds look very wide. The price is outrageous for an otherwise mid-range bike.
Originally, the whole idea of this bike is that it's a race-ready frame that people on a budget can afford to crash without being too worried. Now it's $3K for aluminum frame, mechanical 105 and cheap wheels. Any racer will add carbon wheels and a power meter and suddenly this is a $5K "budget" bike. A similar bike was about half that just a few years ago.Specialized has been particularly aggressive with their increasingly outrageous pricing increases over the past two years. Vote with your wallet, don't buy this.
Left Spez 4 years ago after owning 4 bikes from them. Disgusting to see where the prices are. And I thought it was ridiculous 3 years ago already. Taking the piss
I agree, will not buy from Specialized ever, you can buy a car for what these brands are asking.
There are simply too many rich people that make Specialized moves away from mass-market. For the same profit, selling 10k bikes a year is a lot easier to manage than selling 100k bikes a year.
🤣🤣💸💸👎🏽👎🏽
A 105 equipped aluminium bike for £3k is just a demonstration of what’s happened to the bike industry. Budget bikes are no longer, budget bikes.
The brand name actually means the buyers. You have to be slightly "special" to buy one of them.
Get a german brand and you will have cheaper prices then last year 😎
@@Flexo_l Canyon, Rose ? IMO the 105 alu propositions are at least 200 euros more expensive.
@@lollypop9580 Canyon Endurace CF is 2k€ and alu is 1.7K€. Canyon Ultimate CF is 2.2k€. Price of specialized is listed as 3.5k€.
By "demonstration" I think you mean extortion!
I was interested , then i heard the price.
Specialised are frankly taking the mick with that price.
Giant TCR Advance 1, with ultegra and a carbon frame, costs less than that.
And the welds on the downtube aren't great.
I have an alloy racer now, wish more brands made them, but the prices are just daft.
Cannondale makes the caad en topstone, which are really good but a bit pricy, although less pricy than the specialized.
@@basvanleeuwen4502 i generally like the CAAD13. I appreciate it's picky, but I can't stand the BB30!
@@twatts4436 I am a bike mechanic, I replace them with a deorre bb30 bottom bracket. Saves me a lot of maintenance and creaking.
Get a nice custome steel for that
I wish the video provided at least some reasons to go for this instead of similarly priced CF bike. They said it can match carbon's ride quality...but how is not losing out on ride quality a good argument?
Shockingly bad weld, shockingly bad pricing… that’s all I need to know
Not a fan of how the weld looks as well
My race bike is alloy and it’s beyond good enough for anything I want to do with it. Doesn’t hurt that it’s a full kilo lighter than the top spec Allez.
It's it rim brake? If so what width tires are you using?
@@garrettsmith8286 it’s rim. Fuji Roubaix but built up with r9100 and custom carbon rims and a full Enve cockpit. The full build list is real long, right down to the Ti fasteners. Comes in at 6.7kg ready to race and rides like a dream! Cost me about $6k in parts but worth every penny when I compare it to bikes costing that much straight from the factory. Tires are 28 Corsa Controls with Vittoria competition latex tubes. Originally I had Corsas with tubolito tubes but that proved to be not enough puncture protection for my local roads.
@@joelzylstra2971 don't you need to use ballast? It's under the UCI limit
@@Fred_the_1996 I would but I don’t race in UCI sanctioned events. Just local crits and Hillclimb events.
The question is : does it have a threaded bottom bracket? Probably not - which is a bit of a shame …. but saves a bit of weight for the cost of having squeaky problems sooner or later. Also the geometry matters more than a few hundred grams! So what’s the point in going downwards and downwards in weight (?).
The welding joints look horrific..
Yeah I'm really surprised, I remember them looking much better on the older Allez
@@MW-ud8zp agreed.. It’s something i would expect on a much cheaper price point, the frame itself is £1700 .
Its mainly the head tube welds that have moved back. They indeed do not look good at all.
They look like I welded them (I’ve never used a welder).
@@jaredstrauss617 haha.
Those welds! Ye gods that looks shocking. I could choose instead the Trek Emonda AL5, aluminium, 105, better looking and save over £1000; or an Emonda SL5 carbon,105 etc for the same money, or a beautiful Orro Venturi STC aero bike, carbon, full 105, and still save money. Specialized are taking people for absolute fools.
I would agree with you on looks and price. But the geometry of the Emonda AL has a way higher stack for the same reach. So that means its not nearly optimized for the budget racer. H2 geometry isnt race ready in my opinion.
@@luukrutten1295 ... thank you, yes, but that doesn't make it more expensive to make though. At this price point I'd be looking at the Orro Venturi for a fast bike.
@@mischief2168 or a Reacto and if I wanted a fast, cheap frameset I'd buy a Winspace
Just give it some jargon name n tech, put high price, paid ads, there u go! Fools with money will gladly buy
Just give it some jargon name n tech, put high price, paid ads, there u go! Fools with money will gladly buy
these manufacturers are bonkers. 7500 euro for top spec (which isn't even top spec) and 3300 for a basic alu frame and 105. big yikes. paid the same (as the ltd model) for the last venge model with ultegra di2 and you get a carbon frame 7.6kg. Milking and scamming people
Trek doesn’t call their ALR bikes super bikes and they cost 1k less with the same parts and proven geometry of their carbon bikes
@JOSH OLIN CHRISTIAN DEFENSOR subjective,and even if it is the best, the name dosent cost 1k in performance
@JOSH OLIN CHRISTIAN DEFENSOR for sure i can't and i don't care lol
@@bernardo9202 the best marketing brand for sure
Raced Specialized for 9yrs. My Holland and Giant TCR rank way higher than any Specialized I raced. The SL3 was a piece of crap.
@JOSH OLIN CHRISTIAN DEFENSOR caad
Specailized are marketing scammers. The bike is so expensive for what it offers. They did the same with the tarmac and aethos. Journalists keep on promoting them and we keep on believing journalists. Vicious circle.
Yes, and a huge pr budget so that half the professional peloton is riding Specialized. A big chunk of this insulting price goes to their marketing team. A lot of good and great things come out of USA, but this is USA when it's worst.
And it does make the journalists seem gullible, or assume their audience is.
I’ll stick with my Caad12 thanks, those welds are horrendous.
I am not sure whether I despise bike 'journalists' or the bike industry more.
In the end they are the same.
You’re bang on.
Happens far too often in almost every industry.
Know of the regulator of big pharma out in the US called the FDA? Majority funded by big pharma, the industry it should be regulating.
Red Tractor certification? ‘Allowing people to recognise food that has been produced to high standards across the whole length of the food chain’? Majority funded by the food industry.
Dolphin safe certification? Funded by the fishing industry.
We’re living in a world full of crooks.
When it comes to "first impressions" they are. But on full reviews, they can have a lot of complaints about it (outside TH-cam for most of them).
@@HazzyWazzeyYep !
My wife has a cheap Decathlon road bike with a partial Shinano 105 groupset and waaay better welding. Cost less than 1000€, so more than enough juice left for decent wheels, powermeter and whatnot. That Specialized is nuts. I really hope that they don't sell even one.
They Specialize in high prices.
Ridiculous! I just got a second hand deal with trek alr5 105 disc with dura ace rotors for just 1300usd. Looks good than this. That welding is just pain in my eyes 😂
Thinking of all those things I can do with those 41 seconds I’ll save on a 40km ride
You must be new to cycling, welcome.
@@DJWolves97 It's tongue in cheek dear boy
@@mrstanhope1516 So was my comment :)
It's about racing. This is basically a dedicated crit race bike.
I got 2 second hand bike: Allez (2013) & Fx(2008) fully restored with 105 shimano group sets… couldn’t be happier 🤗🤗
This is for those that want SL7 Tarmac at the best price possible. The current CF Tarmacs at this price (window) are all using SL6 molds. IOW, you carry extra weight (over a pound?) in exchange for budget-priced SL7 style cable integration.
It’s hilarious that a budget alloy road bike, with shimano 105, is now £2,650. 105 carbon bikes of between 5-10 years ago were between £1,500 - £2,000 max! Then you’d stick a nice set of wheels and tyres on it. The bike industry has lost touch with the consumer.
When budget bike is more expensive than my car...
All I'll say is buying my 2020 Venge and Allez Sprint were rough at the time but looking like better and better decisions every day :D
Beyond ridiculous price. This frame (rim) used to be €1000 not so long ago. Pretty much lost its value as an awesome budget performer.
Useful review. So I bought my 61cm bike 2 months ago and am enjoying it immensely - on club rides it keeps up with way more expensive carbon bikes and does well on the TTs. Great bike for the price point, especially as I paid 80% of new price for a new bike.
Ah yes, the $6,800 budget bike. Great satire guys, keep it up
Until you ride one you wont get it. I have the original Allez Sprint and chose to ride it over my Tarmac SL5. It is so much fun to ride, it excelerates like nothing else I've ridden and I've set strava climbing PR's on it. If it was possible to blind test I'd would think it was carbon. It not cheap but a decent carbon bike is outrageously expensive now and these are so close to the carbon equivalents but feel more alive. The handling is the the best I've had. I've owned Cervelo's Cannondale, Giants and I apsolutely love this bike. I have the new one being custom built as we speak and can't wait to ride it. I'd say try one before you knock if you like fast fun racing bikes.
Since now you have both Allez Sprints, what difference did you feel in the new one over the older one?
I went to a few LBS' today to see the bike, but I can't test it out.
As the cost of well equipped carbon bikes goes up and up there has to be a market for bikes like the Allez. My experience is that a well designed, and well made alloy frame performs as well as all but the most expensive carbon in all aspects except weight.
It's fantastic to see bike companies come back to Aluminum and putting solid tech on these bikes such as cayon Graval bikes, salsa, ect... It's much more affordable, more more Environmentally friendly, better carbon foot print, and recyclable. I have a Aluminum Gravel Bike and love the ride both on and off road. This specialized is very very temping to grab. I can wait to see it up close.
on a frame vs frame comparison id go for the Ribble endurance Al disc, the welds are miles better and you can have the frame custom painted and it will still come out 100s of pounds cheaper. also their bike builder means you can change pretty much anything on your build.
good video by the reserve presenter 👍 I wanted to like this but price is crazy if it’s even available - keep $s dry until the industry returns to normal 🤞
Looks like a good bike for a lot of people.
The aero claims seem dubious though, that 41 seconds could be all in the handlebars and hidden cables.
That 41s is in their tunnel and rest is just math. How many times youve escape for 50km on your own? Only guys who fall into their claims are the one who never raced in their life.
41 seconds is also deceptive. That's in a controlled wind tunnel. Since when does a cyclist bike in wind tunnels? 41 seconds...what about red lights, stop signs, road conditions, wind direction, elevation changes, etc. All these factors are not included in the 41 seconds.
@@Henlarious Well... Youre right... Lets we call what it is... Spesh marketing BS.
I have a giant contend ar 1 aluminum road bike build coming in at 8,4kg size L. It uses bling carbon wheels, has heavy pedals and even a power meter. All at the price of the cheapest allez sprint. Insane pricing from specialized.
absolutely mental that price.
I know everyone else has said it but, those welds. No. Just no.
So who’s going to do a comparison of this new Allez Sprint va the Cannondale CAAD 13?
CAAD series from CAAD 9 to 13 will best this bike any day !
The time savings would’ve been more if the teardrop seat tube was kept from the previous Allez. I suppose the majority of the time savings came from the integrated cabling additon.
Hey Felix, nice job stepping in! GWS Simon!
Cheers! And thanks for watching ✌️ - Felix
I’m a collegiate crit racer in the CA Bay Area, barely 20miles from Morgan Hill- I am literally their exact target customer with this bike, and local to them, too.
They are crazy if they think someone like me has $3,000 to spend on a brand new race bike that can be laid down at any moment. Absolutely ABSURD.
My roadie got stolen last week and I’ve had to accept that I simply cannot afford a brand new bike to replace it. The pricing is just way too high, no matter the brand, no matter the frame material.
You’re not their target customer. They see the hype of the 2020/2021 frames going crazy during the pandemic and capitalized. Why have a low retail which allows them to be resold higher when they can charge more and make more inventory. Sucks for the common gju, just pushes us to look for older models or smaller brands from overseas
Second hand is literally your go to.
You've got the knowledge and skills to assess and maintain a second hand bike without the premiums that you would otherwise have to pay for a first-hand one.
@@calebgonsalves2970 every bike I have ever owned has been second hand, apart from the cheap fixie I commuted I’m in high school, which was 1/15th the price of this new model. I did also have an Allez Sprint of my own for a while, which was used.
You’re right. But it’s so lame how something that has zero miles and 11 speeds HAS to cost $2000+. That’s just so much money for a bicycle.
@@jesseladd6864 let me rephrase- they claim that someone like me is the target customer, but you are right, I absolutely am not.
@@neelsahay5227 If I were you I would look for an aluminum frame or a standard carbon frame with traditional geometry. Between the 2008 to 2016 time window. An older TCR with aluminum bars and wheels or a Scott or a older Allez etc would be amazing.
Next year the allez sprint will be released in an s-works edition. You get the super mega ultra aluminum frames for just about $3000.
I love Specialized but my Lord those welds are ugly!
I'll stick with the Emonda ALR!
Well done, Specialized. You made a bike so hideous, no one will feel bad about going too hard into a turn at the local crit.
I still can’t get over that weld.
I’m sorry but it seems like “Dumb Weld Technology” over the theme of being “SMART”WELD🤣🤣🤣
You have to have options! Aluminum is fine when built well!
Your Honest review is refreshing. The shaped tubing is impressive, no sure I believe Specialized implying the welds on bikes are weakest points. Lower skill is required where they have their TIG welds. And finally I remember for years companies touted how much stiffer their new bike was, now that mantra has shifter to "faster ".
All bikes manufacturers still tout their stiffness in their frames with exception of the cervelo the S5 if I'm right.
@@calebgonsalves2970 Cool.
How does it compare to the Giant TCR ADVANCED DISC 1
PRO COMPACT?
Cost of building your own LTD with comparable groupo and wheels would be about the same MSRP. Ride aluminum; cheaper in the long haul, especially if you insure your bikes and their rates are different depending upon frame material. I race cat 1 road on aluminum and its fine. I like my emonda ALR more than my SLR.
Those welds are THICC!
Maybe to increase strength at said weld points?
Eventhough the "welding" looks like a speed hump, I heard so many bike fans that 'Allz Sprint' is a good bike.
I'm happy Specialized still offers decent colors so that people can start and enjoy riding road bike 😊
BUT, arent' welds actually stronger than the material they hold together?
Providing it is heat treated or it could crack on either side of those huge welds.
There's welds then there's welds
Some welds are designed for high stress some just for jointing metals. Some fuse with the metals with the same metal or alloy some use different materials to bond.
Not sure where people get that this is a budget bike; it's not. It's an aluminum option for people who want an alternative to carbon frames. And as for pricing, I used to complain about Specialized pricing but then I realized that they are an American company and do a lot of research to push bike technology - that costs $$. I will pay more to buy American.
Assumingly because they assume aluminium frames to be second-rate, no matter how it's built for what kind of riding.
I've ridden three aluminium bikes that feel differently from each other: 2008/2009 Colnago Primavera (sluggish, but not very soft as far as I can remember), Cannondale CAAD12 (pretty compliant) and first-gen Specialized Allez Sprint (not as compliant as the CAAD12).
Its pretty fast. But caads ride much smoother. Dont know about this iteration though. But atleast in the previous versions.
Although they are heavily, aluminium frames tend to be stiffer than carbon unless you're spending 10k+ on a bike!
The wheels aren’t the low point: it’s the little front chainring. I’ll never understand why such beast bikes comes w such small front rings but, that’s an easy fix. I’m so glad someone’s still interested in making this style of bike.
Because it's made for the kind of riding you are actually doing, not the kind you see yourself doing.
3,5k for an ALUMINIUM frame is already absurd by ANY mean, but that fact that those weldings are looking EXTREMELY ugly and worst than a low-end Cannondale from 10 years ago is simply laughable.
My 2019 allez sprint is the same color. I built it with a Campagnolo record groupset and a cero AR30 wheelset. It weighs 15.7 pounds with pedals and bottle cages
The 2022 Specialized Allez costs about 3700 USD and comes with mechanical 105 and weighs 8.8kg.
If I compare that to my current race bike, it will go against a Cannondale CAAD Synapse that is fitted with Sensah Empire, coming in at around 8.3kg on alloy wheels. And that is with the super heavy Tiagra cranks. The build will cost about $1100 given the current world circumstances. If we add the wheels that get sponsored to me, it will get much more expensive but I have no idea what the wheels I use cost and I don't look it up because that might affect how I treat it. But with Carbon 50mms, it is around 7.7ish kilos. I could save a lot of weight if I buy a better cassette, chain, and crank but that would also substantially affect the price of my bike so I don't wanna discuss that.
I guess my question is if Specialized expects me(and a lot of people here whom I've read also have cheaper bikes that are lighter than this Allez) to want to buy this bike considering it's too expensive for the spec it has? To be honest the only thing that I like about it is the looks and that impression can change when I inevitably work on one in a bikeshop in the future.
Can’t wait to go to my LBS and ask to use their computer to order one. That’s the new Spesh biz model, right?
Giant Contend SL disc pretty much same spec £1,650 the Spesh is just crazy money... I guess you have to pay for pro teams somehow
@Ryan TF I’m sure I’ve got a felt tip pen somewhere 🤪
Did anyone owning this bike swapped the cassette to 11-32 or 11-34? If so any extra chain links ?
Alloy all day. Not into spending $500 more for carbon to save 1 kg. Also, more crash resistant and I believe more environmentally friendly than carbon.
Food for thought:
While alloy might be more impact resistant it’s prone to sudden material failure, in comparison to carbon’s slower failure. Carbon is also repairable, whereas alloy is not. In this instance you’d be paying $1700 frame only. That money would easily get you an entire carbon bike second hand, or a decent carbon fibre frame brand new.
As for environmental impact, aluminium must either be recycled or has to be extracted from the Earth, whereas carbon fibre is comprised of manufactured materials (granted some nasty resins).
Having said that, I own a steel mtb and an alloy road bike, the latter of which I bought for £700 from a friend. It’s lighter and has a higher spec than most of these ‘budget’ bikes from Specialized haha
@@Jan-uc2pq good points.
Yes, alloy is theoretically more prone to failure, but my guess is that it’s never happened on a bike (or at least no more failures than carbon frames). I suspect they beef it up, and the repetitive stress on riding over a lifetime isn’t enough to cause failure.
Yes, $1,700 is a lot but it’s a premium brand. You can’t compare premium brand price to cheaper brand price or used price. I would buy Canyon or Giant for less (except maybe Aethos - I love the aesthetics).
Ya it has to be recycled, and I bet only a small percent get recycled.
Another point is you'd be surprised how good carbon is at surviving a crash these days. Back when Carbon bikes were new it was a genuine issue but these days if you're in a crash that breaks your bike you'll likely be pretty broken yourself.
For example I once hit a crack in the road doing 40mph and went over the handlebars. I came out far worse then the bike did
@@austintinoC00l that's true, my uncle used to flip his Giant and ended up crashing his bike to the sharp end of the barriers (that you'll find in highways). The bike surprisingly survived despite how hard the impact is.
Nice looking bike....wondering how all that cable routing through the head tube will fare with maintanance and reliability. Interesting that you mentioned it feels close to carbon in comfort. Well reviewed!
what are those welds on front??? :O
Damn this is one relaxed moderation
I E got a carbon best bike but my old rim.brake alloy bike is still great. With a carbon fork and bars you can hardly distinguish. I like how alloy is recyclable and a cheaper option for everyday road warriors.
Cual es la diferencia de la Nueva specialized allez sprint Ltd a la normal?
what is the weight of the dtswiss r470
Here come the welding experts
My £700 Dolan GXA frame has mostly invisible welds and it looks beautiful. The £550 Boardman SLR 8.6 (complete bike!) has better welds than this. It’s a joke.
They’re ugly, but I’m not qualified to comment on the integrity of them
@Ryan TF the welds at the head tube are ugly, the others aren’t too bad. I’m not a welding expert so my opinions is purely based on aesthetics. Same as most commenters on here getting all angry about welds on a bike they’ll never buy anyway
@Ryan TF but you’re not going to buy one. Neither am I. Neither are any of the hundreds of unqualified TH-cam welding experts. So who cares? It’s a bike. It’s just not important, there are other options.
My old Merida Scultura alloy disc have nicer welds, maybe is a bit heavier, but way cheaper.
That's the tradeoff, less weight more money! And it's an exponential equation
@@calebgonsalves2970 yes, less weight more money, go to carbon, not to specialized 😉
King of welding !
How is 3k budget bike?
The Btwin Triban 520 with upgraded wheels is good enough if you want an alloy road bike at an affordable price.
jaysus, you can get good endurance bike from canyon with that price
Wish they could buff out those welds a bit more. Nice bike overall though!
If you could get a great spec for $2500, I’d be in. But 6500??? My piggy Madone SLR was 7k with Ultegra Di2. Prices are beyond stupid now
They think they are selling cars or something.
0:49 I thought when you said 'borrows heavily' you meant it was HEAVY!
The head tube welding and headset cover make me feel really uncomfortable.
What type of aero bars are those? Does anyone know?
Hi Angel, the aero handlebar on the LTD build is the S-Works Aerofly II handlebar.
You can find full build specs for each build in the news story on bikeradar.com; www.bikeradar.com/news/2022-specialized-allez-sprint/
Actually…I will keep my Allez Sprint Comp 2017, looks much more racing🚴♀️🚴♀️
It does look more aggressive, get a spare headset for when your current one wears out. There's no aftermarket substitute as far as I can find. Is your frame's paint showing signs of bubbling?
Does anyone know what shoes he is wearing?
Would love see to see review with some decent wheels
Any Cannondale CAAD series bike from CAAD 9 & Beyond is lighter than these so called alloy killers
Quick thoughts: 1. The aero claims of 41 seconds fast over a 40k for just tube shaping upgrades is marketing garbage. 2. This frame is probably more expensive than the average aluminum frame to produce, and it's cool looking, but pricing takes it out of the range where you'd ignore numerous well priced carbon aero bikes . 3. I'm sure this will sell out and I'll race against a million people in the next few years on it.
I purchased a 21 allez. I WAS interested in this bike till I saw the price. I was shocked. 3k for an alum bike. Doesn't matter what the marketing says. It is what the product value is. So, I bought a carbon Giant TCR. For almost 1000 less. Don't get me wrong I like specialized but I will not just throw my money where value is not there.
how much is the price?
Too expensive, horrible welds, and Bianchi want their paint back!
The welds connecting the headtube with top and down tubes look hideous.
I wish it had SRAM Rival eTap.
SPECIALIZED why are not making the Allez Sprint in a 44cm. This is a real shame. Short people need bikes too
I just wish that the alloy bikes out there also had alloy/steel forks- I'm intentionally avoiding carbon because it's just worse for my needs (and the environment) so a carbon fork is a deal breaker.
Is it just me or are those welds really ugly?
Specialized is obviously committing suicide with it's current pricing for everything they sell. When I go to their website to check out the offerings I get turned off by the asking price no matter what the item is. As a cycling community we need to stick together and vote with our money that this behavior is unacceptable. You TH-cam reviewers need to quit taking money from Specialized and spreading the marketing lies if you care anything about promoting cycling. If you don't believe what I'm telling you BikeRadar just read the comments.
The ROSE SL is a far better made alloy frame - there literally are no welds to be seen except near the BB, it is actually a very fast bike, and well spec'd and 2/3 the price of this bike. Im really disapointed by the finish of this bike, it looks nasty.
All of you bike reviewers say the same stuff. Walking Bluetooth speakers for Specialized's marketing division
Hi Edward, thanks for your comment. Bear in mind this video is mainly a news piece, so we're mostly just communicating the information that's been given to us from Specialized, plus the extra info we were able to tease out via asking questions.
While Felix did give my first ride impressions of this bike, we've only had it for a few days (and, as Felix says, I've also been ill), so we haven't had a chance to give it enough testing for a full review yet.
If you'd like even more detail on my early impressions, you can check out the written first ride review on bikeradar.com; www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes/road-bikes/specialized-allez-sprint-comp-review/
Thanks for watching, and stayed tuned for the full review in due course. Simon
Those welds look terrible 😳
Perfect training bike
Great paintjob that only +
Price is ridiculous
Welds not smooth
I'd love to get an allez sprint. problem is i weigh 255 lbs and spesh told me i'd blow it to smithereens!!! oh the price of living as a super clydesdale!!
When i red the title, i thought, wow, that sounds like a sound bike. But, on what earth is this bike a budget option??? And with those wheels...
Make it $2,000 for the 105 model... or even $2,500.. Then it's a good deal. If not, might as well buy a TCR. It will have better re-sell value down the line
I own an Sl7 and really like this review. I think this is a ton of bike for the price point and Specialized got it right. Well done all around, Bill