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Considering Secteur or Allez – advice wanted

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  • September 14, 2010 at 9:37 am #12684
    atlaz

    I’ve decided to replace the SS road bike (my early 80s Raleigh) that I use for commuting and local road rides and get a “proper” road bike for general riding fitness (I mostly ride offroad) and commuting.

    I’m looking at getting something on the cyclescheme around the £500-600 mark and given the generally good reputation of Specialized as a safe bet, started looking at the Allez or Secteur (particularly 2010 models). The problem is, I’ve got no idea how to decide between them so I thought perhaps people on here might be able to advise. Given an equivalent model, what’s the difference between the two and which, as a newbie, is likely to give me more of a gentle introduction to more serious road riding?

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Viewing 12 replies - 1 through 12 (of 12 total)
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  • September 16, 2010 at 11:48 am #637483
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    Super Domestique

    Don’t think you’d be
    Don’t think you’d be disappointed with the Secteur Elite. My mate who has one loves it.

    September 16, 2010 at 11:20 am #637481
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    atlaz

    So yeah, I went to the spec
    So yeah, I went to the spec concept store, had a sit on a few and got some fitting advice from the guy at the shop. Now he’s almost got me convinced to buy the Secteur Elite, it was all I could do to stop myself putting down a deposit. Sneaky bugger also showed me a mountain bike I might be adding to the collection too.

    Generally though I felt more comfortable on the Secteur as it’s a little less racy which suits me given my background. Now just waiting for our bike to work people to explain what I’d need to pay before I commit to either of them.

    September 15, 2010 at 5:28 pm #637479
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    ffc65

    Of course the main thing
    Of course the main thing putting me off the Allez 16 is that I very much doubt I`ve got the fitness or legs to go with a 52/39 on anything even slightly resembling a hill 🙂

    September 15, 2010 at 1:09 pm #637477
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    Super Domestique

    ffc65 wrote:I`ve been looking

    ffc65 wrote:
    I`ve been looking at both of these bikes and can`t choose between them which is annoying as Edinburgh bike co-op had them both for £399 up until last Sunday. Be interested to see which you choose and why

    The Allez seems to be £450 everywhere at the mo except one place – Freeborn 😉

    September 15, 2010 at 1:02 pm #637475
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    ffc65

    I`ve been looking at both of
    I`ve been looking at both of these bikes and can`t choose between them which is annoying as Edinburgh bike co-op had them both for £399 up until last Sunday. Be interested to see which you choose and why

    September 15, 2010 at 12:49 pm #637473
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    Super Domestique

    At the risk of offending
    At the risk of offending triple users then perhaps yes lol.

    Actually, as you mention those with big hills will find them more useful.

    Funnily enough my dad went out yesterday and grabbed himself a 2010 Allez in silver for £399. Which also means my son has now got himself a nearly new Carrera TDF foc!

    September 15, 2010 at 9:12 am #637471
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    atlaz

    Am I right in assuming the
    Am I right in assuming the triple is just really useful while you get the legs or MTFU (particularly as I live in Surrey, not the Alps)?

    September 15, 2010 at 7:51 am #637469
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    Super Domestique

    atlaz wrote:I think I’ll try

    atlaz wrote:
    I think I’ll try to pop up to Ruislip tomorrow to take a look then

    Cool. Keep us posted.

    September 14, 2010 at 7:58 pm #637467
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    atlaz

    I think I’ll try to pop up to
    I think I’ll try to pop up to Ruislip tomorrow to take a look then

    September 14, 2010 at 11:31 am #637465
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    Super Domestique

    Basically yes. Due to the
    Basically yes. Due to the taller headtube but not dramatically hence why you need to sit on both bikes. You can always compare their geomtery here:
    http://www.specializedconceptstore.co.uk/bikes/

    Also, due to the triple, etc the Secteur will be slightly heavier than the Allez with a double. But as mentioned before you can get an Allez with a triple if you prefer the feel of that model but need the extra gears.

    September 14, 2010 at 10:11 am #637463
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    atlaz

    My LBS sells both so I’m
    My LBS sells both so I’m going to have wander around. Given I’m unlikely to be joining clubs or doing anything organised on the road, the Secteur comfort levels were what made me think about it seriously. The reviews of the Allez seem good but there’s not a lot of info about the Secteur to compare to. I think ultimately if they both fit, it’s going to be a small difference overall.

    I’d assume the secteur is a bit more “upright” in terms of riding position?

    September 14, 2010 at 9:57 am #637461
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    Super Domestique

    Hi. I had a similar dilema
    Hi. I had a similar dilema when buying my first road bike a few months back. I looked at a few makes and settled with Spesh due to its reputation and quality. I was also won over by the look of the Allez 16 in red (have you read the test on here btw?)
    However a friend suggested the Secteur as he’d just got himself the Elite version. My budget was £500. So I could have pushed the extra 50 for the Secteur if I wanted.

    The Secteur is more set for comfort/endurance so has the triple rings up front (you can get an Allez with a triple btw) and has slightly wider tyres (25 instead of 23 iirc) and more padded bar tape, again iirc. Basically it is an alu frame version of the Roubaix. The Allez following the Tarmac more.

    That said I just could not get past the look of the Allez and its more racy feel. It is not uncomfortable as the headtube is only 10mm shorter. Plus the triple was not really needed either and heart won v head in my case. I would recommend going to a decent shop and having a proper size up and test rather then just the ‘best price’ on the internet too.

    Hope this helps. Any other questions and I’ll do my best to answer.

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