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Which Specialized for R2W

by mattb1981
Thu, Sep 20, 2018 14:20
6

Hi,

Going round in circles over which first road bike to get, I'm tied to evans through my work scheme and they wern't amazingly helpful when I tried to speak to them for some advice 2

I think I've narrowed my choice based on what evans having in stock for my size (58cm, I'm 6ft) down to either:

Specialized Diverge E5 Sport 2018 

or

Specialized Allez E5 Sport 2019

Both £800 so leaves something to get the other bits and bobs.

The main difference appears to be down to the brakes, the diverge having mechanical discs.

What I was wondering is how terrible are they? I'm coming from a 10yo hybrid with rim brakes and I'm only going to be using this for (probably) fair weather commuting and some longer rides in the summer.

I think I prefer the diverge over tha allez as it has slightly wider tyers and the ability if I wanted to put larger on it (although I suspect I won't). I'm not looking for an out-and-out racer.

Is there something on the Allez that makes it a better buy that I'm missing?

Or should I be pushing the budget to £1000, but from what I could see another £200 didn't get me much more.

Ta in advance!

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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6 comments

Avatar
The Rake | 6 years ago
0 likes

Evans may not have been overly helpful but one thing they generally do well is let you take them out for a test ride. Then choose the one you personally felt better on

Avatar
stucky | 6 years ago
1 like

I think at 6ft you are probably ok with a 56, remember "it's easier to make a small bike a little 'bigger' than the other way round". There's nothing like trying it though, each person has a different body and ride preference. At 5"10 I used to ride a 56  Allez with no issues but decided for a 54 Tarmac now with a longer stem.

The only significant differences between the Allez and the Domane are probably the tubeless tyres and the direct mount brakes, which I personally wouldn't pay £250 extra for.

Avatar
kil0ran | 6 years ago
0 likes

Diverge is more versatile if you're actually going to commute on it. The brakes will be little better than your current bike, don't expect them to stop you on a sixpence and chuck you over the handlebars. They're an easy and cheapish upgrade though - swap them to TRP HY/RD or Juin Tech R1 hybrid hydro calipers.

Avatar
mattb1981 | 6 years ago
0 likes

Thanks for the replies, throwing another one into the pot:

Trek Domane AL

Seems similar to the Allez but more about comfort and rim brakes so seems better value than the diverge, now just seeing if its worth another £250 for the ALR?

Also I can get a 2018 AL3 for over £100 cheaper than the 2019, but only in a 56cm which seems to be the limit on the height charts for a 6ft-er, anyone any advice if 56 is likely to be ok?

Avatar
stucky | 6 years ago
0 likes

The Allez is a pure road bike whereas the diverge is what nowadays people call an adventure bike, which means you can do a bit of off roading with it if you'd like. It will be more comfortable on the road but slower due to things like gearing and heavier tyres. 

 

So, Allez if you want the fast bike, Diverge if you want the comfort and versatility. £200 more will buy a better groupset and wheels, which you don't really need if you're not looking for performance/training. Can't speak about mechanical discs but I'm sure they're not terrible, just not as good as hydraulics. 

Avatar
mike the bike replied to stucky | 6 years ago
1 like

stucky wrote:

...... Can't speak about mechanical discs but I'm sure they're not terrible, just not as good as hydraulics. 

Cable discs, I've had 'em all, Avid through to TRP, and they are a mile off hydraulic systems.    And probably not as good as decent rim brakes.  My donkey's-years-old Campag rim set-up, with genuine Campag blocks, is infinitely better than even Spyres, which are hotly favoured by some.

 

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