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Allez Upgrade/Service Advice

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  • April 5, 2017 at 9:04 pm #26982
    nevvy

    I bought a specialized allez sport as my first road bike a couple of years ago and it has served me well. It’s recently ticked past 5000 miles and apart from a wheel upgrade to fulcrum racing quattros, I’ve spent no money on the bike (i discount brake pads, tyres and tubes). I use the bike all year round and for a fair bit of commuting. It has a sora groupset.

    I keep it clean, oiled and do light maintenance myself. The bike still rides ok but note:

    • chain is pretty worn/stretched, probably should have been replaced a while ago (crucially it isn’t slipping)
    • cassette and chain rings may need replacing, they’re looking slightly worn
    • bottom bracket sounds horrid, sideways movement in cranks
    • I’d really like better brakes, they’ve never been very good

    My question is this, is it worth me upgrading my groupset (I’m aiming for 105) or should I just spend the minimum on replacing sora parts like-for-like and save up for a new bike in a few years time? Would 105 be wasted on this frame? Would i notice the difference?  I’m not competing or racing, although i do get involved in some friendly segment hunts on strava with friends. The frame and forks are in mint condition and i feel like i’d need to spend a significant amount of money on a new bike to get a better frame. Changing the whole groupset would essentially give me a new bike feel and i could be in a position to buy myself a commuter bike for next winter.

    I’m taking the bike to my local friendly bike shop for advice, but wanted to ask the internet to make sure i’m not going to get the wool pulled over my eyes.

    I’ve been lurking here for a while, so thanks in advance for the advice and for the knowledge i’ve nicked over the past couple of year!

     

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  • April 6, 2017 at 3:20 pm #890709
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    dottigirl

    1. Fix it – Take it to your

    1. Fix it – Take it to your LBS and get a quote. Hopefully, the chainrings aren’t as bad as you think. (If you’ve worn the chainrings too far, that’s a more expensive repair than chain and cassette. May as well buy a new crankset, and that’s when you get into bigger money.)

    Chain, cassette, new cables, new BB – £70-80 on parts, plus labour – this’ll be your minimum. About £150?

    Chainrings – if both need doing, it’ll certainly be cheaper to get a new crankset. £50-80 or more.

    Brakes – £40-ish. I have to mention though, it’s sometimes about the brake pads and cables more than the brakes themselves. Decent pads, filed every now and again, clean rims and smooth cables can make shit brakes much better.

     

    2. Allez upgrading – Is the frame worth upgrading? Seeing as it’s the same frame as they use for higher specs, it could take it.

    a) You’re talking minimum £350 for a new groupset (unless you find something lightly-used on eBay). Flog the bits of your Sora which are still OK (probably only the shifters are worth anything) will get you something back. New cables too. LBS charge to fit it all, you’re approaching £450-500. I don’t think it’s worth it, personally.

    b) DIY option – Find some decent groupset parts on eBay, you’re still going to be forking out £200-300-odd.  Less if you go for used. You have to be aware of compatibility issues though – some newer Shimano parts won’t work with older ones. Buying a set of tools and teaching yourself via YouTube is another £50, and a lot of time. You could spend as little as £100, but how valuable is your time?

     

    3. New bike –  Would you be better off finding a decent bargain? There are some massive ones out there – I recently bought a CAAD8 from Rutland for £350. That’s a whole new bike instead of just a groupset. Stick your wheels on there (changing the cassette and redoing the limit screws) and you’re good to go. Plus, you have your old bike to flog off or rebuild at your leisure.

     

    To me, #3. is your best option. Especially if the LBS quote from 1. is approaching that kind of figure.

    April 6, 2017 at 12:46 pm #890707
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    alansmurphy

    Another option, what do you

    Another option, what do you think your bike would fetch on Gumtree etc and how much have you set aside for upgrades? Add these 2 figures together and have a look what’s out there.

     

    I got very lucky twice (steady). Found a little used Specialized Allez and paid £250 for it 3 years ago, 9 speed sora as well. Sold it recently for £300 (ha) and picked up a Carbon Cannondale Synapse 105 (immaculate) for £600.

     

    Couldn’t ever justify full price for either bike but climbed the ladder nicely…

    April 6, 2017 at 11:15 am #890705
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    Stef Marazzi

    I did Similar with my Caad 8

    I did Similar with my Caad 8 Sora. Replaced it all with 105 and stuck Campag Zondas on it.

    To be honest I possibly would have been better off doing another bike on the Cyclescheme and would probably have spent less and ended up with a bike a kilo lighter. You can get Cannondale SuperSix Tiagra and Boardman Road Team Carbon for £720 to £800, so a bit more and you are talking a 105 bike.

    Then again – I have a mate who has an Allez- Tiagra – He bought it on cyclescheme so it was only about £450 paid monthly. Hes upgraded it with Campag Zonda Wheels, 105 brake callipers, S-works Carbon Seatpost and Toupe Carbon saddle. Its dropped a kilo of weight off and it absolutely flies.

    Depends how much you are attached to the current bike. If you love it… Upgrade.

    If you don’t- flog it and buy another, better, one.

    April 6, 2017 at 9:48 am #890703
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    tritecommentbot

    Bike shop = $$$

    Bike shop = $$$

    What does your heart tell you, we can come up with a whole bunch of financially sound ways to keep your bike road worthy, but if any part of you wants a shiny new bike then that’s a different story.

     

    Personally, I’d do the bare minimum to keep that bike ticking over. Change the bottom bracket, change brake pads, change chain. Done. £50 on eBay, including tools. 

    Then I’d set aside a little fund and every week stick a few quid in it. When the time comes, build yourself a fun little carbon machine just for good stuff, and keep your Allez for commuting. Yes now you’ve got two bikes, but it’s so much better. For say £1200 to £1400 you can have an Ultegra carbon fibre bike these days when deeply discounted. Specialized, Giant etc. Just need to shop smart. 

    That’s me though, I prefer to wait, even years (lol really) to get what I really desire. 

    April 6, 2017 at 9:39 am #890701
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    StraelGuy

    If you generally feel the

    If you generally feel the frame is that good, fit a 105 groupset and save yourself a ton of money. My winter bike has Sora and I recently replaced it with 11 speed 5800 105 and it’s awesome. I did it myself so was able to do it on the cheap. If you factor in buying the groupset from the shop, or even just paying them to fit a groupset you bought from the internet, it may affect the economics of your decision.

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