Specialized 2000 Allez A1

Price Paid:  $750.00 at River City Bikes

Favorite Ride:
Tour De Blast

Bike Setup:
Mostly stock except for I've had to invest in some light weight / dependable wheels.

Summary:
Great value for entry level cyclist & aspiring racer.

Strengths:
Very tight geometry makes for an entry level racer.
Price makes it easy to get the stamp of approval from the wifey.

Weaknesses:
Wheels. I'm 160lb rider and have had the extact same problem with breaking spokes and keeping the real wheel in tru. I had to go through 4 spokes before the bike shop would rebuild the wheels.
Frame is a little heavy for aluminum.

Favorite Ride:
Don't know, I'm not done riding!

Bike Setup:
Shimano 858 pedals, Cateye Astrale Computer, Topeak QR Beam rack w/ trunk bag, switched wheels from stock Mavic CXP 21's w/ Ritchey Zero System Hubs to Mavic CXP 33's with Shimano Ultegra Hubs laced with DT Swiss Competion 2.0/1.8 Double Butted spokes.

Summary:
To those of you who have experienced spoke problems:
Specialized is aware of the problem, they are indicating that the spoke manufacturer received defective wire from which the spokes are made. They have recently began to notify their dealers of the problem and have a plan in place to deal with it. Contact your LBS for details.

Strengths:
Light weight, nice workmanship, good looks, priced right

Weaknesses:
Stock rear wheel set up. See The Bottom Line. If not for my experience getting this fixed I would have gone 5 stars for value and 4 stars overall.

Similar Products Used:
None, first real road bike.

Price Paid:  $770.00 at Evans Cycles, London

Bike Setup:
Suntour chainset and basic bottom bracket swapped for Ultegra (got a set cheap).

Summary:
A damn good bike for a novice, or someone returning to cycling, to use in club events as well as training/recreation.

Strengths:
Great frame, good quality kit (not too sure about the Suntour chainset, though), reasonably light and reasonable price. A nice bike for doing some long days in the saddle.

Weaknesses:
Spokes. Admittedly I weigh 220 lbs, but it's still slightly worrying on a bike with 32 spokes. Have had 2 go in 1 week.

Similar Products Used:
GT ZR 2.0, also a good bike, but a good few steps above the Specialized

Favorite Ride:
Sundays training with the fellas

Bike Setup:
Stock, except for profile airwing bull horns for TT's and 3T mini sub aerobars.

Summary:
In my haste of buying a "real live road bike" I think I got one that was too small.(Bike 52, Me 180 cm) the only measure I knew was to stand over the cross bar and have some room, this fit well. I have landed on my feet however as I am riding TT's and Triathlons on it and the fit seems to work well.

I like the solid frame for sprints and really feeling the bike, feeling the control.

I have only been riding for a very short time, already want to upgrade the bike but that's me. New forks, rims... Oh yea, and seat. However, as it is, this is a very race-able bike.

If you can afford it, I would recommend going up the price scale as far as possible, specialized seems to be a popular choice for value based purchasing. If you're on a set budget, this bike is a great deal.

Strengths:
Solid frame, Smooth welding, Good looks,

Weaknesses:
The seat certainly looks nice but is not too good for my butt. I haven't replaced the saddle yet as I am not sure what to replace it with, however I will be buying a new one soon as my ass ain't winnin'!
Again, I must agree with everyone else. I have had trouble with the rims. After 2000+ km in 3 months I have had to get the rims straitened twice in three months and am about to take it back in again... I don't know what kind of a record this is but has anybody spoken to specialized about this situation?

Similar Products Used:
None

Price Paid:  $620.00 at Sea Schwinn

Bike Setup:
Stock except for heavy duty spokes on the rear wheel.

Summary:
For the money, this is the best purchase you can make if you are just getting into the sport. I am a mountain biker by trade, and picked up the road bike to stay in shape during the winter, and also, it makes for less repairs on my mountain bike. If you do pick one up, you may want to have the rear wheel respoked immediately, as to avoid serious injury.

Strengths:
I am writing this as a follow up to my previous review. I have now been riding this bike for 6 months, and I love it. Great Geometry, fairly light, and the price is unbeatable.

Weaknesses:
My spokes started breaking one by one after only 2 months of riding. I finally had to have the rear wheel rebuilt with 15 gauge spokes. Also, had to replace the rear tire(specialized Turbo) after only 650 miles.

Similar Products Used:
None