Strong, durable bicycle with excellent ride manners

Weight could be a little less, but not bad for an aluminum bike

About time I reviewed this bike. Bought it new at end of Summer 2006. Has been ridden 11,000 miles. Frame is intact, and continues to be my go to bike for training rides and long events. Shimano 105 group has been nearly flawless. A poorly installed cable caused a problem in the right brake/shift assembly on a ride back in 2010. It was repaired and continues to work like new. Shifts are still smooth, accurate and smooth. Did replace the cables just before the 10,000 mile mark. Upgraded the chain to Ultegra 3 years ago. The 105 "Hollowtech" crank had developed no problems and having that old triple ring on it is really a gift when you come to the foot of our many local hills.

The original Mavic Aksiums finally fatigued at 9,500 miles. The rear wheel bent at the seam and could not be trued completely. No spokes broke, and the hubs were still smooth. Replaced the wheels with an old set of hardly used Shimano WH-560 wheels from my wife's Dolce Comp. They only have about 2000 miles on them, as she prefers a lighter wheel. I did purchase a set of Rol Race SL wheels for multiple day riding events and longer rides like centuries.

I still love how this bike performs and feels. It's a combination of tight and silky smoothness. The carbon fork, seat stays and seat post all have "Zertz" inserts which really dampen out road vibration. We have very rough pavement here in Maine, so this setup has worked out great. Steep downhills are no sweat for this bike. A very steep section of road about a mile away from my driveway has generated 50 to 52 mph thrill rides on this bike without drama.

During a riding season, the Allez still accumulates more miles than my mountain bike and carbon road bike combined. That must mean something. I tested a bunch of road bikes from manufacturers like Giant, Trek, Felt, K2 and others before I bought the Allez. Still glad I did.

Lightweight, good climber. It survived a high speed crash and tumble with only a few scratches.

"Nervous" on descents. Shifting is good, but not perfect. It's my first higher end group purchase, so I have little frame of reference. I was hoping shifting would be better.

Bought this used rental bike in 2007 and I am happy with it. I'd be very happy, if the frame was stiffer. On a fast descent, this bike is nervous as a gazelle.
Here on Maui it's all climb and descent. The flat roads are too dangerous to ride on due to traffic.

Columbus Frame, Appearance, Stiffness, Ride, and Weight.

Shifting isn't very smooth with the 105's even after having the components re-tuned. Specialized Pro tires don't have very good grip around tight corners.

This is my first road bike after switching from mountain. I got a good deal on it because is was a "last years model". I test road it before i bought it and it felt really smooth right off the bat. You can feel the stiffness on the climbs and the Zerts inserts help absorb bumps really well. I have had a few problems with the shifting on both rear and front derailleurs and have had my chain fall off track a few times. I definitely plan to upgrade to the the new Ultegra SL components. Other than that, it's a great bike for the price and after some research found out that it used to be an S-Works used by Mario Cipollini so it must be great.

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Tested: Specialized Roubaix Pro and Look 586

Frame gives smooth ride
105 Cranks
105 Shifters
Saddle and seatpost
Stem and handlebar

Frame could be stiffer
105 derailers
Mavic Aksium wheels

I got this bike because the LBS was having a 40%off moving sale. This bike provides a very smooth ride because of the relaxed geometry, carbon seat stays/fork, zertz inserts, and gel padding in the handlebar. It's fairly fast although definitely not stiff enough for road racing. This bike will do well in long charity rides, training rides, and centuries. It came with a full 105 group except the wheels. For the price I can't complain, however I will probably upgrade the derailers to Ultegra and the wheels to 105 or better. My other bike has Ultegra with 3000 miles on it and it shifts smoother than the brand new 105. It also has wheels w/105 hubs and they are SIGNIFICANTLY more efficient than the cheapo Aksium wheels. The freewheel the Aksium makes a very loud clicking when coasting, possibly the loudest I've heard.

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Giant OCR1 w/Ultegra

Full 105 components
Mavic Aksium wheelset
Four position adjusable stem
Sprints well and handles bumps in the road with ease.
Sleek design

Saddle, perhaps I will switch to the toupe.

I am seventeen and have always been interested in road bicycling. Seeing as this was my first road bike I decided to get something that would perform well and last a long time. After shopping around I decided to go with the Specialized Allez Comp Triple since it had marked down from 1900 and because it was the best bike I could afford to pay for. This bike is proving to be one of the best all around bikes out there in terms of value. It's aerodynamic frame, carbon fork and seat stays alows for a comfortable ride and attribute to it's decent weight of 19.2 lbs. In addition its full 105 components provide smooth gear shifting and predictable reliability. I am am extremely satisfied with this bike and would recommend it to anyone who can find it at such a low price.

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Specialized Allez Elite Triple

Wheelset, Shimano 105 Parts

Saddle, but again, it's my first road bike and I'm still getting used to it!

After owning the 2006 Allez Elite Triple and riding it for only 14 miles, I realized I needed to upgrade my crankshaft, cranks, calipers and wheel sets. So instead of upgrading those parts on the Allez Elite Triple, the bike shop allowed me to pay the difference for the Allez Comp Triple in which it had the Mavic Wheels, 105 calipers and cranks. I must say, I can notice the smoothness in shifting (the gears on the other elite triple wouldn't catch and I had to keep on adjusting it)and the brakes are more responsive as well. I highly recommend getting this bike if you ever plan to upgrade to a full set of 105s and better wheelset.

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2006 Specialized Allez Elite Triple

Stiff drivetrain, carbon to take out shocks, this thing performs well

maybe a little twitchy on the descents, and when grabbing a water bottle.

Middle ring is a little big for climbing steeps, and little ring seems a little small.

I tend to force the middle ring or climb in third in the little ring.
I guess I'd prefer a widely geared double most of the time, but the granny gear is great when I'm done for anyway.

I think My Allez comp triple is a great all around bike for the money.

It's my first road bike since I was 14, I'm a mtn biker recovering from roadie-hatred.
(still love riding my turner 5spot)

Climbs well, responsive, and I like the frame design with the aero-dynamic tubing.

this bike rocks, and wouldn't hold back a strong rider at all.

It's fun to drop bikes that cost three times as much.

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demos only Felt, Sirrus, TarmacSworks, IBIS, Look585(wow)

great ride - great components, responsiveness and feel. Awesome value for your $ and ride. Would buy again without hesitation.

seat... changed the seat immediately-brakes too if you are over 180lbs.

This is a review of the 2006 Specialized Allez Comp Triple. I am a retired marathoner and road racer just so you know what kind of shape I am in. I got this bike as my first touring bike. Mind you I just love to ride when weather permits-blame the bike for that. I put on about 150 miles a week and don't think twice about it. I have even gone out on club rides and crushed them with the hills on this beauty. The components on this bike a great value-105 all the way for 1800 bucks and a great set of wheels out the door at the same time. Great value. I did change the seat as it was horrible on my 5'8" 140lb frame. Swapped it out immediately before going out the door. With my weight the brakes are great - no complaints at all - for that matter no complaints overall except cable stretch. I was out for my 65 miler the week before the challenge in philly when I was auto shifting just by putting more power into the cranks. The rear ler would auto shift as the spring would shift the gear. No matter just a maint visit after 1000 miles. I should have done it at 500 but I wanted to see how long it would hold up. I will be upgrading to dura ace shifters, fnt and rear lers as I test rode one of these bikes with these components and I loved it even more. It is a heavy hit in the wallet though. It will set you back a good $700 by time they are mounted and out the door. Love it and ride it often. No complaints at all about 105. Ride ride ride... Ride this bike! If it is too low for you try the Rouboix -it is great too.

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NONE- Test rode trek 5200, cannondale, and bianchi - specialized ruled after the ride.

105 shifters, crank, brakes...good tires--great frame.

Haven't found any yet...maybe the seat--may order a Brooks B17N.

Fantastic bike--light, fast--great ride. Perfect for an ex-runner to get a good workout.

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Trek 1200--real nice entry bike.

Price, component group, ride, tires

The compact frame does make mounting two water bottle cages a little tough

This is my first roadbike and I spent a lot of time shopping and test riding bikes. I couldn't be more pleased with this bike I have 3300 miles on it and have wanted to add a review but, I've been too busy riding. You can't beat the component group on this bike with all Ultegra and Dura Ace rear derailer. The seat comes in three different sizes once I found the correct size (Specialized has a measuring tool at the bike shop) I found it to be very good. I've been in the saddle up to 7 hrs on a century. The ride is nice, very preditable in the corners and comfortable enough for an all day century. The paint and welds are very clean high quality. The tires seem to to very punture resistant I went 1700 miles before my first flat. The triple comes in handy on those monster climbs around Truckee and Lake Tahoe. The 9 speed with the triple gives you plenty of gear choices. I'm trying to find something bad about this bike but,I can't think of anything. Just a great bike for well under $2000.

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First road bike test rode Felt, Trek, Cannondale.