thewashingmachinepost




..........................................................................................................................................................................................................

specialized allez sprint comp disc - long term review

specialized allez sprint comp disc

believe it or not, i possess a higher grade certificate in physics. quite how this happened, i know not, for not only do i have the certificate, but i passed remarkably well. this is unusual because i'm really not sure that i understood the science that i was apparently learning. however, in the intervening years, many of the concepts laboriously taught in fifth year of secondary school have become more readily apparent; newton's third law of motion, for example. simply put, newton confidently stated that every action has an equal, but opposite reaction. and to put that in velocipedinal terms, if there's a galeforce crosswind blowing from the left, an unattended bicycle will have a hard time refusing to be moved to the right.

if we can assume that, in this day and age, bicycles are rarely left unattended, specifically in a crosswind, then the incumbent cyclist, when in motion, will be required to demonstrate their bike-handling skills to maintain a trajectory that vaguely resembles a straight line. this i know, because not only do i have higher grade physics, but i am, all too frequently, that very cyclist.

specialized allez sprint comp disc

physics also dictates that, if riding a bicycle in a vacuum (?), the cyclists need only overcome the combined weight of the bicycle and rider in order to move in a forward direction. given that few of us are in the habit of riding in airless conditions, aside from weight, forward motion must now be gained at the expense of air resistance; the faster you ride, the greater that resistance becomes. it's the same set of circumstances which dictate, even on a windless day, there seems always to be a headwind. ride headlong into a galeforce wind and the energy required to overcome such extremes of air resistance hardly makes for a relaxing ride.

specialized allez sprint comp disc

thus, in order to make life easier and faster, the bicycle manufacturers of the world have spent many of their research and development pennies on hours and hours of wind-tunnel testing, adding so-called aero bikes to their ranges. it's not too hard to tell which machinery has been subjected to this procedure, for they mostly consist of flattened and widened tubes, in order to present as slim a profile as possible to the inevitable headwind (always assuming we have eschewed use of the vacuum chamber).

however, those of you who also have a decent grounding in physics, will perhaps have seen the fly in the ointment. for a slimmed profile gained by such means, cannot do otherwise than show a series of flat, wide surfaces to an incoming crosswind. i have no doubt that forward motion is likely to generate the bulk of the bike's air resistance, but a hefty shove from either right or left, aided and abetted by an increased surface area upon which to act, creates lateral problems all of its very own.

specialized allez sprint comp disc

the above is the very long-winded (pun intended) way of pointing out that my saturday ride aboard specialized's aluminium-framed allez comp disc, was not what one might describe as a 'picnic'. in my original review, i decried the use of an aero-shaped seatpost, principally on the grounds of replacement should it ever fail in operation. however, allied to a similarly profiled seat-tube, those uncouth crosswinds (and believe me, we are frequently strafed by these throughout the year), while ostensibly designed to aid my forward motion, played more than a minor role in casting me asunder all the way from kilchoman distillery till my arrival at debbie's for lunch.

comments such as the above could easily be misconstrued as terminal criticism. you need only read the essence of my review of the specialized roval 64 carbon wheels previously fitted to this very bicycle. had they remained so during yesterday's bike ride, i'd likely be typing this article from somewhere on the island of colonsay, several miles north of here. combine large slabs of rotating carbon fibre with an aero frame and hit them hard with a crosswind...

specialized allez sprint comp disc

need i say more?

however, this is not to ignore the pertinent fact that pretty much any bicycle, in yesterday's crosswinds, would also have succumbed to similar interruptions. perhaps regular, round tubes would have fared a tad better, but there is plenty of evidence to show that, when fighting a direct headwind (coull farm to machir bay), progress would have been slower than specialized's aero frame.

the upshot of all this was greater admiration for the allez's stability in the face of adversity. granted, i have thirty plus years' of experience riding in such weather conditions, some of which is bound to have rubbed off by way of improved bike-handling, but that only makes it easier to recognise which portion of staying-upness is down to the bicycle. those rovals have been removed and safely stowed in their boxes, the original equipment dt-swiss wheels affixed in their place. the weight difference was noticeable, particularly when climbing, but to be perfectly honest, no matter peter sagan's opinion, i think the stock wheels are better suited to the frame than the rotating carbon.

specialized allez sprint comp disc

i'm extremely grateful to specialized for allowing the bicycle to remain in my care for a longer period than is usual for review samples. the usual two or three weeks is certainly sufficient to acquire a feel for a bicycle and to learn enough to pen a decent appraisal, but a period of months allows for almost forensic acquaintance with the plus points and the minuses. suffice it to say that the former substantially outweigh the latter; the allez possesses a chuckability and smoothness of personality that is impressive in a bicycle costing only £1900. the saddle has remained comfortable throughout and though i'd still prefer a longer stem, the cockpit is more than equal to my amateur velocipedinal ministrations.

specialized allez sprint comp disc

though i still maintain that disc brakes on a road bike are a trifle unnecessary, there's little point in continuing to rail against their existence. it would be foolish to deny that they work perfectly well, but they do still have their eccentricities. having switched the discs from the oem wheels onto the rovals, try as i might, i could not prevent the larger front rotor from squealing every time the brake lever was applied. yet, when shifted back to the standard wheels, silence reigns. it seems that every make of rotor has a tendency to advertise its presence when wet, something that seems immune to adjustment. but that's just the nature of the beast.

all in, the specialized allez comp disc is an excellent bike, one that would surely fit within the budget of many. the more you put into riding it, even in crosswinds, the more it gives back, evidence, if required, that it's not always all about carbon fibre.

sunday 14 april 2019

twmp ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................