Conference noted::bicycle

     The bike you're referring to is Specialized's Epic Allez....
    I know a few folks who have the Epic and really love 'em.
    I don't have any personal experience, but have never heard
    a "discouraging word" on them. 
    
      Chip

    
    I own a Specialized Allez Epic.  I would consider the bikes angles
    very racy.  With parallel 74 angles one does not want to do a lot of
    looking around.  A few moments of inattention could lead to a nasty 
    spill.  I also notice that when I start to get tired on very long rides
    I tend to weave.  Not alot, I have never been yelled at in a pace line,
    but I have to focus some attention to maintaining a straight line.
    
      In my opinion the Allez is the best carbon fiber and lug constructed
    bike on the market.  The heaps of praise the bikes beauty receives is
    nice also.
    
    						Norm
    
    
    

    I saw one of tehm last week in LA.  Nice machine.  The wheels needed an
    immediate rebuild but the frame was excelent.
    
    On LOcation in Yokahama,
    ed

    	Re .2
    
    	I haven't read much on these bikes, nor have I ridden one, but...
    
    	I've seen pictures of the Look carbon machine. They have three
    	different "grades" of composites? Three different bikes?
    	I also am under the influence that, several professional teams
    	have raced the frames. I beleive Performance Bicycle has the
    	frame in their catalogs... Separately or built, it's expensive.
    
    	I wonder if 'Specialized Allez is truly the best on the market.
    	Beautiful finish in the photos...
    						Regards, Face

    
    Norm & ed,
    
    Your comments make the frame sound alluring to say the least.
    But especially Norm's lead me to ask: is this a frame to do
    a century on?  
    
    Is it just twitchy or does it also have a harsh ride?
    
    Thanks,
    -john

    The Allez that I saw was being used for a Century.  After its wheels
    got
    trued, it finished with honor.
    
    Still in the Far East,
    ed

    I think the Allez is an excellent long ride bike.  The frame does not
    beat me up.  I have done 3 double centuries and numerous centuries with
    this frame and love the feel.  I have owned steel and fat aluminum and
    like the carbon fiber better.  As to the bike being twitchy I would say
    no.  The response is excellent, but when I get tired the bike commands
    some attention.
      Ed is right about the wheels.  The first thing I did after buying the
    bike was sell the wheels.  I bought the best wheel components I could 
    afford and built new wheels myself.
      
    							Norm
    
    
    
    

    
      After two seasons of flawless performance my beloved Specialized Allez 
    Epic expired.  The detachment of one of her limbs was totally
    unexpected.  Both Specialized and I thought that reattachment was too
    risky.  We both felt that she would be much less than 100% even if the 
    surgury was successful.  She has been retired to a bike shop wall.
      Two days after talking with Specialized I received a young philly
    with improved genetics and flashy graphics while still retaining most 
    of her championship breeding.  
      Specialized felt that not charging me shipping was better than 
    sending flowers.  
    
      On March 10 after routine cleaning and maintenance I discovered that
    the chain stay on my Epic had detached from the Bottom bracket lug.  If
    I had a wrench in my hand at the time I am sure I would have thrown it
    through the cellar wall.  The tube did not move in any direction except
    when pulled straight back.  It then would slide off the lug.  The thing
    that kept going through my mind was the last time I rode the bike.  
    I came down a hill that starts at 25% grade and goes into a hairpin
    turn and then continues for about half a mile at 12%.  I would have
    been dead if the tube came off then.  I don't even remember the bike 
    feeling different at the time.
      On Monday I took the frame to the shop where I bought it and they
    called Specialized in California.  On Wednesday the shop said they
    had the new frame and that I didn't owe a thing.  Specialized didn't 
    even ask to see the old frame.  I got to thinking that maybe this had
    been happening alot so I started asking around.  I talked with some
    knowledgeable people in the bike industry and they couldn't remember
    hearing about an Allez Epic breaking.  I feel that what happened to me
    had to have happened to someone else but that the breakage is well
    within acceptable limits.  Read MY ACCEPTABLE LIMITS.  I would
    recommend this frame if someone wanted one.  The Specialized company
    is also worth dealing with.
    
    Today I broke the mourning period and took the new one out for a 40
    mile gallup.  I would say it runs neck and neck with it's predecessor.
    The genetic improvements don't affect the handling but seem to be for
    increased durability.
    
    						Norm
         

     Sorry to hear about your loss. Sounds like Specialized takes care
    of its customers too. Nice to hear in this day and age. Good luck
    with the new ride. I won't say anything about "plastic" bikes :-)...
    
      Chip

   ��	 Read MY ACCEPTABLE LIMITS. 
        

Norm,

I'm curious as to what your acceptable limits are...

What size frame was it?

What do you weigh?

Do you climb out of the saddle and sprint a lot?

I wonder if these bikes are akin to the Vitus AL bikes. No heavy riders nor
gear mashers apply... 

Tom

    	Many people on our team are riding these frames because Specialized
    puts their name on our jerseys and discounts them pretty heavily. 
    The oldest of the batch is probably two seasons old, most are a year
    old or brand new.  So far I haven't heard anyone bitch.  Old wool-and-
    toeclips Shaw occasionally whines that it isn't QUITE as perfect as his 
    made-to-measure steel bike, but it isn't blind testing with him.
    
    	No frame failures yet, but if they're common we should get one in a 
    sample this large.  A few steel bikes have been bent or destroyed in
    last year's criteriums, though.  Maybe having an Allez keeps you from 
    going down...

	I agree with the comments on Vitus, they seem to have recognised their
own limitations and offer relatively small frames only.  Certainly the ONLY
criticism of the 979 is is flexibility under load, the same flexibility is
highly praised for comfort especially when riding long distances over poor
surfaces.
	The recent test of the 992 said it retained all the good features of the
979 and the ovalising of tubes at the bottom bracket plus a few re-inforcements
elsewhere had removed the problems of response.  Even so the maximum size
offered is 58 cm.
Certainly it appeared to be a better buy than any of the 12 carbon or composites
tested by "Le Cycle" (you need to spend at least 7k FF (1,4 k$) to get anything
like it in the fancy materials, and then they were generally so stiff
as to be uncomfortable.
	I was really keen on buying one, at the price of 3800 FF and even
fingered an example at Fusberti's.  Then my wife wasted my money on some work
on the pool and the garden (!!) and I also found out you need an extra 500 FF
for the fancy Mavic headset.

	Now if my DEC shares were at 200$..................

    
    re: 10
    
    > I'm curious as to what your acceptable limits are...
    
    I have done alot of asking around and have not heard of one single 
    instance of an Allez Epic frame failure.  To me that's acceptable.
    
    
    > What size frame was it?
    
            56cm
    
    > What do you weigh?
    
    	    148 lbs.  I am sure at this weight I am not stressing the
    frame.  I have seen much heavier people riding this frame and not
    complaining about flex.  
    
    > Do you climb out of the saddle and sprint a lot?
    
    Well my favorite thing to do is to climb hills.  I stay seated most 
    of the time but obviously stand once in awhile.  I live very close to
    the berkshires so I ride there alot.  During club rides we do town
    line sprints.  
    I don't keep track of my mileage (quality not quantity) but do over
    5000 road miles a year.  The frame has seen alot of use.
    
    
    					Norm