From: gmack@oakhill.sps.mot.com (Gregg Mack)
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles
Subject: Re: opinions wanted again: 1991 allez Epic; 1992 Bridgestone RB1
Date: 19 Aug 92 16:17:26 GMT
Organization: Motorola Inc., Austin Tx.

In article <1992Aug18.013420.14846@husc3.harvard.edu> kim39@scws8.harvard.edu (John Kim) writes:
>
>	After a few years of telling people what I thought they
>should look at in a bike, it looks like I may finally have the 
>money to put where my mouth has been.  So, once again I solicit 
>opinions on the 1991 Specialized Allez Epic with 105SC parts,
>and this year I also ask about the 1992 Bridgestone RB-1, with
>all ultegra parts except for the Dia-Compe brakes.
>

I ride a '91 Specialized Allez Epic w/ 8 speed Dura-Ace stuff.  Maybe I can help!

>
> [..]    About a year ago I
>collected some net opinions on the Allez and if I remember
>correctly, two people gave me favorable reviews and one said
>that he liked the RB-1 and Radac much better because the
>Allez was too flexiblg whiel pounding up the hills.  Two
>owners of the Allez have told me they liked it because it
>had a comfortable ride (these are people I saw riding them
>around here).  One net person (Sam Henry?) called the RB-1
>one of the best bikes he's had.
>

I think the Allez Epic is a very comfortable (shock absorbing) bike.
I weigh nearly 200 pounds, and when I stand up to get over a hill, sometimes
I hear the chain slightly rubbing against the side of the front derailleur.  This
is the only indication that I get that the frame is flexing.  I can't feel the 
flex at all.

>	So any other opinions on why these bikes should/do/
>might/will feel so different?
>

The Allez is carbon-fiber, the Bridgestone is steel!

> [...]   Since the 1991 Allez was offered with
>either Dura Ace STI or 7-speed 105 (or 7-speed Ultegra), does
>thsi mean some of the bikes have different rear triangle
>spreads? [...]
>

No, they all came with 126 mm between the rear dropouts.  Shimano (or was it
Specialized) put some concave end caps on the axles to help spread apart the     
dropouts when installing the rear wheel (with Dura-Ace 8 spd 130 mm hubs).

>	and then some general questions:

>5) Did the 1991 Specizlied Allez Epic come in any other color combo
>	than natural grey with yellow letters?  Someone is offering
>	me a used Allez frameset but he said it had red lettering...

The 1990 model had red decals, the 1991 came with a yellow (and only slightly
orange-tint) set of decals.

>8) what are the widest tires one can put in the Allez and still fit?
>	I noticed that one of the nicer Ruji racing bikes has a unicrown
>	fork which slopes so much that I probably wold never get a
>	26 or 28mm tires in there.  I know the RB-1 has plenty of room,
>	but what about the Allez?
>

I don't know the WIDEST tires that will fit on the Allez Epic, but the Michelin
Hi-Lite Super Compe H.D.'s in size 700x23 fit just fine on mine, and I'm sure
the chainstays could take another 5 mm or so.


>And finally, what are some good reasons I should look at other road
>bikes, like the Miyatas, Paramounts, Raleighs and Treks?  Are there
>any other nice carbon fiber road bikes I can get for $700 or less?
>

The Brigdestone is supposedly a very fine bike for the money.  My wife really
likes her Trek 1420.  Keep asking questions and test riding the bikes.  You'll
know it when you see it!

>kim39@husc.harvard.edu

-- 
Gregg Mack                  --------- __o       __o       __o       __o
gmack@oakhill.sps.mot.com   ------- _`\<,_    _`\<,_    _`\<,_    _`\<,_
Motorola RISC uProcessors   ------ (*)/ (*)  (*)/ (*)  (*)/ (*)  (*)/ (*)
Austin, TX  USA             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles