New weapon (2012 Specialized Allez Elite)

[m3ta1head]

Nice deal. Personally I'd use up what you have (wheels,crank) and then upgrade as they get worn out. At minimum wait until your chain is worn then replace the crank, chain, cassette. When you do that you can really find the gearing that best suits you and upgrade to higher end stuff.

I want to slap a compact crank on there as soon as possible as I find myself getting bogged down on steep climbs. I want to be maintaining 80-100rpm cadence going up climbs, and the current crank (53x39) is too heavy for my legs to push around on the big hills. I also want to switch to a shorter crank arm (170mm) to better suit my height/inseam.

Yup.
I'd actually focus on ergonomics first of all.
Adjustments to stem length, handlebar width, saddle shape/angle/position are probably some of the most noticeable modifications.

I'll be getting a professional fitting done as soon as possible for maximum efficiency and comfort on the bike. They are a bit expensive ($150-200 for a decent fitting) but completely worth it from what I've been told. I've dialed in a decent baseline on the bike now (as pictured), but I can tell stem length needs to be adjusted as my hands comfortably rest on the bars just short of the hoods (and it feels like I need to reach a bit to actually sit on the hoods). I also have a small curve in my upper back on the bike which can probably be sorted with a small saddle height or fore/aft adjustment. The thing is, the range of adjustment needed to attain a proper fit is too fine to accurately measure using at home, DIY methods-hence the need to get a fitting done.

 

[FleshLight]

Who wants to do a SOCAL AT ride?

 

[m3ta1head]

Who wants to do a SOCAL AT ride?

I'm down!

New PR for me....racking up the mileage. Think I'll be ready for my first century soon 😀

 

[m3ta1head]

New wheels/cages:

click for high res

 

[m3ta1head]

Couple more pics:

click for high res

click for high res

 

[GasX]

That really is a great looking bike. What wheels are those?

 

[m3ta1head]

That really is a great looking bike. What wheels are those?

Shimano WH-6700. Thanks for the kind comments everyone.

 

[classy]

Nice bike

 

[m3ta1head]

Finished the build. Final weight is 7974g

 

[Koing]

Bike looks awesome.

How have you found the last year on it?

Koing

 

[RichieZ]

looking good

looks like you upgraded to ultegra 6800, I didn't know you could run 11spd on the 6700 wheels. I ended up upgrading to the duraace 9000 c24s

 

[m3ta1head]

Bike looks awesome.

How have you found the last year on it?

Koing

Absolutely superb. Climbs like a mountain goat, descends like a stone, turns on a dime....it's a joy to ride. Really looking forward to the rapha rising challenge on strava next week...got some brutal climbs planned 😀

(this pic is a bit older, before the full group swap)

looking good

looks like you upgraded to ultegra 6800, I didn't know you could run 11spd on the 6700 wheels. I ended up upgrading to the duraace 9000 c24s

It's actually 6700, for a couple of reasons-but mainly because the 6700 wheelset won't take an 11spd cassette. The other reason is that I scored the 6700 stuff dirt cheap-for way less than a complete 6800 group. I would have loved to go 11spd but decided to take advantage of the clearance on 10spd stuff instead....and my wallet is thankful at the end of the day!

 

[FleshLight]

Join our relatively inactive AT strava group:

http://www.strava.com/clubs/anandtech

I have a 14 lb carbon roadie. How'd you like the ride up to the lifts? That was the hardest thing I've done on a bike!

 

[Koing]

Absolutely superb. Climbs like a mountain goat, descends like a stone, turns on a dime....it's a joy to ride. Really looking forward to the rapha rising challenge on strava next week...got some brutal climbs planned 😀

(this pic is a bit older, before the full group swap)

It's actually 6700, for a couple of reasons-but mainly because the 6700 wheelset won't take an 11spd cassette. The other reason is that I scored the 6700 stuff dirt cheap-for way less than a complete 6800 group. I would have loved to go 11spd but decided to take advantage of the clearance on 10spd stuff instead....and my wallet is thankful at the end of the day!

Good to hear buddy 🙂

I've always been interested in a carbon fibre bike but I'd never ride it 😛

Koing

 

[magomago]

you on 50/34 yet? IMO dominating hills is largely about having the right gearing as opposed to that few extra pounds. 53-39 chain rings on an 11-25 is going to struggle on hills like no tomorrow regardless of what bike you have. Compact crank and a big cassette is where its at unless you live in a place like Florida.

I would love something custom like a 10spd 16-32T (16-18-20-21-22-23-25-27-30-32), as where I live its really lots of hills, but even Ambrosio doesn't satisfy that.

And yes I'd be interested in Socal AT riding, but only if 15-16mph is considered acceptable as that is what I typically sustain for long rides 😳

 

[pm]

Beautiful bicycle! Congratulations.

My upgrade from my old steel-frame road bicycle up to my current Trek Madone 5.2 was one of the best things that I did for my hill-climbing riding. I could see my times drop substantially in Strava the day that I switched for every segment that I touched. And for the big hill days (4000+ ft) it made a noticeable improvement in my endurance. I have a compact crank (50/34) and bumped my rear cassette up for the Copper Triangle last year to 11-32. That 32 is a beautiful thing when the incline goes above 10% (as it tends to do here in Colorado).

That thing just looks fantastic. Ride it and have a great time.

 

[camerond]

Join our relatively inactive AT strava group:

http://www.strava.com/clubs/anandtech

I have a 14 lb carbon roadie. How'd you like the ride up to the lifts? That was the hardest thing I've done on a bike!

W00! Just joined!

Sick bike OP! I have the 2012 Allez Evo in the evil black paint scheme. Great bike for sure! I'm more of an MTB guy but still enjoy kicking the road bike around every now and then!