Specialized Allez Sport 2023

The latest version of Specialized's Allez Sport is a lot of fun to ride thanks to geometry that flatters your skills and an aluminium alloy frame that hasn't even heard of the word harsh. While the Allez range may not be the budget-friendly option it once was, it is still as upgradable as previous versions, which makes it the ideal bike for the beginner looking to progress.

For more options, check out our guide to the best road bikes, from £300 up to more than £13,000.

Ride

Over the last 15 years I've ridden a huge number of Allez iterations, and as far as I can remember I've never found any of them to be a dud. A simple formula of a quality alloy frame, carbon fork and decent components has always been followed, resulting in the Allez being the likely entry point for many cyclists' journeys up through the ranks.

Thankfully this latest version continues that theme, meaning this 2023 model gives a fun and involving ride for those new to the sport, while still being nippy and edgy enough for those more experienced who want something quick and involving enough for winter training or the commute.

First up, the geometry is, shall we say, 'middle of the road', but in a good way. There are no steep angles to make the handling twitchy and there is just enough length in the wheelbase to give a stable feel whatever the road conditions.

It is very well behaved, feeling balanced and easy to control, which allows you to push on quickly carving your way through corners and on descents. It also feels planted, which means it doesn't get unsettled by poor road surfaces even at speed. All of this is great for those who aren't the most confident of bike handlers who want to enjoy the downhills or riding as part of a group.

The Allez was never found wanting even for someone like me, though, an experienced rider, in terms of the way it behaved. Okay, it's lacking the precision of some of the top-end race bikes I ride, but unless you are at the sharp end of a race it's barely going to be noticeable.

On my favourite test descent, the Allez coped well with the off-camber chicane at the top, with just a little bit of lag in the steering compared with the best bikes as the tight right-hander tries to send you wide and into the barbed wire fence at 40mph. But for the target audience the Specialized performed well. As the descent opens up, becoming less technical but much faster, the Allez remained surefooted and responsive to steering inputs.

With the standard tyres fitted, feedback is a bit muted, which does limit how hard you can push the Allez at times, and does take the shine off the whole ride experience overall. But updating the rubber like I did (Goodyear's latest Eagle F1 SuperSport R, currently on test) really unleashes the Spesh's potential.

The overall weight of 9.55kg helps it stay planted on the tarmac, too, although there are obviously sacrifices when it comes to climbing.

A lot of the weight is in the wheels, and once you get them spinning things aren't too bad. Bikes at this price point often have heavy, uninspiring wheels fitted, so the Allez isn't alone here. An upgrade to something lighter will obviously benefit the overall ascending experience, and will allow you to exploit the stiffness on offer from the frame and fork when powering up the climbs.

When riding in the hills, the Shimano Tiagra groupset performs well in terms of shifting, even under load, so you're covered for when you round that corner and are met with an unexpected climb, and the hydraulic brakes allow you to let the bike go on the way down too.

There's little to complain about in terms of comfort, either. Specialized has always delivered when it comes to its alumininum frames, and this one is no different.

It has a smooth ride feel, with absolutely no feeling of harshness anywhere in its build. The compact nature of the frame means you can run more exposed seatpost than normal, which aids comfort a tiny fraction, and the carbon fibre fork brings some compliance to the front end.

With all of this talk of relaxed geometry, comfort and compliance, it's easy to forget about the Allez's performance personality, and there is still plenty of get up and go. In fact it responds well if you give the pedals a little tickle, especially if you are already rolling. It carries its weight well, so for short, hard efforts on small climbs or false flats you can still get a shift on, and with plenty of stiffness through the lower half of the frame it's not against a little bit of sprinting action either.

With all of the above and the inclusion of full mudguard mounts and the ability to fit a rear rack, the Allez has a lot of versatility. It can be ridden in the wet without becoming a handful on slick roads, and if you still want to get the hammer down on your commute or winter training rides then you can.

Frame & fork

The Allez Sport uses Specialized's E5 grade aluminium alloy in its construction, with double-butted tubing (two differing wall thicknesses in the tube) offering many different profiles to benefit their position on the bike – to promote flex for comfort, say, or stiffness for power transfer.

As we have seen on other Allez models, Specialized isn't shy about showing a beefy – some might say agricultural – weld, and that is no different here on this model.

In this light grey paint job, though, it isn't massively noticeable unless you are up close. But if you want super sleek then there are other bikes out there with a smoother finish.

That aside, the paint is tough, and I think it's a good-looking bike. The angled seatstay bridge is quirky, and the internally cabled front half of the frame gives a clean look.

From a specification point of view, you get a couple of water bottle cage positions and there are, of course, 12mm thru-axles for wheel retention.

You get mudguard mounts, too, though they aren't quite in the standard positions to make the fitting of aftermarket 'fenders' a straightforward affair, although they are positioned much better than they were on previous iterations.

Specialized does sell its own brand of 'Plug + Play' mudguards, which the mounts are designed to be used with. As mentioned above, the Allez will also take a rear rack, so that's your lightweight touring and commuting taken care of.

Other than that, you'll find that the bottom bracket is a standard threaded affair, while the frame has a tapered head tube to match the tapered steerer of the full-carbon fibre FACT fork.

Maximum tyre clearance is an impressive 35mm without guards.

Geometry-wise, the Allez is available in a total of seven sizes which equates to effective top tube lengths of 493mm up to 586mm, a better spread than some brands offer.

The bike I rode was a 54cm, which had a top tube length of 541mm, head tube length of 155mm, and a seat tube length of 510mm.

The wheelbase manages to squeeze in under a metre at 998mm, with 425mm chainstays. Stack and reach figures are 569mm and 370mm respectively.

For the angles, we are looking at 72 degrees for the head angle, and 73.25 degrees for the seat tube angle. The fork rake is 47mm.

Specialized has a detailed geometry table, so be sure to check that out for the larger and smaller models.

Groupset

Probably the biggest news for this latest model of Allez is that there are no rim brake builds in the line-up, with both offerings coming with either hydraulic or cable-operated discs.

This Sport model comes with a Tiagra 10-speed mechanical groupset, albeit with a Praxis Alba chainset and Sunrace cassette.

Shifting-wise, this mix of kit has no issues in terms of performance, and you get a decent spread of ratios with 50/34-tooth chainrings and an 11-32 cassette.

Early Tiagra hydraulic levers had a horrible shape, but a few years back Shimano brought their design in line with the 11-speed 105 models, so comfort is great, especially when spending many miles on the hoods.

For the brakes, Specialized has specced 160mm rotors front and rear so there is plenty of stopping power on offer.

Finishing kit

The rest of the kit comes from Specialized's parts bin, with a 3D-forged alloy stem with a 7-degree rise connecting the alloy bar to the fork's steerer tube.

The seatpost is also an alloy affair, with a quick-to-adjust two-bolt clamping system and 12mm offset.

The saddle is a Body Geometry Bridge which I found to be comfortable enough for the majority of riding.

Wheels & tyres

The Axis Sport Disc wheelset seems reliable and durable – although rain and wet roads were in short supply when the bulk of the reviewing took place.

With a 24-spoke front and 28-spoke rear build, they remained true throughout testing and could cope admirably with poor surfaces. They are weighty, though, and as I mentioned above, something lighter really peps up the performance of the Allez.

It's the same story with the 30mm Roadsport tyres; they're reliable and come with decent levels of grip, but are a bit lacking in terms of performance.

When they wear out, you'll get some bonus performance from an upgrade to something grippier and lighter.

Value

The Allez range now starts at £1,100 and for that you get the same frameset as you see here but with a Shimano Claris 8-speed groupset and cable-operated disc brakes.

This Sport model is £1,600, which is in line with its main rivals.

Giant's alloy Contend SL Disc range starts at £1,499 with the '2', which comes with the same build as the Allez Sport, as in Tiagra hydraulic groupset, alloy components and alloy wheels.

We tested the SL 1 Disc back in 2021 and were very impressed with it.

Cannondale's alloy Synapse does without the electronic 'gimmicks' found on the carbon models, and a Synapse 1 with a Tiagra hydraulic build and a set of DT Swiss wheels comes in at £1,650.

Trek's ALR is the alloy version of its Emonda, and the Emonda ALR 4 comes with a Tiagra build and similar components to the Allez Sport. Its rrp is £1,750, but a look at Trek's UK website shows that it is currently discounted to £1,575.

Conclusion

With the lack of those rim-braked models, the Allez range doesn't look quite as 'entry level' as it once did, but on a model-to-model basis they are still well priced against the opposition, with little to separate the main players from the list above.

If you do plump for the Allez, though, one thing you will be impressed with is the ride quality. Previous versions of the Allez have always been good fun to ride while still having a focus on performance, and that hasn't changed here. It's hampered a little by the wheels and tyres, but upgrade those as and when, and you have a belter of a bike.

Verdict

Versatile road bike with flattering handling and a very comfortable ride