Here is a pic of my Sworks and of all the different frames I have had ranging from other Alu frames to various Ti frames this is the least expensive but it has been the best performing . I find to climb & accelerate better than the other frames I have had. It may be cheap and generic to some but I like it.

Here is a pic of my Sworks and of all the different frames I have had ranging from other Alu frames to various Ti frames this is the least expensive but it has been the best performing . I find to climb & accelerate better than the other frames I have had. It may be cheap and generic to some but I like it.


Nice bike!

Umm, since when is an S-works generic? Is that the 04 or 03 model frame. I like the fact that the 04 frameset is $600 cheaper than the 03. But, at aroune $1,000, your can't go wrong. That frame is anything but a comfy tourer. It is a race frame that is meant to be stiff and go fast. I would really want to know what justifies the extra 2 or 3 thosand dollar price increase of some of the more exotic competitors framesets.

But good pruchase and don't let anyone tell you your S-works is some cheapo generic bike just because you paid half of what they paid and it's actually possible for people to pronounce the name on the first try.

The frame is an 03. It is actually my second one because the first one was a bit too big. And while I was riding my Titanium bike I really missed the S-Works that is why I bought the second one. Regardless of price this frame just is awesome. I am actually trying to find another one as a back up. BTW: that was funny about the pronouncing the name.

Sirius I am having an 03 E5 built up and am looking forward to riding it. My usual ride is titanium as well.

This is my ride! It is an '03 Allez Pro. It used to be an Allez Sport, but after an unfortunate highway incident in Texas last October, I had to replace the frame and fork. The componenents in the picture are from the sport. But I am in the process of upgrading, any suggestions are welcome! I already have a set of Mavic Cosmos wheels for it. :)

The LBS invited me to try out this S-Works Tarmac for a few days. Interesting frame: The bottom section (painted red) is the E5 Aluminum spine with the upper section in carbon. It’s equipped with DA 9v, ‘04 Ksyrium SSC/SL, the S-Works carbon bar and Pave seatpost. I replaced the Specialized saddle with an Aliante and installed Speedplay X/1 pedals. The bike weighed in at 16.8 lbs as you see it (Size X-Large/60cm)….

It’s a pretty nice ride. Stiff enough through the driveline with quite sufficient dampening up through the saddle. The handling is pretty neutral, perhaps even a little slow, but a better fit for me would have been one size smaller. The larger size should be expected to feel a little slower….

All the bikes in my stable have 172.5 cranks. I got on this one, rolled the cranks over one revolution and said ‘These must be 175 cranks.’ Second revolution: ‘No doubt about it: 175 cranks.’ Sure enough….

The Carbon bar: I loved the flat top segment and hated the hooks. The last couple of years, I’ve taken to non-ergo shallow drop bars (Italian bend), so while I don’t necessarily have any aversion to ergo bends, that one section that bends up into the palm didn’t do it for me at all….

The computer is a Specialized Elite wireless. It worked for about ten minutes before becoming an RNG (Random Number Generator). After another hour or two, it read 0.0 mi/hr when the bike was rolling at anything over about ten or twelve mi/hr.

I like this bike. I’d change a few of the components, but I certainly wouldn’t boot it out of my stable…. ****/5.

Here’s the Specialized page with the frameset equipped for ’04 (DA 10v)… (http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=6796&JServSessionIdroot=orb8ftssqn.j27005)

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=702&stc=1

My main bike is a 2003 S-works Sapone colors in 56cm. I changed just about everything on the bike and can highly recommend some of these changes if you have money to spend. I changed the wheels to Topolinos and love them! I use the FSA carbon compact crank which is a must have if you ride hills. The CAT TI brakes, USE ALIEN areo seatpost and a Selle SLR seat for weight savings, paired with 50g Bold Ti skewers. I also switched out the front derailure to a 2004 Campy Record primarily for looks. It has the carbon cage. My stem is a Deda Mag00 with the regular 3T carbon bar. I use the Speedplay Ti Zero pedals. All in all 6800g or 15.0 lbs. It's one sweat ride. Now all these extra components needed a home. So I got an Alez Pro frame off EBAY as pictured above, which is also an E5 and build it out with the Ksyrium wheels and all the components I took of the S-works bike. It made for a great ride also and came out at just over 17lbs. Not bad for a rainy weather and trainer bike.

Here is my 03 S-Works. Being a larger rider 6'4", ~260 lbs it rides like a dream. Nice and stiff.

Here is a pic of my Sworks and of all the different frames I have had ranging from other Alu frames to various Ti frames this is the least expensive but it has been the best performing . I find to climb & accelerate better than the other frames I have had. It may be cheap and generic to some but I like it.

Bad Ass looking bike dude !!!!!

I have the 04 Allez Comp and I love it but the S-Works just smokes !!!!!

Just a pic of my 04 SWorks which is also in he gallery.

Just a pic of my 04 SWorks which is also in he gallery.

This one is Phat!!! as well - How many do you have man?

This one is Phat!!! as well - How many do you have man?
I have 2 - 1 Red and 1 Silver.

I have 2 - 1 Red and 1 Silver.

Are you running campy on these?

Are you running campy on these?
Yes - both have Campy Record but the silver 04 will be getting a different wheelset this week. I ordered a set of Campy Eurus.

Just a pic of my 04 SWorks which is also in he gallery.

Why didn't u shut the front brake adjuster before u took the pic, it would've looked even sweeter?

Why didn't u shut the front brake adjuster before u took the pic, it would've looked even sweeter?
I know ... didn't notice till it was too late but when I get my new wheels I will repost.

I have a question - I was looking in the saving weight forum on this message board and there is a guy on there who is claiming that the 03 Allez Comp weighs almost 2.5 pounds less than the 04.(same frame size 56cm stock w/ Ultegra) He says the reason is two fold 1) lighter wheels and 2) He says the 03 is smooth weld E5 and the 04 is not. I guess my questions is three part

1). Is this true in regards to AL used in the 03 & 04 - I was under the impression the 04 is smooth weld E5 Columbus AL.?

2)What would be acceptable weight for this bike - mine weighs in at about 20lbs w/ pedals and computer.?

3). Where is the best place to shave weight on this bike - would like to get down at least below 20 lbs.

Look forward to the info - Help me out here Sirrius

I have a question - I was looking in the saving weight forum on this message board and there is a guy on there who is claiming that the 03 Allez Comp weighs almost 2.5 pounds less than the 04.(same frame size 56cm stock w/ Ultegra) He says the reason is two fold 1) lighter wheels and 2) He says the 03 is smooth weld E5 and the 04 is not. I guess my questions is three part

1). Is this true in regards to AL used in the 03 & 04 - I was under the impression the 04 is smooth weld E5 Columbus AL.?

2)What would be acceptable weight for this bike - mine weighs in at about 20lbs w/ pedals and computer.?

3). Where is the best place to shave weight on this bike - would like to get down at least below 20 lbs.

Look forward to the info - Help me out here Sirrius

The 04 does use E5 Columbus tubing. An acceptable weight depending on size would be 17-18 lbs. I have mine at a hair over 16 (size 52) but I just got my new wheels. I don't expect a major weight difference. The best place to shave some weight are the wheels. I feel that is the best bang for the buck because that is rotating weight. But if you are a Clydesdale you have to be careful with wheel choice. I could get my bike in the sub 16 lb range with lighter wheels, post, bar,stem but It could result in a "weaker" bike. I weigh 190 down from 260 last year and I don't want a fragile bike. Right now with the Campy Eurus wheels I have an "All Campy" bike and very happy with it.

Just an updated pic with the new wheels.

The 04 does use E5 Columbus tubing. An acceptable weight depending on size would be 17-18 lbs. I have mine at a hair over 16 (size 52) but I just got my new wheels. I don't expect a major weight difference. The best place to shave some weight are the wheels. I feel that is the best bang for the buck because that is rotating weight. But if you are a Clydesdale you have to be careful with wheel choice. I could get my bike in the sub 16 lb range with lighter wheels, post, bar,stem but It could result in a "weaker" bike. I weigh 190 down from 260 last year and I don't want a fragile bike. Right now with the Campy Eurus wheels I have an "All Campy" bike and very happy with it.


I am a little heavier than you are - about 206 right now - Should be down to 200 by next month. I guess I was just surprised at how heavy my new bike is but I guess that is more about wheel weight , stem. bar, etc. All the kit on it right now is stock with Mavic Equipes.
Any suggestions besides a lighter wheelset?

Just an updated pic with the new wheels.


Sweet !!!

A great place to drop some weight is on the rider. You can drop 2 lbs off of your ride and have it cost you $100's. Or for just the willpower it would take to make some slight changes in habits, you could lose 10, 20, or more lbs off of the rider. Which one makes a bigger difference? I really am not trying to be a jerk here, I myself have dropped a few lbs off of my frame/body over the last few years and I have noticed more change from that than from any change I have made to one of my bikes.

Congrats to Sirius for dropping all the lbs! As far as dropping the weight of your bike, what components do you currently run. The stock bar and stem are a bit porky on the mid to low end bikes. You could change them, and Wheels are always always the best bang for the buck. The decreased rotating mass makes you feel as if you can accellerate like Cipo!

A great place to drop some weight is on the rider. You can drop 2 lbs off of your ride and have it cost you $100's. Or for just the willpower it would take to make some slight changes in habits, you could lose 10, 20, or more lbs off of the rider. Which one makes a bigger difference? I really am not trying to be a jerk here, I myself have dropped a few lbs off of my frame/body over the last few years and I have noticed more change from that than from any change I have made to one of my bikes.

Congrats to Sirius for dropping all the lbs! As far as dropping the weight of your bike, what components do you currently run. The stock bar and stem are a bit porky on the mid to low end bikes. You could change them, and Wheels are always always the best bang for the buck. The decreased rotating mass makes you feel as if you can accellerate like Cipo!


You are not being a jerk at all - I agree 100% that the rider weight is the most important thing - I have a pretty musuclar frame as I have made the strange transistion from bodybuilding (no roids!!) to cycling. It's going to take a while but I should be able to get down to 195-200 lbs in a month and then we will see from there. Wish me luck !! As far as the bits go its all Ultegra with the rest being Specialized house brand stuff except pedeals and wheels.

Apologies in advance for the "sob story" feel to this post - but I am in a serious dilemma...

Here goes...

My fiancee and I were dead set on buying two 2004 Allez Comp's and then we were completely blown out of the water because Specialized underestimated the demand for this bike. They improved the spec on this bike, reduced the prices and wooyah sell out city!

I wanted to go for a stock bike because I am new to the road world and am not yet up to speed with the different components, manufacturers, comparisions between the makes etc... I've ridden mountain bikes for years and am a proud owner of a 2001 Specialized S-Works M4 FSR, it is still a lightning fast mountain bike, beautifully responsive and light for a full suss. So it made sense that I looked at Specialized, 'when I saw the '04 Allez Comp I thought Christmas had come early - it almost did!

Picking the correct road bike was also made a little tricky as the size we require is an awkward one - 50cms, if we could fit on a 54 we'd be riding brand new Comps, alas we are both 5'3'' so a 50 is our lot. Bummer!

Anyway, today when I got the news about the Comp I was determined not to be beaten as we are both nuts about this bike...so I posted lots of emails from work looking to find a bike store in the land that still had them in stock.

Mostly, the bike stores told me what I already knew - these bikes are sold out - completely, none left, game over, buy a car, forget road racing, take up knitting!

And then the light at the end of the tunnel...one guy told me that I could consider the frameset option. Hmmm, interesting, so I began to gain heart and emailed him back within 5 minutes of his suggestion, asking the obvious questions about groupset etc... and that I was pleased he still had two Allez Comps in our size...

Enter the Sworks...

He emailed to say that the framesets are SWorks E5's.

SWorks are top end high performance right and Allez is a few notches below yes? So straight away I am thinking, this is way out of my price bracket.
We budgetted for £1600 each, top whack, can't go any higher, which would have been enough for the Comp, some pedals, shoes and and nice discount to make sure that we never went over budget :D
All-in-all, that would have got us a decent frame and a good set of stock components (Ultegra, half decent wheelset in the Shimano 540s - I was told these are good components but you guys might think otherwise).

So, this guy wants to build us a couple of Specialized bikes with Sworks E5 at the core and reckons that he can do it all for around £3100 for the pair. I have no idea if this is a good deal?It sounds too good to be true, £1600 quid each for an Sworks road bike...Hmmm?! The frameset is £799 and then that gives us an extra £600 to fit in the wheels, components, shoes and pedals. I just can't see how this is doable unless we get budget wheels and components. Does it sound like a case of great frame shame about the rest of the bike?

What components should I ask for without putting him out of business but making sure that I get something which would have compared to the Allez Comp?

You guys own the Sworks and honestly from the pictures of your bikes they look totally gorgeous. I am am very very tempted to part with our money...

What do you think? Jane and I are really keen to buy a Specialized because we think that the compact geometry is going to feel really good.

I know I sound like a muppet who can't decide for himself but I really am stuck when it comes to speccing out a road bike. I'd have loved an easy life in a stock bike but now I am just confused :confused: The task is made harder because it's not just my money I am spending....

Your desperately,


Sunny and Jane

Apologies in advance for the "sob story" feel to this post - but I am in a serious dilemma...

Here goes...

My fiancee and I were dead set on buying two 2004 Allez Comp's and then we were completely blown out of the water because Specialized underestimated the demand for this bike. They improved the spec on this bike, reduced the prices and wooyah sell out city!

I wanted to go for a stock bike because I am new to the road world and am not yet up to speed with the different components, manufacturers, comparisions between the makes etc... I've ridden mountain bikes for years and am a proud owner of a 2001 Specialized S-Works M4 FSR, it is still a lightning fast mountain bike, beautifully responsive and light for a full suss. So it made sense that I looked at Specialized, 'when I saw the '04 Allez Comp I thought Christmas had come early - it almost did!

Picking the correct road bike was also made a little tricky as the size we require is an awkward one - 50cms, if we could fit on a 54 we'd be riding brand new Comps, alas we are both 5'3'' so a 50 is our lot. Bummer!

Anyway, today when I got the news about the Comp I was determined not to be beaten as we are both nuts about this bike...so I posted lots of emails from work looking to find a bike store in the land that still had them in stock.

Mostly, the bike stores told me what I already knew - these bikes are sold out - completely, none left, game over, buy a car, forget road racing, take up knitting!

And then the light at the end of the tunnel...one guy told me that I could consider the frameset option. Hmmm, interesting, so I began to gain heart and emailed him back within 5 minutes of his suggestion, asking the obvious questions about groupset etc... and that I was pleased he still had two Allez Comps in our size...

Enter the Sworks...

He emailed to say that the framesets are SWorks E5's.

SWorks are top end high performance right and Allez is a few notches below yes? So straight away I am thinking, this is way out of my price bracket.
We budgetted for £1600 each, top whack, can't go any higher, which would have been enough for the Comp, some pedals, shoes and and nice discount to make sure that we never went over budget :D
All-in-all, that would have got us a decent frame and a good set of stock components (Ultegra, half decent wheelset in the Shimano 540s - I was told these are good components but you guys might think otherwise).

So, this guy wants to build us a couple of Specialized bikes with Sworks E5 at the core and reckons that he can do it all for around £3100 for the pair. I have no idea if this is a good deal?It sounds too good to be true, £1600 quid each for an Sworks road bike...Hmmm?! The frameset is £799 and then that gives us an extra £600 to fit in the wheels, components, shoes and pedals. I just can't see how this is doable unless we get budget wheels and components. Does it sound like a case of great frame shame about the rest of the bike?

What components should I ask for without putting him out of business but making sure that I get something which would have compared to the Allez Comp?

You guys own the Sworks and honestly from the pictures of your bikes they look totally gorgeous. I am am very very tempted to part with our money...

What do you think? Jane and I are really keen to buy a Specialized because we think that the compact geometry is going to feel really good.

I know I sound like a muppet who can't decide for himself but I really am stuck when it comes to speccing out a road bike. I'd have loved an easy life in a stock bike but now I am just confused :confused: The task is made harder because it's not just my money I am spending....

Your desperately,


Sunny and Jane

First, I don't know what a good "deal" is in your part of the world but for what it is worth I can only give my humble opinions. Over the last couple of years I went through several frames ranging starting from a Cannondale and then going through several aluminum frames including a Pinarello Prince, Cinelli Starlight,Lightspeed Alu(Sirius and Hyperion) and several Ti frames - 02&03 Lightspeed Vortex, Tuscany and a Moots Vamoots SL. They are all good frames and have their own qualities. Then came the Sworks. I immediately liked the quick acceleration on the bike.It is also comfy cosidering it is Al. All the frames had the same components and wheels that I just kept transferring. At first I felt like the components(Camy Record) were too much for the frame but when my riding buddies noticed that I was much faster on the Sworks I just kept them on. Initially I also felt that the Sworks was just another generic frame from Taiwan but if it allows me to improve my riding resulting on a big smile on my face it is worth it.3 of my riding buddies just recently also purcahsed Sworks framed that still need to be built all because they like mine. I now have 2 Sworks - an 03 and 04 and I have no regrets. If your budget can allow it - go for it and enjoy it. Even if the bike comes with some lower end components you can slowly upgrade some of the parts as your budget allows.

Excellent, thanks.

We've found a bike store that has two Allez Comps in our size, but the sworks debate has given me a lot to think about.

I think we are going to stretch our budget out to £1650 and go with the sworks build up.

You are spot on about going for what we can afford in terms of components then upgrade when money allows.

You mentioned "record" and that it fitted on the sworks and improved your speed....is this better than Ultegra groupo? I guess it would be more expensive with campy fitted.

Excellent, thanks.

We've found a bike store that has two Allez Comps in our size, but the sworks debate has given me a lot to think about.

I think we are going to stretch our budget out to £1650 and go with the sworks build up.

You are spot on about going for what we can afford in terms of components then upgrade when money allows.

You mentioned "record" and that it fitted on the sworks and improved your speed....is this better than Ultegra groupo? I guess it would be more expensive with campy fitted.
Well I am glad to hear you will go with the Sworks. I don't think that Campy Record components will make anyone faster but they are more expensive than Ultegra plus it does have nice Carbon parts that does make it lighter and the shaifters are personal preference. Good luck !

Any chance I could get a component breakdown for your bike, it looks awesome.

I particularly love saddle!

Here is my 01 S-Works CX. I got the frame and fork new on ebay and built it up with a mix of road and mtn stuff.

I have finished the new build with Ultegra components, so I am posting a new pic of my Allez Pro.

All Ultrgra stuff now with the exception of the wheels which are Mavic Cosmos. I think that it turned out pretty well.

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2612&stc=1

Sirius, thanks for your advice - we both bought an S-works and are overwhelmed with the quality, the ride, and the speed's I can eek out of it :)

This is my bike - Looks great!
.

I couldn't resist putting up one more photo - a shameless exposure I know :D !

Sirius, thanks for your advice - we both bought an S-works and are overwhelmed with the quality, the ride, and the speed's I can eek out of it :)

This is my bike - Looks great!
.
Congrats ! I recently built up a red 04 for a friend and he just loves it.

Love It
http://www.hostdub.com/albums/61Beetle_album07/DSCF0209.sized.jpg

Kyle

This is my first road bike...as a gift! Can you believe it! I was a big mtb rider from the Rockies. Well, i feel blessed with this new ride. I love this bike!

... and so many of them too.