Steel frame Specialized Allez Pro vs newer bike?

[nightowl]

I have an older model steel/alloy frame (aluminum fork) Specialized Allez Pro. I love this bike to ride. I've always believed "it's the carpenter, not the tools"....having said that....I'm doing ironman Wisconsin in Sept., and love triathlon. I'm wondering whether for long distance riding the steel frame is a waste of energy? It's heavy and my legs are fatigued for the run when doing triathlon. Will a lighter aluminun or carbon frame bike help me on hills?
I'm female, 42, 5'8" 130lbs. ( 56cm frame) I've been working on increasing core strength and flexibility. My 40K triathlon times on a relatively flat course average 1hr15 to 1hr20, 10K run time 45-49 mins. Would a newer bike help me or am I wasting my money?
If I buy something newer....
Dura-ace vs Shimano Ultegra? My budget is limited.
Should I invest in getting a higher quality wheel set?
Bladed spokes?
Road bike vs tri bike?
Although I do triathlon I like the long distances and spend many hours riding. I love my current bike so I figure "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". I've been getting feedback from people that I might want to consider investing in a new one.
I'm leaning toward buying a TREK 5200 or GIANT TCR.
If I buy a new bike it will be a big investment for me. My budget is about $3000 Canadian. (I think that's about $2200US)
Is my Specialized Allez Pro worth anything? I would never sell it, I love it too much. Has anyone else ridden the older model one, and what do you think? Is it a good bike? Will a new bike have the same feel and ride?
A very famous man said a very famous quote “It’s not about the bike.”
Is that true, and to what point??
I want to be "worthy of my bike"
Thanks for your help :-)


:)

[boudreaux]

Originally posted by nightowl
I have an older model steel/alloy frame (aluminum fork) Specialized Allez Pro. I love this bike to ride. I've always believed "it's the carpenter, not the tools"....having said that....I'm doing ironman Wisconsin in Sept., and love triathlon. I'm wondering whether for long distance riding the steel frame is a waste of energy? It's heavy and my legs are fatigued for the run when doing triathlon. Will a lighter aluminun or carbon frame bike help me on hills?
I'm female, 42, 5'8" 130lbs. ( 56cm frame) I've been working on increasing core strength and flexibility. My 40K triathlon times on a relatively flat course average 1hr15 to 1hr20, 10K run time 45-49 mins. Would a newer bike help me or am I wasting my money?
If I buy something newer....
Dura-ace vs Shimano Ultegra? My budget is limited.
Should I invest in getting a higher quality wheel set?
Bladed spokes?
Road bike vs tri bike?
Although I do triathlon I like the long distances and spend many hours riding. I love my current bike so I figure "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". I've been getting feedback from people that I might want to consider investing in a new one.
I'm leaning toward buying a TREK 5200 or GIANT TCR.
If I buy a new bike it will be a big investment for me. My budget is about $3000 Canadian. (I think that's about $2200US)
Is my Specialized Allez Pro worth anything? I would never sell it, I love it too much. Has anyone else ridden the older model one, and what do you think? Is it a good bike? Will a new bike have the same feel and ride?
A very famous man said a very famous quote “It’s not about the bike.”
Is that true, and to what point??
I want to be "worthy of my bike"
Thanks for your help :-)


:) If you are serious about triathlon,then a tri specific bike or one that can be modified to an acceptable level is you best bet. Your old specialized may not be broke,but it also isn't the best tool for the job either. You could throw away everythng but the frame away,and rebuild with better stuff,save some weight and make it somewhat more suitable for the purpose, and a better all around ride. Lighter weight matters especially on hills. A new bike will most certaily ride differently,but no telling if you will like it better or worse. Ultegra or even 105 level stuff is perfectly adequate for most people. Specialized made some pretty decent lugged steel bikes at one time,but even the best ones are not worth alot in todays market....Once you get to a high level of strength and fitness,then it does become about the bike. Too many that will never get to that level try to spend their way there,and will still get beat by better riders on old beaters.

[martin_j001]

nightowl,

It really depends on what you are comfortable on. I have had aluminum bikes for the past few years, but I recently upgraded to steel (yes, I said UPGRADED to steel!!!). I far prefer the ride of steel over the pound or so in weight savings and harsh ride that you get with aluminum. The difference in frame weight is marginal in most cases for anyone who isn't at the elite levels of the sport, and most of us would not know the difference between a sub-2lb frame vs. a frame slightly over 2lbs. The other things to consider would be: Do you think you need an upgrade in bikes? Mentally, if you have already decided that your current bike is slowing you down and keeping you from being as good as you can, then you may need a new bike.

The most gain from weight savings in a bike can always be found at the wheels though (rotational weight). If you are riding on a set of wheels with older hubs and rims and 14g spokes, you could certianly lose weight and gain speed by replacing them with a newer set of semi-aero wheels (Mavic, Velomax, Rolf Prima, Cane Creek, etc, etc).

DuraAce vs Ultegra: Ultegra will weigh slightly more, but there is really no technological advance or performance advance between the two (as long as you are comparing both 9 speed kits).

Hope this helps...

Jeff

(by the way, if you decide you need a new bike, I am selling a new Giant TCR frame in your size--see classifieds)

[Ted B]

Originally posted by nightowl
I'm wondering whether for long distance riding the steel frame is a waste of energy? It's heavy and my legs are fatigued for the run when doing triathlon. Will a lighter aluminun or carbon frame bike help me on hills?
I'm female, 42, 5'8" 130lbs. ( 56cm frame)I'm leaning toward buying a TREK 5200 or GIANT TCR.
If I buy a new bike it will be a big investment for me. My budget is about $3000 Canadian. (I think that's about $2200US)

The same carpenter will work more efficiently with more efficient tools. How significant this is in your case is an unknown, but judging from your commentary, your performance would almost certainly benefit to some degree with an upgrade in equipment.

Less weight and rotating mass from a lighter frame/wheelset will make a noticeable difference, especially if you are toiling in the hills. I suspect the difference is even greater to a person of 130lbs than to one of 170+lbs (me).

I don't know your inseam or other measurements, but it is possible that a 56cm frame is a bit on the large side for you. You should check fit carefully if you consider a new bike. A larger frame may not be much of an issue for touring, but may not be the best thing in a competitive event. There are websites that can calculate best frame fitting given your personal measurements.

If you consider investing in a new bike, the two choices you mentioned appear to be highly regarded. I haven't ridden the Giant, but the Trek 5200 gives a very decent ride.

As far as the value of your old bike, searching for completed Ebay auctions is always a good indicator. If you're that attached to it, you may find that it's more useful to you than what you'd get by selling it. In any case, you will likely find that whatever you could do on your present bike, you should be able to do better on a carefully chosen new one.

[Aztec]

If you dig the distance riding, and plan on doing more triathalons, then I'd say you need a bike that will comfortably allow the aero position. I doubt you can do that on your old bike (which sounds like it may be too big for a road position, and almost surely is for aero).

You have your existing bike to train on already, so you have some choices.

1) Get a dedicated aero position (tri) bike. Try the Cervelo One (about $1200) which is a compromise bike, Cervelo Dual (about $1800) with bar end shifters it's a true aero bike, or look at other brands like the Quintana Roo, etc. $2000 will easily cover it.

2) Get a Cervelo Soloist ($1800). I love mine. It doubles as a road bike and an aero bike. Try timetrial.com -- it's Cervelo's site.

3) Try to kludge your way into the aero position on your bike. You'll need to see a good fitter, and try putting on clip-on aero bars and a seatpost with no setback. Again, this is likely to be a bad fit. But if it works, then you can shell out $500 on some light wheels, another $200 on replacing the porkiest components on your bike to lighten it to reasonable weight.

[Gonzo Bob]

Originally posted by nightowl
I have an older model steel/alloy frame (aluminum fork) Specialized Allez Pro. I love this bike to ride. I've always believed "it's the carpenter, not the tools"....having said that....I'm doing ironman Wisconsin in Sept., and love triathlon. I'm wondering whether for long distance riding the steel frame is a waste of energy? It's heavy and my legs are fatigued for the run when doing triathlon. Will a lighter aluminun or carbon frame bike help me on hills?

Ummm, everybody's legs are fatigued for the run :) A lighter bike won't change that. A lighter bike will help a little on the hills, but not much. If you get a bike that is 3lbs lighter, you'll finish a 2 minute climb about 2 seconds faster.

Are you riding "steep" on the Allez Pro? Many triathletes run better off a steep position bike (~78 degrees for the seat tube angle). A road bike adjusted to steep seat angle has many compromises so if you want to ride steep, you're probably better off going with a triathlon specific bike rather than a general purpose road bike.

Also, the Ironman Wisconsin course has some steep hills (they're short, though). So to avoid power spikes or a bogging cadence that will drain your legs, you will need some pretty low gearing. A friend of mine used a 39/27 low gear (700C wheels) and he rode 5:14 (19th fastest bike split) and he used that low gear.