SPECIALIZED ALLEZ E5 ELITE
The Allez E5 Elite lives up to its top billing
Specialized’s 2019 Allez E5 Elite was one of our favourites last year – and it tops the podium in 2020 – and not just because the two-time winning Rose has sold out.
The more time I spent riding Specialized’s Allez E5 Elite, the more I wanted to ride it – it was the bike I went back to again and again. If I was parting with £1000 (okay, I stretched the budget here by £50) this would be where I’d park my cash. As I did with two earlier winners…
This Allez has clawed its way to the top in spite of being largely unchanged. When I compared the specification of last year’s bike with the 2020, I initially thought they were identical apart from the less shouty colours. Donning my glasses, I found three tiny tech differences.
The changes are that the stem angle now clocks in at seven degrees, rather than six, the rear wheel’s spoke count has been reduced to 20 and the saddle is a Specialized ‘Bridge’ rather than a Toupé…
So, why is Specialized treading water? The term, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ comes to mind. Specialized’s 2019 Allez was an accomplished road bike that had slightly toned down its earlier models’ more aggressive edge, so why throw the baby out with the bath water?
The frameset is unchanged, then again it had a major makeover for 2018 when it shed half a kilo and dropped its seatstays for a more modern look. Specialized also reworked the geometry using its Retül bikefitting database. The result was a slightly taller head tube and geometry closer to Giant’s Defy and Boardman’s SLR. The changes weren’t extreme and the head tube was only a centimetre taller, the wheelbase 6mm longer – on a 56cm model – and the chainstays 8mm longer.
Each of the changes is modest but they add up to a riding position leaning towards leisure riding rather than racing – which, frankly, is the cycling that most of us do. It’s slightly more stable, less twitchy at the front and pitch-perfect for tapping out mile after mile regardless of the road conditions.
Its all-rounder nature is also reflected in the Allez’s fittings: rear rack mounts so you can commute without backpack and mudguard fittings to keep your backside dry and throw less muck over your buddies.
Shimano 105 is the go-to groupset at £1000. Online companies can offer full 105 while the Allez has non-105 chainset and brakes. The Axis 1.0 brakes are decent enough, although they lack the all-out stopping power of the 105 equivalents, but I’m a fan of the Praxis Alba chainset for its industrial aesthetics and shifting performance. Can you feel any difference compared with 105? I couldn’t, and shifting even under loads was faultless.
Specialized has teamed up with DT Swiss for the wheels. The DT460 rims work well with the 25mm Specialized Espoir Sport tyres, which in my experience offer a good balance of grip, suppleness, comfort and durability – the latter was helped somewhat by BlackBelt X2 puncture protection. They are tubeless-ready, with DT Swiss making tubeless tape and a 32mm valve, although you would need to buy new tyres.
This Specialized is not the lightest here but putting in the miles on it proves one thing: that figures are only part of the story. The Elite is 500g heavier than the Canyon, although frankly that means nothing at all in performance terms, and it doesn’t have quite the best kit.
What Specialized’s Allez E5 Elite does have is a ‘Goldilocks’ quality – it’s just right in virtually every area. It’s smooth, fast enough, it has well-chosen gearing and good wheels. You want more? Well, it’s also comfortable, dismissive of dismal road surfaces, it’s ready for commuting, great for long days out and with 10 bikes from which to choose – including four carbon ones – this was the one I returned to.
“The Allez E5 has a ‘Goldilocks’ quality: it’s just right in virtually every area”