Allied Able
Elevated chainstay, high-performance ride
Elevated chainstay, high-performance ride
With the Allied Able’s raised chainstay, the frame is highly recognizable. Until recently, you’d have a hard time spotting one outside of the U.S. But, the made-inArkansas bikes made their way to Canada this past summer. Mariposa Bicycles in Toronto became the Canadian distributors for the coveted high-performance machines.
Carbon-fibre frames made in North America do come with a higher price tag. I tested an Able with grx 815 Di2, one of a range of Allied builds, which comes in at a little less than $10,000. It’s painted a clean blue, one of two stock colours (the other is grey). The bikes can also be custom painted in a number of other shades for an additional cost. All models of the Able feature 1-by drivetrains, which allow for the design of the most intriguing part of the bikes: the eye-catching elevated chainstay.
Allied wanted to build compact, 420-mm-long chainstays on the Able. The designers could have widened the bottom bracket to allow for wider tires, but that would have changed the Q-factor. Instead, they moved the chainstay up and out of the way so that they could keep it short in length and in a position that would accommodate wide tires. At the rear, the Able has a maximum clearance of 43 mm for 700c wheels and 47 mm on 650b wheels. You can push the width a few millimetres wider in the front.
The model I rode was spec’d with 42-mm Rene Herse Hurricane tires on 700c Shimano grx wheels.the tires were really well-suited for the bike; they don’t feel too weighty on smoother roads, but they provide tons of traction on a multitude of surfaces.
On gravel, singletrack and even pavement, this bike handled beautifully. I took it out on a truly mixed-surface long ride and didn’t encounter any segments I felt it couldn’t handle. The Able feels responsive and stiff; it really seems to listen to you when you’re working through a technical segment.
At 8.26 kg for the medium-size bike, the Able corners cleanly and accelerates quickly and aggressively. The carbon frame paired with Di2 electronic shifting and a Shimano grx 11-42 tooth cassette were amazing for blasting up steep climbs.
I can see why this bike would be great for a race like Dirty Kanza. In 2019, both the men’s and women’s Kanza winners, Colin Strickland and Amity Rockwell, rode the ( then-little-known) Allied Able to victory.
The Able is definitely a bike for going fast. It felt the best at speed. I found the stiffness doesn’t lend itself very well to super slow riding. The Able isn’t the type of gravel bike that doubles as a comfy commuter, but that’s not what it was built for.
This bike has a distinct look. Although its esthetic can be polarizing for some, there’s no arguing that the high-end carbon-fibre Allied Able is a speedy and thoroughly enjoyable bike to ride.