Old Road Bikes Were Scary! 1988 Specialized Allez Epic Retro Special

On the launch of the brand new Specialized Allez Sprint here's a look back at the Allez Epic from 1988 when it was a cutting-edge carbon tubed and alloy lugged frame, well before the model became the alloy road bike we're all familiar with today
Allez Sprint review • 2022 Specialized Allez...
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[@SimonGoesSideways]

I think that looks miles better than the current models !

[@steveroufas1938]

miles and miles, oceans between the two when aesthetically compared, actually. i hate new bikes they look awful, the fat tires are ghastly, the colour-combos are boring (there barely is colour-combinations!!! almost all are matte black from front to back, top to bottom), disc brakes for what?..... better braking in the rain.... yeah, like who the f rides their bike in the rain anyway to begin with??!! and when you do, it's cuz you got stuck, and you're getting the f home (to get out of the rain) and you're definitely riding slower to accommodate. disc brakes on a racing bike, sheesh, how stupid, they make the bike look like a clown. even though i still use downtime shifters (i'm 48 yrs old) i'd say the ONLY true advancement that has bettered road/racing bikes since the 80's is the shifters being relocated underneath the brake levers

[@royanderson3478]

Allez sprint, Bianchi green 💚. Shame they don't put a cheaper Roval carbon set. I would say 105 12 speed Di2 and cheaper Roval 6-8 k

[@LVQ-so5th]

I raced in 80s and, yes, the bikes had high gears. But after a week or 2 you would get used to them, and your muscles would grow accordingly. Tubular tires (also called sew-ups) were easy to change, but difficult to repair if you had a flat. I'll always love these old bikes....their craftsmanship, simplicity, and beauty stand compared to today's bikes.

[@mervincortes2139]

Am I mad/crazy for loving vintage road bikes more than the modern ones?😂

[@p49N]

I still enjoy riding my 93 Epuc Pro Tour bike with Dura Ace, more than my modern Di2 Tarmac . Could comfortably do weekly 8 hour training rides on the Allez Epic Pro. And ya, Sagan is back on 53/39. (10-30)

[@1a2b3c4.]

You know what a real bike is. I had my first bike in early 70s and you had to build the muscular strength to call yourself a cyclist unlike these mosquitoes from GCN, they think body and bike weight makes Champions.... I guess it explains why they are KZbin sensations in their own minds.

[@jonathanwickett7028]

​@@mervincortes2139 certainly not. I ve granted never owned or even rode a high end bike. Though I ve had lotus cyclone, centurion, old trek road bike, old Raleigh road bike, Fuji ace road bike, as well as a recently obtained Kabuki submariner ss and aluminum lugs.

[@PaulLangmead]

I'm always surprised at how incredulous people are that road bikes didn't always have mountain bike ratios on them. Is every one soft now or is it just a vocal minority?

[@Thetoad738]

I remember a rich kid in my neighborhood for his 16th birthday got one of those. I remember thinking why would anyone spend so much on an American bicycle, only Italian or French bikes were allowed for serious cyclists hahaha, and why would they ride anything but steel? We were silly kids. Crazy how things have changed. David those bikes weren't scary for us, it's all we knew. As far as the gears, if 16-year-old high school kids could push them, I'm sure you could too now.

[@dyzoly]

How far has the technology evolved! Bigger cogs, smaller chainrings, fatter tires! They couldn't have possibly made them in these sizes back then! Amazing tech!

[@ericharman4064]

I loved the elegant look of the chainrings from that time period. My 1980 Trek, my 1985 Rossin and my 2000 Allez all had beautiful 600/Ultegra. So much nicer looking than the Shimano chainrings of today.

[@ckmaui]

Still have my raspberry blend color Rossin from that era :)

[@invisableobserver]

I love my 88 Specialized Allez Sprint, I did carbon fiber & titanium upgrades to lighten it; it's so comfortable & fast. It always gets compliments from other cyclists. Unfortunately I became disabled and it just sits in the bedroom still like a brand new race bike.

[@repo4]

What a load of drivell.. I spent my best teenage years on pretty much identical bike (minus the premium materials and components). It was a steel frame, 39/53 at front, 13-23 at the back, shimano Exage 300 everything, 19mm wide Vittoria tyres. I remember a lot from those days, one thing I defo don't remember is being scared..

[@winstoncat6785]

It was just "normal" wasn't it? I often topped 50 mph on descents on typical British roads (20% gradients). Never thought much of it.

[@richcrompton6891]

I did used to ride with gearing like that, 5 speed cassette and a steel frame. Hills were a challenge back then! I was bloody fit though!

[@davyhaynes6716]

I had two of those bikes; the second being the warranty replacement for the first. The problem was the aluminum lugs, coupled with the carbon tubes makes the bike frame into a battery. Thus, galvanic corrosion slowly and silently degrades the joints until the tubes pulled out of the lugs.

[@markowsley4954]

I had the exact same problem. Frame was replaced after the chainstay came out of the bottom bracket lug.

[@badger0888]

30 years from now: "Look at these tubless hookless tires. Must have been so dangerous with the risk of a blow out any time.. and how did they live with these noisy disc brakes! Bikes have a come a long way since the 2022" Yes. My '86 Battagglin had the 600 Ultegra and I rode the straight block 12-23 with 18c tires. Felt amazing compared to a department store 27" raleigh

[@n22pdf]

What a great looking bike.. love the carbon tubes into the metal junctions looked awesome :)

[@chrisholmes644]

i have this bike and its for sale !

[@stevelouie5928]

These are not as expensive as you might think. I just looked online and see 2 pretty good ones on sale for $300 usd in california, Is it worth picking up?

[@pedal4donuts]

I can’t comment on the ride quality of this version of Allez, but I still ride a 1992 Allez Comp that’s been updated with modern group. Definitely worth the price if you can get it for less than $500.

[@SteveFukuzawa-u2t]

My 1st bike schwinn varsity. Then used Gios Torino(got stolen), then spec carbon allez (ultegra), great bike! Got speeding ticket, 72 mph downhill on freeway!😊

[@Rumnhammer]

I have the 1993 Epic that I still have and ride to this day. Mine is essentially that same frame, but mine is the first gen 105 STI groupo, Also my epic is fully painted Ruby metalic red, and was the first Ruby Epic on the east coast of the U.S. I love the bike and will likely never get rid of it. I also have set of Spinergy wheels from 1994 that I throw on for the total 90s retro bike experience.

[@mariostocco4289]

I owned this frame; sold it in 1998. I had dura-ace 8 speed on it; my first bike with STI levers. Thanks for the nostalgia.

[@winstoncat6785]

I climbed quite a few alpine passes on "late-80's gearing". The thing was, the notion of an "emergency gear". Never ever change onto the bottom sprocket, unless you are about to drop off the bike. That bottom sprocket had 25 teeth iirc. The next one up was a 23. I may have been a softie with a 40 tooth inner chain ring. Or maybe not. It could equally have still been a 42. The bike was a Reynolds 653 Ribble, with a mix of Campagnolo and Ultegra.

[@rolffuchs2737]

My first road bike was a Enik (German brand) with 52-42 and I guess it would be 12-23. Today that gearing would be unthinkable, but I managed to ride on a really hilly course with an average speed of over 30km/h. But I really prefer my Canondale Super Six Hi Mod with 50-34 today. But back in the days 39-23 was for Alpine rides.

[@chriswright9096]

I was lucky. I had 52/40 chainrings. Yeah, 23 was largest on the back though. It forced you to attack hills. There was no such thing as a leisurely ride.

[@Handletaken4]

You didn't need a helmet in 1988 because the bikes were properly fit with the rider's ear over the steering axis.

[@PeterGreaves-c6x]

Really interesting, agree with the comments about gearing, however we used to race up a I in 4 hill in Wales on a 42 * 20, I can't remember anyone walking! Think I was a young fit lad of 18 back in 1974! Thank you for a very informative article

[@grahamhubbard6614]

Gearing would have been tough but I suspect it was more comfortable than the 20mm tubs would indicate. With box section rims and quality spoke a good wheelbuilder can engineer in alot of comfort into the wheelset, something not possible with today's rim depths.

[@achn2b]

My first road bike was a steel Specialized Sirrus from that time period. Rode amazingly, smooth and fast. But yeah, that gearing. Mine had the same, and I can't believe today that i rode my first hill climb event on that, 21 miles with the last five at roughly 7-9%, with that 42/23 gearing. I cramped up big time about a mile from the top.

[@josemanuelriveroandreusala9273]

I´ve got one sitting in my garage.........good bike........

[@bradsasher7196]

the epic allez carbon was not steel lugs they were bonded carbon into aluminum lugs.

[@chriswright9096]

Sorry, what exactly was "scary" about old road bikes?

[@xwind1970]

In '89 I put 19mm !! tires on my Colnago. No joke. 😂 They were as narrow as the rim.

[@davidcook7008]

as a teenager in the 80's I grew up riding those gear ratios and skinny wheels, I had a custom Steve Bauer. We did not know the difference with the gear ratios, so it was still a great pleasure riding. In fact, in some ways easier that it is now, when you have so many choices and get confused with figuring out if you want a sprint or a climbing or a comfort bike. I miss my Steve Bauer bike, biggest regret ever was selling it.

[@Thetoad738]

Those Steve Bauer bikes were great!

[@davidcook7008]

@@Thetoad738 absolutely loved mine. I met Steve Bauer at an athletic banquet after the 84 Olympics, we got to talking, someone had just stolen my Raleigh Royal and he said he would have a bike made for me. Road that bike for over 30 years. As I said, worst mistake ever selling it. It was still in mint condition even with probably over 100,000km on it.

[@jonathanellis1842]

I am 50 this year and I also can not believe that I rode those ratios as a teenager, It was a steal Raleigh with 5 at the back and a 52 43 up front, down tube shifters and a quill stem ohh I wish I had kept that bike. I still ride the same roads and hills as I did back then but now really need that dinner plate at the back!!

[@robdc4829]

@@davidcook7008 Watching Steve Bauer at the 84 Olympics got me into cycling. Wish I could thank Steve for that - my riding has been a godsend for my physical and mental health. Bought a Columbus frame, full campy group to ride. Still have it. It's art. Ride it occasionally. It's very twitchy relative to my modern gravel bike.

[@Handicripple]

I've got a Steve Bauer in my shed it needs tires and cosmetics. I've also got a vintageSpecialized Crossroads with roadbars and boxers in beautiful condition.

[@asqueezerandhisbike]

My first race bike was a Repco Olympic 12 in 1989 for $625. As a 12-13 year old it was a real weapon..

[@Aderin.]

I just turned 14 and I'm looking for An 80s road bike, I'm getting into bikes and those bikes are beautiful for the price. Also my mtb is not suitable for the road

[@Drifter-lu4zs]

I got this bike at a thrift store for 80 bucks such a fantastic bike I love it so much!

[@LSnium]

Got mine from a trash collector for 100 bucks

[@user-tv1se9dh1p]

Old school frames with carbon tubes and alloy lugs pop up on eBay from time to time. Looked at buying one once but the horror stories of them coming apart put me off! Great video.

[@Aderin.]

I'm a kid who's 13 and I'm looking for an 80s road bike, my mtb isn't good for the road and I'm aware at how sketchy things from the 80s were

[@mstrshkbrnnn1999]

@@Aderin.most bikes from that era are great. It’s specifically the carbon aluminum bond along w age that is a possible problem

[@1958grasshopper]

Wow! Thanks so much for posting this! I still have mine, with Shimano 105. Red lettering with green accent colour. It just sits in my basement. It did a short stint on a turbo trainer. Moving from a steel bike, the thing I noticed first was how smooth and comfy the ride was. My steel bike had friction shifters, so moving to SIS was so nice. Yeah, that rear cassette was a killer even on short hills. Picking it up I can’t get over how heavy it is, especially now compared to my Current Aethos Pro.

[@nocturnalcadence1676]

I still have mine too! The red/black fade with yellow lettering. I took the 105 off and put it on an older steel bike. Now the Epic has 11 speed microshift. I may do a video on it.

[@richparr79]

I just saw one of these for sale at my Local Bike Shop for $500. The lugs and the carbon are so distinctive.

[@petertuckergoettler5720]

I Had One, merci.

[@RadlerMannheim]

What a beauty...!

[@daryljackson3430]

The roads in England are in a state, so any bike would find it difficult on these roads. I miss my old Raleigh racing bike .

[@mickchaganis6607]

This video reminds me to look out for a Raleigh Dyna Tech, I want to de bond the tubes and re build it with carbon tubes to make that style of bike. I love my resto mods, I have a very rare Carless steel bike specially build for 80s time trial legend Alan Roberts, ( Dave Hind also used to ride them, I believe they were team mates ) fitted with 2 X 10 speed Dura Ace 7800, it's an absolute beauty with chrome lugs, chrome seat and chain stays. I managed to pick up another Carless frame which I'm also building up with the same group set. I have to say my steel bikes are my go to bikes, they are just so beautiful, my modern Eddy Merckx San Remo......well it does a job and it looks cool but I don't drool over it. Weights Carless 10.5kg.....500g of that is in the Sel Italia leather saddle Merckx San Remo 7.95kg Me 95kg 🤪 so 2.1kg makes bugger all difference .

[@pjw1016]

Wish I would have kept my ‘83 Fuji Team, wonderful riding bike.

[@lovesummer6519]

nice bike. just like Look KG 96 and TVT 92. skinny bike is better than new generation fat bike. 80`s and 90`s Tour de France bikes are so awesome.

[@hondaxl250k0]

Neat bike.. although it’s way lighter than my daily cruiser . Full dress 1947 roadmaster.. lights horn tank fenders bags. I put a few miles a day on it after work.

[@allTimeFavorite]

Will an 8/9/10 speed hub fit between the dropouts? What are the widest tires that will fit?

[@LSnium]

I had one I sold for 200 few months ago (they’re everywhere near me for like 150 and up, 400 was the most and no one wants to buy it, been sitting for years), I weigh 108lbs and this bike was actually scary, the frame and the forks were just not strong they didnt feel strong, at a high speed around 28-30 MPH you would experience a nasty scary wobble throughout the bike, especially when you turned or braked at those speeds even braking at lower speeds would wobble the bike, it would feel like the bike would snap and you would die, yes I had different new rims and tires not as thin as the stock ones, but that bike was scary, beautiful bike for sure, but now I own a 70s Peugeot UO8 steel roadbike.

[@Mutombo71]

My first bike was a KTM Strada but it got stolen. I still ride my father's bike at events like eroica. It is a Bottecchia around 1988 anniversary Modell.

[@julmeissonnier]

Nothing scary about them at all. I did my best competitive seasons on a Vitus Plus Carbone 3 from 1985... I am sure you would find that a bike like that rides fantastic. Those small tubulars are not so uncomfortable with a less stiff frame and aluminum box rims. And if you are trained properly with this kind of gearing you just develop a different kind of muscle mass and you learn to climb with it (as a lighter climbing type I use to stand on the pedals about 50% of climbing time). Modern riders just do not train for than anymore so they are all watts at high rpm and no torque... And if you were less in shape, older, touring you used to use a triple chainring...

[@paulkruglov7280]

I've got a Vitus 979 lugged road bike with Shimano Biopace that I still ride weekly! Yea modern bikes are nice, but you can easily ride older bikes no problem. I'm surprised the Specialized featured in the vid was made in Taiwan?!

[@Shopsmith10er]

@@fleetfootedtexan All French. On 31 July 1978 Paule Defour (CLB) and Antoine Dumas (Bador) were awarded a French patent for a new method of dry heat activated epoxy bonding alloy tubing to slip-fit cast alloy lugs, drop-outs, bottom bracket and brake bridge made by CLB. Bador also patented a jig-based production process. Bador assembled the frames from the outside supplied component parts and sold them as Vitus branded framesets or to the French cycle companies (and many foreign ones), cycle distributors and large retail outlets which “branded” them under their own names and fitted out by them as complete machines. The 979 paved the way for bonded Vitus frames incorporating carbon fibre, first in the main triangle (Vitus Plus Carbone in autumn 1983), then all nine tubes (Vitus Plus+9 in 1986) which the same cast alloy components of the 979.

[@jayblankenbiller5385]

Oh the horror! Imagine being a 65 yo ex-racer and still riding my heavy steel classics with guys 30 + years younger. Get some lube on that neglected chain and ride it till the carbon/ lugs bonding let's loose. You'll love it

[@crusherbmx]

My newest road bike is a late 80's Giant Cadex 980c to this. I ride it as my main bike

[@withapulse2000]

I have one of these which was bought off a Canadian competitor of the 1990 NZ commonwealth games. Never used it and has hung in my garage ever since gathering dust. It is time to sell. Can someone tell me what it is worth? Everything is as it was back then. Thanking in advance.

[@DB_outdoor]

Do you think it’s possible to mount the 28mm wide tyres?

[@DalstonVinyl]

Aluminum lugs, obviously, bonded to the carbon tubes...and that's why the owner didn't want it ribbon, not some imaginary high value of the bike.

[@MrAnon-2024]

Beautiful.

[@1a2b3c4.]

What's scary is the new generation of cyclists not respecting the history of cycling.

[@Penri1215]

Hi, I really enjoy your films and there content. Just wondering have you thought about doing a feature on the best brake pads for a gravel bike. Not quite as glamour's as cool set of rims or tyres, but very important . So lets dive in! What the different compounds are. What compounds suit your style of riding and conditions. Is it worth paying for genuine brake pads, as they are three time the price of non Gen pads. and what came out best in your test. Regards, Tim

[@jason-simonbuttigieg246]

Those old bike weren't meant for comfort but competition. Been there done that.

[@pasindumalmith5811]

I have one of these bike , but handle height and gearing is different 😌

[@geraldarcuri9307]

Old bikes are scary? Nah! Like anything else, depends on the bike. I once bought a new Greg LeMond "Coors Light" team style frame and fork. I built it with Campagnolo Chorus components. It was a BEAUTIFUL bike to behold! Then I rode it. It was AWFUL! I mean, really terrible. Not so my Cinelli Supercorsa. Amazing, wonderful bike! Same components as the LeMond. Utterly different riding experience.

[@JrodsJourneys]

You’re talking like there aren’t numerous people who still ride these bikes today, I log roughly 150 miles on my 1984 Fuji del Rey road bike weekly as its All I have

[@uncleronny6748]

You mean it went from 'glued and screwd' to metal matrix construction by the mid 90s. Or

[@Bruceillest101]

That bike is worth a lot of money???? Dude, I see those bike on sale all the time in the personal ads. They usually sell for 200-350 usd. I’m not even joking

[@LSnium]

Yeah I sold mine all original for 200, no one wanted to offer me more than 150 for it, that bike was nice it was just scary because it would wobble at high speeds and turns.

[@petergiourelas3753]

Steel bikes last forever and cheap to maintain, we have gone backwards, not everyone needs a carbon racing bike

[@gunnarkoss9262]

The difference is: this one from 1988 is a serious Roadbike (on Level of a colnago-master), todays Allez-Sprint rather is a toy.

[@tortellinitentacles69years99]

Looks better than any modern bike

[@nlfiets]

11-23 cassette? I think 13-23. That kind of gearing is great in the Netherlands. ;-)

[@preijer]

I had one with 13-19 on it. And yes, i am dutch 😉 Very good comfort on bad road surfaces, especially with 23 millimeter Pariba tyres and mavic ma40 rims 👍 Races criteriums on it.

[@nlfiets]

@@preijer I used a 12-18 freewheel, not cassette, from Campa. Those cassettes are almost gone. The 12-25 11-speed is probably the last of its kind.

[@edmundhodgson2572]

weird this cutting edge race bike has a pump peg. It had better be a good pump for 130psi in those tyres!

[@matthewsmith6486]

Those bikes were awesome! If you raced back then you changed the gears to match the course. Same with the tires. I'd rather have that bike than one of the new ones any day. But I'm old and mean and don't like new sh!t.

[@augustinekentli8772]

I have a Benotto 850 Paris Roubaix chromoly steel that use Shimano 600.

[@luukrutten1295]

Well it has an aero derailleur cage, how many watts would that have saved...😆

[@michaelbonade4667]

The fork is stunning...looks like a Sakae...but maybe not one...I have three Cannondale 3.0 frames that all have aluminum Sakae and they’re just as beautiful...two painted...one polished just like on this beautiful bike....not a classic I would seek out ..too experimental....along the line of the Vitus lugged aluminum frames...also lookers

[@rodneynoriel1528]

I don’t see what’s so “scary”. And I wouldn’t say that modern gearing is a “technological advancement”. You could very well have made those changes back then by using Deore components. God save us if you have to suffer from down tube shifters. When I first bought my bike back then, I changed the chainrings to a 53/39…. And my goal was to get strong enough to ride what was close to a straight block in the back. I believe my cassette back then ended up at a 13-21….. we didn’t fear 700-20. Or even 700-18.

[@ericpmoss]

I don't see the 'scary' part. Properly looked after, a 1990 Paramount (for example) is still brilliantly fun. And while narrow tires were always dumb (thanks, marketing!), those 20mm tubs are MUCH nicer than 20mm clinchers, and there's no reason you couldn't put 23-25mm tubs on those same rims.

[@mr.rodriguez3512]

Cyclists from 90s and before, we're stronger and accomplished more than modern cyclits with their "super-aero bikes"....for example: Eddy Merckx and Stephen Roche are the only ones to have a Triple Crown Victory using steel bikes with high gearings.

[@simonwoodthrillerwriter]

Out of interest, how much is that bike worth that they wouldn't let you ride it? 🙂

[@LSnium]

When I got mine it was 100 USD, sold it for 200 few months ago.

[@romemancer7905]

Road bike riders of old were tough as nails...could win a race on any heavy clunker...they were built like tree trunks...legs like tree stumps...modern riders are a pack of whiners who only talk about saving grams !!! No they were not scary they were all we had and they didnt snap in half hitting a gutter !!! Long live old bikes...

[@daveguettler4509]

Jeez, you probably coulda found one to actually ride and compare to today's bikes...

[@LSnium]

This bike aint even worth anything I sold mine for 200 and they go for like 150 and up around me, the most expensive was like 400 and its been sitting for years.

[@forgetyourlife]

Steel lugs? 😅 ah no

[@robpink709]

pretty much every one we sold, from Bike Tech Bristol back in late 80s, failed where the carbon frame tubes came un bonded from the alloy lugs......

[@marcostevens4086]

ally lugs

[@Mr71paul71]

But the real question is, what is the average time for club riders in 10s and 25s ? I'll put money on them being pretty much the same!!!! 80s and 90s bikes totally outperform modern bikes !!! Why can i say that? Well i was doing 18min 10s and sub hour 25s on 531 steel and 28 spoke wheels. So how many 18min 10s are ridden today on the so called modern bikes, not many i think or the 150+ mile Saturday training rides

[@davidarthur]

You haven’t been to a time trial recently then?

[@chrisholmes644]

I Have this very same bike and its For Sale! message me for information The bike is to big for me.

[@davidcanatella4279]

New bikes suck, in every way. If i can't get an old bike I'll make it myself

[@TheEudaemonicPlague]

It must be nice to be wealthy enough to afford something like that. However, most people never could afford anything remotely as expensive. When you whine about the gear ratios, it makes me laugh. Are your legs so feeble? Because I rode ten and twelve speed bikes a lot as a teenager, when I joined the navy in the mid-80s, I found that I could set the Lifecycles in the exercise room to their max settings and take off. I'm betting you're too weak for that, right? If I'm wrong about that, then you crying about the gearing is ridiculous...come to think of it, it's still ridiculous. I'll further point out that most people's bikes forty-fifity years ago were almost all steel frame, so you have to add that to the gearing, if you really want to think about how much work it takes. Why do narrow tires frighten you, little boy? They're for road racing, and reduce the contact with the ground very nicely. Good for flying down the road, you know. Yeah, the roads these days are often in shit shape, so skinny tires on aluminum rims can lead to bent rims, but on a decent road, wonderfully smooth.

[@luukrutten1295]

Actually 52-42 11-23 is still the best gearing in the flat parts of the Netherlands. I still change out my inner rings to a 39 or 40, and back to a 36 if I go climbing abroad. Shimano is again offering 54-42 to pros. Regardless of what marketing says this gearing has its place. It actually gives you a good set of close gears in a headwind on the 42. Any hills or bridge ramps are short anyways. These tubs seem a little old to ride on, but if you have a nice set of fresh supple tubs on those box section rims the ride isnt nearly as bad as you imagine it to be. The box section rims are balanced and more forgiving, giving some stability. Yes modern bikes are better, but you can still use this old stuff if you want to. It wont be as fast, but its still enjoyable.

[@uranusjr]

Yeah it has its place, and evident from the fact Shimano still produces 11-25T on Sora for example to this day. I feel the best improvement in the last 30 (probably way longer but I can’t speak for those olden days) is not good things are now better, but way more diverse needs are now satisfied.

[@zopEnglandzip]

​@@uranusjr call it 20 years and id agree but there was a world of difference between bikes at either end of the 90's The oktalink era exceeded all expectations and every amazing leap forwards promised since has been a bit of a let down. Now please excuse me while I find a quiet room and an ultegra 6500 group set.

[@endcensorship874]

My first racing bike was Miyata 512 with first gen 105. I traded up the frame to a Colnago the next year I was hit by a car and in the insurance settlement got the Allez epic with first gen Dura-Ace STI and I rode that bike from 1990-2006.

[@aaronmoore3050]

What's the story on Allez Specialized in cr moly? It looks pretty with such skinny tubes, was it 3rd tier, carbon fiber, then aluminum, then steel?

[@endcensorship874]

@@aaronmoore3050 The Allez was actually carbon tubed, joined to aluminum lugs.

[@supertool1987]

My gearing was 53/42 front with 12/18 cassette. Some sprinters used 11/17. Had a 13/21 for hilly courses!

[@chriswright9096]

Actually, I recently renovated my old mid-80s Peugeot. I tried to put a 25 tooth cog on the back and the Sachs-Huret derailleur wasn't having it!

[@supertool1987]

Hi Dave - the Specialized Allez Epic was our team bike back in the late 1980s. Mine had Campy Chorus components with Mavic GP4/Record hubs and tubular tires pumped to 145psi! Super light for it’s day and very comfortable on long rides. Frame had issues with bonds failing and galvanic corrosion. I still have mine but would be afraid to take it out in the road. Had a team mate abort a sprint to find two joints at the bottom bracket had failed! I was a 145lbs climber, so no similar issues for me.

[@stevenp.sparks2953]

^^ What he said.....

[@chriswright9096]

Agreed. Several bike companies tried using straight carbon tubes bonded into some kind of lug arrangement (it wasn't just Specialized). You often hear bad things about these bikes (specifically their longevity or lack thereof). I still see them pop up on Facebook marketplace from time to time. Best avoided imo.

[@MNMitchell-h5s]

you had to use GP4's to race with? We were lucky enough to use GEL280's or Campy rims. I can't imagine racing on training rims.

[@Johnny-sv2wk]

Can tell you my 1990 version was my go to bike for about 25 years....love that bike...still have it and take it out occasionally...racing those extreme light weight tubulars was amazing...SIS shifting...frame pump pegs...the frame lugs bring that Italian flair to the frame...what an amazing bike...so glad I still have it

[@jerryavalos9610]

Back in the day that bicycle was the state of the art. As a senior cyclist, I remember going up mountains in such high gearing when I was a young man doing road races and criteriums, but then I was much stronger then. When the 39t chainring came out, we thought only pussies had such gearing, but that was the mindset then, you weren't a man unless you suffered. LOL

[@Rippin76]

I have always loved this Allez Epic frameset. Such a classy looking bike, even with the signature 80's paint swash graphics 😄. Specialized should re-issue this frameset!

[@LSnium]

Scary frame and forks, at high speeds and especially turns, the whole thing would wobble, didnt feel structurally strong, I had one.

[@pedal4donuts]

They did a reissue for the steel allez but it had a sloping top tube and threadless fork a few years back. Specialized really missed on that opportunity to really honor the Allez with a classic square frame.

[@johnmcgovern5372]

I've just been given a 1994 Allez with full Campagnolo groupset. It looked to be in a right state but has just needed a good clean, new cables, brake pads and saddle. Now, a week later, it's running like new for a grand total cost of about £20....

[@jamesmcgowan9781]

"Scary"? what about "Awesome" instead. You should try the bike for a few days not just speculate. These bikes feel wonderful and so do the old school 11-23 / 53/39 gearings. And the tubulars are amazingly nice to ride on.

[@shroomcookergaming4843]

Im riding that frame and im not changing it for new one. That frame is amazing its soooooo durable. I even modified with carbon fork.

[@mokkediting]

I am still riding mine and about to redo the groupset again, but a carbon fork upgrade sounds like a winner. Which one did you go with?

[@dunsbroccoli2588]

New bikes are so ugly

[@madrabbit64]

I rode 19-20 mm tubular tires back in the day and loved them. Fast and nimble and never gave me the issues these new tires do. I’m sticking with my 23mm tires on my Felt F2 these days (that’s the only size that will fit) and rarely have if any issues arise from their use. It’s fast and reliable and no pinch flats or rim damage due to the lower psi required on the 28mm tires they use these days.

[@MauriceSalvo]

Vintage bikes rule !_!

[@jerrydixon9865]

This frame had aluminum lugs. I had the red frame which Specialized had painted lugs to match the frame but I stripped the lugs and polished them myself.

[@forgetyourlife]

Yep, I lol’ed when he said they were steel. 😂

[@jasonlassen7599]

I rode the later version just called Epic in the 90s. It had the same construction. I raced steel before and really didn't like the Epic. I found it to be Woody and dead and eventually went back to steel. Thats a pretty cool show piece tp hang from the wall though.

[@nocturnalcadence1676]

These framesets are still going for a decent amount on ebay and the like. Hold on to yours if you have one. Thanks for the video!

[@0dcd9530]

Hi David, I am still riding this very same frame with same shimano 105 single pivot brake calipers (albeit with a slightly youger Campagnolo Chorus 9 ergopower transmission) when I visit my parents (being an expat, it stays there as a holiday's bike). To be honest I don't know what is scary about them. I was still winning races with it in the early 2000's. I ride it maybe 3-4 times every 6 to 10 months. Granted it usually feels a bit different from my more modern road bike road bike I have at home, mostly because of the handlebar shape and width, the narrower 23mm tires and a little bit because of gearing and crankset stiffness. But after 5-10 minutes of riding you just get used to it and you forget about the differences really. I've been doing group rides alongside people with modern high end road bikes and I haven't really felt limited by the bike. I just keep in mind that my brakes aren't as efficient (but much more quiet!) as the modern hydro disc brakes most people are using these days.

[@jasondunlap9823]

Was a time i rode as narrow as 700x19. It was what we knew back then. I still have a 87 Bianchi with old school Super Record with 700x 23. It’s just different now. I mostly ride dirt now with 650b x 55, much better now for this middle aged cyclist 🚴‍♀️🤙😀

[@belizon]

That's a 12-23 freewheel. Can't remember any 11t sprockets then, Mr Arthur.

[@allenmclark4664]

Currently riding a 1989 here in SoCal. All original

[@j.mcq.8418]

Not allowed to ride it? pffft!!!

[@hansurakarta6635]

agreed - this guy is a dork for not riding it

[@bstadventures5458]

These bikes are so smooth it is like riding on a cloud. I quit riding mine seriously around 1999, but take it out occasionally. Still love it!