Ultimate Allez unveiled

Specialized takes aluminium to the next level

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RACING ACCOLADES OF THE PREVIOUS ALLEX SPRINT

At the 2018 US Pro Road Champs, Johnny Brown soloed to victory on an Allez Sprint, ahead of a full field of carbon bikes.

The Allez Sprint has made repeated displays at the Tour Down Under, with Peter Sagan the first to race the alloy frame there in 2019, and Sam Bennett following his lead the next year.

With the cut-and-thrust of circuit racing perhaps being the environment that the Allez Sprint is best suited to, it should come as no surprise that Colin Strickland’s domination of the Red Hook crits in 2016 came aboard one.

Specialized has reimagined and relaunched the Allez as the world’s first aluminium superbike. The name goes back 41 years and the Allez has been through various iterations, but for 2022 the US brand has completely recast the aluminium-framed platform using tech and geometry from its flagship carbon race bikes. However, despite the similarities, the Allez Sprint’s frame costs £1,500 compared to £3,750 for the SL7. By no means a ‘budget’ bike, then, but certainly an affordable race machine.

So what’s changed and how much are the builds? Let’s jump straight into the first of those questions.

PERFORMANCE GAINS

Aero updates Specialized is claiming the Allez Sprint as the “fastest alloy road bike in history” after applying lessons learned from the Tarmac SL7’s time in the wind tunnel.