My Craigslist find... a Specialized Allez.

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mrsilv04

mrsilv04

Joined
Dec 8, 2006
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Illinois
After just about giving up and going to the bike shop and having to pay nearly retail for a new road bike
mad.gif
, Craigslist finally came to the rescue today.

Here's my latest CL find. It is a Specialized Allez Elite. 62cm frame. 105 components (18 speed double). Carbon fork and seat post. Right around 18 pounds. The pedals will be swapped out in the next few minutes.

Of course, it has a nick here and a scratch there, but it is a definite improvement over what I've been riding... which is an early 90's Raleigh which was *given* to me.... which I haven't put a dime into for the two years that I've been riding it.

It was a bit big for the previous owner, and he wasn't comfortable on it. I'm 6-3, and it fits me fine.

To go from a 1990's steel frame and fork, with stem shifters... to an aluminum frame and carbon fork... with 105 components. Unbelievable.

042912205310.jpg
 
I paid $350 cash, the way that you see it in the picture.

It was a win-win... the seller was happy at that price, and so was I.

To buy a Specialized Allez today with 105 components, the MSRP is $1750.
 
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
I paid $350 cash, the way that you see it in the picture.

It was a win-win... the seller was happy at that price, and so was I.

To buy a Specialized Allez today with 105 components, the MSRP is $1750.


Nice!
 
I'm seeing the first change that I want to make to it.

It currently has a 120mm stem on it. I'm reaching just a bit more than I care to. Thinking about getting a shorter 90mm stem to get the bars back towards me just a little bit more.
 
It's amazing how little you can get a good used bike for if you come across the right deal. They really don't age much unless they're abused. Sometimes people just want to get rid of them quickly.
 
Originally Posted By: rpn453
It's amazing how little you can get a good used bike for if you come across the right deal. They really don't age much unless they're abused. Sometimes people just want to get rid of them quickly.


True...
 
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
After just about giving up and going to the bike shop and having to pay nearly retail for a new road bike
mad.gif
, Craigslist finally came to the rescue today.

Nice find. I was scanning the Chicago CL for a nice hybrid bike last year. I gave up after a couple of months - everything I saw was either in really bad shape or overpriced, or both. Ended up pulling a trigger on a new one, but if you wait, good deals do eventually pop up on CL.
 
I started looking for this one in mid-February, so it took almost 3 months.

The frame size worked against me. If I'd been looking for something that was in the 54-56-58cm range, it would have been a lot easier, as there's a lot more out there in those sizes.

I had a WTB posted on CL, and the seller contacted me. He hadn't advertised it on CL at all. And it was a shock to me to find out that the guy lived just 5 minutes away from me.
 
Originally Posted By: cutter
Those pedals were actually on that bike? yeesh


Yes. And they were cr-p. But it didn't matter anyway, as I had my own pedals, which I use with my shoes.
 
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04

The frame size worked against me. If I'd been looking for something that was in the 54-56-58cm range, it would have been a lot easier, as there's a lot more out there in those sizes.


+1 to this

I'm 6'2" and finding used bikes is very difficult. Plus, many people don't know how to properly measure bikes, so you'll see tons of ads where people list the tire or wheel size instead of the frame size.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: stephen9666
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04

The frame size worked against me. If I'd been looking for something that was in the 54-56-58cm range, it would have been a lot easier, as there's a lot more out there in those sizes.


+1 to this

I'm 6'2" and finding used bikes is very difficult. Plus, many people don't know how to properly measure bikes, so you'll see tons of ads where people list the tire or wheel size instead of the frame size.


Finding a good fit in a used bike is a real bear. I'm 5'11", but my legs are the same length as my daughter's, and she's 5'6".
 
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