Allez Upgradez

I love my little Allez. It is what it is, though, which is basically to say it's a basic road bike.

Doing a massive upgrade does not make sense. Still, there are some things that will make this a better ride for the long run as a trainer and winter bike. I think it makes sense to make little upgrades to mid-grade components as time goes on: Shifters, cassette, crankset and chainrings, front and back derailleurs, etc. Whatever groupset I want to go with, be it SRAM or Shimano, I want doubletap shifters. The cheap Shimano 2300s, while they do the job, are not fun or easier to operate.

A carbon-fiber seatpost and nicer saddle will go a long way toward making this bike more comfortable. Having said that, this bike is pretty comfortable as it its. The frame is aluminum and fairly stiff. It is really efficient at transferring power directly to the road. Not much is wasted in the frame.

Eventually this bike will sit on a trainer and be taken out in bad weather. I would lean more toward a Tarmac over a Roubaix right now. I really like this geometry. Of course, both (plus a Bianchi of some sort) are on the wish list. In any case, for fast training rides and short group rides I think a race bike is the better choice. Long event rides such as Tour de cure and gran fondos are better suited toward a Roubaix. Better get both!