I suppose you could say I wasn't the smartest tool in the shed when I decided to upgrade my first road bike, a 2010 Specialized Allez Elite, over the past 2 years rather than staying pat and buying a new bike down the road. As it stands now I have more in the wheels and upgraded parts than I do in the original bike. Thanks WW!

However, since back in 2010 when I bought the Allez I didn't know if I would really love cycling I bought a relatively entry level bike that I felt I could use for the foreseeable future. Also, it is much more wallet friendly to look for good deals and upgrade here and there given I have other interests/hobbies and a 1 year old son.

Without further ado here is my Allez (in cronological order):

2010-Stock
Abbreviated build list:
Specialized Allez A1 Aluminum frame with carbon fork and alloy steerer
Cane Creek Integrated Headset
Shimano 105 gruppo (exceptions being Shimano R600 crankset and OEM brakes)
Mavic CXP22 rims / OEM hubs and spokes
Specialized Rival 143 Saddle
Specialized Carbon wrapped Alloy Seatpost
Specialized Comp Set Stem
Specialized Come Set Handlebars
Shimano 105 pedals (not shown)
Cateye Wireless Computer (not shown)




2011-Upgrades
Ritchey Carbon Pro fork
Mavic Cosmic Elite front wheel / Mavic Cosmic Carbone SL rear wheel (long story)
Continental Grand Prix tires
Continental Race Light 28 tubes

I didn't have a scale at the time but estimated the weight savings as 2 lbs from the stock configuration.




2012-Upgrades
Mavic Cosmic Carbone SL front wheel (787g)
Deda Superzero Seatpost (199g)
Specialized Romin Pro Saddle (164g) Probably should have gone with black
Zipp SL Trad Bend Handlebars (178g)
SRAM Red Black Edition Compact Crankset 172.5 50/34 (642g)
SRAM GXP Team Cups Bottom Bracket (108g)

All told, I lost 1.34 lbs from 2011 edition. Unfortunately I don't have a hanging scale yet, but the bathroom scale method has given me a range 17.5 to 18.2 lbs.







http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/85/specializedallezelite20.jpg


After taking her out for the initial post upgrade ride last Friday, everything felt great except given the Zipp bars have 9.5mm more reach than my old bars, I am thinking of changing the stem from a 120 to a 110. Only question is Zipp SC SL Beyond Black, Ritchey WCS, or Deda Zero 100? I think the Deda would be my first choice to match my seatpost, but I'm leaning against it given the 8nm clamp torque is more than recommended by Ritchey for the fork's steerer tube. Edit: I grabbed a lightly used Zipp Service Course SL beyond black stem in 110mm. I have yet to install it though.

The last things I will probably do are change out the 105 stuff for Rival shifters, brakes and RD losing another .5 lbs in the process. After that I would like to upgrade one day to a Ti frame. In the meantime I plan on enjoying it as much as possible, after all it's more bike than I honestly need. If only I could upgrade the engine ...

Here are pics of the upgraded parts weights:












Also for reference in case it help anybody, here are the weights of the old parts:

Specialized Comp Set Handlebars 322g
Specialized Carbon Wrapped Alloy Seatpost 308g
Specialized Rival 143 Saddle 319g
Shimano R600 Crankset 851g
Shimano BB 96g

Wow, great informative post. This is what weight weenies is about! Thanks for sharing your build story.

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Do you have a weight for the stock wheel set?

Half the fun is in the upgrades isn't it.....? I bet there's no one out on your local run with the same setup eh?! I would change the bar tape to white just to tie in with the saddle but thats a personal thing and white tape is gonna dirt up quicker. Looks a nice bike mate..

Awesome build - that's exactly what it's all about. That is one great looking ride you have there now. Great job!

As for stem choices, I'd take the Ritchey for the weight although I'm not a huge fan of the three steerer bolt look. I bought one for the weight...

BTW, thinking of trimming that steerer tube?

Cheers!

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Fear is healthy, panic can be deadly

Sorry I do not. As soon as I took them off, I gave them to my Dad who put them on his bike. I did not have a scale at the time.



Yes you are certainly right about upgrades. Thanks for the complements! I originally had a white bar tape on the stock bike and liked it when it was new, but it get so dirty that I decided to go black this time. I agree it would look sharp(er), esp. for photo ops, but for real world use, I think black is more practical. At first I regretted not going with a matching black saddle, but I've come around to really liking the white and black mismatched saddle / bar combo as it seems to go with the paint scheme.



Thanks! I am quite pleased with it. It is no WW compared to most on this board, but it is definitely suitable for my needs (recreational rider). I love the process of upgrading and selecting parts almost as much riding. It's the journey as much as the destination. I ended up grabbing a lightly used Zipp Service Course SL off of craigslist for a great price. I agree about not really liking the 3 bolt design on the Ritchey, but you can't beat their weights at their price points. The Zipp will match my bars and will shed about 50g off my current stem once I get around to installing it before next season.

And yes, I do not to chop the steerer tube. I was playing around with losing some spacers but wanted to make sure I was comfortable with it before potentially ruining my fork.

Nice! I have a 2010 Allez as well and LOVE it!


Next upgrade.....wheels! (as it sits, it is 17.75 lb.)

Your bike inspired me. Here is my 2012 allez comp apex with many upgrades. Weighs in at 15 lb 13 oz with speedplay zeros.