Single speed or 9-speed?

THEWHELO

Ok I've been deliberating this decision for many a month now and I need to come to a decision.

Initially I was going to buy a Specialzed Allez '09 (which cycleways were selling at a discount) but I couldn't get it in my size. Now with money being even more scarce than usual I'm trying to decide whether it's worth my while spending €689 for the 2010 model. I like the bike but it's an awful lot of money and I'm wondering if I should just spend €584 on a single speed Specialized Langster.

My question is this: Is it worth my while spending the extra on the Allez? I would eventually like to train and compete in a mini-tri eventually moving up to a full tri) and would obviously like to use this bike. But I'll mainly be using it for commuting around the city.

I like the look of the langster, it's not as flashy as the silver Allez (the '09 Allez was a cool black) which I feel would make it less of a target for the filthy bike thieves around Dublin.

So any advice? I love to hear some different points of views so I can make an informed decision. Many thanks

stopped_clock

THEWHELO wrote: »

My question is this: Is it worth my while spending the extra on the Allez?

My answer is: Yes.

Which Allez are you looking at?

I was thinking about exactly the same choice about two years ago. I needed a bike primarily for getting about town but intended to get into cycling for exercise etc. I bought an Allez. Singlespeeds are great, but do serve a niche cycling purpose, and you'll probably enjoy cycling more if you can mostly cycle in an appropriate gear.

I now have a Langster as well btw and love it, but I'd definitely go for a geared bike if I could have only one.

tbh, I'd say either the Langster is overpriced now or you're getting a lot of extra bike for the extra €100 with the Allez, although it's hard to say for sure without seeing which groupset etc you get for the money (hence my question above).

THEWHELO

This is the Langster I'm looking at http://www.cycleways.com/store/product/45849/2010-Specialized-Langster-58cm/

And this is the Allez I'm looking at: http://www.cycleways.com/store/product/45795/2010-Specialized-Allez-24-58cm/

adamshred

Buy the Allez. There are very few notable advantages to be had from a singlespeed when compared to a geared bike.

OK, one small advantage of single speed bikes is that they require slightly less maintenance than geared bikes. I have cycled both singlespeed freewheel and fixed wheel bikes for years and apart from the aforementioned, I can't think of any other advantages that they have over gears at all. People may say that they are lighter and easier to use etc, but having used both I can safely say that these elements are negligible unless you are a weight weenie which I suspect you aren't.

I have several geared bikes and singlespeed/fixed wheel bikes and I can say that from my experience, gears are the way to go.


For a start, gears offer a far more versatile range of set ups for your bike. If for any reason you ever wanted to convert your geared bike to singlespeed, it can be done with relative ease, however if you ever wanted to convert a thoroughbred single speed bike to a geared bike you would have great difficulty.

You will be better off with gears whether it is uphill, downhill or flat ground on which you plan to cycle.


I can't really think of much else to say to inform you of the two different set ups, but I'll just say that I have recently acquired another geared road bike and I have been once again reminded that it is so much better to have low gears for seriously steep uphills, and high gears for putting the power down at high speeds, rather than being restricted to a single gear which will never be completely suitable to both tasks.

Hope this information is helpful!

Adam

THEWHELO

Gents thanks you very much. I'm a real novice so some informed information is of real help to me. I will be using the bike for commuting mostly but it will be my step into proper exercise and getting fit for some competitions in '10...

Lumen

Buy a geared bike. Leave the fixie for some time in the future when you can afford to buy and run multiple bikes.

If you can't afford the Allez, get something cheaper (Giant Defy?).

THEWHELO

Ok I'm pretty set on the Specialized Allez but I've found a '09 model online (here: http://www.pearsoncycles.co.uk/product/3266/SPECIALIZED_ALLEZ_27_2009 ) for about €40 less than I can buy it from cycleways here. Now I like the look of the '09 model better BUT is it worth saving the €40 or just better to go with the '10 model as it's only €40?

Lumen

THEWHELO wrote: »

Ok I'm pretty set on the Specialized Allez but I've found a '09 model online (here: http://www.pearsoncycles.co.uk/product/3266/SPECIALIZED_ALLEZ_27_2009 ) for about €40 less than I can buy it from cycleways here. Now I like the look of the '09 model better BUT is it worth saving the €40 or just better to go with the '10 model as it's only €40?

For the sake of €40, buy locally.

THEWHELO

But I'm wondering if the '09 model is a better bike? It's an Allez 27 whereas the '10 model is an Allez 24. I'm a real novice here so don't know what the main difference between the two is.

stopped_clock

It's 24 gears V 27 gears.

Here comes the science part! On a geared road bike, you usually have either 2 or 3 differently-sized chainrings at the front of the chain (ie at the pedals) and a cassette of 9,10 or 11 cogs at the back of the chain (ie in the middle of the back wheel).

You move the chain across the chainrings or the cassette in order to change gear, so:

(#chainrings) x (#cogs on cassette) = #gears.

In this case, the 2010 model has an 8-speed cassette, so is 24 speed (ie 3 x 8). The 2009 has a 9-speed cassette, so is 27 speed. The 2010 has a range of 12-25; the 2009 has 11-25. (These are the number of teeth on the smallest and biggest cogs on the cassette). You're losing a bit of top-end speed on the 8-speed bike. In practical terms there will be no difference - I almost never use my top gear combo, and my bike has easier gearing (because I've got smaller chainrings). 9-speed would be easier to upgrade though.

To compare the bike, you need to compare the quality of the components. The first difference is the frame - an '09 Allez V a '10 one; both look similar and both have carbon forks. The second is the groupset (basically, the moving parts expect the wheels). The 2009 groupset is a mix of Sora and Tiagra. The 2010 is mostly Shimano 2300. Tiagra is better than Sora. Sora is better than 2300. The wheels seem to be the same between both bikes.

So, in my opinion, the 2009 is a better bike because it's 9-speed and got better parts.

Note that I've based the 2010 spec on this site, because I didn't see the full specs on the link you posted. I doubt they'd vary that much.

Remember to check out shipping costs too.

Apologies if I've overstated the obvious. Or if I'm wrong.

stopped_clock

As an extra comment to my previous post - Shimano seem to have just introduced 2300 this year, so it won't have been available for 2009 bikes. Sora would then have occupied the position that 2300 does now in the Shimano range.

THEWHELO

Stopped_clock thank you so much for guiding me through the finer details it's really helped me a lot. In fact thank all of you for the help I couldn't have been better informed if I had searched the 'net for weeks (which I kind of have but after starting to second guess myself 1 too many times I decided it was better to ask!).

I am indeed a novice and overstating the obvious is what I need because I really do not know much about bikes and getting advice from people in the know is exactly what I was looking for...

So I think it's the '09 model for me... Just to be sure (I'm not the quickest) stopped_clock you say in your footnote to your second to last post the the shimano 2300 on the '10 is not as good as the Sora and Tiagra on the '09?

Again people many thanks for all the posts been a bloody great help!

stopped_clock

THEWHELO wrote: »

So I think it's the '09 model for me... Just to be sure (I'm not the quickest) stopped_clock you say in your footnote to your second to last post the the shimano 2300 on the '10 is not as good as the Sora and Tiagra on the '09?

To be perfectly honest, I don't know how this year's 2300 compares to last year's Sora, but I would be fairly confident that a 2009 mix of Sora and Tiagra would be better than just 2010 2300. Also, I'm presuming it's 2009 Sora and Tiagra on the '09 bike and 2010 2300 on the '10 bike. 2010 Sora would certainly be better than 2010 2300. (That's hard to read!) I don't know how 2010 2300 compares to 2009 Sora, but you do get Tiagra bits too which would certainly be better. It's a bit like if VW introduced a new model of car smaller than the Polo, how it would compare to the old Polo. FWIW I have 2007 Tiagra on my bike and that's all I've used to any great extent.

Personally, I'd prefer the 9-speed to the 8-speed, but for reasons of compatibility with upgraded parts rather than performance - Most things will be either 8 or 9-speed specific like cassette, derailleur and shifters so if you want to replace or upgrade any of these, you're better off with a 9-speed. (A lot of the higher end stuff is now 10- or 11-speed btw, but don't worry about that for now).

Do have a look at some of the alternative bikes suggested above as well. If you can stretch to something with Tiagra shifters, they're nicer than the Sora ones.

Another point is that if it's your first road bike, it can be worth spending a bit more to buy it in a bricks and mortar shop and try out various options, go for a test spin and get the fit right. Always worth trying out something beyond your budget too, to see what you're missing out on .


For reference, Shimano's range goes: 2300; Sora; Tiagra; 105; Ultegra; Dura-Ace.

THEWHELO

Stopped_clock thank you for all your help. I'm probably gonna head down to cycleways and size up a bike there to see what fits me best (I'm 6' 3" with a 34" leg) but I reckon it's the '09 model for me!

Thanks again much appreciated and extremely helpful!

blorg

THEWHELO wrote: »

Stopped_clock thank you for all your help. I'm probably gonna head down to cycleways and size up a bike there to see what fits me best (I'm 6' 3" with a 34" leg) but I reckon it's the '09 model for me!

Best get sized properly but to give you a ballpark I am 6'0" 33.75" leg and ride 58cm in Specialized. You will probably also be 58cm with that leg measurement (it is quite short- you sure it is right, you have to measure from the ground to crotch in cycling shorts, e.g. it is not your trouser leg measurement.) Raam is about the same height as you and I think he is 58cm on Specialized also.

stopped_clock

No worries THEWHELO, hope I've been of help. I'm not as experienced as a lot of posters here, but I was considering a similar choice to yours a while back. Remember too that any advice you get here will tell you to go for the higher spec..

I'm on a 58cm too btw and I'm about 6'1".

Let us know how you get on.