Forty years of the Allez, and Specialized have used every one of them well. The new Allez Comp is the sharpest version yet, and at this price point, it's one of the most serious road bikes you'll find built around an alloy frame.
The E5 aluminium is butted and double-butted throughout, bringing the frame down to 1,375 grams, which is class-leading territory. Pair that with the full carbon fork and you've got a bike that accelerates cleanly, corners with genuine confidence, and doesn't beat you up over a long Sunday ride.
The endurance geometry is borrowed directly from Specialized's Roubaix, so you sit in a position that works for a quick 40-minute blast to work and a four-hour weekend effort in equal measure.
Disc brakes, rack mounts, mudguard clearance, 35mm tyre compatibility. For a Specialized road bike to tick all those boxes while still riding like something you'd actually want to push hard on a group ride, that's not a given. With the Allez Comp, it just comes as standard.
What's in the build:
Frame & fork
Premium E5 alloy with a full carbon fork. Light, stiff where it needs to be, and forgiving enough on rough British tarmac that you won't be dreading the roads come February.
Shimano gearing
50/34 chainrings up front, 11-34 cassette at the rear. A wide, smooth range that handles Surrey Hills climbs just as well as it handles flat open roads at pace.
Disc brakes
160mm rotors front and rear. Consistent, modulated stopping in the wet, which if you're riding in the UK year-round, matters more than any other single spec on the sheet.
Tyres
30mm rubber as standard, with clearance up to 35mm. Run them at lower pressure and the ride quality on chip-seal and patchy tarmac improves noticeably. There's even enough room for light gravel if you fancy it.
Rack & mudguard mounts
Hidden on the frame, so they don't compromise the look. But they're there when you need them, which makes the Allez Comp Specialized road bike a genuine 12-month-a-year option rather than a fair-weather toy.
If you're searching for a Specialized Allez Comp for sale in the UK and wondering whether the alloy frame is a compromise compared to carbon, ride one first. At this weight, with this geometry, that conversation tends to end fairly quickly.