2005 Specialized Allez

The one that got away. The Allez was the first bike I owned and used regularly as an adult, so felt really special. I bought it cheap, rebuilt it countless times to take on countless roles before eventually making it a racy 8.8kg bike that was too hard on my poor lower back.

I'd be lying if I said the Allez didn't capture me at first sight. It's a very pretty bike, a rare enough 2005 model that came in a rarer still electric blue colourway. When I found it on eBay, I was a penniless Teacher Trainee who had just sold their car, and desperately needed something cheap to ride to his placement every day. The Allez immediately stood out amongst the sea of Carreras and Raleighs that I found within my budget. £195 and a journey to Watford sealed the deal.

I don't actually have many pictures of the Allez from that time; the spec was, admittedly, unremarkable. An ancient Shimano Claris 3x7 groupset, as sold new, ran a pair of heavy Alexrims wheels. But the bare bones were there. I found a decent Tiagra 4600 2x10 groupset, and eventually replaced the wheels with cheap secondhand Fulcrum Racing items. So it stayed for a while.

The above build is the one I have most memories of, and certainly kept the longest. Either with or without its pannier rack, the Allez rode in this guise throughout a winter's commuting to my placement, in absolutely appalling weather, then on occasionally longer and more adventurous recreational rides at the weekend. It is also notable for being the build I crashed; the worst crash of my life, skidding off a drain cover on a corner on the day the January 2021 lockdown was announced in the UK. I broke my eye socket, a tooth and was knocked unconscious but I do remember wondering all the time if my bike had landed drive-side down.

Eventually, the upgrade bug kicked in, but I remain unconvinced to this day if it was for the better or the worse. Someone was selling a Shimano 105 5800 groupset for next to nothing, and to be honest, I'd have been foolish to pass it by. I was getting fitter, so the groupset with its 52-36 gearing seemed apt.

However, unlike me upgrading the Holdsworth to make it more comfortable, I had inevitably upgraded the Allez to favour raciness and speed. This was fine - it was an incredible thing to ride at weekends or when joining a fast group ride. But I found myself increasingly choosing other bikes for the daily commute, or when I had to ride longer and more comfortably. The Allez had become a plaything, and not one I could afford, nor one that was compatible with my lifestyle as someone who rode for exploration and utility.

I think, if the circumstances were different, I'd have kept the Allez and could've hillclimbed with it or something. In the end, I gravitated towards bikes that were more comfortable and refined, something that, as my lower back deteriorates, I am grateful for. While I don't think I'd have any practical purpose for it, the Allez will always be the bike I remember fondly as the One That Got Away.