Specialized recalled select model year 2018 Allez road bikes in December 2017. According to the company, the carbon forks on these bikes may have a manufacturing defect, which can result in a fork failure and injuries to the rider. The company recently announced that replacement forks are now available through authorized Specialized retailers.
This recall applies to all model year 2018 Specialized Allez, Allez Sport and Allez Elite models. Approximately 13,000 bikes are included in this recall. To date, no injuries have been reported as a result of this fork defect.
“After careful examination, we've concluded that some 2018 Allez, Allez Elite and Allez Sport model bikes may contain a manufacturing defect in the fork crown, which potentially affects safety. Therefore, we've decided to prepare for a recall, which will involve replacing the existing fork with a new fork,” said Mark Schroeder, Specialized’s director of engineering.
Specialized is asking owners of these 2018 models to stop riding these bikes immediately and return them to their nearest authorized Specialized retailer. Specialized retailers will replace the affected forks free of charge. According to Specialized, availability of forks will be limited at first. Forks will be replaced on a first come, first served, basis. The company anticipates having sufficient quantities replace all affected forks by the end of March 2018.
As first pointed out by an astute BikeRadar reader, Specialized is replacing the affected Allez forks with the carbon forks found on the Tarmac SL5. While this is a performance upgrade, this high-end fork lacks bosses for fender mounts. If your Allez is your winter training bike, fear not. Specialized will also offer fender adapters to Allez owners who need them.
Specialized is also offering a $75 / £75 customer appreciation credit for this inconvenience.
For more information, visit https://www.specialized.com/safety-notices.
