Specialized Allez E5 review | Budget Road Bike of the Year contender

The Specialized Allez has a solid reputation for offering good-value performance going back decades.

This latest iteration relaxes the ride experience slightly while still providing a good level of all-round practicality.

Many will argue we don’t get the same value at £1,000 – a key jumping-off point for first-time road bike buyers – for money as we once did, but this entry-level Allez’s specification is satisfactory versus the competition today.

Behind its modest build, the Allez E5 offers a solid frameset that will heartily lap up significant upgrades, while offering an enjoyable ride experience from the get-go.

Specialized Allez E5 frame

The 2023 update to the Allez saw the bike overhauled to widen appeal to more riders.

The geometry was brought more towards the endurance end of the road bike spectrum and the frame was modified to improve versatility.

The bike offers clearance for 35mm-wide tyres and mounts for full-length mudguards and a pannier rack.

Specialized claims the bike is capable of light gravel riding duties and suitable for the daily commute, alongside its core road-going DNA.

The frame consists of a mix of single and double-butted alloy tubes. These are made of Specialized E5 Premium Aluminium. This is claimed to save weight where possible but offers strength and stiffness in key zones.

The US brand claims the frame is the lightest in its class at 1,375g in a size 56cm.

You could rightly point to the Trek Emonda ALR, which has a claimed frame weight of 1,257g in an unspecified size to counter. But given the Allez has more in common with Trek’s Domane ALR these days, the comparison doesn’t hold as much water as it once did.

The frame is paired with a full carbon fork with a tapered 1-1/8in - 1-3/8in steerer.

The standard headset size and external cockpit routing mean riders have a broad choice of third-party bars and stems should they wish to swap out the Specialized-supplied ones.

Cables and hoses are internally routed, entering the side of the down tube and the fork crown.

While not as sleek as the through-the-headset cable routing on the Domane AL 2 Gen 4, it does bode well for easier, cheaper servicing.

The bike uses a standard BSA threaded bottom bracket and 27.2mm seatpost.

Specialized Allez E5 geometry

The new Allez's geometry is less racy layout than previous generations, but it's no slouch.

A 73 degree head angle in my size 58cm test bike keeps things sharp. This is paired with a 73.25 degree seat tube angle.

These figures remain race-esque, but are slightly less extreme than they once were. The headtube is 0.5 degrees slacker and the reach has been pulled 4mm towards the rider.

However, the stack is 17mm shorter at 610mm, while the trail is up 6mm to 58mm to calm down steering.

The chainstays are 425mm long, with the overall wheelbase measuring 3mm longer at 1,017mm, further encouraging calmer handling.

Specialized has attempted to make the Allez more versatile than before, without losing the sense of excitement previous Allez’s have generally offered riders.

Specialized Allez E5 build

The Specialized Allez E5 is the entry-level build of the latest-generation Allez.

The bike is fitted with Shimano’s latest 8-speed Claris R2000 drivetrain and a 50/34T Claris-level RS200 compact crankset.

The KMC X8 chain and Sunrace 11-32t cassette are the only deviations from Shimano-spec components, but neither swap affects performance.

The Sunrace cassette offers 11-13-15-18-21-24-28-32 tooth ratios – precisely the same as Shimano’s own 8-speed HG50 cassette.

Mechanical Tektro C550 mechanical disc brakes offer dual piston actuation. This means both brake pads are pushed inwards on the rotor.

This, in theory, should result in even pad and rotor wear versus a single-piston brake, as commonly found on many cheaper bikes.

The C550s (which are also specced on the Trek Domane AL 2 Gen 4), are an OEM version of the shinier-looking TRP Spyre C610C brakes found on the Cube Attain Pro.

Most importantly, they’re functionally identical.

Specialized provides an Axis Sport Disc alloy clincher wheelset with a modern 21mm-wide internal rim – ideal for supporting wider tyres. These aren’t tubeless-compatible.

Specialized supplies its own Roadsport tyres in a generous 700x30c size. These shape up to 31.9mm at 80 PSI (5.5 BAR) – wider than advertised, but not troubling the frame’s tyre clearance.

Specialized wraps up the build with a steel-railed saddle, alloy stem, handlebar and seatpost.

The build costs £1,000 / $1,200 / €1,200 / AU$1,800. This represents similar value for money to key competitors.

The Trek Domane AL 2 Gen 4, for example, is slightly more expensive in the UK and Australia (£1,050 / AU$1,999.99), but priced practically the same in the US and EU ( $1,199.99 / €1,199).

A Shimano chain and cassette is used on the Domane over the SunRace alternatives – although neither made a noticeable difference to performance in testing.

The Cube Attain Pro is £50 or €50 more expensive again, but this packs in a 9-speed Shimano Sora R3000 drivetrain and aftermarket TRP Spyre brakes..

Unless the chrome aesthetic is something you specifically crave, the brakes should make no difference, but the extra cassette sprocket could be worth the additional £100 / €50 price hike over the Allez, potentially saving a groupset upgrade later.

On the other hand, the Cube’s tyre clearance is limited to just 28mm, making it less versatile and more road-focussed than the Specialized Allez or Trek Domane AL.

Specialized Allez E5 ride impressions

While Specialized has made the Allez more versatile, that isn’t to the detriment of the bike’s potential.

The Allez fis an extremely good budget road bike – it offers a great blend of fun, sporty ride characteristics with easy-going manners.

Despite the entry-level specifications, which contribute to its 10.28kg weight, the handling is entertainingly sharp but predictable.

While I could bring about some rotor rub through the front wheel when riding hard out of the saddle, the Allez frameset felt responsive and more than capable of justifying future upgrades.

The first on my list would be the brakes. These are relatively stiff to pull on through the lever, and lack ultimate stopping power.

This applied to all the mechanical disc-braked test bikes in the budget bike cohort – three of which had the same Tektro/TRP calipers.

If you’re coming at the Allez as a complete novice, you might not know the difference compared to pricier hydraulic disc brake system.

But the rim brakes on the cheaper Pinnacle Laterite 2 performed no worse in the wet or dry.

Upgrading the Allez to fully hydraulic brakes would involve switching the drivetrain too – the Claris levers only work with mechanical brakes, or with hybrid systems where the cable actuates a hydraulic reservoir at the caliper.

In the Shimano family, you’ll need to go up two road bike groupset tiers to 10-speed Tiagra, which would present a significant upgrade.

This is a shame as the Claris drivetrain performed well in testing.

When sat spinning merrily away, the drivetrain is quiet, efficient-feeling, shifts cleanly, and is more than adequate for anyone starting out in road cycling.

The jumps between ratios on the cassette are a little broad but I’m more used to riding 11 and 12-speed drivetrains, so this is to be expected.

The bike is ripe for upgrading and the sheer flexibility provided by the mudguard and rack mounts can’t be overlooked.

I’d be more than happy to commute on the Allez instead with mudguards installed.

The Specialized Roadsport tyres offer good grip and a decent ride feel – far better than I’d normally expect from an entry-level specification tyre, and one set up with butyl inner tubes at that.

The wheels could be strong-armed into flexing a little, but it's unreasonable to expect miracles at this price.

They offer a decent ride experience, are wide enough to support the 30mm-wide rubber well, and don’t feel too sluggish. They should easily see anyone through until the upgrade bug bites.

I’ve no qualms about the finishing kit either. Fit will always be subjective, but the bars are well shaped with easy-to-access drops, and the saddle proved decently supportive with some cushioning helping absorb some road buzz.

Specialized Allez E5 bottom line

The Specialized Allez has impressed me as an entry-level bike for those wanting to keep a lid on spending and as a multi-use workhorse.

On the sporty side, the Allez would bear some hefty upgrades well, but this is a good thing – it leaves space for a rider’s enthusiasm to grow over time, rather than festooning you with kit you don’t need or won’t appreciate from the beginning.

Given the potential of the frameset under the specification, and the fact that it slightly undercuts the Trek Domane and Cube Attain on price, the Allez deserves high acclaim.