1987 Specialized Allez SE

At last, I present you with some quick pics of my 1987 Specialized Allez SE.


Some items of note:
- Tires are Panaracer Paselas. While I love the vintage and period-correct look of the tan sidewalls, the aggressive tread design has none of the subtleness of the original Turbo LS tires.

- Pedals have been replaced with cheapo Performance CR150's that are Look-compatible. I find it's much easier to have just one pair of shoes that will work with all my bikes.

- Wheels are not original to the bike, but as close as you can get. 32-spoke Saturae HC20 rims laced to Specialized sealed bearing hubs. If you recall in a previous post, some dickhead stole my rear wheel. I've since found a correct 32-spoke wheelset that is currently on the Allez now. I still have the original front wheel, but I'm trying to find some time to correct a moderate bend in the rim before putting it back on.

- The saddle is original and badly faded. It sports a white cover, just like how I used to ride it back in the day.

- And yes, it's still sporting the SR handlebars donated from my 1985 Schwinn World Sport!

- Once again, kudos to Valued Blog Reader Greg for the catalog scan!

1987 Specialized Allez SE

This bike holds a special place in my heart - the 1987 Specialized Allez SE. It was my first "racing bike" - a present for my 14th birthday. I rode the heck out of it in high school and then it served me faithfully as a commuter in college. That is, until someone decided to liberate the rear wheel when I had it lazily locked on campus through just the front wheel and frame. Man was I ever pissed. At the time it was stolen - around 1997, cassette hubs were all the rage and the eBay/Craigslist market was practically non-existent so I doubt the thief could've even sold it for very much if at all. I had a new wheel built shortly after, but the bike just hasn't been the same.
I did acquire a replacement Saturae wheelset for it years ago, but my OCD keeps complaining about the 4 extra spokes on the 36 spoke wheels, not to mention the funky gearing on the NOS freewheel. Sad to say, I haven't ridden 'er much until I can get 'er back to something that more closely resembles her glory days. I've got a couple other projects going on at the moment, so I probably won't have a chance to work on her for a while. She doesn't like me taking pictures when she's not at her best so you'll see some pictures when she decides you will.

Well here's her measurements and specs:
Frame: 56cm, blue
Tubeset: Specialized Special Series Double-Butted Chromoly. Made in Taiwan
Cranks: Suntour Sprint with anodized outer chainring (42-52)
Derailleurs: Suntour Sprint 9000 Accushift
Shift Levers: Suntour IPC Accushift
Brakes: Dia-Compe Royal Gran compe (black)
Brake Levers: Dia-Compe Aero Gran Compe (black levers w/ white hoods)
Hubs: Specialized sealed bearing
Chain: Wipperman (not original) Original: Sedisport
Rims: Specialized Saturae hard-anodized,36-spoke (not original) - Original: Saturae HC20 32-spoke
Tires: some shitty mis-matched Continentals (not original) - Original: Specialized Turbo LS
Headset: Specialized sealed
Stem: Specialized (Nitto), black anodized
Bars: SR World Champion (not original) Note: the original Specialized bars cracked after a mild spill when the bike was only a couple weeks old. The SR bars have been on there so long, I now consider them to be original equipment. Haha. Original - Specialized Model I
Seat: Selle Italia Turbo
Seatpost: Strong
Pedals: Specialized w/black resin toe clips and straps (since changed to white Christophe straps)
Weight: 23lbs
Price Paid in 1987: $599