Road bike advice

What does this difference mean other than increased standover height on the Specialized?

Other than the increased standover height, not much. Possibly a marginally stiffer/lighter frame. The increased standover height does give a little more flexibility for fitting riders, especially on the shorter end. Some manufacturers use it to offer less sizes, which is to their advantage (for inventory reasons) but not to buyers. That doesn't seem to be the case with the model you picked out.

There isn't much point fretting about spec, save for wheels I would say, heavy or flexy or just plain not rugged enough wheels will make things really annoying. Make sure you have a bar the right width, it's not quite like a bar on a FR/Dh etc bike because your hand position is around the outside rather than along the grip sideways. Tires a have a huge impact on ride feel. If you chose to build the bike up really light in future you should be able to get it lighter with the 'dale as their frames are generally lighter. 'Course there a plenty of other options out there. A peyto or true north, or someother canadian custom builder would be fun.

Good points. Don't forget that most stock saddles are crap and you will likely by looking for a new one soon (or ask the LBS to upgrade for a good price).

I would be more likely to trust the Shimano wheelset, but haven't used the Alex wheelset. A rough guide to bar width is to measure the outside width of your shoulders, but personal preference also plays a role.

From the sounds of it, a 105 grouppo will be a great starter set for you, and you may neevr want to upgrade. Both frames are pretty nice as well. I'd say at this point it boils down to shop preference.

If both bikes are close within your size range (+/-), there's quite a bit of adjustments you can do to make it fit even better. Stem length [HTML_REMOVED] rise is a first step. I like to flip my 7 degree stem upside down to make it lower and a slight bit more areodynamic. Post style and seat position is important too. Personally, I like my post to be little offset as I find I can get better power slightly "off the back" of the bike. I also like the top of the hoods to be fairly flat with the top of the bar, making it more comfy to hold onto the hoods when you're just out for a spin.

Remember, that even though sizing is important, it's really common sense. It the bike feels good after you've tinkered with the sizing, then its probably going to be okay. Your idea of comfort and power efficiency might be slightly off of what someone who's the same size as you might like. get someone at the shop to give you some pointers on sizing, then do a fit. It takes all of 10 minutes to do. You can customize it to suit you after you've put in some miles.

Good luck!

Like I said, I'm new to road and don't know what's what in terms of component quality.

If wheels are the most important things, which one should I go for?

The Specialized is made of Columbus whereas the Cannondale frame is appranently very good.

Assuming both fit equally well, which bike is better? Should I overlook the slightly slower handling and crappier spec of the Cannondale in favour of its lightness and quickness up hills?

Shop preference. I'm sure you'll adjust to either bike/components/wheels, but it's a serious drag to have to take your bike into an LBS that you hate. Unless you do all your own wrenching.

Shop preference. I'm sure you'll adjust to either bike/components/wheels, but it's a serious drag to have to take your bike into an LBS that you hate. Unless you do all your own wrenching.

In that case I'll go with the Allez Elite. Snappier handling through corners anyways, which, considering I live around some very tight and twisty rounds could be really fun!

Thanks for all the advice - especially Sanrensho

You're in for some fun. I'm talking some serious speed.:D

I'm looking at either the 2005 Allez Elite Double: http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=9356

or the 2005 Cannondale R700:
http://www.cannondale.com/bikes/05/cusa/model-5RR7D.html

I've ridden both but don't really feel confident picking one over the other. The spec of the Specialized is better and an all-around better looking package, but the frame of the Cannondale is much lighter and more lively.

For those of you on the board with some road-riding experience, which should I go for?

I have a 2005 Allez Elite Triple 58cm… bought it because I couldn't find the double in-stock anywhere at a decent price. I never use the 30 chainring, and the 42 actually suits my riding style better - The gears in the area of 42-19 to 42-25 on this bike will get me up any hill I can find.

I love this bike. Fantastic bike for the price ($1095 USA + 8% tax). I've been warned away from Cannondale road frames by several people - apparently in their quest for a light frame, they created a bike with a downtube that will be destroyed in even minor crashes. I've seen photos of a crashed R800 and that bike had some THIN tubing!

Worst thing about the Allez Elite is the white bar tape, it's getting grubby fast… if you buy one at a shop, insist they swap the tape for black before you take it home. I'm going to change mine in the next few weeks. Here's my bike when it was new in early July:

Good points. Don't forget that most stock saddles are crap and you will likely by looking for a new one soon (or ask the LBS to upgrade for a good price).

I would be more likely to trust the Shimano wheelset, but haven't used the Alex wheelset. A rough guide to bar width is to measure the outside width of your shoulders, but personal preference also plays a role.

Most stock saddles are crap - for an example, find a large Trek road bike dealer and ask to take a look at their box of saddles, some huge number of cheap Bontrager-branded saddles are returned or refused on Trek 1000/1200 bikes by their new owners…

I'm pretty happy with my bike's stock saddle, for a road bike saddle it's heavy (380 grams) but it's nicely padded. It has the cutout in the centre which seems to help reduce pressure on the taint.

No trouble with the Alex ALX-295 wheelset in 1 month, despite rough roads and a few unseen medium size potholes - I ride with 105-120 psi in both tires. It's 20 front, 24 rear… The Shimano R550 should be similar in weight and spoke style.

I am selling my titanium litespeed Teramo on ebay at this very moment that may be in your price range. Full ultegra, less than 100 miles on it and it comes with a free wireless speedometer. The reason i am selleing it is because I worked for a bike shop for a while and decided to try road for a change. I quickly found out that road was not for me. so it sat in my garage for a couple of weeks until now that im selling it. And c'mon its titanium, with a carbon fork and steerer tube. You cant go wrong.

I am selling my titanium litespeed Teramo on ebay at this very moment that may be in your price range. Full ultegra, less than 100 miles on it and it comes with a free wireless speedometer. The reason i am selleing it is because I worked for a bike shop for a while and decided to try road for a change. I quickly found out that road was not for me. so it sat in my garage for a couple of weeks until now that im selling it. And c'mon its titanium, with a carbon fork and steerer tube. You cant go wrong.

you might want to mention what size it is if you're trying to sell someone a road bike - in cm ?

Thanks SC Blur, but I'm picking up an Allez Elite. Probably best to buy new and get help from a shop as I'm just starting out.