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Allied Cycle Works quietly crushes gravel with new Alfa All Road model

2018 Allied Cycle Works Alfa All Road gravel race bike
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Just 18 months after founding the brand, and a mere six months after getting production fully up to speed on the original Alfa road bike, HIA Velo’s Allied Cycle Works has introduced their Alfa All Road gravel bike. They’ve been very quiet about it’s release, only showing it off at Alto Cycling’s demo tent at Interbike, because they’ve already built up a backorder log of about 100-150 bikes, so they are cautious to promote it too much…but it’s here, and it’s amazing.

2018 Allied Cycle Works Alfa All Road gravel race bike

Built on the same front triangle as the Alfa, they’re able to minimize the learning curve and change time between making them, but they say this version already accounts for the vast majority of their orders. This also means it’s light, coming in at a claimed 960g for a size 56 with their bare clear coat finish (add 30-80g for a full paint scheme).

2018 Allied Cycle Works Alfa All Road gravel race bike

2018 Allied Cycle Works Alfa All Road gravel race bike

So, cable management is the same, with the only real difference up front being a re-route of the brake hose from the top tube (for the Alfa’s rim brake) to the downtube for the All Road’s rear disc brake. Drivetrain wires or cables run through their eagle badge.

2018 Allied Cycle Works Alfa All Road gravel race bike

The key changes for the All Road come at the front and rear of the bike. The fork is all new, sitting 4mm taller than the road fork, but with a much thinner crown. This minimizes geometry changes, but opens things up to fit a 38-40mm tire. They claim the max at 38mm, but I rode one of their employee’s bikes (not the one shown here) with a 40 up front and the only issue was toe overlap, not fork clearance.

Out back, stays are spread apart and reshaped to improve tire clearance and reinforce for disc brake stresses.

2018 Allied Cycle Works Alfa All Road gravel race bike

They kept the standard threaded BB interface…

2018 Allied Cycle Works Alfa All Road gravel race bike

2018 Allied Cycle Works Alfa All Road gravel race bike

…and interchangeable dropouts, letting you swap inserts to accommodate various 12mm thru axle standards (different thread pitches), including the Mavic Speedrelease system. So, the non-drive rear dropout and non-brake fork dropout have an open face, but it works with standard thru axles, too, including bolt-in options as shown here.

2018 Allied Cycle Works Alfa All Road gravel race bike

Because it’s using the same front triangle, they intend it for equal parts road and dirt, and going fast on both. It’s not a multi-day adventure bike, so it’s lacking fender and rack mounts, but it’s fast. And it rips on smooth single track, but holds its own on the road, too. My short test ride through Burns Park and the hills and bridges around their Little Rock, AR, factory proved this, suggesting it’s the do-it-all bike for people that like to get more fast than rowdy.

AlliedCycleWorks.com

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mudrock
mudrock
7 years ago

Personally don’t think those wedge style seat binders are a good idea on a gravel bike, or anything that will be used on trails. I’ll bet it slips. And because the seat tube isn’t cut square to the post, you can’t secure it with a clamp.

Sam
Sam
7 years ago
Reply to  mudrock

A lot of bikes use the wedge clamp, amazingly they work. I even have one on my cross bike and have no issues

Eric
Eric
7 years ago
Reply to  mudrock

I’d be more worried about creaking than slipping. Seat wedges can be more sensitive to small diameter variances in seatposts.

Collin S
7 years ago
Reply to  Eric

Giant uses them on most of their new bikes (at least the CX, XTC+, and road bikes) and I would tend to agree with the top poster. Although they do look a little bit cleaner, I doubt its any lighter than a standard seat post binder and adds way more complexity. The torque required to tighten it on the giant’s is pretty big and the way that the bolt is positioned, you can’t even get a torque wrench on it due to clearance issues.

Dean
Dean
7 years ago
Reply to  Collin S

on the TCX it’s only 6NM… and a torque wrench fits with no issues. no slip, no creak

Dinger
Dinger
7 years ago
Reply to  Dean

My concern with the wedge type binders is point-load on the post. Carbon generally likes even pressure. Stem makers have gone to great pains to make sure their clamps are carbon fork & h-bar friendly.

For Giant, I’d be less concerned. They control both the frame and seat-post design. They can address the specific needs. With others, the seat post could come from anyone, creating a “hot potato” issue for the owner if there’s an issue.

Of course, the owner could just use a Thompson post and not worry any more about it..

Rider C
Rider C
7 years ago
Reply to  Collin S

You can get a torque wrench on it just fine. My concern is sweat and water sitting in the socket of the bolt head. I can’t even get my seat post adjusted anymore because Giant uses a cheap bolt and it rounded right out with corrosion. I just don’t see how its so much better than a circular clamp…

mudrock
mudrock
7 years ago

Good idea making it compatible with Mavic speed release. Everyone should do that.

Small Rider
Small Rider
7 years ago
Reply to  mudrock

It would need to be licensed. Why pay money to anybody to fix a nonexistent problem of removing wheels.

Sam Pickman
Sam Pickman
7 years ago
Reply to  Small Rider

It is an open standard so no licensing fees. It’s not that we thought there was a problem with wheel removal, just nice to give people options.

Chad Moore
7 years ago
Reply to  Small Rider

Just for reference, Mavic is offering Speed Release details at no licensing cost …

David Lewis
David Lewis
7 years ago

Nice meeting you this morning.

Kerkie
Kerkie
7 years ago

What hubs are those?

Tony Karklins
7 years ago
Reply to  Kerkie

Chris King Matte Punch hubs. The bike photographed was built for the Matte Punch launch party that King Cycle Group held a couple of weeks ago. Notice the Matte Punch BB as well!

VeloKitty
VeloKitty
7 years ago

Isn’t the license free?
“To support industry wide innovation, the details to manufacture frames and forks compatible with the Mavic Speed Release system are available for all brands to license at no cost.”

Chad Moore
7 years ago
Reply to  VeloKitty

Exactly … you’re correct !!

VeloKitty
VeloKitty
7 years ago

> with a 40 up front and the only issue was toe overlap

Tires have gone from 23 mm on skinny rims to 40 mm on wide rims, but the front-center distance hasn’t been increased accordingly. I’d like to buy ones of these framesets, but I’m not going to spend $4K on a frame geometry that is going to cause toe overlap for me. The 2018 Cannondale Synapse is at the top of my list because it has a long enough front-center distance.

ascarlarkinyar
7 years ago
Reply to  VeloKitty

You just can’t have both. Sporty geometry and no toe overlap with big tires. Unless you put these tires on your mtb

VeloKitty
VeloKitty
7 years ago
Reply to  ascarlarkinyar

That’s incorrect. Increasing the wheelbase by 20 mm would have a negligible effect on handling. It would not even be detectable.

JBikes
JBikes
7 years ago
Reply to  VeloKitty

So when do you stop?
Weight distribution and wheelbase matter (along with all the other geometric choices affecting those traits). Its why bikes even with very similar geometry numbers handle very different. 20mm may not seem like much but the angle changes or tube length changes required to do this will make the bike handle very differently. Not every bike needs to or warrants running large tires, not to mention overlap, which is a very small concern on a “fast non-technical bike”, is also dependent on crank length and shoe size

VeloKitty
VeloKitty
7 years ago
Reply to  JBikes

> So when do you stop?

When your toes are no longer slamming into the front tire.

> Its why bikes even with very similar geometry numbers handle very different.

Ummmm, no they don’t (assuming they are similar stiffness.)

> Not every bike needs to or warrants running large tires

I thought this was supposed to be a gravel bike?

JBikes
JBikes
7 years ago
Reply to  VeloKitty

Small geometry make a big difference in how a bike handles. Geometry changes to increase wheelbase 20mm very much change a bike’s feel.

its not a dedicated gravel bike…
“they intend it for equal parts road and dirt, and going fast on both”

mudrock
mudrock
7 years ago
Reply to  VeloKitty

Toe overlap exists on almost all bikes size medium and smaller. I had toe overlap on all my cross bikes. Your only problem would be making slow uturns in a parking lot perhaps. It has to fit a rider like a road bike, there would be tons of complaints if it didn’t.

VeloKitty
VeloKitty
7 years ago
Reply to  mudrock

> Toe overlap exists on almost all bikes
> size medium and smaller.

Incorrect again. Please name a mountain bike with the issue.

JBikes
JBikes
7 years ago
Reply to  VeloKitty

And this bike doesn’t have toe overlap for normal users in the recommended tire sizes.
If you want to run 40mm tires and not have toe overlap, buy a different bike.

VeloKitty
VeloKitty
7 years ago
Reply to  JBikes

> And this bike doesn’t have toe overlap for normal
> users in the recommended tire sizes.

How do you know? Are you associated with Allied? They haven’t released the geometry numbers for this gravel model as far as I know.

JBikes
JBikes
7 years ago
Reply to  VeloKitty

Its based on the same data you are assuming it has toe overlap…the article above stating the only issue with 40mm tires is toe overlap. I wouldn’t think they would explicitly state this if it occurred at 38mm

FOURZ3RO4
FOURZ3RO4
7 years ago
Reply to  VeloKitty

ALLIED has released the Geo Numbers on the ALL ROAD. you can find the numbers here:

https://alliedcycleworks.com/allied-alfa-all-road-bike/

Gef
Gef
7 years ago
Reply to  VeloKitty

650b helps a lot with toe overlap and a tighter front end.

Andy Clark
Andy Clark
7 years ago

I’ve been riding my All-road in the dirt quite a bit, and the clamp hasn’t budged or creaked once – just be sure you use carbon assembly paste.

teddy
teddy
7 years ago

Dare I ask how this rides compared to the Spesh Roubaix? (No need to reply about the obvious USA made Allied.)

Anders
Anders
6 years ago

Where can one get a Mavic speed release compatible fork dropout? The dropout on my allroad is not compatible with Mavic’s speed release system (the thread pitch is different).

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