1989 Specialized Allez Epic: Carbon, Steel and a Little Bit of Trouble

There is something very Specialized about this bike. Not the brand in the modern sense, but the late-eighties version of Specialized: experimental, slightly odd, quietly ambitious, and very much willing to try something before the rest of the world had fully decided whether it was a good idea.

This is a circa 1989 Specialized Allez Epic. Carbon tubes. Steel lugs. Road racing geometry. Shimano 600. Skinny tyres. Big graphics. A proper late-eighties vision of the future.

And like a lot of visions of the future, it has aged in a complicated way.

The first-generation Allez Epic frames were made using carbon tubes bonded into steel lugs. At the time, that was serious technology. Carbon was still exotic, still a little mysterious, and still being worked out in real time. These early bonded frames had a reputation for lightness and ride feel, but also for one very specific weakness: the joints.

On this one, that reputation has become reality. The bond has failed around the bottom bracket area, which means the frame will need rebonding before it can be considered properly roadworthy. For now, it sits in that slightly awkward but very honest space: not a full-send bike, not a wall hanger, but something that can still roll to the pub, turn heads, and remind you why these bikes are so interesting in the first place.

The frame

The Allez Epic is a lovely thing to look at. The black carbon tubes have that unmistakable woven finish, broken up by polished steel lugs and loud yellow, purple and teal graphics. It is absolutely of its era, but in the best possible way.

There is a tension to the design that I really like. The frame wants to be futuristic, but the construction is still rooted in traditional lugged steel thinking. It feels like the bicycle industry standing with one foot in the old world and one foot in the new.

The “Epic” branding on the top tube says it all. It was not trying to be subtle.

From a distance, it looks like a classic late-eighties road bike. Up close, the carbon weave, steel junctions and big Specialized graphics give it a much stranger personality. It is less polished than a modern carbon frame, but much more characterful.

The problem child

The elephant in the room is the failed bond at the bottom bracket.

These early bonded carbon frames are known for potential epoxy failure at the joints, especially where stress is concentrated. This one has started to let go, so it is not a bike I would trust for proper road miles, descents, hard efforts or anything involving real load.

That does not make it worthless. In some ways, it makes it more interesting. It is a survivor from a transitional period in bike design, and it now carries the exact flaw that defines the generation. The plan is to have it rebonded properly, but until then, it is strictly a gentle local runabout.

Pub bike, not race bike.

The conversion

Rather than restore it back into a full period-correct drop-bar road machine, I wanted to lean into something more usable and more relaxed.

The front end has been converted with a Velo Orange Postino Bar, which gives the bike a completely different attitude. It keeps the silver, classic feel, but turns the Allez Epic from old race bike into fast town bike. The shape works brilliantly with the frame: elegant, slightly upright, but still sharp.

The brake setup uses Dia-Compe levers, which suit the build perfectly. Simple, clean, mechanical, and visually in keeping with the late-eighties/early-nineties parts mix. The black levers also sit nicely against the polished bar and the black grips.

The cockpit is finished with coloured cable housing — Nissen x SimWorks throughout — which adds just enough colour without overwhelming the original graphics. The blue and purple cables play nicely with the frame decals and give the whole bike a more custom, Mr Rokusho feel.

Not restoration. Not modernisation. Somewhere in between.

The details

The seatpost is a Paul Tall and Handsome, which is probably far too nice for a compromised pub bike, but that is exactly why it works. Polished silver, beautifully machined, and visually perfect against the steel lugs and old Shimano parts.

The saddle is worn, marked and honest. It looks like it belongs on this bike. A new saddle might make the build look cleaner, but it would also remove some of the atmosphere. This bike is better with a bit of age showing.

The drivetrain remains rooted in its original road identity, with Shimano 600 doing the work. The chainset, rear mech and shifters keep the build connected to the period, even if the bar conversion changes the riding position. Shimano 600 always has that slightly understated quality: not flashy, not exotic, but beautifully functional and very correct for this type of bike.

The tyres are SimWorks Volummy 28mm, and they might be one of the best choices on the whole build. They give the bike a softer, more forgiving feel, add some visual weight to the skinny road frame, and make it more suitable for the kind of gentle local riding this frame is currently limited to.

The tan sidewalls also work beautifully against the black carbon and silver metalwork.

The ride

With the Postino bar and 28mm tyres, the Allez Epic becomes something quite different from the racing bike it once was.

It is light, responsive and quick to move, but the flat-ish swept bar makes it feel more casual. You sit slightly more upright, the handling feels direct, and the bike has that lovely old-road-bike efficiency without demanding lycra, intent or effort.

That said, the failed bond means the riding brief is very narrow. No heroics. No stomping on the pedals. No pretending this is ready for fast group rides or big miles.

As it stands, it is for short, gentle, local spins. A coffee. A pub. A roll through town. The sort of ride where the bike is part transport, part conversation piece.

Why this one matters

I like bikes that show their age. I like bikes that tell you where the industry was at a certain moment. This Allez Epic does that perfectly.

It is not just a vintage road bike. It is an early carbon experiment. It is a reminder that new materials always come with a learning curve. It is also proof that imperfect bikes can still be worth saving.

The modern bike world often wants everything to be optimised: lighter, stiffer, faster, cleaner. This bike is none of those things in a straightforward way. It is fragile, slightly compromised, visually loud and mechanically charming.

That is why it works.

The Allez Epic sits at the intersection of technology and patina. It was once futuristic. Now it is vintage. Somewhere along the way, it became interesting.

Build list

Frame: circa 1989 Specialized Allez Epic, carbon tubes with steel lugs
Condition: early bonded frame with failed bottom bracket joint; needs rebonding
Handlebar: Velo Orange Postino Bar
Brake levers: Dia-Compe
Seatpost: Paul Tall and Handsome
Cable housing: Nissen x SimWorks
Tyres: SimWorks Volummy 28mm
Groupset: Shimano 600
Use case: gentle local rides only until properly repaired

Final thoughts

This is not a perfect bike. In fact, the main story is that it is structurally imperfect.

But that is also the point.

The 1989 Specialized Allez Epic represents a moment when bicycle design was changing quickly. Steel had not disappeared. Carbon had not yet become normal. Brands were experimenting, bonding, guessing and pushing forward. Some of it worked. Some of it failed.

This one has failed in exactly the way these early frames are known to fail. But with the right repair, it deserves another chapter.

For now, it is a beautiful, slightly sketchy, flat-bar pub-run machine with a lot of character and a very good excuse not to ride too fast.