Aluminium road bikes tend to be come in at the lower end of the bike market, yet the Specialized Allez Sprint and the Cannondale CAAD13 Disc make a strong case for proving that alloy is still a viable alternative to carbon, even at prices north of £2,000.
Both make extensive use of the respective brands’ aluminium forming expertise to deliver relatively lightweight bikes that provide aerodynamic benefits from their truncated aerofoil tube shapes, along with a high level of performance.
Spec-wise, both bikes are fitted with a Shimano 105 11-speed groupset with hydraulic disc brakes, but the ride experience is very different and there’s a £600 price gap to consider. Which is the better buy? Let's get into the details.
Specialized Allez Sprint vs. Cannondale CAAD13: Key features at a glance
Specialized Allez Sprint
- Alloy frame with aero tube profiles based on Tarmac SL7
- Shimano 105 11-speed hydraulic disc brake groupset
- 32mm tyre clearance, comes fitted with 26mm tyres
- Integrated cabling
- Carbon seatpost
- No mudguard mounts
- Firm ride
- Six size options
- £2,900
Cannondale CAAD13 105 Disc
- Alloy frame with aero tube profiles
- Shimano 105 11-speed hydraulic disc brake groupset (Ultegra spec also available)
- 30mm tyre clearance, comes fitted with 25mm tyres
- External cabling from bars to stem
- Alloy seatpost
- Mudguard mounts
- Comfortable, compliant ride
- Eight size options
- £2,300
Specialized Allez Sprint vs. Cannondale CAAD13: Frameset and design
Both the Allez Sprint and the CAAD13 have the classic aero frame look of a modern race bike.
In fact, the Allez Sprint has almost the same aero tube profiles and frame geometry (the stack is 3mm higher) as Specialized’s top carbon race bike, the Tarmac SL7.
Specialized says this involved some complex manipulation of the alloy sections, such as the head tube. The Allez Sprint’s bottom bracket and down tube are constructed as a single piece to save weight and reduce the number of welds.
Specialized welds the frame together using its Smartweld technology, which chamfers the surfaces to be welded rather than having a straight-across weld. It also moves the joints in the head tube down the joining tubes by adding short sections of the down tube and top tube to the head tube module.
This, says Specialized, reduces weld material and increases frame strength. Specialized has ported design features from the Tarmac SL7 like integrated cabling, as well as using the same S-Works carbon seatpost as the flagship bike.
The Cannondale CAAD13 takes a lot of its design cues from that brand’s SuperSix Evo carbon race bike, including its truncated aerofoil tube shapes.
It uses Cannondale’s SmartForm C1 Premium alloy, which Cannondale says makes the frame very light for an alloy bike. The cables run externally from the bars into the stem, but then internally through the frame.
Cannondale was one of the proponents of press-fit bottom brackets and the CAAD13 has BB30 bearings, whereas Specialized fits a threaded bottom bracket to the Allez Sprint. The latter is likely to be easier to live with and is more home mechanic-friendly.
The Cannondale has clearance for 30mm tyres and it’s equipped for mudguards, making all-weather rides an option; with the Allez Sprint, you’ll get wet when it rains as there are no mudguard fixing points, but it does take 32mm tyres.
When we tested the CAAD13 105, we weighed it at 8.6kg for a size 51 as against the Allez Sprint’s 8.8kg for a size 54, so there should be a small weight advantage for the Cannondale for similar size frames.
Specialized Allez Sprint vs. Cannondale CAAD13: Geometry
The key geometry figures to compare are reach and stack. The reach of the Cannondale is slightly shorter than the Specialized, while its stack is significantly higher.
That’s a classic differentiator between a more race-oriented bike like the Allez Sprint and a more endurance-focussed ride like the CAAD13. It’s supported by a longer head tube and seat tube in the Cannondale, although its top tube length is slightly longer than the Specialized.
Cannondale makes the CAAD13 frame in eight sizes, against the Specialized Allez Sprint’s six sizes.
Specialized Allez Sprint geometry (in mm)
| Size | 49 | 52 | 54 | 56 | 58 | 61 |
| Seat Tube Length | 470 | 495 | 510 | 530 | 550 | 570 |
| Top Tube Length, Horizontal | 509 | 532 | 541 | 563 | 578 | 596 |
| Head Tube Angle | 71.75° | 72.5° | 73° | 73.5° | 73.5° | 74° |
| Seat Tube Angle | 75.5° | 74° | 74° | 73.5° | 73.5° | 73° |
| Bike Standover Height | 735 | 755 | 765 | 795 | 815 | 835 |
| Head Tube Length | 105 | 115 | 133 | 153 | 180 | 200 |
| Wheelbase | 974 | 976 | 979 | 992 | 1006 | 1013 |
| Front Center | 575 | 578 | 580 | 592 | 607 | 614 |
| Chainstay Length | 410 | 410 | 410 | 410 | 410 | 410 |
| BB Drop | 74 | 74 | 72 | 72 | 72 | 72 |
| BB Height | 266 | 266 | 268 | 268 | 268 | 268 |
| Fork Rake/Offset | 47 | 47 | 44 | 44 | 44 | 44 |
| Trail | 63 | 58 | 58 | 55 | 55 | 52 |
| Stack | 508 | 520 | 537 | 558 | 584 | 605 |
| Reach | 378 | 383 | 387 | 398 | 405 | 411 |
The Cannondale’s seat tube angle and in particular its head tube angle are also lower across the size range, again hallmarks of a more relaxed, stable ride. The wheelbase and front centre figures are significantly longer in the Cannondale, while the chainstays are slightly shorter than the Specialized.
Cannondale CAAD13 geometry (in mm)
| Size | 44 | 48 | 51 | 54 | 56 | 58 | 60 | 62 |
| Seat Tube Length | 404 | 442 | 481 | 519 | 540 | 562 | 583 | 604 |
| Top Tube Length, Horizontal | 510 | 520 | 530 | 546 | 562 | 578 | 594 | 611 |
| Head Tube Angle | 70.9° | 71.2° | 71.2° | 71.2° | 73° | 73° | 73° | 73° |
| Seat Tube Angle | 74.5° | 74.3° | 74.1° | 73.7° | 73.3° | 72.9° | 72.5° | 72.1° |
| Bike Standover Height | 686 | 723 | 753 | 790 | 805 | 829 | 848 | 868 |
| Head Tube Length | 94 | 114 | 130 | 154 | 164 | 188 | 209 | 23 |
| Wheelbase | 976 | 985 | 994 | 1008 | 992 | 1005 | 1016 | 1028 |
| Front Center | 581 | 589 | 598 | 611 | 594 | 607 | 618 | 63 |
| Chainstay Length | 408 | 408 | 408 | 408 | 408 | 408 | 408 | 408 |
| BB Drop | 79 | 74 | 74 | 72 | 72 | 69 | 69 | 69 |
| BB Height | 263 | 268 | 268 | 271 | 271 | 273 | 273 | 273 |
| Fork Rake/Offset | 55 | 55 | 55 | 55 | 45 | 45 | 45 | 45 |
| Trail | 60 | 58 | 58 | 58 | 58 | 58 | 58 | 58 |
| Stack | 505 | 52 | 535 | 555 | 575 | 595 | 615 | 635 |
| Reach | 37 | 374 | 378 | 384 | 389 | 395 | 40 | 406 |
Specialized Allez Sprint vs. Cannondale CAAD13 Disc: Specs compared
Specialized sells the Allez Sprint in the UK in just one build: the Allez Sprint Comp and as a frameset (US buyers also get the choice of the flashy Allez Sprint LTD with a SRAM Force eTap AXS single ring groupset and deep section Roval carbon wheels).
Priced at £2,900, the Allez Sprint Comp has a Shimano 105 11-speed hydraulic disc brake groupset with a 52/36 crankset and an 11-28 cassette. The wheels have DT Swiss R470 rims and DT Swiss spokes built up on Specialized hubs. They’re shod with 26mm Specialized Turbo Pro tyres.
Cannondale has more options for the CAAD13 Disc though. The 105 spec is priced at £2,300 and comes with a Cannondale 1 crankset with 52/36 FSA chainrings and paired with an 11-30 cassette, giving a little more range.
Cannondale specs Shimano Ultegra shifters rather than 105. Wheels have Cannondale rims on Formula hubs and come with Vittoria Zaffiro Pro Slick 25mm tyres. The CAAD13 Disc gets an aluminium seatpost versus the Allez Sprint Comp’s S-Works carbon.
There’s a women’s CAAD13 Disc too, with a smaller frame in four sizes ranging from 44cm up to 54cm and sporting a women’s saddle.
You can also buy the £3,000 CAAD13 Disc Ultegra with the eponymous 11-speed mechanical groupset, Fulcrum Racing 900 wheels and Vittoria Rubino Pro Bright 25mm tyres.
US buyers can opt for a SRAM Rival eTap AXS model too, while the international site shows Shimano Tiagra 10-speed and SRAM Force 12-speed specs in addition.
Specialized Allez Sprint vs. Cannondale CAAD13: Which one should I buy?
One word repeats in our review of the Specialized Allez Sprint and that word is ‘stiff’. It’s a bike that is great for sprints and inherits its formidable handling characteristics from the Tarmac SL7.
We described it as ‘firm but not unforgiving’. It’s a bike that does everything you want for crit races, while making use of the 32mm clearance to fit wider tyres might up the ride comfort for the non-racer.
In contrast, Cannondale has used its decades of aluminium bike expertise (it was a pioneer of alloy when it supplanted steel in the 1990s) to give the CAAD13 exceptionally smooth ride quality.
It’s not as pretty as the Allez Sprint, but for the non-racing enthusiast, it should be a more comfortable distance ride. It is also priced £600 less than the Allez Sprint or gives you the option to spend £100 more than that bike for an Ultegra 11-speed spec rather than 105.
Both our reviews point out that there are carbon framed options for a similar price though, which could shave a significant amount of weight from these alloy machines.
Need more road bike buying advice? Don't miss our buyer's guide to the best road bikes