garth, marty,
the earliest allez prototype i've seen went on ebay las t year - it was a re-badged 3rensho SRA with an 'allez' pantographed dura-a ce AX group. seller dated it as 1981, which seems probable given the parts . i really wish i'd bought it.
i have a 52cm 3rensho-built allez with similar graphics and a 'designed by tim neeman' sticker on the chainstay. for various reasons, i think this one is from 1982. it is distinct from t he 3rensho bikes of the time, mostly by having more conservative (shimano?) drop-outs and bb shell rather than the sweet house-brand 3rensho parts. i t does have the unique 3rensho forward-set fork crown, however. (for sale, some evidence of damage but i'd ride it, $75)
i also have a 56cm 3ren sho-built allez that has the same graphics as the 'american flyers' bikes. this one has chromed campagnolo drop-outs and the above-mentioned 3rensho crown. i believe this one dates to 1983. (not for sale, will trade for ide ntical 58cm)
neither of my 3rensho-built bikes have any serial numbers , and both are a very deep red, darker than the movie bikes i've seen photo s of and with a very slight metallic content.
lastly, i have a 58cm 19 84 allez SE, same graphics as the movie bikes, which according to bryant ba inbridge was built by miyata. these were the ones that popularized the bra nd and were widely sold in bike shops (i sold quite a few anyway). really nice frames with shimano ends and very clean construction. not as fine as the 3rensho work but still very nice mass-produced frames for the era. thi s is the brighter primary red of the movie bikes. these were available as complete bikes with suntour superbe pro groups. (for sale, some scratches, not bad, $120 with specialized headset, specialized 40cm bars and 10cm ste m made by nitto, and maybe a specialized bb if i can find it).
despite all this apparent allez obsession, i've never seen the movie as kevin cost ner makes me queasy. do the movie bikes have suntour parts? if so, i thin k they would be the miyata-built iteration. nonetheless, i hope this info helps your friend.
marty, maybe the serotta catalog is referring to bikes other than the specialized's that i presume the main characters rode?
if anyone has better info, please correct me.
cheers, randy du gan van nuys, ca
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Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2006 18:17:03 -0400 From: Bianca Pratorius <biankita @comcast.net> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: [CR]A friend needs to know
I bought a copy of American Flyers and lent it to a youn g guy who never knew about steel bikes and dt shifters. He is now smitte n, and wants an exact version or near exact version of the red Specializ ed bike featured in the movie. The movie has the date of 1985 but from w hat I know about movies, that means the featured bike would be a 1984.
Assuming that the same or similar bike was available from Specialized
in 1983, I am within the rules of this list to ask further questions. I
just listened to three Bob Rolle interviews with Mike Synard about Sp ecialized history. There is no mention of years or when Specialized firs t made road bikes. I remember in 1981 they made Stumpjumpers, but I can' t remember any road bikes from them back then. Obviously they were in th e road bike business by 1984, but were they earlier? If anyone knows, co uld you tell me the first year of manufacture,,,, the type of tubing the y were made of.... the gruppos available and where and who made the firs t road machines.
Garth Libre in Miami Fl.