The Allen Advantage Why choose an Allen bike? Below are five key factors to look at when selecting a bike. They are listed in order of importance. 1)     Position / Bike Geometry 2)     Wheels 3)     Frame Material 4)     Components 5)     Bike Weight

POSITION & BIKE GEOMETRY  Ideally you need to be COMFORTABLE when riding your aero bars.  Riding on your aerobars should be your favourite position, or go-to position. To get into a good position generally you need a steep seat angle and a short top tube so you can reach the aero bars without stretching too much. So the geometry of a bike is really important, it's angles and lengths will affect how you can be positioned. On most bikes for a rider to ride in a good position they are forced to ride on the front of their saddles, or if riders remain positioned on their saddles correctly they are forced to stretch to reach their aerobars. The Allen frame with its steep 80 degree seat tube allows riders to reach and ride on their aerobars comfortably while remaining seated correctly on their seats. When in a good comfortable aerobar-riding position, riders should also be reasonably aerodynamic and be able deliver a good amount of power to the pedals. But comfort is definitely the priority. The "Effects of bicycle frame ergonomics on triathlon 10-km running performance," by Ian Garside and Dominic Doran, appeared in the Journal of Sports Sciences in June 2000. This study showed that riding a steep angled bike not only made for faster ride times for a 40km time trial on an indoor trainer but also improved an athletes ability to runoff the bike. Not only will the geometry of an Allen Bike improve your ride times but you would also expect it to improve your ability to run off the bike.

. WHEELS Wheel selection can greatly enhance your performance. The correct wheel choice for you will depend on your riding ability and riding style and course profile. Generally lighter is better, and the least number of spokes is better due to improved aerodynamics. However some riders will benefit from having wheels that favour lightness more than aerodynamics, and some riders will benefit from having wheels that favour aerodynamics at the expense of lightness. 650c wheels have a number of attributes. They allow the frame to be built with a short top tube so the rider can reach the aerobars and they can be positioned lower in the front if necessary. 650c wheels also allow frames to be built small without creating an over lap of the front wheel and the riders cycle shoe which could potentially be very dangerous. The 650c wheels on the 650c model have the added benefit of being lighter than standard (700c) wheels and have a decreased moment of inertia, so they are easier to accelerate so require less power from the rider to get moving as well as fatigue the rider less. A time trial requires many accelerations throughout it’s entirety, it is no wonder that many of the bike course records in IM races throughout the world have been set on 650c wheel bikes. Allen bikes come with lightweight wheels (670gram front, 845 gram rear) suitable for training and racing on. Corima race wheels are a popular upgrade for many athletes. Check out the “Race Wheels” page on this site.

FRAME MATERIAL Different frame materials offer different characteristics to the “ride” of a bike. Generally the more carbon you have in a bike the more comfortable the ride is as carbon soaks up the road bumps or "Road Noise".Aluminium frames are quite stiff or rigid and generally light. The Allen frame combines the attributes of the above materials. It is mostly Aluminium with carbon seat stays. The aluminium main tubes help make the frame light (1130grams painted!) and very rigid so all the riders’ power is delivered to the rear wheel. The carbon rear seatstays (along with carbon seat post and carbon forks) act to reduce “road noise” therefore making the ride more comfortable than a full aluminium bike.

. COMPONENTS You need good reliable components that do their job. Function is the key thing, followed by weight with components. There are plenty of different options available when it comes to each and every part on a bike. Allen bikes are kitted out with components that will serve each riders needs. Parts are recommended depending on ability, experience, gender and budget. Each Allen that is sold is usually unique as each rider is unique and the bike has to be suited to each rider. This has a two-fold effect, comfort is maximised and there is little need to upgrade or change parts at a later date.

. BIKE WEIGHT Generally a lighter bike will feel better and go faster than a heavy one and gives the rider a psychological boost. However a lot of importance is placed on having a light bike when in reality as long as it is not too heavy, the weight of the bike has less to do with performance than the above factors and more importantly the riders’ condition. The Allen Frame weighs 1130grams (painted), which makes it fairly light. Light enough to be ridden by professional athletes to fast times. The Allen Speedframe has been developed to incorporate all the important qualities needed in a triathlon time trial bike. They are suitable for all athletes from beginner through to elite/professional. Full Bike Gallery of Components