In 2014, Specialized Bicycle Components celebrated 40 years of production and innovation and to celebrate, they offered a limited reissue of one of their most famous road racing frames: the Allez, originally designed by the legendary Mark DiNucci.
DiNucci was one of the original frame builders at Specialized, and is today one of the most respected in the business. You only need to read some of his dissertation on Red Kite Prayer to gain a deep appreciation for his aesthetic and craftsmanship.
Only seventy-four (as in 1974 — the year ‘The Big S’ was founded) were made available via an auction on eBay, with 100% of the proceeds going to the World Bicycle Relief. Mark DiNucci was reinstated by Specialized to design a tube and lug set for the project.
The 40th Anniversary Allez confounded many upon its release; it was seen as a folly, but we were also fascinated by it. It is still a pedigree frame, and kudos must go to The Big S for recognising its steel heritage and that of its human builders.
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Read all about Byron Yu’s 40th Anniversary Allez on The Spoken here. Big thanks to Chris Riekert for these images.
