Specialized - Go Epic! - Race bicycle - 1991

SPECIALIZED ALLEZ EPIC Dura-Ace
This bike marks a tipping point. Until the 80s, the cycling world was dominated by European brands. Steel frames, Reynolds tubes, Campagnolo mechanics. In the mid-1970s, America and Japan arrived. Trek, Ritchey, Shimano. And Specialized, initially with mountain bikes. Experimenting with aluminum and carbon fiber/epoxy. Shimano's Dura-Ace was soon seen as the best derailleur, especially with the index system: one click one shift.
In 1988, Specialized released the Allez Epic. The frame was made of carbon fiber tubes, glued into cast aluminum lugs. Production was outsourced to Giant, Taiwan. The rest is history. While some of the famous European brands still exist, their global market share is now a fraction of what it once was.
This bike was delivered to Belgium. Now almost entirely original and little used. Built in 1991. Price of this bike – top of the line with Dura-Ace - in 1991 was a whopping $2,169. The model was built – in various colors – until 1995. After that, the manufacturers chose either aluminum alloy or carbon fiber. The Allez Epic was an intermediate, but a revolutionary one.

SPECIALIZED ALLEZ EPIC Dura-Ace
This bike marks a tipping point. Until the 1980s, the cycling world was dominated by European brands. Steel frames, Reynolds tubes. Campagnolo mechanics. In the mid-1970s, America and Japan arrived. Trek, Ritchey, Shimano. And Specialized, initially with mountain bikes. Experimenting with aluminum and carbon fiber/epoxy. Dura-Ace from Shimano was soon seen as the best derailleur, certainly with the index system, which with each click of the shifter moved the chain exactly to the next cog.
In 1988, Specialized released the Allez Epic race bike. The frame was made of carbon fiber tubes, glued into cast aluminum lugs. Production was outsourced to an up-and-coming yet visionary Taiwanese company named Giant. The rest is history. Although many of the European companies that dominated the postwar bicycle industry still exist, their global market share is now only a fraction of what it once was.
This bike was delivered in Belgium. Now virtually entirely original and little used. Year of construction 1991. The price of this bike in 1991 was no less than $ 2,169. The model was – in various colors – produced until 1995. After that, the manufacturers chose either aluminum alloy or carbon fiber. The Allez Epic was an in-between model but indeed revolutionary.

SPECS: see last picture; X means not factory standard but period correct.