Advice on a frame

I’m looking at getting a new frameset for next year over in the UK. It will be replacing a CAAD 12 which I have loved other than the bearing issues I have had with it.

I have been looking at the Spesh Allez £1350 and was interested in peoples thoughts on how this would compare to the CAAD. For the same money I can also get a TCR, would this likely be lighter, stiffer, faster and therefore more bike for the money?

There may be other better options that I’ve not thought about so please let me know!

There is a really good YouTube review of CAAD12 versus Allez Sprint (if this is the model you mean, apologies if you just mean the Allez).

I love my CAAD12 but have had zero bearing issues. I have had BB sounding creaks over time which turned out to be: chain, chainrings, play in headset, freehub body, and pedals. An LBS who mainly sold Cannondales but also Cervelo and some other brands said BB issues on CAAD12s are less than the Supersix but neither is any worse or better than other brands they sold. They both however seem to suffer creaks in other places often!

I tried a TCR (weekend loan from Giant store) prior to buying the CAAD12 and it was curiously harsh on my roads. Put in maybe 50-60 miles, tried a few different tyre pressures, but no matter what I was left feeling buzzed after riding.

Am very interested to try a CAAD13 but having ridden a 12 a lot and more recently an 8 as a wet weather bike I doubt there will be much difference

There are a lot of people locally who ride and rate the TCR, the cable routing looks a bit odd? How do you think the TCR rode in terms of handling compared to the CAAD?

Not dissimilar handling for a 54 TCR to a 54 CAAD12 for stock setup. I would say both felt quite natural and went where you wanted without thinking about it, neither was too sharp or pointy and didn’t suffer from battling the bike to turn or being surprised when it turned more than expected. Both were setup slightly taller than I would have liked and with wider bars, but actually think this makes them slightly easier to ride if not as comfortable.

I would never call the CAAD plush but it feels connected to the road and only harsh over the roughest surfaces. The TCR I tried was equally connected but had a harsh buzz most of the time.

I actually ended up going for a 52 CAAD12 to get the blend of handling and comfort I wanted (narrower bars so need longer stem to avoid over-sharp steering plus I like a lot of drop saddle to bars). Only downside is a little toe overlap.

Also shortlisted a Cervelo R2/3 but it felt wooden on test rides and a SuperSix Evo which felt muted, I didn’t know what the wheels were doing under me.