Published June 3, 2019 08:29PM
The Allied Able: A New Kanza Conqueror
Among the debates this past weekend about aero bars and World Tour pros in the Dirty Kanza 200, you may have missed this intriguing new gravel bike from Allied being ridden to first place in both the men’s and women’s races by Amity Rockwell and Colin Strickland. It’s called the Able, and it’s funky—but in a good way. It’s hard to miss this bike’s striking elevated chainstay. But this isn’t an exercise in building something differently just because; there’s good reason behind the new design.
- Elevated chainstay design allows 420mm stays.
- Room for up to 700×47 tires in the front.
- Plentiful bottle cage and gear mounts.
Allied wanted to make the back end of this gravel machine lively by keeping the chainstays short. To accomplish this, the Arkansas-based company came up with this elevated chainstay design. At 420mm, the stays can handle an impressive 700×43 tire in the rear and 700×47 in the front (or 650×47 back and 650×55 front).
As this is a gravel-oriented bike, Allied tuned down the front end—at the expense of some on-road handling—to optimize off-road performance. Tweaks compared to the road geometry include a more relaxed headtube angle and a taller stack.
Designed around a 1x drivetrain, the Able is for serious off-road adventures. And three bottle cage mounts—plus the option for either a fourth cage or a top tube bag—mean this frame can carry along the supplies you need for epic adventures. There are also hidden fender mounts for when the weather won’t cooperate.
ADVERTISEMENT
Available in five sizes and two colors: Cavalry Blue and Sport Gray.
Starting at $5,300; alliedcycleworks.com