Skip to content
WhichBike

Specialized Allez - Shimano CUES vs Liv Avail AR 2

Both are endurance bikes at a similar price. Here is what actually separates them.

The short answer

For a typical all-round rider the Specialized Allez - Shimano CUES comes out ahead (75% against 68%). That is not a universal verdict — change the terrain or the priority and the order can flip.

Specialized

Allez - Shimano CUES

75% for a typical rider

£1,249 at Brand website
✓ Checked

Liv

Avail AR 2

68% for a typical rider

£1,399 at Brand website
✓ Checked *

What actually separates them

Price
The Specialized Allez - Shimano CUES is £150 cheaper — £1,249 against £1,399.
Weight
The Specialized Allez - Shimano CUES is 0.3kg lighter, which you notice on long climbs more than anywhere else.
Riding position
The Specialized Allez - Shimano CUES sits you more upright (1.56 stack-to-reach against 1.52). The Liv Avail AR 2 is the more aggressive of the two — quicker if you can hold it, harder work if you cannot.
Tyre clearance
The Liv Avail AR 2 takes 38mm tyres against 35mm — the single most common thing buyers wish they had more of.
Climbing gear
The Specialized Allez - Shimano CUES has the easier bottom gear (24 gear inches against 27), which matters more than weight on anything genuinely steep.
Mudguards
Only the Specialized Allez - Shimano CUES takes mudguards, which decides whether it can be your winter bike.

Side by side

Spec Allez - Shimano CUES Avail AR 2
Price £1,249 £1,399
Weight 10.0 kg 10.3 kg
Frame alloy alloy
Groupset Shimano CUES U6000 2x10 mechanical Shimano Tiagra 2x10
Stack / reach 1.56 1.52
Tyre clearance 35 mm 38 mm
Lowest gear 24 in 27 in
Mudguard mounts Yes No
Comfort 63 64
Speed 33 31
Climbing 55 43
Value 52 35

Neither might be the right answer

This page assumes an average rider. Tell us how you actually ride and we will rank these two against everything else at the price.

Find my bike

Related comparisons