Choocharoo

hi everyone.
I have been riding for years in mountain bikes mostly. Right now I have a giant Roam XR and am looking to go to road biking. I’m 6’2 to 6’3 and weigh 265. When I check out giant, trek and specialized most don’t say much for weight but some guess in the 275 bike+rider; and some 300. I’ve read about mostly avoiding carbon and making sure I go 28 or more spokes. Outside of that I have a budget of about 1500 ish cdn and been debating on a contend disc. I don’t have any 1st hand experience with specialiZed or trek so just looking for input. Even cannondale synapse would be a option. Ultimately just wanna get back doing more road riding with the occasional dip down a hard gravel path.
thanks for any input you might provide and a good bike considering my overall size.
Ciao.

daoswald

Looking at the spec sheet for Cannondale Synapse bikes, the weight limit is a 300 pound rider, regardless of whether it's a carbon fiber or aluminum frame. I've seen some pedals with weight limits under 190 pounds, though I suspect most mainstream pedals can probably stand up to riders of 300 pounds and more. By main line I mean like Shimano 105 level, or a notch on either side of it.

Seat posts may have rider weight limits. But again if your bike is rated to 300 as purchased with its stock wheels, the seat post that came with the bike wouldn't be rated lower. Pedals are the only thing you have to add to the bike to ride it, so just take care not to purchase ones that are rated to lower weight specs than the bike.

WhyFi

Gravel is kind of an ambiguous term. If you're talking about riding primarily on pavement with the occasional jaunt on some relatively smooth, crushed limestone, 28-32mm tires would be great (that's what I run most of the time). If you're looking at longer periods on more chunky, loose stuff, then you'd probably want 35mm+.

The other consideration with regard to tire size is your weight. Larger volume tires will allow you to get away with lower pressure (without pinch-flatting), which will be more comfortable over bumps, crack, and seams. When I was 220, I could pretty easily run my 30mm tires at 70psi, which I find to be comfy on pavement. At 265, you'd either need to run 30mm tires a little harder or you'd need to go slightly larger, to 32s or even 35s.

Seattle Forrest

You don't have to avoid carbon because of your weight. I wouldn't buy a used carbon bike from a stranger personally, and your budget might have you on a metal frame. But if it has some carbon parts, they won't asplode on you.