Bigmanontheroad

Hello All,

After being off the bike for many years, last year I made some big changes to my eating habits and began riding.I'm down to about 340 from 390. I have a Day 6 Samson semibent. It got me back in the saddle but, very inefficient. I rode about 1200 miles last summer and I'm shooting for 2000 this season. I'm riding the Day 6 on trainer this Winter. I'd like to add a roadbike to my stable. $1000 budget. Please make some suggestions brand, material, wheels etc. Thanks, Steve

TrojanHorse

Tons of options in your budget range at Performance...

Endurance Road Bikes - Performance Bike

Head on in, tell them what you want and get a bike that fits you. Enjoy. Wheels are likely to be a problem area, regardless of what you get.

Bigmanontheroad

I've been told 36 spoke 14g tubeless is a smart upgrade. Thoughts?

fietsbob

want efficient a velomobile, a tadpole trike with a full enclosing aerodynamic shaped body solves the biggest issue .. airflow..


a drop bar touring bike like a Trek 520 will be a good road bike with weight carrying, in this case you, capacity in mind.

Id pass on tubeless , but that's trendy now.. Smart ? Opinions differ .. Ive had good reliability from 3 cross 36 hole wheels..



good luck.. you could get a lighter bike and then replace it sooner, Run it by the shop for tune ups and safety checks more often to be safe..
because you are putting more on the saddle than the average guy. wrear and tear to be monitored.. closely.





///

Bigmanontheroad

Thanks, I owned a tadpole for a season didn't care for it but, then had much better luck with the semibent. I'll take a peek at the trek.

TrojanHorse

yes, 36 spoke wheels are likely a good starting spot for you. If they're well built they should last quite a while. If they're el-cheapo machine built 36 spoke wheels, probably not.

Tubeless is trendy now and I have two sets of tubeless wheels but in all honesty, they're a bit more of a pain to own and operate than normal tires. There is ALSO a much better chance you'll get stranded with tubeless although it does cut down on flats in general. Anyway, flats are easy to repair. My main riding wheels are regular ol' clincher.

Bigmanontheroad

Thanks for the advice. Not getting much feedback on frames. Do most people believe all frames will hold up. Our local bike shop manager recommended specialized Diverge... I feel like I'm at the mercy of whatever feedback I can get here because I really know very little about the material and brand quality that would lend itself to strength and longevity. I've so far identified hand built high quality 36" wheels with tubes, and compact chainset. I'm a tall guy but with 30 inch inseam I have minimal clearance on a 56cm frame. There are an overwhelming number of good deals on 56cm bikes. Hard to know where to start.

Turzy

Have you considered a cyclocross ?
I'm about the same weight and ride a CAADX. I have upgraded the wheels though, I use a set of dt swiss tk540 rims with alpine 3 spokes (32) and shimano xt hubs

MRT2

How about a touring bike? They are built for loaded touring. Kona Sutra, Surly Long Haul Trucker, Jamis Aurora, salsa Vaya, Trek 520. Those frames and wheels should hold up. Maybe not so much with bikes built for riders who weigh less than 240 or 250 lbs.

MRT2

Fit is important. Crotch clearance isn't the best measure of fit. Reach is more important. You need to be able to stretch out and relax while riding. Too short a reach and you feel scrunched up and also constantly straining your neck to look ahead. Too long a reach and your hands will get sore or numb from putting too much weight on them.

jonpear6

I think the Breezer Doppler and Marin Nicasio or Four Corners are both very good options. They're the kind of bike that will serve a clyde well on the road and then also have the ability of exploring some doubletrack/forest roads with solid ability as well.

Bigmanontheroad

Thanks, I agree that crotch clearance is useful for determining size of frame but, there is much more to fit. I'm prepared to have a complete fit done at the bike shop including stem, bar and seat adjustment or replacement if needed. Great advice.

Bigmanontheroad

I had at first but everything I read states that they are not necessarily stronger, longer wheel base, nobby tires. I'm not sure there is a up or down side to a cyclocross bike. Does your opinion differ? I do have the CAAD on my list of recommended frames.

jonpear6

I'll just offer some more perspective. I weigh 330ish pounds right now. I weighed about 250 when I got into cycling in serious fashion. I rode a Lemond Zurich road bike. Due to my size I just couldn't get in agreement with the true road fit of the frame. I then move on to a Trek Domane. Felt amazing for 10-15 miles. Then it was the worst. I sold those two bikes and bough a Salsa Fargo, still around 250lbs. Way too much bike in general, but I threw some 1.75in slick tires on it and it was so much more comfortable. I rode more miles and more often. I had all of the hand positions of drop bars, but in a way more comfortable platform.


If you plan on doing longer rides, I would advise (my personal opinion...) against a bike like the CAAD. If you want a roadbike, look at something like the Fairdale Goodship. Steel, carbon fork, and more endurance geometry, I believe. The Black Mountain Cycles Road frame could also be built up for about $1000 if you bought a parts donor bike. I did that for my wife. Clears wide rubber, has quick geo, is beautiful steel frame.


Again, all my opinion, but that's what we're discussing here, right?

Bigmanontheroad

[QUOTE=jonpear6;20143662]I'll just offer some more perspective.

Thank you. I've actually had several people on and off line suggest either road endurance or touring I'll take a look at your suggestions.

MRT2

I was looking at this one recently as they were selling last year's frames at closeout prices. Another option is the Fairdale Weekender Nomad (formerly called the Weekender Drop). It is a slightly heavier frame built to take wider tires and built more for comfort and versatility, but might be perfect for OP. I have seen a few of these up close and was impressed by the quality of the frame.

Bigmanontheroad

Anyone ridden a performance Hybrid like the Trek FX series? I have an appointment this weekend to ride both an endurance road bike and the trek FX 3. The shop owner steered me toward the FX after asking to hear my story. The FX is about 400 less than the endurance so I felt like she was coming at it straight. I'll update you all. Thanks again for the many suggestions. I feel a little better equipped.

MRT2

I used to ride a hybrid, but switched to drop bars 12 years ago. I prefer drop bars for rides longer than 2 hours. Even if you never ride in the drops (and at 350 lbs, you might not), drop bars still offer multiple hand positions, and especially when riding on the hoods, put your wrists in a more natural position than flat bars do. Because a Touring or Touring adventure bike is more versatile for longer rides, light off road, and accomodating both a larger rider and carrying gear, I would suggest going with those (NOT an endurance road bike like the Domane which I fear because of the Iso Speed decouplers wouldn't hold up to your weight long term ).

If you really want to go with a Trek, I would suggest you look at the 520 disc or the 720 disc (or an older 520 if you can find one as those are excellent also).

That said, if you think you won't want or need to ride more than 25 miles, or around 2 hours total, the FX 3 might work for you with slight mods (like building a stronger set of wheels than the stock wheels).

All that said, I would advise you to consider other brands as well.

Bigmanontheroad

Thanks a lot for your feedback. You kind of confirmed my concerns about the FX. I just got a call from another shop they have a brand new 2014 Long Haul Trucker by Surly that is marked way down. I'm riding it tomorrow morning as well. The advantages that you mentioned added to the fact that this bike is built for heavy loads, even has good, 36 spoke wheels already brings some economic advantages to the table as well. Thankfully our temps are rising to a balmy 43 tomorrow and I'll get to put some miles on it.

csport

I am more or less 300lbs. When I got back into biking two years ago, I first bought a performance hybrid, very similar to Trek FX. Later I converted it to drop bars, and then built a gravel/CX bike (Double Cross disc) reusing some of the parts I got for the drop bar conversion of the hybrid. I put flat bars back on the hybrid.

If you are looking at endurance road bikes, check how wide a tire those can take. Narrow tires may be not so good for a clyde since they will have to be inflated to a high pressure which can make the ride uncomfortable. When I finally replaced the original tires on the hybrid (some 32mm CST, actually measured 28) with the 37mm Vittoria Voyager Hypers, the ride quality changed dramatically. The Double Cross with 42 mm Supple Vitesse is even better. I can ride over some cobblestone stretches in Central Park almost as if I were sitting on a couch. Wide supple tires will definitely help.

I think the difference between the CX and touring bikes is that the tourers have lower bottom bracket and longer chainstays. Also, touring bikes are stiffer to allow for more load. Both should be able to take reasonably wide tires.

Totally agree with what MRT2 says regarding the drop bars and touring/adventure bikes.

Bigmanontheroad

[QUOTE=Bigmanontheroad;20140962]Hello All,

UPDATE

I'm now the proud owner of a brand new 2014 Surly Long Haul Trucker. A local shop had a new 2014 they marked down. I managed to get the pedals, saddle, upper brake levers and stem along with install all thrown in and paid their asking price plus tax. I'm very happy with the choice and the deal. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and thoughts. I'd share a pic but, this site only allows URL pics and no URL until 10 posts. Seems lame.

csport

You have 10 posts now
Picture or it did not happen

jonpear6

COngrats! You’re going to be extremely happy with your choice. I have a disc trucker in my stable as well and it is for sure among my most comfortable distance bikes. Did you get the 700c or 26” model? Either is fabulous. I just have a weird love for the 26” ones.

Bigmanontheroad

Bigmanontheroad

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xrj...w?usp=drivesdk