Keebs

Hi everyone,

Just to give a little introduction here, I am considering getting into cycling and I am trying to figure out what bike to buy. I am a 30 y/o man, 6'2" 340lb and haven't ridden a bike in a while. My intent is to ride as a form of fun/fitness. I go to the gym pretty regularly but I really struggle to enjoy doing cardio while standing still, so I was thinking it would be great to get a bike to ride. Generally I would be riding road and trails probably 60/40 respectively, but probably nothing seriously offroad. Just dirt trails that are mostly flat and generally not too rough. Now on to the bike.

I have been digging around these forums a lot searching through threads of people with a similar size to mine and trying to get an idea of what bike would work for me. I think I am generally settled on a Mountain or Hybrid bike and I have been looking at the brands I see recommended here a lot: Trek, Specialized, Giant etc. One bike in particular that I was looking at is the Trek 820. It is the cheapest of the Trek bikes and I haven't really seen it specifically mentioned here. This has me somewhat hesitant but in reading the specs it seems to have a lot of qualities that I see recommended here for big riders. It has a steel frame, 36h rims and most of the reviews I have read praise its durability above anything else. Is there something I am missing that makes this bike a poor purchase? It also seems to me that at this low price I could upgrade any glaring issues with the bike if some do exist and still get out pretty cheap.

I am willing to spend up to roughly $1,000 or so if need be but I am wondering if it is best to buy a $1,000 bike and ride it as is or buy a $400-700 bike and upgrade the parts that are likely to fail on me. Any thoughts here?

jsigone

buy a new bike that has warranty and not worry about failed parts/frame. Both will need a higher spoke count wheel upgrade. Some use the Vuelta HD from nashbar for $200ish (roadie wheel)

If you're going to ride in dirt, get a MTB, hybrids don't generally do well in dirt unless it butter smooth. They lack the frame space to get wider and knobby tires.
this a great bang for buck and get 10% back in rewards next yr.
MTB https://www.rei.com/product/124172/s...k-nx1-275-bike

it has standard spec boosted wheel spacing, so you can find some used 29er wheelset and throw slicks on it as small as 35c for the paved-ish or long gravel roads and have fat tires for normal dirt days

I have as 275+ santa cruz chameleon and it's awesome and plush. My trails are sometime 3-5mile paved road to get to dirt, it's not bad to get there on 2.8" wide tires

Keebs

Thanks for the info. I really like the bike you linked but I was wondering, is that good to go from the store or would it need any upgrades to work for me? I am mainly wondering about wheels and seat as I see a lot of people on here mention those as things big guys often need to replace from standard bike.

jsigone

Keebs

I actually just looked into ordering it and unfortunately they only deliver to store, and the nearest REI location is about 100 miles from me. Might need to investigate some other options.

jsigone

sadly the comp to the salsa timberjack cost more that holds standard thru axles specs

https://www.norco.com/bikes/mountain...ht/fluid-2-ht/

https://www.santacruzbicycles.com/en-US/chameleon

there are non standard wheel options now, the bike industry has went away from the decades old 135mm spec to 142 thru axle and 148boost as a standard. Both are thru axles and very strong. But tighter frame tolerance so cost more to make the frames. They created a 141mm quick release hub spacing, but seems aftermarket hubs are very slim or not there. If you have wheel problems, it will be harder to fix outside re-using your own hubs again. I'd try to stick to 142 or 148 wheel spacing to help future proof bike upgrades/fixes.

Trek Roscoe 7 https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/b...olorCode=black

Cannondale Cujo https://www.cannondale.com/en/Intern...8-b9e9435bf78e


another MTB forum about plus sized tire bikes https://forums.mtbr.com/26-27-5-29-plus-bikes/

Khb

If you are far from REI, just what shops are close to you? A good LBS (local bicycle shop) is good to have, unless you are dedicated to doing all your own work ;>

Check them out, both for what they have and *who they are* ... how they treat you, if they seem interested in engaging/educating, etc.

Keebs

After some additional research there is actually a different retailer near me that carries Salsa bikes (and several other top brands) so the Timberjack is an option after all. There are a few shops in my area and I do plan to visit them. I just generally like to have an idea of what I need before I visit a store. Makes me feel more comfortable having a bit of knowledge so I can tell if they are really trying to help me or just make a sale.