Need Clyde wisdom on upscale road bike
12-23-17, 11:11 AM
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Need Clyde wisdom on upscale road bike
The Clydes on BF have provided great advice as I used my first (mountain) bike, purchased a road bike, did a century ride,etc. in first 18 mos of riding. Now that I know what I like, it's time to upgrade to a nicer road bike and look for more Clyde wisdom.
Age 55+, short and wide 250 lbs, most rides average between 12 and 16 mph for 25 miles or more in hilly Central PA, and I plan on doing lots more long rides and multi day trips. Currently riding a Raleigh Merit 3 with alloy frame, 105 group set, carbon fork, mechanical discs, 28 mm tires. That's been a great bike to learn on. The new bike will be exclusively a road bike and I'll want typical Clyde enhancements such as hydraulic discs, 32 hole wheel set, and all other components same or better than the Raleigh. Willing to spend up to $8k but I'm not convinced that's necessary.
I've looked at Lynsky Sportive, R260, R275 and they're great bikes but I'm wondering if there's a better value choice around $3k to $5k. Not opposed to carbon frame but choices are few above 250 lbs + gear (Specialized just lowered recommended weight for Roubaix to 240 lbs). Priorities are all-day comfort, reliability, ease of use, and maybe a little speed. Thoughts?
Age 55+, short and wide 250 lbs, most rides average between 12 and 16 mph for 25 miles or more in hilly Central PA, and I plan on doing lots more long rides and multi day trips. Currently riding a Raleigh Merit 3 with alloy frame, 105 group set, carbon fork, mechanical discs, 28 mm tires. That's been a great bike to learn on. The new bike will be exclusively a road bike and I'll want typical Clyde enhancements such as hydraulic discs, 32 hole wheel set, and all other components same or better than the Raleigh. Willing to spend up to $8k but I'm not convinced that's necessary.
I've looked at Lynsky Sportive, R260, R275 and they're great bikes but I'm wondering if there's a better value choice around $3k to $5k. Not opposed to carbon frame but choices are few above 250 lbs + gear (Specialized just lowered recommended weight for Roubaix to 240 lbs). Priorities are all-day comfort, reliability, ease of use, and maybe a little speed. Thoughts?
12-23-17, 12:07 PM
#2
Banned
It is a FAQ, get a Bike at your LBS , if the stock wheel set is low on spoke count, a popular trend,
get another wheel set from the Dealer and they will give you a trade in on your out of the box wheels.
I have no input on your shopping needs , Lynsky, makes good frames, I just see the ones people ride across the country on .
their Backroads , i think it was, has quite oversize tubes to increase the strength..
Some people tour on road bikes..
....
get another wheel set from the Dealer and they will give you a trade in on your out of the box wheels.
I have no input on your shopping needs , Lynsky, makes good frames, I just see the ones people ride across the country on .
their Backroads , i think it was, has quite oversize tubes to increase the strength..
Some people tour on road bikes..
....
12-23-17, 03:41 PM
#3
Senior Member
I can tell you what I did personally. I can't claim it's the best way, but it's what I did.
I wanted strength, durability, stability, etc. in a bike, since even though I don't plan on staying a superclyde, I'll always still be at least a clyde. Although I think the carbon bikes can be sexy as hell, they're all made for skinny people, and I just didn't believe that whatever hot carbon bike is out there would be as strong, tough, and durable as I'd want as a very heavy rider.
So carbon was out for me. Maybe when I'm down another 50 or 60 lbs. But for now carbon is out.
I didn't want aluminum because although it's cheap and strong enough, it also fatigues more, and an aluminum bike built strong enough and tough enough would probably (not necessarily, but likely) also be stiffer than I'd like. Also, aluminum has no fatigue limit, so anything you do on it, literally, is gradually wearing down its lifespan, and I wanted my bike to be a keeper for the long haul. So I somewhat arbitrarily crossed aluminum off my list.
This brings me to either steel or titanium. Steel is real, etc. For what I paid I could probably have found some custom builder to build me a really nice steel frame. There's no question about it. I didn't make an explicit decision to exclude steel from my "dream bike" eligibility list. I simply chose not to pursue it to its logical conclusion because... Titanium.
That's right. I was enticed by the allure of the exotic metal. It's durable. It fatigues in ways that make it likely that unless crashed or run over, the bike will literally last for the rest of my life. It's got very good flexibility and strength, weight, etc. characteristics that I'd read could be made into a very comfortable bike.
And there was an element of the irrational in the decision, too. I think I'd heard the song "Titanium" by Sia, and my mind had changed the words of the chorus to "You shoot me down, but I won't fall, my bike is titanium!" or so something.
So it was going to be titanium. From what I'd seen there are truly high-end titanium builders like Moots, Erickson, and several others, whose bikes were going to be way over what I'd want to (or be allowed to by our family's Comptroller General) spend. Then there's the Motobecane bikes by Bikes Direct on the low end of the scale. Probably reasonable bikes, but with dubious support and other perhaps irrationally assumed risk factors. It just seemed that Lynskey fell into that Golidlocks zone. They weren't Bikes Direct-level cheap and unsupported, nor Moots-level expensive. They've been around doing titanium bikes forever (the family if not the company itself). There are enough people riding them who like them a lot, so you could get the feel reading comments from others that they are legit.
I ended up getting the Lynskey R260, and I went whole hog with it. You could save a lot of money going with mechanical Ultegra or 105 or something instead of Di2, but this was my dream bike, and in my dreams my bike had Di2, so that's what I got. I added in the Lynskey titanium setback seat post as well. The alloy seatpost would have been fine, but again, dream bike rules here. I'd have gone with the ti stem as well if I'd known exactly which length stem I wanted, so I got the alloy stem instead. Good move, since I've switched from the 100mm to a 110mm since getting the bike.
With the R260, Ultegra 6870 Di2 (hydraulic disc brakes), thru-axle upgrade, Stans Grail wheelset, titanium seat post, etc. I was in for around $6k give or take. I added to this a Brooks B17 saddle, some Ultegra 8000 pedals, and some other doodads like a nice tail light, a combo mount for my Garmin and my night light, etc. I also swapped out the cheapo FSA alloy handlebar that came on the Lynskey for the 3T Ergonova Pro alloy handlebar I had on my previous bike. It's a much, much nicer bar than what comes with the Lynskey.
The Stans Grail wheelset was the toughest wheelset that Lynskey had available to pair up with this bike. There's nothing wrong with it. For alloy rims they are nice and wide, about as deep as most of the other nice alloy rims, etc. Lynskey got me a 32h front wheel to go with the 32h rear wheel (they usually only offer the 28h front wheel, but they ordered a 32h front from Stans because I asked them to). Officially Stans lists a 230-lb rider weight limit for the wheelset, but I was in the upper 280s to 290 or so when I got the bike, and am still like 282 or so and rode over 600 miles on the Grail wheels before moving to a different wheelset (my AeroClyde wheels), and I never felt even a hint of any danger, or weakness, or problem with the Grail wheels. They were fine, and probably would have remained fine for a long time to come.
I did buy parts and built my AeroClyde wheels that are now on the bike, and so in fairness that adds about $1100 to what I'm into for this bike. They aren't necessary, but I wanted to do it, so I did. I'm really liking the wheels a lot, but it's a luxury item on an already luxury-item bike, not a necessity. You probably saw my overly lengthy AeroClyde build report, but if you didn't, the TL;DR version is it's a wheel set based on some Chinese carbon mid-deep section wide carbon rims, White Industries CLD hubs (centerlock disc brakes) in 36h front and rear, using high quality Sapim spokes optimized for strength, durability, as well as chosen for aerodynamic benefits where such would be compatible with strength and durability.
I can't tell you this was the best possible choice for me for a dream bike. There are tons and tons of bikes that I never went out and tested, or companies I didn't look exhaustively into. You could say I short-circuited the decision-making process by excluding alumimum and carbon out of hand, and then essentially ignoring steel and going straight for titanium. I can't and won't justify every step in my decision-making process, nor argue that my bike is better than other bikes I could have had for the same money.
What I will say is that I like it a lot. It's stable, strong, smooth, and fast. For a 282-lb guy riding fairly hard on a road bike this bike just feels perfect to me. If a guy weighs 175 pounds and can ride whatever bike he wants there's probably a zillion other bikes that should be looked at along with the Lynskey, and let the best bike win. For me, at my weight, I feel like I got a perfect bike. With the hydraulic disc brakes I have all the stopping power I could ever need. With the gravel fork and the wider chainstays I can ride wider tires than most road bikes can, and reap all the comfort and smoothness (and arguably speed) benefits that come from that. I've been riding Compass 32mm Stampede Pass tires on it, and they are phenominal. I just ordered a pair of Hutchinson Sector 32 tubeless tires to try out and see how they compare to the Compass tires. Now that I've tweaked it and adjusted things to achieve a more dialed-in fit for me it's uber comfortable. It's way, way nicer to ride, sit on for long distances, etc. than my old bike. The Di2 is nice. It's not only rock solid, stable, strong, and I feel supremely confident on this bike, I'm also modestly faster on it compared to my old bike as demonstrated to me by slightly higher speeds for the same level of effort through recorded rides and segments on Strava.
You could spend a lot less getting the same or similar bike by just skipping Di2. It's a big chunk of the cost. While it's nice, it's certainly not necessary, and it's a good place to save some bones if you're at all cost sensitive on your new bike. If you looked at eBay Lynskey deals on frames and such it's possible you could build up a similar bike for less, depending on your chosen components.
On top of being a schoolhouse magic badass, the kid in this video is really, really fast on his bike!
I wanted strength, durability, stability, etc. in a bike, since even though I don't plan on staying a superclyde, I'll always still be at least a clyde. Although I think the carbon bikes can be sexy as hell, they're all made for skinny people, and I just didn't believe that whatever hot carbon bike is out there would be as strong, tough, and durable as I'd want as a very heavy rider.
So carbon was out for me. Maybe when I'm down another 50 or 60 lbs. But for now carbon is out.
I didn't want aluminum because although it's cheap and strong enough, it also fatigues more, and an aluminum bike built strong enough and tough enough would probably (not necessarily, but likely) also be stiffer than I'd like. Also, aluminum has no fatigue limit, so anything you do on it, literally, is gradually wearing down its lifespan, and I wanted my bike to be a keeper for the long haul. So I somewhat arbitrarily crossed aluminum off my list.
This brings me to either steel or titanium. Steel is real, etc. For what I paid I could probably have found some custom builder to build me a really nice steel frame. There's no question about it. I didn't make an explicit decision to exclude steel from my "dream bike" eligibility list. I simply chose not to pursue it to its logical conclusion because... Titanium.
That's right. I was enticed by the allure of the exotic metal. It's durable. It fatigues in ways that make it likely that unless crashed or run over, the bike will literally last for the rest of my life. It's got very good flexibility and strength, weight, etc. characteristics that I'd read could be made into a very comfortable bike.
And there was an element of the irrational in the decision, too. I think I'd heard the song "Titanium" by Sia, and my mind had changed the words of the chorus to "You shoot me down, but I won't fall, my bike is titanium!" or so something.
So it was going to be titanium. From what I'd seen there are truly high-end titanium builders like Moots, Erickson, and several others, whose bikes were going to be way over what I'd want to (or be allowed to by our family's Comptroller General) spend. Then there's the Motobecane bikes by Bikes Direct on the low end of the scale. Probably reasonable bikes, but with dubious support and other perhaps irrationally assumed risk factors. It just seemed that Lynskey fell into that Golidlocks zone. They weren't Bikes Direct-level cheap and unsupported, nor Moots-level expensive. They've been around doing titanium bikes forever (the family if not the company itself). There are enough people riding them who like them a lot, so you could get the feel reading comments from others that they are legit.
I ended up getting the Lynskey R260, and I went whole hog with it. You could save a lot of money going with mechanical Ultegra or 105 or something instead of Di2, but this was my dream bike, and in my dreams my bike had Di2, so that's what I got. I added in the Lynskey titanium setback seat post as well. The alloy seatpost would have been fine, but again, dream bike rules here. I'd have gone with the ti stem as well if I'd known exactly which length stem I wanted, so I got the alloy stem instead. Good move, since I've switched from the 100mm to a 110mm since getting the bike.
With the R260, Ultegra 6870 Di2 (hydraulic disc brakes), thru-axle upgrade, Stans Grail wheelset, titanium seat post, etc. I was in for around $6k give or take. I added to this a Brooks B17 saddle, some Ultegra 8000 pedals, and some other doodads like a nice tail light, a combo mount for my Garmin and my night light, etc. I also swapped out the cheapo FSA alloy handlebar that came on the Lynskey for the 3T Ergonova Pro alloy handlebar I had on my previous bike. It's a much, much nicer bar than what comes with the Lynskey.
The Stans Grail wheelset was the toughest wheelset that Lynskey had available to pair up with this bike. There's nothing wrong with it. For alloy rims they are nice and wide, about as deep as most of the other nice alloy rims, etc. Lynskey got me a 32h front wheel to go with the 32h rear wheel (they usually only offer the 28h front wheel, but they ordered a 32h front from Stans because I asked them to). Officially Stans lists a 230-lb rider weight limit for the wheelset, but I was in the upper 280s to 290 or so when I got the bike, and am still like 282 or so and rode over 600 miles on the Grail wheels before moving to a different wheelset (my AeroClyde wheels), and I never felt even a hint of any danger, or weakness, or problem with the Grail wheels. They were fine, and probably would have remained fine for a long time to come.
I did buy parts and built my AeroClyde wheels that are now on the bike, and so in fairness that adds about $1100 to what I'm into for this bike. They aren't necessary, but I wanted to do it, so I did. I'm really liking the wheels a lot, but it's a luxury item on an already luxury-item bike, not a necessity. You probably saw my overly lengthy AeroClyde build report, but if you didn't, the TL;DR version is it's a wheel set based on some Chinese carbon mid-deep section wide carbon rims, White Industries CLD hubs (centerlock disc brakes) in 36h front and rear, using high quality Sapim spokes optimized for strength, durability, as well as chosen for aerodynamic benefits where such would be compatible with strength and durability.
I can't tell you this was the best possible choice for me for a dream bike. There are tons and tons of bikes that I never went out and tested, or companies I didn't look exhaustively into. You could say I short-circuited the decision-making process by excluding alumimum and carbon out of hand, and then essentially ignoring steel and going straight for titanium. I can't and won't justify every step in my decision-making process, nor argue that my bike is better than other bikes I could have had for the same money.
What I will say is that I like it a lot. It's stable, strong, smooth, and fast. For a 282-lb guy riding fairly hard on a road bike this bike just feels perfect to me. If a guy weighs 175 pounds and can ride whatever bike he wants there's probably a zillion other bikes that should be looked at along with the Lynskey, and let the best bike win. For me, at my weight, I feel like I got a perfect bike. With the hydraulic disc brakes I have all the stopping power I could ever need. With the gravel fork and the wider chainstays I can ride wider tires than most road bikes can, and reap all the comfort and smoothness (and arguably speed) benefits that come from that. I've been riding Compass 32mm Stampede Pass tires on it, and they are phenominal. I just ordered a pair of Hutchinson Sector 32 tubeless tires to try out and see how they compare to the Compass tires. Now that I've tweaked it and adjusted things to achieve a more dialed-in fit for me it's uber comfortable. It's way, way nicer to ride, sit on for long distances, etc. than my old bike. The Di2 is nice. It's not only rock solid, stable, strong, and I feel supremely confident on this bike, I'm also modestly faster on it compared to my old bike as demonstrated to me by slightly higher speeds for the same level of effort through recorded rides and segments on Strava.
You could spend a lot less getting the same or similar bike by just skipping Di2. It's a big chunk of the cost. While it's nice, it's certainly not necessary, and it's a good place to save some bones if you're at all cost sensitive on your new bike. If you looked at eBay Lynskey deals on frames and such it's possible you could build up a similar bike for less, depending on your chosen components.
On top of being a schoolhouse magic badass, the kid in this video is really, really fast on his bike!
Last edited by SethAZ; 12-23-17 at 04:02 PM.
12-24-17, 06:51 AM
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The Clydes on BF have provided great advice as I used my first (mountain) bike, purchased a road bike, did a century ride,etc. in first 18 mos of riding. Now that I know what I like, it's time to upgrade to a nicer road bike and look for more Clyde wisdom.
Age 55+, short and wide 250 lbs, most rides average between 12 and 16 mph for 25 miles or more in hilly Central PA, and I plan on doing lots more long rides and multi day trips. Currently riding a Raleigh Merit 3 with alloy frame, 105 group set, carbon fork, mechanical discs, 28 mm tires. That's been a great bike to learn on. The new bike will be exclusively a road bike and I'll want typical Clyde enhancements such as hydraulic discs, 32 hole wheel set, and all other components same or better than the Raleigh. Willing to spend up to $8k but I'm not convinced that's necessary.
I've looked at Lynsky Sportive, R260, R275 and they're great bikes but I'm wondering if there's a better value choice around $3k to $5k. Not opposed to carbon frame but choices are few above 250 lbs + gear (Specialized just lowered recommended weight for Roubaix to 240 lbs). Priorities are all-day comfort, reliability, ease of use, and maybe a little speed. Thoughts?
Age 55+, short and wide 250 lbs, most rides average between 12 and 16 mph for 25 miles or more in hilly Central PA, and I plan on doing lots more long rides and multi day trips. Currently riding a Raleigh Merit 3 with alloy frame, 105 group set, carbon fork, mechanical discs, 28 mm tires. That's been a great bike to learn on. The new bike will be exclusively a road bike and I'll want typical Clyde enhancements such as hydraulic discs, 32 hole wheel set, and all other components same or better than the Raleigh. Willing to spend up to $8k but I'm not convinced that's necessary.
I've looked at Lynsky Sportive, R260, R275 and they're great bikes but I'm wondering if there's a better value choice around $3k to $5k. Not opposed to carbon frame but choices are few above 250 lbs + gear (Specialized just lowered recommended weight for Roubaix to 240 lbs). Priorities are all-day comfort, reliability, ease of use, and maybe a little speed. Thoughts?
Last edited by Silvercivic27; 12-24-17 at 08:34 AM.
12-24-17, 08:29 AM
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Also, FYI, I am around 250, 40 years old, and ride a lot of carbon bikes. My favorite right now is a Colnago CX Zero Evo, rim brakes. Wheels are Hed Jet 4 Plus Clyde build and they’re holding up just fine. I got them directly from HED to have them built up just the way I wanted, including down to sticker choice and placement and they still gave me a discount and threw in a wheel bag that was priced probably at their cost. I have a set of 32x32 wheels, they are heavy and overkill at 250 lbs. For 8k, you can easily get top line Carbon with Di2, and probably a custom built wheel set, something like a Cervelo c5 probably a powermeter too like P2max or a Quarq.
12-24-17, 10:53 AM
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Check it out. Weight limit of 240 lbs on Specialized road bikes if I read correctly.
On a bike without rack mounts, 5 lb limit on seat or handelbar pack.
https://media.specialized.com/suppor...0079230_R1.pdf
On a bike without rack mounts, 5 lb limit on seat or handelbar pack.
https://media.specialized.com/suppor...0079230_R1.pdf
12-25-17, 08:57 PM
#7
Senior Member
I am 300, 6'1" and went with a Gunnar Crosshairs. It is a great riding bike, very stable, I have owned carbo, aluminum and this is the third steel bike. Gunnar is a great American company. I went with a steel fork and at 55 this will be with me for a while.
01-01-18, 10:48 AM
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Might not be your cup of tea, but if I had that money to spend on a bike I would make it a bike to remember.
I would get a couple of plane tickets, get some accommodation and first off book myself into a Paul Brodie bike frame workshop. From what I remember he will oversee all your frame building and you will have a custom steel frame to last you a lifetime. He is based in Canada, British Colombia I think. I might even have a look myself.
I would get a couple of plane tickets, get some accommodation and first off book myself into a Paul Brodie bike frame workshop. From what I remember he will oversee all your frame building and you will have a custom steel frame to last you a lifetime. He is based in Canada, British Colombia I think. I might even have a look myself.
01-05-18, 01:44 PM
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I'll second going to your LBS. Often times, the wheels are the issues, not the frame. I'm at 270 and just purchased a Parlee Chebacco (carbon frame) for road and trail riding. I brought up the weight explicitly and the owner was confident it wouldn't be an issue.
01-08-18, 10:29 AM
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The Clydes on BF have provided great advice as I used my first (mountain) bike, purchased a road bike, did a century ride,etc. in first 18 mos of riding. Now that I know what I like, it's time to upgrade to a nicer road bike and look for more Clyde wisdom.
Age 55+, short and wide 250 lbs, most rides average between 12 and 16 mph for 25 miles or more in hilly Central PA, and I plan on doing lots more long rides and multi day trips. Currently riding a Raleigh Merit 3 with alloy frame, 105 group set, carbon fork, mechanical discs, 28 mm tires. That's been a great bike to learn on. The new bike will be exclusively a road bike and I'll want typical Clyde enhancements such as hydraulic discs, 32 hole wheel set, and all other components same or better than the Raleigh. Willing to spend up to $8k but I'm not convinced that's necessary.
I've looked at Lynsky Sportive, R260, R275 and they're great bikes but I'm wondering if there's a better value choice around $3k to $5k. Not opposed to carbon frame but choices are few above 250 lbs + gear (Specialized just lowered recommended weight for Roubaix to 240 lbs). Priorities are all-day comfort, reliability, ease of use, and maybe a little speed. Thoughts?
Age 55+, short and wide 250 lbs, most rides average between 12 and 16 mph for 25 miles or more in hilly Central PA, and I plan on doing lots more long rides and multi day trips. Currently riding a Raleigh Merit 3 with alloy frame, 105 group set, carbon fork, mechanical discs, 28 mm tires. That's been a great bike to learn on. The new bike will be exclusively a road bike and I'll want typical Clyde enhancements such as hydraulic discs, 32 hole wheel set, and all other components same or better than the Raleigh. Willing to spend up to $8k but I'm not convinced that's necessary.
I've looked at Lynsky Sportive, R260, R275 and they're great bikes but I'm wondering if there's a better value choice around $3k to $5k. Not opposed to carbon frame but choices are few above 250 lbs + gear (Specialized just lowered recommended weight for Roubaix to 240 lbs). Priorities are all-day comfort, reliability, ease of use, and maybe a little speed. Thoughts?
Born and raised in Pa. Now live in SC so I know the type of riding you are doing.
Given the frame choices, your best bet for the money could be steel. Not the sexy beast, but it is still a very valued frame material. It is way cheaper than Ti.
Now, you cannot go wrong with Ti but remember you are not paying just for the material, you are paying for craftmanship. Ti bikes like Moots, Lynsky, Seven, No 22 (check them out) are rolling pieces of art. So you are paying for those "stack of dime" welds on the frames. They are beautiful and handcrafted hence the huge cost increase. Material cost is material cost. You are paying for the expertise of the welder. Welding Ti is not the same skill set as welding steel. But Ti bikes are the sexiest on the planet. Stay away from overseas Ti. It may be Ti but there are grades to Ti and of course the quality of assembly. This ain't carbon. I picked up a Moots raw frame in a local shop here and it felt like a Frisbee. I could not believe a frame made out of metal could be so light.
Apart from the added cost of Ti, you basically have to buy the bike sight unseen. Unless go out to Moots in Colorado etc, test riding is not an option. Very few dealers of Ti bikes have enough built or on hand to actually test ride on. I did speak with Lynsky since my son lived just a few miles from Chattanooga but they don't have a store front and only referred me to the nearest dealer that is about 200 miles from where I live. So, spending 6k on a bike that I cannot test ride is rather dicey to me.
As I am sure you know, most bike manufactures cut costs on wheel sets and breaking up component groups. Even at 32 spoke count, at any given time, your entire weight is being supported by only 4 spokes! Rim strength is also critical.
Now, what I did is this. Yes I bought carbon but I am at 220. It came with Fulcrum 4's. Rear wheel did not last 500 miles on standard pavement. Bought new wheel set from builder out of state based upon recommendation and had same issues with rear wheel out of true all the time.
Did a search for clyde wheels like everyone else and found a local "real" wheel builder. I know, that scares off a lot of people, but it has worked. This guy did spoke tension plots of my rear wheel before and after. I had never seen this but it graphs the spoke tension of each spoke and you can then see if the pattern of your spoke tension is circular. A real eye opener. It also gives the builder a frame of reference so if there are future problems he can see what each spoke was set for initially.
Given that, I only had the rear wheel rebuilt. I kept my Ultegra hub since it could handle 32. He recommended a HED rim with some different spokes. He did the whole wheel including labor for 240.00. I thought this was pretty reasonable and so far it has been just shy of 2 years with almost 6,000 miles on that rear wheel and it has had no adjustments at all. Note, you can get a entire wheelset from ROL that covers clydes for around 550 and ROL makes really nice wheels, so I thought this was not out of line.
So, don't be scared away by the term "find a wheel builder" that is around where you live. Check in to one that does a lot of mountain bike wheels since they take way more abuse and if he has a good reputation, he will build you a bullet proof rear wheel. Front wheels do not require the same strength and I am still riding my second wheel set on the front as I am waiting to get the money to have the front done like the rear. Just remember that whatever bike you buy out of the box you will probably have to upgrade the wheelset due to our weight. We are a special breed like it or not.
Note too that I cracked my Felt frame around the seatpost just 9 months into ownership. I believe it was a bad design as the new frame from Felt (under warranty) has a relief cutout on the post which tells me this was a problem. I am a mechanical designer so know a little about stresses and steel etc. Not an expert on bike frames though.
So, if you can afford Ti go for it. It is exotic, will last forever and you will be the cat's meow. If anyone gives you any crap about Ti, offer them a hammer test between their carbon frame and the Ti frame. One hit should do it!
Make no mistake, my next and last bike will be Ti. Even at 220 I feel I am to heavy for carbon. Plus if I ever go down (I did crash with my old aluminum Specialized frame, no damage) I know my carbon will not survive. Ti is basically indestructible. If you don't believe me, there is a good youtube video of the crush strength of 3 tubes. The guy runs over tubes from aluminum, carbon and Ti with a pickup truck. Just the front wheel. Al and carbon were crushed like a paper bag. The Ti tube did not even dent. Don't get me wrong, Carbon is a wonderful material and is the material of choice for frames but that is mostly because it can be mass produced. Ti cannot. Each frame has to be hand welded and therein lies the cost increase.
As I said there are plenty of good steel frames out there too. Don't pooh-pooh them for the sake of old school steel. Aluminum is also a very good frame material and it is cheaper too.
Next time you are at the State College creamery, have some for me!
john
01-08-18, 11:40 AM
#11
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Check these out. Their bikes are beautiful, made in the USA, out of steel and should easily accomodate your weight category.
https://www.speedvagen.com
Good luck.
https://www.speedvagen.com
Good luck.
01-08-18, 12:56 PM
#12
SuperGimp
My personal opinion, at 250 the entire world of bikes is open to you, even ones with a max weight of 240.
Value is a personal decision - but if you're spending that kind of cabbage get something that appeals to you and not me. If anybody says the following words do you just ignore them "There's no point buying a nice bike, you need to lose weight first". I think riding a nice road bike makes a difference and will probably encourage you to ride it more, farther and faster. SO there's that!
I haven't bought a brand new, complete bike since 1992 but looking at @eja_ bottechia I'm starting to get the itch.
Value is a personal decision - but if you're spending that kind of cabbage get something that appeals to you and not me. If anybody says the following words do you just ignore them "There's no point buying a nice bike, you need to lose weight first". I think riding a nice road bike makes a difference and will probably encourage you to ride it more, farther and faster. SO there's that!
I haven't bought a brand new, complete bike since 1992 but looking at @eja_ bottechia I'm starting to get the itch.
Last edited by TrojanHorse; 01-08-18 at 01:00 PM.
01-10-18, 11:00 PM
#13
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Just my 2 cents.
At my heaviest I used strong AL hybrid frames and custom Velocity wheels.
Once I hit 250 I switched to a Specialized Sectuer which is similar to what you have now. I was going to use custom wheels but bought a tension meter and adjusted the spokes and stress relieved the wheels until they stabilized. Worked well but the 28H rears still complain on hard ascents when I pound the pedals.
I bought a Di2 Roubaix last year when I hit 230lb. I am routinely over my Roubaix's weight limit when gear is included. I wouldn't be too put off by the weight limit. With 32mm tires I can knock off metric centuries and flat imperials without hurting the next day. Descents in the Sierras and Santa Cruz mountains are not an issue, even in the wet.
But yeah, if you are going to plunk down a ton of change you should get what you want and what you need.
At my heaviest I used strong AL hybrid frames and custom Velocity wheels.
Once I hit 250 I switched to a Specialized Sectuer which is similar to what you have now. I was going to use custom wheels but bought a tension meter and adjusted the spokes and stress relieved the wheels until they stabilized. Worked well but the 28H rears still complain on hard ascents when I pound the pedals.
I bought a Di2 Roubaix last year when I hit 230lb. I am routinely over my Roubaix's weight limit when gear is included. I wouldn't be too put off by the weight limit. With 32mm tires I can knock off metric centuries and flat imperials without hurting the next day. Descents in the Sierras and Santa Cruz mountains are not an issue, even in the wet.
But yeah, if you are going to plunk down a ton of change you should get what you want and what you need.
01-11-18, 08:40 PM
#14
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If anybody says the following words do you just ignore them "There's no point buying a nice bike, you need to lose weight first". I think riding a nice road bike makes a difference and will probably encourage you to ride it more, farther and faster. SO there's that!
.
.
I like nice bikes regardless of my weight ---- when I get closer to my goal weight, I may just ride them a little faster , that's all, --- but until then, i'm still going to enjoy my life !
Me thoroughly enjoying my Waterford track machine
(with lungs about to explode 
)
01-11-18, 09:19 PM
#15
Senior Member
My personal opinion, at 250 the entire world of bikes is open to you, even ones with a max weight of 240.
Value is a personal decision - but if you're spending that kind of cabbage get something that appeals to you and not me. If anybody says the following words do you just ignore them "There's no point buying a nice bike, you need to lose weight first". I think riding a nice road bike makes a difference and will probably encourage you to ride it more, farther and faster. SO there's that!
I haven't bought a brand new, complete bike since 1992 but looking at @eja_ bottechia I'm starting to get the itch.
Value is a personal decision - but if you're spending that kind of cabbage get something that appeals to you and not me. If anybody says the following words do you just ignore them "There's no point buying a nice bike, you need to lose weight first". I think riding a nice road bike makes a difference and will probably encourage you to ride it more, farther and faster. SO there's that!
I haven't bought a brand new, complete bike since 1992 but looking at @eja_ bottechia I'm starting to get the itch.
01-12-18, 12:24 AM
#16
SuperGimp
I agree wholeheartedly with this. In any event, reading the Specialized brochure thoroughly, the 240 weight limit applies ONLY to those high-end carbon road bikes WITH THE FOLLOWING: Carbon stem, seatpost, or saddle, or complete Roval wheels. So if the Roubaix has steel seat rails, aluminum stem, and aluminum post, the limit does not apply. If it has that fancy carbon suspension post, swap it over to an aluminum version and be done with it (if it bothers you).
I didn't notice that.
Carbon seat posts (normal ones) don't worry me in the least. Probably the limiting factor above is the daggum Roval wheels. Sell those as takeoffs for normal wheels and enjoy!
01-13-18, 09:19 PM
#17
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I recently purchases a Trek Domane SLR Disc. I waited a few years to go carbon but when even Mavic recommended upgrading my aluminum rims getting warrantied to carbon I felt it was time. Just over a 1000 miles on it since November and no issues. I am 265 lbs on a 6'6'' frame so I will never be a lightweight.
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