New Bike
hey everyone,
I am strongly considering a new bike. I am currently on a Le Monde Alpe de Huez, but I am not happy. I am having mechanical issues on many rides and dont feel like it is as "solid" as I would like - if that makes sense. I typically ride 30 - 50 miles at a time in either the Boston area or western MA. So I get significant hills and bad roads - potholes and the like. I have custom wheels so that's not an issue. I ride pretty hard, usually at say 17 mph of so if I am not on a hill. I am around 230, but lift a lot so while i definitely could lose 20 or so, my ideal weight would likely be 200 - 205 not 185. I carry most of my weight in my legs and ass, so I think I put significant pressure on the pedals and crankset etc. In fact, yesterday my left crank fell off - wonderful riding with one pedal and the other crank attached to your foot but not your bike....
The guys I ride with most regularly is a former racer and of course weighs 140lbs soaking wet, but says I need a better bike the way I ride, and I am inclined to agree. He is suggesting a much stiffer bike with better components which he says will last much longer and put up with the type of riding i do better than the Le Monde. He also thinks I should get something that is not aluminum- he is suggesting carbon.
I wanted to get the thoughts of a group of guys my size. I would be willing to spend up to around 2K. Any thoughts would be very appreciated.
Thanks