Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Which is best?

I'm 6'6" 260lbs and am looking for a bike. I went to Dunhams and found a K2 Zed Sport that I like and is comfortable, but am worried that the piston shock won't hold up to my weight. I'm also looking at a GMC licensed Denali road bike.

I guess my first question is which would best serve my purpose of riding to and from work 3-5 days a week, all pavement, 15-20 degree inclines, and about 10 miles round trip. The K2 is $275 and the GMC is slightly less.

My second question, is whether the narrow tires of a road bike can handle my weight. The tires of the Denali seem very well built and sturdy, but can't be too sure until I ride it.

Please take into concideration that money is tight, and I can't really afford to pay for gas for small commutes. I figure if I bought a bike, that it would pay for itself after a couple of weeks.

I'm 6'6" 260lbs and am looking for a bike. I went to Dunhams and found a K2 Zed Sport that I like and is comfortable, but am worried that the piston shock won't hold up to my weight. I'm also looking at a GMC licensed Denali road bike.

I guess my first question is which would best serve my purpose of riding to and from work 3-5 days a week, all pavement, 15-20 degree inclines, and about 10 miles round trip. The K2 is $275 and the GMC is slightly less.

My second question, is whether the narrow tires of a road bike can handle my weight. The tires of the Denali seem very well built and sturdy, but can't be too sure until I ride it.

Please take into concideration that money is tight, and I can't really afford to pay for gas for small commutes. I figure if I bought a bike, that it would pay for itself after a couple of weeks.

They still selling the Caddy bike? Realize that it's about half the price of the cheapest bike shop road bike, that should tell you a few things, probably made in the same factory as the high quality bicycles sold at Walmart. Your right to be concerned about the shock on the MTB, The biggest concern is wheels, they need to be properly tensioned and trued, realize a set of clyde friendly, hand built wheels will probably cost more then the bicycles your looking at....

If money is an issue, then check out Craigs List, for a nice and experienced bicycle, contact your local police service and see if they have an annual auction, sometimes you can find some nice deals there. Rarely you can even find a deal on Fleabay, Gar(b)age sales sometimes also can cough up nice bikes for a decent price.....

Don't get either of those. It'd be a waste of the...what?...$150...you'd spend? The components and wheels will break down on you in no time. You'd be taking it to a local shop for repairs and spending more on that than you bought it for.

The K2 is better, by alot IMO. the fork is so cheap I don't think it will break, it just won't do you much good (it will sag alot). That is a tight budget for a new bike.

the K2 has good gearing for the hills too, if you are starting out.

Yeah, it's a tight budget, but I'm not looking for anything spectacular that will take 5 paychecks to pay for. I'm looking for a decent budget bike, that I won't have to drive 100 miles round trip to get. Dunhams also carries Columbia branded bikes (clothing manufacturer). I thought that was kind of odd.

So, what should I look for in a bike? ie; frame material, size, weight, etc.

If you are going to use this as a commuter, the cost should be a secondary thought. You are lucky that you will be able to justify your expense. As for the 200 mile round trip to get to better grade bikes, that is $40 that you should not be concerned about. Besides, you are going to get that back commuting.

Last year, I was at a low point financially, but ended up with about $1000 invested in my Mtn. Bike and have never looked back. It is without a doubt, the best recreational/positive health item I have ever purhased.

One of the things that I think you should really consider, and something I don't hear much chatter about on the forum, is a suspension fork with a lockout. I have one on my Giant Rainier and I can't imagine having a bike without one. When I am road riding, I can lock out the fork and pump the tires up to 65-70 and flat cook. When I want to go off road, I can release the fork and drop the tire pressure and float. Kinda give you two bikes in one.

You can get into higher end entry level bikes (Trek, Giant, Kona and most others starting around $350-$450. I would not consider the Big Box Bike.

My $.02 Good luck with whatever you do.

Jay

You're tall and I wonder if either of those bikes is going to fit you at all. Do they come in different sizes or are they One Size (doesn't) Fit All bikes?

Don't forget safety either. Are you going to be riding in traffic? If so, you are going to want something that is going to be reliable and also be able to stop you well. That was one of my biggest things with my Walmart bike...when I started to do decent mileage and on roads, I got real concerned about the bike being able to stop my 260 lbs when I needed it to. And, it started creaking pretty good under my weight after a few hundred miles.

bikesdirect.com seems to have good quality bikes for cheap. Not as cheap as X-Mart, but cheaper then your LBS. I've seen several from a distance and one up close. I'd recommend them. And you don't have to go any farther than your PC to buy. Drawback? You do have to do some minor assembly when it comes.

In any event, you'll want to get something with slick tires. Off-road, knobby tires will get irritating quickly when riding on the road: they're harder to ride, requiring more energy, and produce alot of numbness-inducing vibration. You'll also want a road-handlebar, not a flat, mountain-bike bar. Flat bars will cause tingling and numbness in your hands due to the reduced positions and the greater vibration from the tires.

I decided to go to the Dick's Sporting Goods one town over to see what they had, and I talked to someone who knew what the hell he was talking about. He pointed me to a 21.5" bike made by a company called Iron Horse. I have never heard of this brand, but he assured me that it will stand up to my weight a lot better than a Diamondback of the same size would. By the way, who would buy a baby poo green bike? I saw a Diamondback there of that color and it stood out like a lit light bulb in a dark room.

I digress. It's a little more than I am willing to spend, but Dicks does offer an additional warranty that covers anything that happens to the bike, including breakage under stress. I figure, I would rather spend a little more on a bike and get a warranty through the store, than to get a bike and not have that option.

Let me know what you think.

Just realize that a bike put together at a discounter/big box retailer is not the same as a bike shop. You basically have a kid putting it together that probably was assembling gas grills earlier that day.....

Go to Craigs List and for the same money (probably less) you will be able to get a very good name brand bike.

As far as tires, it really is all about the rims (wheels) for strength, not so much the tires. You will see some pretty big people on this list with narrow tires (but some really good rims).

The other problem with a box store bike is that it is basically disposable. If you decide later you want a better bike/something different/different size, you will be donating it to Goodwill (insert thrift store of your choice).

My first bike getting back into riding after a 30 year hiatus was a low end good brand rigid mountain bike (bought off of Craigs List). I quickly realized I wanted/needed something different, so it went back onto Craigs List, where I got more than what I had paid for it.

As far as warranties, when you get a name brand bike for less than $100, you really do not need a warranty. Chances are, when you are tired of it, you will be able to get all of your money back, if not more.

I really like my steel, rigid framed, Trek 950 mountain bike. I mounted slicks on it. I think it could take a lot more weight than you are talking about and I paid $75 for it on Craigs List. There are a lot of comparable bikes by other manufacturers.

I am a big fan of Craigs List if you are in a hurry, and garage sales or thrift stores if you are patient.

+1 you do not want knobby tires if you are doing most/all of your riding on pavement.

Great advice wrk101. I'm actually looking on CL right now. Found a classic Schwinn World Sport for $100. Called and he said that he reworked just about everything but the tires. I figure, $100 for the bike, and $150 for the tires and wheels?

milehile, For now, you can get some gumwalls for that Schwinn for around $8.99 each if it has 27" wheels and keep the classic look and Schwinn puts 36 spokers or even 40 spoke rears on their old touring bikes. If it has Alloy rims, they will either be Weinnman or Araya and likely either Maillard or Schimano hubs under that "Schwinn Approved" logo. ;) You can score Continental Ultrasports for about $30.00 ea. if you prefer those to gummies in 27" as well.

I'm guessing you are saying that I found a good bike, Stormcrowe?

I'm saying that I also ride a 22 year old Schwinn as a touring bike in addition to my new Allez. It's served me very well, with it's 22 year old wheels, often hauling a 100+ pound trailer behind it, and also hauling sometimes 50 pounds or so of textbooks on the rear rack in panniers. I've only broken one spoke in the rear wheel, in several thousand miles over the last couple of years on it.

The world sport isn't the top of the line, but it's not a bad bike and $100 isn't a terrible price, either. Make sure it fits you, though, and don't sweat the wheels until you absolutely need to. I would have them trued and tensioned would be the sum of what I did for now.

I am the kind of person, who likes to look up customer reviews about a product before purchasing. That to me, sounds like an excellent review. Thank you Stormcrowe. I think I found my next bike.

http://annarbor.craigslist.org/bik/752445179.html

This is the bike I found on CL

Yikes, you're 6'6"? That bike is way too small for you! You need likely around a 60 CM or 25" or perhaps even a 27" frame. :eek: That would be around a 55 CM frame.

This one is closer, but likely still a bit small

http://annarbor.craigslist.org/bik/750714462.html

or maybe this....
http://annarbor.craigslist.org/bik/746313387.html

If they fit.

my roommate is 6'2" and ≈260lbs. he has a jamis coda (http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/bikes/08_bikes/08coda.html) he got it for around $400 at the local bike shop, and he's loving it.

Ooh, good call before I did something as stupid as make myself look like one of those bears in the circus on a bmx bike. That second one has a little more work than I would want for $225. I think the C.C.M. is the better bet, only because it's complete. As for the PM you sent me, I have a 34.5" inseam.

OK, then the CCM can probably work for you. You might have to do some adjustments. Try riding it, and if you feel cramped in the cockpit, take a pass on it. It's a LOT closer to the size you'll need though.

Yeah. Luckily, the seller isn't too far away from where I live. I'll see what it's like and see if I can't drop the price. Probably not, but doesn't hurt. Thanks for all your help. I appreciate it.

No worries. :D We want you to actually get a bike you'll ride. :D

Oh, I'll ride it. If I don't, I have a big guy named Big Fat Pauley, who will bust me in the kneecaps with a beer bottle if I don't ride it. My little motivation plan.

Totally joking. But seriously, if I'm not riding it, it's my day off.

I have a feeling you're going to be one of the "characters" here in Clydes. :D If I haven't said it already, welcome. ;)

Thanks Tom. Yeah, I can be quite a joker.

On a side note. I've been looking on CL for any nice used bikes, and so far, I can't seem to NOT find any. I found one made by C.C.M. that looks nice for $180. A Trek 360 for $200. A 2speed Cyclocross for $400 (a little pricey for me, but it looks solid). And, a really nice '82 (as old as I am) Schwinn Super Le Tour for $250. Which do you think I should go with?

Thanks Tom. Yeah, I can be quite a joker.

On a side note. I've been looking on CL for any nice used bikes, and so far, I can't seem to NOT find any. I found one made by C.C.M. that looks nice for $180. A Trek 360 for $200. A 2speed Cyclocross for $400 (a little pricey for me, but it looks solid). And, a really nice '82 (as old as I am) Schwinn Super Le Tour for $250. Which do you think I should go with?

Hi i also live in michigan. check the metro detroit area for bikes since for a 40 min drive you will able to find a much better bike. around 40 new bikes for sale are posted each day.

also since you are a taller person try looking at schwinn varsity's. my brother who is 6 ft 5 has one and has driven/beaten the hell out of it and loves it