Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - 6'8" 300+ pound former football player looking for a road bike

Hi there, guys--

My first post! Exciting!

Anyhow, I'm posting here on this wonderful forum because I'm sort of in a dilemma. I'm 6'8" (38" inseam), 300+ pounds, and I need to find a road bike.

For the last year or so, I've been using a Giant Revive (semi-recumbent). It's worked out great (especially to lose some of those football pounds), but now I sort of feel like I really want to move fast. My goal is to eventually do RAGBRAI next year, and tear across my home state of Iowa, so I feel like I need a road bike.

Obviously, I won't be at 300ish forever. But, even if I got as skinny as I possibly could (i.e. 0% body fat without losing any muscle) I'd still weigh 250 pounds. No matter what I do, I'll probably need a strong bike, right? What am I to do? Do you guys have any recommendations on:

Bikes (there's a Trek Pilot 1.0 63cm in my local craigslist......big enough?)
Tires
Frame sizes
Anything else I should consider

Thanks a bunch, guys, and any guidance is appreciated. I'm a total roadbike novice.

--E

Are you in Iowa? If so, where abouts?

That pilot is far too small for you unfortunatly.

If your planning on doing RAGBRAI I would suggest a touring type road bike for the comfort. Check out the Surley LHT built up to your specifications. Poster bdinger recentley purchased one and sings it's praises.

Frame: Surley Long Haul Trucker
Tires: Continental Gatorskins
Wheels: Velocity Deep V's
Saddle: Brookes B-17

Hi there, guys--

My first post! Exciting!

Anyhow, I'm posting here on this wonderful forum because I'm sort of in a dilemma. I'm 6'8" (38" inseam), 300+ pounds, and I need to find a road bike.

For the last year or so, I've been using a Giant Revive (semi-recumbent). It's worked out great (especially to lose some of those football pounds), but now I sort of feel like I really want to move fast. My goal is to eventually do RAGBRAI next year, and tear across my home state of Iowa, so I feel like I need a road bike.

Obviously, I won't be at 300ish forever. But, even if I got as skinny as I possibly could (i.e. 0% body fat without losing any muscle) I'd still weigh 250 pounds. No matter what I do, I'll probably need a strong bike, right? What am I to do? Do you guys have any recommendations on:

Bikes (there's a Trek Pilot 1.0 63cm in my local craigslist......big enough?)
Tires
Frame sizes
Anything else I should consider

Thanks a bunch, guys, and any guidance is appreciated. I'm a total roadbike novice.

--E

Welcome! Don't be afraid of your weight... we've had some folks around here that tipped the scales at 400+lbs at one point. Most road bikes are designed to be SUPER strong in supporting heavy riders like us.

With that said, the weakest link in the bike is USUALLY the wheels, particularly the spokes. If you purchase a bike with 16 spokes on the wheels you more than likely will run into problems, however this doesnt mean you need to go overkill with MTB wheels with 48 spokes. You can get away with wheels with 32 spokes which are properly/evenly tensioned. The rule of thumb is that machined wheels are not as safe as hand-built wheels, but then again hand built wheels can cost you a small fortune.

I am 245lbs and I currently (well not CURRENTLY, but previously) ride a Trek Madone 5.2 which is a full carbon bike with 24 spoke wheels. I have not had any problems with my weight on that bike and according to Trek the bike has no weight limit, assuming it's properly assembled and tuned.

As far as frame size goes, it is hard for anyone to tell you your frame size without seeing you on a bike. You should take yourself down to a Local Bike Shop (LBS) and have them size you on a road bike frame, geometries might differ slightly between brands however size should remain relatively constant. The LBS will guestimate a frame size for you and put it on a trainer and have you ride it while making some adjustments to seat height and some other things. That will tell you what frame size you are. Also when buying a bike if your frame size is not available do NOT let the bike shop or anyone else tell you a larger size will work fine. If anything opt for a smaller size as you can always get a longer seat post or longer stem... you can't do anything for a bike too large for you.

With all that said, good luck on your quest for a Road bike... remember the only way to tell a bike is right for you is to ride it. A parking lot ride will not suffice, opt for a longer maybe 2-4 mile ride on a MUP or a light traffic roadway.

That pilot is far too small for you unfortunatly.

If your planning on doing RAGBRAI I would suggest a touring type road bike for the comfort. Check out the Surley LHT built up to your specifications. Poster bdinger recentley purchased one and sings it's praises.

Frame: Surley Long Haul Trucker
Tires: Continental Gatorskins
Wheels: Velocity Deep V's
Saddle: Brookes B-17

This man hit it on the head. I seriously can't say anything bad about my LHT, which long-time readers will note is funny because I can find things bad to say about anything :D. The setup proposed here is perfect, absolutely perfect. I believe there is a 64cm Trucker frame, if so that might be tall enough for you. I'm 6ft 2 and I ride a 58cm, but probably could have gone with a 60cm. The frame sizes for Surly run a little big, but check with your LBS.

Seriously though, the changes I would have made/have made are above. As soon as the stock tires wear out, or as soon as I cave and buy some I'm going with a set of 700x28 Continental Ultra Gatorskins. The stock tires are great, in fact if you do gravel/non paved touring they're idea (which is what is keeping me from getting rid of them), but for pavement you'd want something that rolls a little faster. Wheels are the key, and the stock wheels are pretty darn good. Ride them, and if you have problems, go with a Deep-V built up with the original hubs.

Other than that, it's the most versatile bike on the planet. On Monday my route home involved a paved MUP, a street, a gravel road, a crushed limestone path, and a highway. Granted a lot of bikes can do that, but not a lot can do it comfortably.

Thanks for all the info, guys!

I'm from Iowa City (Go World of Bikes!), but now live in Minneapolis.

I did some quick searching online, and it seems that the Surly LHT only comes in 62cm; do you think I should call them, and ask if they make a 64cm? Those LHTs look pretty effin' nice!

Why exactly won't the Trek Pilot 1.0 63cm work for me (oh yeah, he wants 475.......good price?)? Is it just too lightly built, or will it not fit my legs, or is it just not right for highway riding? For the next year or so, most of my riding will be done in-town on Minneapolis biketrails and such.

Thanks for the hints on the wheels/tires. I'll definitely make the upgrade as soon as I get a road bike.

Best, --E

My guess is that the Trek is too small for you, given you are 6-8. That is closer to the size someone that is 6-2 to 6-4 would buy. Realize there are 2.54 cm to an inch. So one inch addition inseam = 2.5 cm addition standover height.

Head to a good bike shop and have them give you fit advice. You really cannot be sized over the internet, on a forum of any kind.

$475 is a good price, but not for a bike that does not fit.

Based on your description of the type of riding you plan to do, I would recommend one of the better brands of rigid framed mountain bikes (Trek, Specialized, Giant, etc...). They are pretty indestructible, and with the addition of smooth tires, can do well on pavement.

Go to Hiawatha Cyclery... they have a great selection of steel bikes and will do a good job for you.

It was someone on this forum, about a year ago, who had them build a special set-up for them and ship it out of state to them, but you're lucky enough to live in the same city! Very honest, old-school guys and they won't talk you into anything* that's not good for you.

They're over by Nokomis, kind of, towards M'haha Falls. They make great wheels there, too.

I am not sure the Pilot won't work. I am 6'1 250 pounds and I have put 6017 miles on my original Trek Pilot 1 58cm frame. The bike has more miles now, but I did have to replace the rear wheel due to the hub wearing out. I think the best advice would be to get sized at a local shop to get an idea of frame size. My Pilot is a 2006 I paid $769 for it new. $475 seems a little high, but in the ballpark depending on condition. If you buy the Trek you will want to replace the carbon seatpost.

chevy57

Ill sell ya my 2006 Trek 7100.

Been riding it (6'3 275lbs) ---> 210lbs and am going to purchase a road bike.

when I played college ball at Boston College (at 6'6 280) in the 70's I rode a Panasonic 25" frame that was built for big guys only

today's Trek's 520 Tour model is very similar and would be a great bike for you:

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/2008/road/520/520/

I agree ther trek is a good choice as a tough bike, but I fear the 25" would be quite small for most riders over, say, 6'4" I am 6'4" (260 lbs) and my road bike fits me to a T and it is (I think) a 64cm (25 3/4")

How much money are you looking to spend? Unless you canfind something very very big in a stock bike then you might want to consider getting a custom frame made.

I actually have a panasonic 25" frame in my basement (I used it in high school, it was a mountain bike). Could that be retrofitted with roadbike parts (posts, saddle, wheels, tires, etc)? Thank for helping out the newb, guys.

--E

Heck, just put slick tires on the Panasonic, and go for a ride. Nothing wrong with using a mountain bike on the road, just a matter of getting the right tires. Don't worry about the wheels, as long as they are in good condition, use them.

Thats what I did to my old Trek 950.

Performance has slicks on sale for about $6.

I put continental sport contacts (slicks) on my mtb and it stuck to the rode and rode great. You might check the spoke tensions before putting it into service so you do not break break them. There are also enough horn and side grip options to give at least a couple more hand positions.

One of the classic arguments here deals with rolling resistance between big and skinny tires. I am not in a position to add to that argument, but also believe that at my level of biking it does not matter. Fatter tires do act as a kind of shock absorber for the rode.
Eric

Yeah, you could throw some slicks on your panasonic and get back on the road in short order.

If you really want a road bike, you might have to shop around. Minneapolis has a number of great bike stores though so you'll eventually be able to find something in your size.

Croll used to make very custom steel frames in the Minneapolis area if I recall.

You're probably tall enough for custom to be sane. Most bike manufacturers think guys don't get much taller than 6'4". And well, you're not that small. Some of the taller guys with shorter legs can get by with a stock frame, but your legs aren't short either.

Definitely ride your mountain bike. If it turns out you love riding and want to stick with it, then you can go for the bling... but in the mean time you'll learn tons from your old bike.

I doubt anything "off the self" is going to fit you to great advantage.

In addition, those giant sized legs of yours are going to better served by a gonzo set of cranks. You can occasionally find 180mm cranks, but your legs might like something even longer.

Google up Leonard Zinn (http://www.zinncycles.com/). His specialty is fitting really big, and sometimes, really small, folks. He has a fit calculator posted, and makes custom cranks, as well as custom cycles. The full monty is uber expensive, but maybe the fit calculator, and possibly longer cranks, will help.

After talking to many a respected bicyclist, I think I'm going to go with a custom-fit co-motion americano. More to come. Thanks, guys.

I am wondering if a Co-Motion Nor'Wester would be beefy enough for a big/tall Clydesdale like the OP. The Mazama and Americano are likely most appropriate but could the Nor'Wester work as well? It is a dedicated touring bike second only to the Americano and should be able to handle the punishment of a big Clydesdale, especially if one uses it mostly as a road bike and do only light "credit-card" touring. Any big/tall Nor'Wester riders out there?