General Cycling Discussion - Help Needed Please !!!

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Rob10
03-02-09, 10:10 AM
Pushed and past 40 - grossly overweight, ankle past it from too much football when injured, and am looking to buy my first bike for many years. Am been aimed towards Felt Z100, Tifosi CK3 but to be honest things have changed a lot since my last road bike and I have little idea, this will purely be a means for keep fit initially, any advice out there with what would be the best to purchase?? 6'4" inside leg 34" so understand XL, 58cm frame best (money IS an object, ard £600 i would hope would get me started any help appreciated

terry_mcafee
03-02-09, 10:31 AM
Bicycling Magazine's 2009 Buyer's Guide just arrived in my mailbox. You should be able to find it on store shelves, soon.
Juha
03-03-09, 02:03 AM
Cheers Rob, and welcome to the Forums. I'm moving this thread from Regional forums to General Cycling, where it might generate more replies.

--Juha, a Forum Mod

alpacalypse
03-03-09, 03:31 AM
Are you sure you want a normal road bike? The combination of being overweight and a long time out of the saddle might make a typical road bike setup not the best choice for you. They tend to be rather uncomfortable for new riders and many road bikes actually have weight limits.

I might suggest a steel-framed hybrid, cyclocross or touring style bike, all of which tend to offer more comfortable riding positions, clearance for wider tires, and better long term durability while sacrificing very little in performance.

Raleigh USA offers some great examples of these sorts of bikes in the Sojourn and Clubman.
one_beatnik
03-03-09, 07:19 AM
Since money is an issue right now, look for a good used bike. They are out there and can be bargains. alpacalypse is spot on with the road bike questions. You may want to look into hybrid styling for now. I think it will be more comfortable for you at first and with weight for you being an issue, the comfort could keep you off the bike. That's not your stated goal. I have a friend that started at 350 lbs and now is about half that. He rides about 8000 miles per year. He used the bike to lose his weight and build his cardio system. His parents and grand parents all died from heart ailments pre 50 years old. He's nearing 60 now.

Keep us up to date.