Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - What road bike for novice?

Hey folks,

I'm thinking about getting something faster/lighter for road, not sure what bikes I should be looking for. Here's some details:

Weight: 240lbs/110kg
Height: 5'7"
Current commuting/touring bike: Crosscheck (steel), Ultegra drivetrain, OpenPro rims/Ultegra hubs
Approx budget: $1000-1400

The Crosscheck is bombproof but heavy. I'd love to have something a bit lighter especially for group spins. Any recommendations on complete bikes or frame/wheel combos for my weight & needs?

(edit: btw I mean novice roadie, not novice cyclist :))

Ummmm...

It will be hard to upgrade, and a lighter road bike will be less comfortable, but...

A Cannondale CAAD 9-5 fits your needs: http://www.cannondale.com/bikes/09/cusa/model-9RA95D_9RA95C.html

You might move the Open Pro/Ultegra wheels from the CC to the CAAD 9.

Michael

Because it's set up for touring and weighs a ton. I get dropped SO far behind on the climbs during group spins, it's not funny.

I know 95% of it is down to body weight, but I'd love to have something even "light-ish" to help out. I'm not talking about a 6.8kg bike, but under 10 would be nice (particularly lighter rotational).

Cheers for the helpful reply :)

It's set up for touring and weighs a ton. I get dropped SO far behind on the climbs during group spins, it's not funny.

I know 95% of it is down to body weight, but I'd love to have something even "light-ish" to help out. I'm not talking about a 6.8kg bike, but under 10 would be nice (particularly lighter rotational).

Yes, I struggle on group rides with my Soma Double Cross for the same reason. Group rides are all about acceleration and a lighter & stiffer bike is better. I've edited my post.

I'm also interval training. I'll do a 60 second sprints uphill, followed by a 5 minutes of cool down, I'll repeat 5X.

Michael

A CAAD 9 is a no miss proposition and hits right in your target budget. It's a great bike, but be aware it is on the aggressive side as far as geometry goes.

Another suggestion is the Allez series from Specialized, or some of the Felt offerings. I'm not sure what the Specialized Roubaix is going for these days, but the geometry is a bit more relaxed.

Good luck, and post some pics when you decide!

Maybe try out the Specialized Sequoia. I just bought a slightly used one and absolutely love it. Relaxed geomety and provdes a nice smooth comfortable ride.

It will be hard to upgrade, and a lighter road bike will be less comfortable, but...

There are lots of comfortable road bikes these days, though I'm not sure the CAAD 9 is among them... I'd suggest looking at the Specialized Roubaix, Specialized Sequoia, Cannondale Synapse, Felt Z-series (Z45, Z35, etc), Giant Defy, and similar.

Thanks for all the suggestions folks, I'm wading into research here now. Cheers!

One major factor to consider is that 100% of the production bikes out there - Specialized, Trek, C-Dale, Giant, Fuji, whomever, will come with a set of low-spoke (20 front, 24 rear is typical) count "boutique" wheels, that, if you are like me, will get trashed in short order.

Thus you will need to factor in a set of heavier duty wheels that will stand up to the added weight.

Lot's of recommendations, Velocity, Mavic rims among others, 36 spoke rear, 32 front as MINUMUM, double butted, and most importantly, a custom build from someone that will stress and true the wheel after initial build-up.

Then save the boutique wheels for when you weigh 190.

Steve B

A CAAD 9 is a no miss proposition and hits right in your target budget. It's a great bike, but be aware it is on the aggressive side as far as geometry goes.

Another suggestion is the Allez series from Specialized, or some of the Felt offerings. I'm not sure what the Specialized Roubaix is going for these days, but the geometry is a bit more relaxed.

Good luck, and post some pics when you decide!

+1 and the Felt line up that has the more relaxed geometry is the Z-series.

One major factor to consider is that 100% of the production bikes out there - Specialized, Trek, C-Dale, Giant, Fuji, whomever, will come with a set of low-spoke (20 front, 24 rear is typical) count "boutique" wheels, that, if you are like me, will get trashed in short order.

Thus you will need to factor in a set of heavier duty wheels that will stand up to the added weight.

Lot's of recommendations, Velocity, Mavic rims among others, 36 spoke rear, 32 front as MINUMUM, double butted, and most importantly, a custom build from someone that will stress and true the wheel after initial build-up.

Then save the boutique wheels for when you weigh 190.

Steve B

I respectfully disagree.
I'm 5'10", 240-250ish and ride a 2006 Giant OCR Limited (Carbon Frame) with the stock 20/24 spoke Xero XSR-3 wheels.

After nearly 4,000 miles, I have had no issues with the wheels. Having said that, I strongly recommend getting the spokes retensioned / wheels trued (by a competant builder) after a "break-in" period of a few hundred miles. In my experience, the wheels were still true but the spokes were in dire need of tensioning. A bit of preventive maintenance goes a long way in preventing broken spokes.

Since you mentioned you want something lighter for club rides, the "heavier-duty" wheels may be defeating the purpose. As long as you aren't bunny hoppin curbs, you should be fine......

<Getting ready to get blasted so I'm putting on my flame proof kit.......>

I respectfully disagree.
I'm 5'10", 240-250ish and ride a 2006 Giant OCR Limited (Carbon Frame) with the stock 20/24 spoke Xero XSR-3 wheels.

After nearly 4,000 miles, I have had no issues with the wheels. Having said that, I strongly recommend getting the spokes retensioned / wheels trued (by a competant builder) after a "break-in" period of a few hundred miles. In my experience, the wheels were still true but the spokes were in dire need of tensioning. A bit of preventive maintenance goes a long way in preventing broken spokes.

Since you mentioned you want something lighter for club rides, the "heavier-duty" wheels may be defeating the purpose. As long as you aren't bunny hoppin curbs, you should be fine......

<Getting ready to get blasted so I'm putting on my flame proof kit.......>

You need heavy-duty wheels if you are a Clyde. Bone Head, your experience is not too uncommon but it's not common either. You must not do any major climbs on your bike. Durability matters because if you do any amounts of climbing, you WILL destroy those Xero wheels. A buddy of mine rolls on Dura Ace wheels and he is around your size. He too has never had any problems. Still he realizes that they will eventually so he bought a pair of V32 spoked Velocity Deep Vs with Ultegra hubs.

You need heavy-duty wheels if you are a Clyde. Bone Head, your experience is not too uncommon but it's not common either. You must not do any major climbs on your bike. Durability matters because if you do any amounts of climbing, you WILL destroy those Xero wheels. A buddy of mine rolls on Dura Ace wheels and he is around your size. He too has never had any problems. Still he realizes that they will eventually so he bought a pair of V32 spoked Velocity Deep Vs with Ultegra hubs.

Thank you for providing the information on what I need and I'll be sure to replace those Xeros before my next ride up the Alpe d'Huez. I'm also glad to know that my experience is neither common or uncommon(huh???) It is great to hear that your buddy didn't have any problems with his Dura Ace wheels - must be nice to have extra disposable income.

And I agree that wheels will eventually fail, as will bar tape, brakes, chains, cassettes, chainrings, pedals, derailliers............

...After nearly 4,000 miles, I have had no issues with the wheels.......>

So, you're sure these wheels will last me nearly 90 days?

So, you're sure these wheels will last me nearly 90 days?

Sounds to me like you have had a problem in 90 days or less......
I never said that. I stated my experience. If you ride 4 consecutive TdF, they probably won't last 90 days!

I apologize to the OP for the direction this thread has gone. I mearly stated my personal experience regarding a post on low spoke wheels.

Sounds to me like you have had a problem in 90 days or less.......

Nope, I'm saying I've been riding 4,000 miles every 90 days, give or take a little bit. So, the 4,000 mile claim didn't strike me as much evidence.

They may be great wheels that will turn out to last a long time, but you don't know yet.

Nope, I'm saying I've been riding 4,000 miles every 90 days, give or take a little bit. So, the 4,000 mile claim didn't strike me as much evidence.

They may be great wheels that will turn out to last a long time, but you don't know yet.

Glad to hear you ride 4,000 miles per quarter. That is crazy mileage!! I very seriously doubt that many other clydes here (there probably are a few) ride 16,000 miles per year. Compared to your case (and many others here), you're right, my 4,000 miles is insignificant.

Once again, I stated my experience, however pitiful my mileage is compared to yours.

How many miles will the OP ride per year? I don't know. He stated that he had a commuter and was looking for something lighter for group rides. Stock wheels (20/24 spoke) may not meet your needs, but are adequate for mine and perhaps the OP's requirements. Replacing what may be a perfectly satisfactory set of wheels just doesn't make sense to me.

Again, my apologies to the OP for the post getting off topic.

I respectfully disagree.
I'm 5'10", 240-250ish and ride a 2006 Giant OCR Limited (Carbon Frame) with the stock 20/24 spoke Xero XSR-3 wheels.



No flames comin' your way, but your experience is not generally what I read about, have experienced myself, or what my LBS owner tells me ( I have NEVER weighed less then 175 and am right now about 230). Remember too that different bikes come with different wheels, and there might be 20 or more manufacturers of what I call "boutique" wheels out there, with some being excellent wheels. It's hit and miss and with a new bike, you rarely get to pick and choose, as it's often what the bike manufacturer got a deal on.

My definition of "boutique" BTW, is a wheel that has less then what has been the "standard" of 32 spokes, so wheels with 20 front and 24 back qualify, as does a wheel with a house brand hub that is not Shimano 105 and up, or equal Campy quality, as well as spokes that are other then Wheelsmith or DT double butted.

This is, in my book, the "Gold Standard" of a durable wheel and is not something I made up, but comes from 20 years of following the industry.

In that 20 years, we have seen an explosion of new designs and wheel build up methods and many of them are advanced and durable. Most are not as good as the Gold Standard and that''s simply an engineering issue. Simply put, placing the load on a deep dish rim, then allowing for fewer spokes, is no better then a shallower rim and more spokes. Likewise, not using double butted spokes, which spreads the tension in the length of the spoke, rather then the nipple and spoke head, makes for a cheap wheel. Other methods, such as straight pull spokes "can be" durable as well, depending on the manufacturer, but are not generally lighter if they are going to be as strong.

Compounding the issue is machine built wheels, which usually have no stress relief and re-tensioning done to them. In practice, the first thing a buyer should do with these wheels, is take a spoke wrench to the wheels and loosen every spoke, then take the wheel to a competent builder and get the wheel stressed and re-trued, all before riding, and who does that ?. Most folks go ride the hell out of the wheel, then when a spoke breaks, they get it replaced, then another goes, then a third, and at that point they are talking about stress relief and it's too late at that point as the spokes have had too much stress placed on them and the wheel is eventually going to be replaced.

Thus is the state of bicycle wheels these days, and is why most reputable shops will (or should) recommend a heavier duty set of wheels for heavy riders.

Note also that Yes, it does somewhat defeat the purpose of getting a lighter bike, especially when the bike spec's say it's a 17.2 lbs bike (sans pedals), and you then go and add 2 lbs in wheels. In reality it's not 2 lbs, more like a pound or so, and even if it's 2 lbs, so what ?, as the bike is still lighter then a cross bike (in general) and rides snappier. And that's the goal.

As my own experience, I recently purchased a mail order Tommaso Aggraziato full carbon road bike from Randal Scott. Got a great deal for a 17 lbs bike with some Ultegra, some FSA and some Ritchey, as well as a stiff as hell carbon frame, that accelerates like a rocket. First thing I replaced (actually, the only thing I replaced) is the Fulcrum 20/24 wheels for my Mavic Open Pro/Ultegra fronts (32) and Mavic CXP33/Ultegra 36 rears. I'll ride the Fulcrums when I weigh 180 again, and in the mean time the bike still accelerates and climbs like a rocket.

Steve B.

I apologize to the OP for the direction this thread has gone. I mearly stated my personal experience regarding a post on low spoke wheels.

No worries, there's been some great info in here, including seeing both sides of the spoke-count argument is useful - I'm guessing a lot of that argument depends on use-case, and road quality.




Yes, it does somewhat defeat the purpose of getting a lighter bike, especially when the bike spec's say it's a 17.2 lbs bike (sans pedals), and you then go and add 2 lbs in wheels. In reality it's not 2 lbs, more like a pound or so, and even if it's 2 lbs, so what ?, as the bike is still lighter then a cross bike (in general) and rides snappier. And that's the goal.


That's it in one.



How many miles will the OP ride per year? I don't know. He stated that he had a commuter and was looking for something lighter for group rides.


I only do between 2000 and 5000 miles a year, depending on whether I go touring, weather etc -- but that's spread over a couple of bikes. Of course if the new road bike is a pleasure to ride, I might go out more.


+1 and the Felt line up that has the more relaxed geometry is the Z-series.

Summary: I'm looking for my first road bike for club rides and want something that's quite a bit lighter than my heavy tourer. Responses include:


several suggested bike models, particularly more relaxed geometry
most (all?) frame materials are ok, including al/ti/carbon
EITHER: lighter, low-spoke count wheels work very well
OR: more bomb-proof, heavier wheels are recommended - save weight elsewhere. Depends on body weight, riding style and road quality.


Anything I've missed?

We may disagree on the proper # of spoke on a wheelset for clydes, however there is some common ground.


<<<Compounding the issue is machine built wheels, which usually have no stress relief and re-tensioning done to them. In practice, the first thing a buyer should do with these wheels, is take a spoke wrench to the wheels and loosen every spoke, then take the wheel to a competent builder and get the wheel stressed and re-trued, all before riding, and who does that ?. Most folks go ride the hell out of the wheel, then when a spoke breaks, they get it replaced, then another goes, then a third, and at that point they are talking about stress relief and it's too late at that point as the spokes have had too much stress placed on them and the wheel is eventually going to be replaced.



<<< Having said that, I strongly recommend getting the spokes retensioned / wheels trued (by a competant builder) after a "break-in" period of a few hundred miles. In my experience, the wheels were still true but the spokes were in dire need of tensioning. A bit of preventive maintenance goes a long way in preventing broken spokes.


You sir, hit the nail on the head. Perhaps it is the failure to have the spoke tension checked/adjusted early in the life of the wheelset that gives these wheels a bad rep??? I seem to remember from a marketing class that when a consumer has a bad experience with a product (regardless of the cause), they tell at least 7 people. If they have a good experience, they might tell 3. And yes, after being neglected, it is too late and the wheels must be replaced much to the chagrin of the bike owner.

Granted, 32 spoke is the standard and I will conceed that not all 20/24 spoke wheels are clyde friendly. It's probably not a good idea for a 350 pounder to ride a sub 1300 gram carbon wheelset. Having said that, I still believe that a moderately sized clyde would be fine on most "mid-level or better" 20/24 spoke stock wheelsets - provided they properly maintain the wheels. Why replace a perfectly servicable wheelset because they may fail??

Like the great Steel vs Aluminum vs Carbon vs Titanium debate, should we just agree to disagree???