Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Looking for a good training bike

Hi everyone, I am new to this forum. I guess you can call me a Clydesdale I am 6'4" 260. I had both my knees replaced 14 months ago and my weight shot up to 330 pounds. So I started riding to get my weight down.

I am looking for a good training bike that I can pound pretty good and not break it. I have been killing my good bikes. I ride a 2008 Obera Orca and a 2009 Ridley Noah. I ride 5-6 days a week and log over 200 miles a week. I have been looking at the BMC SLT01 Team and the BH G4.

Would love to hear what bikes have worked for the big guys!


Thanks

You have two bikes that will be fine for you. No need to buy other bikes unless you just have money burning a hole in your pocket...

Rebuilt knees? Killing bikes? Sounds more like you need to improve your riding style. I'm close to your 260 weight, done lots of hill and mountain rides and I don't kill my knees or thrash high quality bikes.

If you keep "POUNDING" your bikes, sounds like you are in for more trouble!:eek:

Look for a local buy on Craigslist, an old school steel or aluminum frame.. 330 would be a little heavy for your lightweight carbon frames.. I have been lucky and found a couple nice older bikes like Merckx w/ Columbus steel / Campy Record 10 for right at 1000.00..

It is definitely a buyers market right now so some good deals can be had..

The knees came from sports nothing to do with riding. I have pretty good riding skills. I don't fall over, well sometimes I do! I would just like to keep my bikes in good shape. The everyday riding puts a lot of wear on them. I would like to keep them for the longer rides. As for climbing, I would love to improve in that area. I did climb to Kaiser, Stonewall, and Copper along with a few other rides over 100+ miles with over 10,000 - 15,000 feet of climbing.

The knee pain is gone, now that I have new knees. I also switched over to the Rotor Rings for my front crank. To help keep my knees in good shape.

Now I am just looking for a good training bike.

Thanks for the reply

Thanks for the suggestion. I tried craigs list but, it was very slim. I will keep my eyes open.

Thanks

Gunner Sport or Fastlane with a road triple and a cadence meter.

http://www.gunnarbikes.com/models.php

or: http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/thebikes/road/aurora/09_auroraelite.html

I love the bikes that I have. They are great riding bikes. I have one set up for flats with little to mild climbing and the other set up for the harder climbing.
It's not that I want to spend a lot of money on a training bike. But, I want to keep the bikes that I spent a good chunk of change on to stay in good shape.

The suggestions you've gotten have been very good. If you want more skinny tires,
a used Tuscany is hard to beat.

I have a Gunnar Sport. You can use larger tires and beefier rims on it. The larger tire will absorb a lot of the pounding, and the frame will take tons of abuse.

Thanks Barrettsvc, I will check it out.

I have never looked at titanium. Do you think they are as stiff as the carbon?

Thanks for the suggestion.

Funny you can tell that I am new to bikes I have never heard of Gunnar. They look like a great bike.

Thanks everyone for taking the time to respond.

I have never looked at titanium. Do you think they are as stiff as the carbon?

Thanks for the suggestion.

I had Ti bike that was too stiff for me and I dumped it and got the Gunnar.
Ti can made into a buttery ride or something as stiff as any aluminum bike ever made.

The Tuscany was one of the world's best bikes several years ago. I was crazy with lust for it. Since Ti is really tough, it makes one of the best choices to buy used.

I love the bikes that I have. They are great riding bikes. I have one set up for flats with little to mild climbing and the other set up for the harder climbing.
It's not that I want to spend a lot of money on a training bike. But, I want to keep the bikes that I spent a good chunk of change on to stay in good shape.


Well what do you mean by "killing your bikes"? You're killing them but they are in good shape?

Killing them is like the frame that I snapped on a climb. Your frames seem to be in good condition from what you are saying. If so, why not invest the money in a grouppo? Pick up a set of inexpensive shifters, cog, maybe crank then use one of the bikes as a trainer. You can swithc back and forth to either set up on one bike using it as a trainer if the frame isn't the problem. Then you can KILL the components and not have to worry about it. If you get another bike, you will KILL the wheels and components then end up spending more money after you KILL your training bike!:D

Wow, new to riding, bad knees/rebuilt knees, 260 lbs and you "COMPLETED" The Climb to Kaiser? That's amazing!:thumb: And Homey told me that was a tough ride!:D

Does that have a lotto entry like The Death Ride?

I have two road bikes, 2009 Orbea Onix and a 2005 Trek 5500. I also have one set up for climbing with a compact crank and 11/28 cassette. The other has the 53/39 crank for flat riding or light hills.

The 3rd bike is what you are looking for. Mine is a Surly LHT.

When I want to try out a new road or if I know it is going to rain I take my Surly LHT. The steel frame and fenders are great for getting out there on tougher roads and bad weather. Also great for climbing when I am familiar with the road.

Also, the Surly is there for my two or three tour rides per year. Good bike for lots of different types of riding.

My training bike is a Kona Jake. Cheap at $900 or so new, plus is ready for things like racks and such if you want. I have yet to put real road tires on it, but it gets the job done as it is now. I might add that many of the cross bikes make a nice addition to any stable.

Thanks Late I will look into that! That may be a perfect fit.

I have never looked at titanium. Do you think they are as stiff as the carbon?

Thanks for the suggestion.

Yes they are, I also have a Litespeed Liege which has a blend of ti tubing.. If you are looking for max stiffness with a Ti bike, a Litespeed Classic would be a good choice..

My training bike is a Kona Jake. Cheap at $900 or so new, plus is ready for things like racks and such if you want. I have yet to put real road tires on it, but it gets the job done as it is now. I might add that many of the cross bikes make a nice addition to any stable.

+1 on the Jake bandwagon, 2k K's on mine the last couple months, all road. It does everything well.

I found a LeMond. That has pretty low usage. It is ti with 105 package. I think it may work.
thanks for all the input. This is a great forum.

I found a LeMond. That has pretty low usage. It is ti with 105 package. I think it may work.
thanks for all the input. This is a great forum.

The early lemond Ti frames from the 90's were made by Clark kent which was a small manufacturer in Colorado.. They had an almost cult following for there MTB frames.. The ones in recent years were made by Litespeed, so either way it is a good frame..

If it is a brushed Ti frame the easiest way to clean it is with Lemon Pledge, just spray on and wipe down and it puts a nice coat on the frame that helps repel the dirt..

The early lemond Ti frames from the 90's were made by Clark kent which was a small manufacturer in Colorado.. They had an almost cult following for there MTB frames.. The ones in recent years were made by Litespeed, so either way it is a good frame..

If it is a brushed Ti frame the easiest way to clean it is with Lemon Pledge, just spray on and wipe down and it puts a nice coat on the frame that helps repel the dirt..

Thanks for the tip. The bike is in great shape.