Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - New Road Bike For a Larger Gent

Hi,

Im 5'11" 225. Looking to buy a road bike as the knees arent that conducive to road running anymore. Im a pretty in shape 225

I have a friend thats a former pro. He thinks I should go aluminum because of my size(I always figured a steel bike would be more formidable, but he says it would flex alot) and that if I get anything less than 105 components that Im wasting my time. He is of the opinion that anything less than 105 is junk and it would cost more in repairs/replacement in the long run. He thinks Im better off going used, but with higher components rather than new with lesser groups

Just looking for a second opinion, I know there are a million brands out there. Also, it seems the minimum Id pay for a new bike with a 105 group would be 1K plus, unless I really catch the right deal on EBAY or something. Im also hesitant to buy something used over the internet, especially with a hefty pricetag

Any thoughts, I realize the questions are pretty general. Thanks

Yes your questions are general but they are relevant.
First I think any frame material would be OK for you. Your weight will not be a problem on aluminum, steel, or carbon.
Second I think 105 components are very good. I really like them. I also have Deore, tiagra, and Sram Apex. (My favorite is Apex). They all have been good, shift well and are reliable. I do think the 105 "level" of components are a good level to buy.

I believe that the wisdom you will find here is to ride a lot of bikes and buy what fits you and what you can afford.
In terms of buying a bike on the internet, especially a first bike - Don't do it!
You need to ride the bike and feel if it fits you.
Most of all have fun!

There's nothing wrong with steel. It's real, it feels nice under the butt. Some steel frames are more "flexy" than others. If you're not planning on racing then a good stiff aluminum frame may not even be appropriate. You are correct about the 1K thing though, that seems to be about the starting point for 105 equipped bikes; unless you go to that place that alot of people around here like to hate on that sells (for the most part) well made bikes under the name of a now defunct french company. Wink wink.

I weigh more than you and have a steel bike.
It's also the best bike I have had so far.

What you need to do is find a good bike shop.

Fortunately, that's not hard. Got to a few, tell them about yourself,
see how they respond.

I do have some general tips.

1) Ignore components. When you find a bike you like, ask us about it.
If the wheels are crap, you can trade them at the time of sale for better (for example).
Components are good these days, by and large. It makes a LOT more sense to worry about
the fit and whether the bike will suit you.

2) Avoid extremes. You don't want to be bolt upright or bent way over.
You don't want cheap, and at this point it's premature to spend way more than you're planning.

3) Test ride. Having said that, a lot of guys in your position buy one size too small.
Then a couple weeks later they want to stretch out a bit when they start to really pedal...
and find it doesn't feel right.

I've had four steel road bikes in my lifetime (Schwinn, Motobecane, Sekai and Gitane), and only one (the Gitane) had a flexing problem. It wanted to upshift when I climbed out of the saddle, which, as you might imagine, was inconvenient. Of course, that was in the days of non-indexed shifters, too, so I can't say the same thing would happen with modern shifters or not. None of the others steel frames were any problem at all.

I'm a bigger boy and my road bike's (http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=45685&eid=4350&menuItemId=0&gold_ses=) aluminum with 105 stuff. I'm not that fond of it, but that's much much more me than the bike. I love the 105 shifting, it's so responsive to my needs and doesn't whine when I screw up (which I do often):

Its been a few years, but when I was 215-225 pounds, about 20 years ago, I rode steel. Aluminum was too expensive at the time. The bike I wound up riding the most was a low end model KHS Fiero. Bought it as a bare frame and built it up with stuff (some junk) and rode it. A lot. My point is, todays bikes are leaps and bounds above those bikes in most ways. But components are SO MUCH better... Even the stuff on dept. store bikes is decent compared to the stuff I went through.

Really makes me want to pull that old bike out of the shed and dust it off now... My MTb ride is a early 90s steel Gary Fisher, but my road ride is a 98 Cannondale R200

Hi,

Im 5'11" 225. Looking to buy a road bike as the knees arent that conducive to road running anymore. Im a pretty in shape 225

I have a friend thats a former pro. He thinks I should go aluminum because of my size(I always figured a steel bike would be more formidable, but he says it would flex alot) and that if I get anything less than 105 components that Im wasting my time. He is of the opinion that anything less than 105 is junk and it would cost more in repairs/replacement in the long run. He thinks Im better off going used, but with higher components rather than new with lesser groups

Just looking for a second opinion, I know there are a million brands out there. Also, it seems the minimum Id pay for a new bike with a 105 group would be 1K plus, unless I really catch the right deal on EBAY or something. Im also hesitant to buy something used over the internet, especially with a hefty pricetag

Any thoughts, I realize the questions are pretty general. Thanks

I don't think 225 will be a problem on any frame. A lot is made of frame material, but it's really not that big of an issue. It's more about what you want to do with the bike, if you want to do more distance rides with hours in the saddle, your better with steel, because the flex that it has makes for a more comfortable ride. If you want to race, then AL is going to be stiffer and have a better acceleration characteristic, but then so is CF. So what are you planning on doing?

Im looking to cycle for fitness. Ive been a roadrunner/weightlifter/rugby player for many years, but I can tell, at age 38, that its starting to take a toll on my knees and shins. Dont really have an interest in racing, but I guess its possible I could develop one once I get out there. I appreciate all of your answers. Its really hard to resist the online temptation. I see alot of bikes on ebay for hundreds less than in the the LBS. Im located in an upper middle class sort of wealthy CT suburb of NYC(I am not however!), so Im sure they have no problem selling the bikes

How much do you really want to spend and how much would you like to ride?

If you're new to cycling I'd ignore frame material and see what the local shops would offer for your budget. Often a 105 bike with some upgraded wheels will be a pretty nice ride. A larger shop might even have more older stock at less cost. But ride several bikes and see how they feel and fit. It's really easy to jump at the first thing you see.

Im looking to cycle for fitness. Ive been a roadrunner/weightlifter/rugby player for many years, but I can tell, at age 38, that its starting to take a toll on my knees and shins. Dont really have an interest in racing, but I guess its possible I could develop one once I get out there. I appreciate all of your answers. Its really hard to resist the online temptation. I see alot of bikes on ebay for hundreds less than in the the LBS. Im located in an upper middle class sort of wealthy CT suburb of NYC(I am not however!), so Im sure they have no problem selling the bikes

Two things to avoid when shopping used, Aluminium frames and Carbon Fibre reinforced plastics. Let me explain the logic here.

Aluminium bicycle frames can suffer from what is known as fatigue failure, if you take a steel coat hanger and bent the metal rapidly back and forth it will break, if you bend it once per day for 5 years it will not break. If you do the same thing with a piece of aluminum and bend it once per day, it will still break. It takes many, many miles before this occurs, with a new bicycle it takes many, many miles before it breaks, with a used bicycle, it can be very hard to tell how many miles are on the frame, especially if some of the components like saddle, pedals, chainrings and levers, rims are not original to that bike, and there can be many reasons why those components are not original to the bike, other then wear. So a frame could have very little fatigue life left to it.

Carbon fibre can suffer from cascade failure, what happens in this case is that a person lets call him Joe Sleaze, has a bike and crashes it, takes the bike to the shop and they recommend replacing the frame due to the crash. The manufacturer will pay for a new frame, but not the labour to switch over the components, Joe figures for a little more, he can get a whole new bicycle, so he does, and then fixes the cosmetics on the crashed one, and sells it on CL or fleabay. You buy it and end up with the frame disintegrating under you.

Steel can rust, don't buy a steel frame bicycle that has been recently repainted, sometimes the reason it was repainted was to cover up rust. Ones that have older paint are safer.

Ride as many bikes as you can that fit your budget. Don't worry about frame material, components or anything else at first. Your main concern is fit, or how you feel on the bike.

You want to be comfortable and enjoy riding whatever bike you get. I have 3 different bikes (although one is out of commission) from 93, 99, & 08. I enjoy riding each and every one of them. As long as the bikes pedal, change gears, and stops i'm good to go.

I don't know about your friend, but he maybe into certain aspects of cycling and found a preference for that groupset. I personally am a commuter and have yet to have a major failure of any of the components on the bikes i have.

You can ride anything at 225.

I bought a used CAAD 8 with 105 components off eBay for $700 last year. It didn't have pedals (pretty standard), but did have a clip on aero bar, which I didn't need and took off. I was 260 when I started riding and I'm 200 now.

I would agree with your friend on the components. The frame doesn't really matter - just find a bike that is a comfortable fit.

Thanks for all the answers. This is what Ive seen so far. Conditions outdoors havent been too conducive to riding. These are the bikes Ive been shown from just talking to the shop people

http://www.raleighusa.com/bikes/road/revenio-20-11/ this was $800

http://www.raleighusa.com/bikes/road/revenio-30-11/ $1200

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/road/1_series/12/ $959

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/road/2_series/21/ $1369

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/road/madone/madone45/ $1550...This was on sale down from $2100, its a 2010. From what Ive seen this is relatively reasonable for a carbon bike

Again, I havent ridden anything yet. I still have a few shops to go to in my area

That's a pretty good price on that Madone. If that's within your budget and they have your size, that's what I'd get.

bassjones is right - that is a sweet deal for the Madone. If it's even remotely doable for you, I'd jump on it. Assuming you like the bike. ;) And, of course, assuming it fits properly. Even a sweet deal on a bike that's ill-suited to your size and riding style is no sweet deal at all.

I went with the Madone for 1500. I liked a different LBS a lot more, but they had a specialized tarmac with the relaxed geometry for about the same price. I went for the Madone because of classic geometry, feeling, and better components included. Thanks for all the help

Great! Now go ride the wheels off of it....