Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Need Help with purchase of a road bike

Could use some help.. I have been riding now for the past few years on a Specialized Mountain Bike that i put some road tires on.. It has been very comfortable to ride, however as the weight has come off, i think i might be more comfortable on a road bike to ride the longer distances.. I am 6' 1" at 250, down from 300.. I completed 3 Century rides last year on the converted mountain bike and each ride took between 8 to 8.5 hours.. I am thinking i can cut at least an hour to hour and a half off the rides which would be fantastic.. I really dont want to spend more than $1500.. I am very hard on things so i will need some strong components.. All recommendations are appreciated..

thanks for your help...

If you are happy with Specialized why not just stick with that as a brand and go see your local dealer. I'd recommend an entry level Secteur or Tricross with an upgraded rear wheel to 36h handbuilt.

If you are tough on equipment, I'd go cyclocross. They aren't a lot heavier than road bikes but are a bit beefier. My commuter is a CX bike and it is great. Just swap the CX tires for road tires and you're ready to go.

Think about steel I love my Salsa Casserole. I built mine but the factory built one is very well equipped.

And it leaves your budget with a little extra for some cool accessories.

Why are you so hard on things? You should analyze what's going on there because there's no need to be.

My suggestion to you would be to either get a used bike from Craigs List (there are TONS in that price range) or loiter at bike shops until they hawk last year's equipment for a bunch of money off. You can get a damn nice bike for your budget. I don't think you want any 8 spoke wheels or anything silly but 250 isn't bad in the land of road bikes if you're not going off curbs and bunny hopping stuff.

What part of the country are you going to park your bike?

If you are happy with Specialized why not just stick with that as a brand and go see your local dealer. I'd recommend an entry level Secteur or Tricross with an upgraded rear wheel to 36h handbuilt.


i test rode a Secteur and really really liked it. i also really liked the giant defy.

that said a road bike wont be a magic pill that will give you 5mph average faster and may or may not be more comfortable. I just got a new bike and it didnt magically make me faster but it does get me to ride it more and push me to go faster.

I completed 3 Century rides last year on the converted mountain bike and each ride took between 8 to 8.5 hours.. I am thinking i can cut at least an hour to hour and a half off the rides which would be fantastic..

You want to bring your average speed (over 100 miles) from 11.8 mph to 14.3 mph. I'm not sure what you've done in converting your mountain bike, beyond slicks, but a road bike will be part of the difference you're looking for; it probably won't get you all the way there. But who knows.

Road bikes are great fun! Get one, and enjoy the hell out of it.

thanks for your suggestion.. I will take it into consideration..

thanks for the suggestion

in los angeles, san fernando valley...

Gotta say guys I feel the opposite of you all in terms of jumping speed from a mtb to a road bike. I just recently converted from an old front suspension mtb to a cyclocross bike and my average speed went from 13-15mph to 19-20mph. Keep in mind that my mtb had 26x1.75 semislicks on it and my cross bike has 700x33's small knobs on it. The only other thing that I have done that could contribute to my speed increase is changing from flat pedals (mtb) to spd pedals(cross).

There are elevnty billion nice bikes on craigs list in your price range. Start perusing!