SoCal Commute

Ok, so I haven't gotten back in the saddle yet. Police auction next weekend
My question is: Can a road bike support my 280 lb's of manlyness or should I shed some pounds first?

I'll be getting a MTB first since I can't afford better at the moment. But, hey, I figure with 6 or 7 months of gas money saved up I should be able to afford a decent entry level road bike.

I was looking at: https://www.schwinnbike.com/products/...ail.php?id=746

Caught my eye, of course I would ride it first to see if I liked it......
I've been looking at the straight bar design only because I don't like dropped style, never have.

Oh, can you put racks on road bikes for commutes?

Thanks guys

cohophysh

I weigh 320 and am on a road bike. The only caution is the wheels, 32 or 36 spoke is probably the best for us clydes. Also, don't get set on any specific road bike, ride a variety and buy what fits best. Good luck in your search

Mazama

280 would be no problem. That bike will hold up.

txvintage

Yep, you can ride a Roadie, with consideration to whel selection as mentioned.

Flat bar road bikes don't get a lot of discussion for some reason. Where live they are quite popular for commuting, I see more and more every day. The ride well, have the option of racks and fenders, and aren't usually in the mega zillion dollar line up at the LBS.

As for putting racks on road bikes, well, yes and no A true "Road" bike will not be set up for racks. A touring bike or a Cycloscross bike will be though, and from a distance, the appearnce of either is difficult to distinguish.

Neil_B

I don't under the "better" comment. Why would you think a mountain bike is "worse" than a road bike?

The Schwinn bike looks fine for commuting. It looks like you can add a rack to the back. You also might look at the Specialized Globe or the Trek 7.2 or 7.3 fx.

Tom Stormcrowe

Depends on the use of the term better, Neil. In my case, I ride fast and far....a road bike suits my needs far better than a mountain bike remotely could. It's like the difference between your Navigator and Roarke.....the Nav is a good bike, but Roarke suits your needs better.....true?

Neil_B

Again, it depends on the needs. The OP sounds like he wants a commuter bike. I still don't understand the "better" comment, especially since he's assuming mountain bikes are "worse" because they are allegedly less expensive. And on that note, perhaps it's time to mention the Specialized Hardrock.....

Wogster

There are really 3 classes of road bike, they look similar but are quite different in use, first is the road racing bike, the idea is that the lighter the bike, the faster the bike, however they forget that the critical part is the engine, Frames are often made of exotic materials, and prices run from reasonable to exotic, geometry is exotic, and as for comfort, well, that takes a back seat to speed, after all the faster you go, the shorter the trip. Often these bikes are designed so that only the narrowest tires can be used, Bars tend to be much lower then the saddle.

Second class is the road touring bike, built to act like a mechanical pack mule, they have room for racks, fenders, several water bottles, most are made of Chromoly steel, relaxed geometry, designed for comfort, so you can spend many hours in the saddle. Designed for heavy loads, they have Clyde friendly wheels, and can accommodate wider tires. You want the bars higher on these bikes, even with or slightly above the saddle,

Third class is the cyclocross bike, intended for cyclocross racing, where weather and surface conditions are less then ideal, can be used for road riding with smooth tires, and off road with knobby tires, not as off road intended as a true All Terrain Bicycle (ATB) or Mountain Trail Bicycle (MTB) with suspension, they are built tough, and can accommodate Clyde sized tires. You may need to change the wheels though, as some have lower spoke count wheels. Again the bars tend to be higher.

Dropped style does have a big advantage, and that is multiple hand positions, although there are alternate bar designs like bull horns and moustache bars that will give the hand positions without the drop. The problem with straight bars is you only have one hand position, and it's not a natural position, relax your hands, at your sides now bend your elbow so your hand is pointing straight out, where is your thumb pointing, toward the sky or toward your middle? If your like most people your thumb is pointing straight up, this is the natural position for your hand, when you turn your wrist for a long period of time, like when typing, or when holding a straight bar, then your more likely to have cramping and numbness issues, then when it's in a more natural position. This is why on the hoods is such a common position on drop bars, the wrist is in it's resting position. The other advantage of drop bars, is that you have the option of the tuck position, where you go into the drops, and try for the smallest wind sail, going down a steep hill in this position, is how you set speed records.

Now as for holding 280lbs, most frames are engineered for much higher then this, if not, then the frame and bicycle should have warning stickers all over it with a weight limit, although such stickers may have been removed by a former owner if buying a used bicycle. The issue is wheels, the critical thing with wheels is spoke tension, as rider weight increases and/or spoke count decreases spoke tension becomes more critical. A 160lb rider with a 36 spoke wheel, as long as the spokes are connected at both ends it's likely to be okay, a 300lb rider with a 16 spoke wheel, and it's got to be within a very narrow range. This is why you don't often see low spoke count wheels on touring bikes.

Big Biker

yep. 330 lbs here. riding a carbon bike with a 16 spoke front and 24 spoke rear... im tempting fate, but no problems yet.

if theres a problem with wheels, the velocity deep V is a hell of a rim and comes in spoke counts up to 48 in the rear (what i used to ride)

if i have a problem with these wheels (the bike is still new) i'll go to a deep V on probably the same spoke pattern. 16/24 or 36

SoCal Commute

lol, sorry I used the wrong word in my original post. When I said "better" I meant "new".

Wogsterca, Thanks for reminding me that I don't only have an option of straight and drop styles. I have been looking at a few variations of the horned bars and will test them all before I make my final judgement.

Thanks for the great info guys, knew about wheels just wasn't sure about the frame. Looks can be decieving

racethenation

I have a 2007 Schwinn Fastback https://www.schwinnbike.com/products/...ail.php?id=681 that I picked about 6 weeks ago. My first ride on it was at 281 pounds. I am now down to 269. I absolutely love the bike. However, I don't have a lot to compare it to, because it is the only road bike I have ever ridden. One caution, however, it is a fairly stretched out bike. I am 6'1" with short legs and a long torso, and it fits me well, I would not want it any longer.

My bike does have braze-ons for mounting a rear rack. It does not for the front.

CACycling

Make sure you know what size frame you need before the auction. The best deal in the world isn't worth it if it doesn't fit you. Also, try to get one with narrower rims (20mm) if possible as it will allow you to go with narrower tires for street use. And don't totally write off drop bar bikes for a future bike. I started back on a MTB and later picked up an old Schwinn road bike. After a couple of hundred miles I got comfortable riding in the drops. The old Schwinn is now my commuter, I got a newer Schwinn road bike for pleasure and distance riding and the MTB hangs in the garage waiting for a camping trip.

jyossarian

Looking at the pic, I can't see eyelets on the front fork for fenders which is something you might want for a commuter. On the rear, I think I spot one set of eyelets on the dropouts so it'd have to do double duty for attaching a rack and fenders.

As everyone else said, wheels are where the rubber meets the road so you want those to be strong enough to support your weight. The frame should be fine.

SoCal Commute

Good advice, I believe I need a 17-18 inch frame, either would probably work as I'm built for a 17.5 if you want to get exact. I'll head down to the lbs before I go to make sure my measurements haven't changed.

SoCal Commute

Ok, not so great news. The police auction I was going to go to just published the list of bikes and they don't have one for me

So it looks like I'm heading to a couple lbs's and maybe a sports shop. My question is: Do you think I can pick up a decent entry level bike of any type, preferably road, for around or below $200 without accessories?

As you can tell I have a very low budget and with the new college student the sooner I get the bike the better cuz my car commute is going to kill my income come fall semester.

Thanks guys

trackmaster b

Check on CRAIGLIST.ORG you might be able to find something in your price range there.

Tom Stormcrowe

You're in San Diego, right?

Try here: https://bang.calit2.net/freeskool/node/2

SoCal Commute

Yeah I looked at craigslist and all the road bikes are in the 300-500 range, mtb is always an option but I have yet to find a post with a bike in decent condition.

I'm a little confused by your post Tom Stormcrowe, does that workshop sell bikes or do you have to have one first? I checked out the site as well and I saw that you could build a bike there, does the shop have parts for sale or would I have to bring them in a box or something?

One thing I'll be looking for mainly when I check out the lbs is a used bike.

Any other tips are welcome, thx guys.

SoCal Commute

Ok, I take my previous comment back, just rechecked craigslist and found a specialised rockhopper for a hundred bucks that looks great, hope I can get it

Tom Stormcrowe

I'm not sure, that's why I posted their number as well. You may or may not be able to buy a bike there. It's worth a call though. Bike Coops often do have bikes for sale though as well as providing repair areas and parts at a discount. I'm familiar with being a student though, being one myself.

bdinger

+100 on craigslist. You can score some really awesome rides if you look hard enough, and have patience to wait for the right thing. Althanea scored a awesome used Hardrock for a sweet price, truth be told I'm actually kinda jealous! Steel mountain bikes with no suspension make awesome all-around rides, throw a set of slicks on it and play with the gearing a bit - you'll be rockin' around in style. Heck, my big 'ole Surly isn't very far removed from a rigid MTB of the 80's, just modernized I guess.

I'd keep my eye out there. For $200 you could really score a nice ride, espescially in a city with more traffic on the local CL.

SoCal Commute

Great thing is it comes fully outfitted for commuting, rack, slicks, the works. Just spoke with the guy and I got an appointment to try it out tomorow night. I'll let yall know how it goes, but I'll probably get it cuz it's too good a deal to pass up.

I am having trouble with the folks though. It's a late 80's bike and my Dad says "With all the new technology out there I don't know why you would want to buy an old bike." I just reply "They may have come out with new stuff, but the general design hasn't changed in the last 20 years." He's totally hooked on the disc brake thing since he saw them in Costco, even though I told him they wouldn't perform much better than V's except in a downpoor. Ah well, that's the folks for ya.

Neil_B

You might want to tell your father the basic design of the bicycle hasn't changed since HIS father rode one. The modern "safety bicycle" dates back to the late 1880s.

Seriously, there's nothing wrong with an old MTB for commuting, and in many cases they make great touring bikes too.

bautieri

Right on, the other big advantage to a 20 year old bike is that it won't be as likly a target for bike theft. If you plan on doing a lot of commuting on it where it has to be left outside I would strip it's decals and avoid anything flashy when new parts are needed. Park it right next to the 500+ dollar bikes so it looks even less appealing to a bike theif.

Also being 20+ years old you might want to look into new cables and brake pads.

deraltekluge

Hah! Disc brakes from Costco may not perform as well as V's in any conditions. Good disc brakes are another matter, altogether.