Village Idiot

I'm kind of wanting to look at buying a roadbike now. I want to try and spend under $700 and I want something that's durable with at least a decent frame that I can build off of.

I'm 240 right now, so I need something that will at least support that. Where should I be looking? I have no idea what size I should be looking at so that makes buying used difficult. What brands make an affordable road bike that's worth riding and not going to break down on me?

Barrettscv 

I'm now 210 and was 240 lbs, most bikes will support your weight. The size that is best depends on many factors including your size and intended use. It's impossible for anyone to tell you what frame size you need over the internet.

$700 will buy a road bike that will perform well and will be moderately durable. Be sure to find a bike that will accept 700 x 28 tires and avoid bikes that only take 700 x 23 tires. Heavier riders benefit from larger tires, and smaller tires do not ride as well and could pinch flat if not kept fully inflated.

Keep in mind you will also need to buy a few other items, including clothing, safety gear and a few maintenance items. At the minimum leave a few dollars for padded bike pants, a rear tail-light and a floor pump. You will also need tire irons, a spare tube and a travel pump and a bag to carry these items while you bike.

This is an example: https://www.performancebike.com/shop/...tegory_ID=3040

Just for the heck of it, I'll mention this bike as a much better value at a higher price: https://www.rei.com/product/776881

CACycling

Buying a less expensive bike with the intent to upgrade stuff later isn't usually the best way to go. You will end up spending more in the long run for less of a bike than you could buy "off the shelf".

If you don't want to purchase used, I'd recommend either buying an entry-level road bike (I bought a Schwinn Le Tour GS a little over a year ago for $500 @ Performance when I was about your weight) and plan on buying a better bike when you are ready for it. You can then sell the entry-level bike or keep it as a second bike (when I bought my new road bike, I kept the Schwinn for commuting to work). Or bite the bullet and buy your second bike first.

Hill-Pumper

+1 The price of gear sets and bifter upgrades cost more then paying for them up front on you initial purchase of a nicer bike. Used can be a great route, but you need to really know about fit before going used. That said, the Giant Defy line is a good value and close to your price range. Also, if you look around, some of the shops may have some of last years models marked down, but those are disappearing fast this time of year.

bautieri

I've had good luck with my 07 Raleigh Grand Sport that was $600 +/- (can't recall) that I bought as a leftover. You might be able to score a new one for right about $700, I really don't know what they run nowadays. I've done everything from commuting, metrics, imperials, and tooling around and she has been great (more to less).

My thoughts on the bike which I bought when I was 245lbs:

It is what it is. The ride is harsh, the frame flexes under heavy acceleration, the bottom bracket is complete junk (mine has been replaced, upgraded, faced, and "overhauled" many times" but she is nimble and the stock wheels have been surprisingly stubborn to knock out of true. Over 2000 miles on my stock wheel set and not one bit of trouble with wobbles or popped spokes despite going airborn, choppy pavement, gravel, and all kinds of other nasties on 23's no less. All in all, I really like the bike despite it's short commings. Keep it well maintained and it will be a pleasure for you.

Think of your first road bike like your first girl/boyfriend. Fun to ride around for the time being but when it's over you're best off ditching it for a better new one.

Village Idiot

What about Felt? My local bike store carries Trek, Fisher, and Felt.

I was on Felt's website and I saw this:
https://www.feltracing.com/09-catalog...eam-issue.aspx

It's listed as $849, so it may be a bit over budget, but I notice it's only 16 speed and the rest of Felt's bikes under $1000 seam to be as well. Is this bad? Should there be more gears? I live where there's plenty of hills, so is that going to be a problem? Is there something from Trek I should be looking at instead?

pityr

How much do they want for a Trek 1000? Thats a pretty good starter bike.

priorat

I was 280 over the winter when a friend of mine got me interested in road cycling. Did some research and decided to buy two bikes, one inexpensive starter road bike, and one that's more serious for when I eventually drop some pounds. Went to several LBS and looked online, and wound up getting two great deals. The cheapie was a new 2008 Felt Z90; it was a closeout from a bike shop online, and after shipping and initial tune-up, I only paid $560. The MSRP was $800. Next, I bought a 2008 Jamis Quest, also from a bike shop online, and only paid $800 total, whereas the MSRP was $1400.

I've been riding the Felt as often as I can for the last six weeks or so, and have already lost about 15 pounds. I've put about 400 miles on it so far. No problems with the wheels, or anything really, other than an adjustment on the gears after the first few rides. I'd read that aluminum is the safest frame for BIG Clydes like me, and I'm very confident riding the Felt. The only thing that I've noticed is that it does get bouncy when I'm going up hills (even in the granny gear). I love the upright riding position - I have serious back problems, including a sciatic issue, and I'm totally pain-free on it.

I've been on the Jamis a few times as well, and took it out to the Santa Fe century last week. It's steel, and is actually a tad lighter than the Felt. Much stiffer frame, not as bouncy, and very comfortable as well. Looking forward to upgrading to it for good later this summer.

Anyway, Felt would be a great way to go FWIW. I don't think they have the z90 for the 09 models, but might have z100 or something in the ballpark.

Cheers!

Village Idiot

https://www.feltracing.com/09-catalog...eam-issue.aspx

That's the one listed in my post above. Is your Felt a 16 speed? I have some mighty hills, so I don't know if that's an issue.

The reason I want to stay a little on the cheaper side is that I don't know if I'm going to use it as much as my mountain bike. I paid over $1000 for my Gary Fisher Cobia 29 in 2006. It sat in my garage until about two weeks ago. I finally got a pair of shoes for the clipless pedals (dumbest excuse ever, I know), and started riding, finging out that I love it. It stays in the back of my Pathfinder at present because I can head about two miles away from my house to the towpath which is basically like a hard dirt/gravel road that follows the C&O canal. That' all I've been riding on, but I'm interested in getting a road bike so I can just ride and not do the same ride over and over again. I don't want to get bored with watching to same mile markers tick by.

I just don't want to spend a ton of money on a bike that I may only be using here or there. I may get on a road bike and decide I love it, or I might get it and decide that I'd rather keep using the GF and start looking for more trails and options to ride on.

I'm probably going to make a trip to the bike shop this week some time. Their hours suck, but that's going to be the best course of action. Work sucks and I'm bored, so why not talk about this stuff, eh?

squirtdad

I would suggest considering used...... focus on steel frame, Japanese bikes, late 80's to mid 90's.

you can get a good bike without big bucks and then save for a future really nice on if you get really hooked on road bikes

Think Panasonic, Nishiki, Univega, centurion, bridgestone, miyata, trek, even some schwinn for brands.

Look for shimano 105 level parts or better (ultegra/600)

If you know your frame size....great, if not go to your lbs and get some help (they will make it up on accessories)

Check craigs list/garages sales/ chuch sales

The C&V fourm has a stick on found on craigslist/ebay (stay local)

If you find something..they will give an opinion on it and are a big help

priorat

That's the one listed in my post above. Is your Felt a 16 speed? I have some mighty hills, so I don't know if that's an issue.


My Felt has the third crank, so it's a 24 speed. If you have serious hills, you definitely want those lower gears. I'd say that F95 is similar to my Z90 - the biggest difference being that my Z90 has a sloping top tube, and Sora components with Tiagra rear, which is an upgrade over the 2200. But, that F95 is definitely snazzier.

The other thing that's important to note is that I got really lucky with the two bikes that I bought, because I wasn't professionally fitted (my friend said I'm in the 54 to 56cm range) and never rode the bikes before I got them. That should have been a huge mistake, but I was fortunate. I'd recommend shopping at your local bike shop(s) and test riding the bikes (and getting fitted) before you buy anything. For me, there's only one bike shop within a one hour radius, and it is mostly a repair shop, but if you have some shops around you, tap into their experience.

lunchbox1972

I got a Felt Z80 on closeout last August ($650).. I was 230 at the time.. I've hovered around 210 for awhile and have had not issues with the bike.. I've even hopped a couple of curbs in a pinch.. I don't mind the 700x23 tires, I keep the rear at 125 and the front at 115. Great bike, shifts nice and it's fast. I also have an old Rockhopper that I road for years at 260+, even jumps and such. No issues from that one either.. I've done some mods on that recently, but the bike is solid.

I have a friend that I work with who just bought a Raleigh road bike for about $500 at a LBS.. I think it was Sora for the brifters and derailers.. Steel bike, and he loves it.

Good luck,

LB

lutz

I agree here. Also ask if the store will cut you a deal on exchanging the stock wheels against some sturdy 36 spoke wheel set - my store gave me a $100 credit for the rather clyde-unfriendly stock wheels and tires.
The wheels are always the critical parts for clydes.
I purchased a Raleigh Cadent in the same price range -sturdy and reliable for two years so far.

garage sale GT

You could do the fixed gear/singlespeed conversion thing. Any 70s/80s road bike would be plenty strong enough if you centered the hub on the axle and added a 1sp freewheel. Plus, they're great to ride.

You can always strive to leave the house dressed as an athlete rather than a bike messenger if you don't want to be mistaken for a hipster.

Village Idiot

I made a trip to the bike shop last night and they have two trek 1.2's left over from last year for $770. They have the Sora shifters that I hear everyone putting down though.

They can also order the F95 if I want, but they have the f85 in stock, but it's $1249. Too bad I can't ask for a raise my allowance, :-\

https://www.feltracing.com/09-catalog...es/09-f85.aspx

It'll be two another week before I can make a decision on anything though. I have a trip this weekend that might end up costing me some money, so I'll have to see what's left after that. I still have my mountain bike though. I made it home in time to do 14 miles before it was too dark to even see where I was going.

lambo_vt

Don't worry that much about Sora. People put it down but the Sora group works fine and is pretty much what you get with a lower-end road bike.

CACycling

I wouldn't worry about Sora (my commuter has Sora brifters). That being said, $770 seems a little high for a leftover. I paid $500 for my Sora/Tiagra-equipped Schwinn and just under $1K for my Ultegra-equipped Fuji. I would think you could get a similar bike for less or a bit more for bike for the money.

lambo_vt

+1. I set a buddy of mine up on a Schwinn with Sora (maybe Tiagra rear der?); it was an 07 or 08 on sale for 450 at Performance. I'd see if they're willing to work on the price of the Trek or just keep shopping.

Pinyon

I agree that Sora works just fine. I prefer Tiagra or 105s, but you don't need it.

I think that the number one criteria is how the bike feels on your test rides. Most companies will make a bike that feels right to most people. Then you just make your choice based on price, how decent the bike shop is (reputation for good repairs and honoring guarantees can be a big deal), how much you like how it looks, etc.

I bought a new bike last year, and weigh about 250 lbs. I found Felt bikes to ride rather harsh compared to other brands. If you like that bike shop, I would probably go with the Trek for a clyde. Try lots of brands if you can. I found bikes that felt right to me made by Trek, Giant, Specialized, Lemond ($$), and Orbea ($$$). I ended up getting the Specialized because of the price and the reputation of that bike shop.

If you know what brand feels right, and you want to save a lot of money on an entry-level bike, then I say either buy a used one, or get one from BikesDirect.com. I know a few local people that really like the low-end road bikes that they bought from BikesDirect. And NO, I have nothing to do with the company at all.

Have fun!

lutz

I am pretty sure you could find a far better deal from one of the currently less renowned brands, aka:
Fuji, Raleigh, KHS, K2, perhaps Jamis ...
but of course they do not come a name Trek or Felt, although built in the same factories.

bautieri

I think the main reason people bash Sora brifters is due to the the thumb tabs that are used to make the chain drop into the next smallest gear. The issue is that you cannot opperate that button from the drops unless you have freakishly huge hands and even then it would be weird. However if you ride on the hoods they work splendidly. Personally I like them quite a bit as I don't find myself in the drops all that often.

Village Idiot

I did check with a closer bike shop that carries specialized and fuji and everything was $1500+ with nothing used. I've heard they don't have a particularly good work ethic though. The one that carries trek, felt, and fisher is a very good shop. When I bought my mountain bike they fitted me and answered all my questions and actually took the time to talk to me.

Spasticteapot

If I might make a suggestion, the Continental Gatorskins are terrific tires. While my wheels are slowly decomposing under me (I'm a little over 190 pounds - but I often carry a lot of stuff and where I live, there's no way to dodge the potholes!) the tires have held up just fine.

So long as you pump them up before each ride to 120PSI you're extremely unlikely to encounter a pinch flat - loaded up, I'm not much lighter than you and frequently ride over terrain no road bike is meant to encounter.

Only downsides are cost - $40 each is a bit spendy - and the rock-hard ride that will result from a high-pressure tire (make sure to get a carbon fork - it makes a big difference.) However, it's a lot cheaper than buying new wheels.

Village Idiot

I've owned sport bikes for probably the past 10 years. Paying $400 for a set of tires is spendy...and really sucks...

Anyways, My spending limit might have went up a bit. I'm looking at the felt bike now, the F85. I like white, it's a great color to have to clean all the time

lambo_vt

F85 is a sweet ride... spending a few hundred bucks more buys you a whole lot more bike. I love white on my bike just because it looks a bit grungy, makes me look like a "serious" cyclist.

And +1 on the comment on the Gatorskins; mine are fantastic. Don't spend $40 though... they can be found for $25-30 with free shipping at probikekit. They've had some weird trouble with credit card security though, so use a one-time-use card number.