clane493

I'm 6-6, 275 and live in the New Orleans area. Use to run 3-5 miles about 4/5 days a week. Nagging knee injuries forced me to find other ways to stay in shape. Joined the local gym to workout, weights/cardio....started swimming 3 days a week. Now I want to add bike riding to my regiment.

Inquired about bikes through a few local shops, prices ranging between $500 and $1000 for a decent hybrid bike. I'm just looking for something to ride a few days a week, maybe use in some sprint-triathlons. One bike shop rep suggested that if I went with a cheaper, big-box store bike, that I may not enjoy the ride and then may not enjoy cycling.

Thinking of stopping by one of the shops today after work to see what they have and maybe looking for some "insider" information from you guys.

Any help is appreciated!!!

Thanks,
Chris

bautieri

What you need to do is take a few minutes and ponder just where you see yourself riding your bike. Do you see yourself riding trails and single track? Do you see yourself riding rail trails/bike paths? Riding the road? Some combo of the three?

You mentioned that you want to do some sprint triathalons. If this is your end goal, then your best off on a road bike. Yes you can do a sprint tri on any bike, but the road bike is going to be your best bet. unfortunatly, road bikes tend to be a little salty in their price. Budget 1k to 1500 for a decent starting road bike. You could go used and save a bunch of money, but for your first road bike you're best off with a new one. That way you get the correct size and a fitting. Yes, those skinny tires will support you just fine. For a recomendation, I'm really liking the Specialized Secteur Elite. It's 1400 and well worth it.

Hybrids generally have fatter tires in the road dimention of 700c. Typically a 700 x 32. In terms of speed, they are nearly as fast as a road bike. However, they tend to be heavier than a traditional road bike and they lack the extra possitions to place your hands on long rides. Price wise, you can get a really nice Trek FX 7.5 for less than 1k.

chasm54

This is pretty good advice. The bike-shaped objects sold by some department stores are heavy and equipped with the cheapest of components, so you have a bike which is both less enjoyable to ride and much more likely to break.

I agree with bautieri that if you want to ride in sprint triathlons you might want to reconsider the idea of a hybrid. A road bike, or maybe a cyclocross bike, would be more suitable. The latter would also be versatile enough to do some trail riding. If you are prepared to spend up to $1000 you could have something like this and still have change. You'd need the 62cm frame, but the bike would certainly be robust enough.

CraigB

I'd stay away from big box bikes as a general rule, but particularly for guys our size. There may be some out there that are decent enough, and that are assembled with care and as much precision as their typically sloppy tolerances allow, but the chances are greater that they won't be. Parts will likely be cheap stamped metal, frames sloppily welded, etc. And when you add the extra stresses that a Clyde will put it under, I think the chances for failure of some critical part or component is greater.

Better to get a quality bike from a specialist who understands your needs, takes care and pride in their mechanics' work in assembly and repairs, and who can take the time to fit the bike to you. You'll pay a small premium for this kind of quality and service, but you'll be far better off in the long run. You'll have a bike that will last darned near forever, that you'll be comfortable on, and you'll have developed a personal relationship with the folks that are going to be maintaining the bike for you.

exile

I'd buy a used bike. Learn from it. Then buy a bike based on what you learned.

Right now its hard to gauge whether this will be a toy, a hobby, a way of life, or an obsession. Whatever it will be you have to start somewhere. All you need is a bike.

Once you start riding you will have a better idea of what type of riding you will really do and want to do. Perhaps you just want to enjoy your local bike path. Perhaps you will want to venture off road and do some exploring. Perhaps you want to see how far you can ride. Perhaps you want to keep up with that guy decked out in spandex.

Once you have an idea of what you will do and want to do, then its time to purchase something more suited for that type of riding. The only thing limiting you will be your budget.

The only caveats would be that the first bike fits you, is in good shape, and not that expensive relatively speaking.

CACycling

At 6' 6", I doubt you'd find a big box bike that would fit you so that probably isn't even an option. I like the idea of an older, inexpensive used bike. Road bikes feel a bit odd if you haven't ridden one for year so it is good to get some miles inder your belt before heading out to test ride new bikes. Once you've ridden and figure out what a good fit is for you, then you'll have a better chance of getting a bike you'll be happy with for the long term (or at least till N+1 takes over).

wxduff

As others have said, you might want to look into a road bike, or if you plan on doing light offroading, a cyclocross bike.

Here are some brand names to check out:
Cannondale
Jamis
Specialized
Trek
Giant


Go look at bikes. Think about what you really want to do.

Not to be rude, but what is your actual budget? It would help a lot with this decision.

Daspydyr 

Welcome to the neighborhood. You got some good input from quality people here. My only input is that if you try a Craig's List bike to get the feel of what you want to do with a bike is that you can usually sell it for about the same as you bought it. For a new bike $1400 is a starting point for a guy your size who wants to ride competitively.

jr59

Chris, you are welcome to PM me, and I'll help you the best way I can. I too am 270 @ 6'4" and live in NOLA. It really depends on where you want to ride. Before you can decide the type of bike, you need. There are many different ways to ride as well as different bikes to look at.

Greg_R

Even the lower end of the Secteur line is very nice (and only $800). IMO, look for a road bike between $750 and $1k. It should have decent wheels and either a triple or compact double unless there are no big hills or mountains where you'll be riding.

clane493

I didn't get a message saying there was a reply to my post until I received an email today saying I had 10 replys.....

Went to a local bike shop here in New Orleans.........one I had been emailing. The owner suggested the Jamis Coda models. After telling him what I wanted and where I was riding, he said that either the Sport, Comp or the regular Coda model. He told me that he was going to setup a few bikes for me to try out with different handle bar setups, tire sizes etc. and he was going to have me test them out and see what I liked....if I didn't like any he said he would start over with differnt models until he put together something I felt comfortable with. Prices ranges between $550 and $900 depening on model and different upgrades.

Thanks for all the imput........definitely makes me feel more at ease with making this investment.