Clyde looking for a bike
 

Hello all,

I'm 40 years old, 6' 5" tall and I'm down to 275 from a high of 445 about several years ago. I'm hoping to get to around 230-240 but i'm not really sure as far as weight goes. I'm really focused on fitness, losing my gut and overall health. I'm really trying to make this a lifestyle change and focus more on long term improvements that will keep me going in the right direction.

About 2-3 months ago I really started looking at ways to add more excercise to my daily routine. Previously I had a gym membership, treadmills, walking, lifting weights, etc... There was really nothing that I enjoyed enough to get excited about.

Then I decided to use my father in law's old Trek Mountain Track 800 that was in the garage. Well after re-learning how to ride a bike again after 25 years or so I'm hooked! I started out riding about a mile and I am now up to riding around 8-10 miles five or so days a week.

I've decided that this old bike really doesn't fit me all that well and I am longing to ride farther, work up endurance for longer rides and have the option for long weekend rides. I know this old mountain bike isn't going to cut it.

I have been to 3 local bike shops looking at various models and doing as much research as I can. I really think i'm leaning toward a road bike. Some of the bike shops really are pushing the commuter or hybrid bikes. I like the idea of having more comfort (after getting used to it) and the option to work up to long rides.

My budget is an issue. I really need to keep this under 1k if at all possible. Even if I need to perform more upgrades at a later time. I have to talk the wife into the investment and she thinks its crazy to spend that much on a bicycle.

So far some of the bikes I've looked at are as follows:
Trek 1.2 ($899)
Novara (around $1k)
Giant (>$1k)

I'm leaning toward the Trek, but I wonder if I need to just try to find one used on Craiglist or ebay instead and try to get a little better bike, or one more suited for my weight/height since it may be hard to get one for the price range I'm looking for.

I'm also looking at options on sites like bikesdirect.com. I want to get the best bang for the buck on something that will support my weight, get me started and I can upgrade as needed.

I'm also not sure about the size I need. That seems hard to find. I'm wonder if I truly do need a 62cm-64cm bike. These do seem harder to find.

Any help is appreciated. I appreciate it.

A couple of thoughts.

The Trek 1.2 ... it's what I ride, a 2009, and I love it. I'm 6'3", 270, down from a few pounds over 300. So know going in that it's a bike that could work for you and your size.

If you want to save money, look for older models (2010, 2009) ... a lot of times bike shops have last year's models at a discounted rate. Likewise, if you can wait and make do with the mountain bike for now, keep riding it and wait for the 2011 models to go on closeout this fall.

As for comfort/hybrid bikes ... blech ... don't bother. I think bike shops push them because they're cheap and an easy sale and I'd wager that many of them end up gathering dust in garages.

I started riding in college to stay active between classes and a sedentary office job. What I'm saying is that most of my riding is done replacing my car. That was 40 years ago, I recently was asked how much money it saved, put a pen and pencil to it and found that I have saved over $140000 in todays currency. Let your wife see this and start looking at $3000 dollar bikes. For an all round bike for a newbie I like the Surly Cross-Check or Long Haul Trucker. They can handle big guys and are very versitile, if I were to get one bike today for all purpose it would be the Cross Check which is around $1100-1200.
Obviously the health benefits outweigh any of the cash.

Marc

Surly bikes are nice. I really like my Long Haul Trucker which I built up from a bare frame. Kona makes a couple bikes in the $1000 range you might want to look at too -- Kona Jake is a cyclocross bike and the ***** Tonk is listed as a road bike ($1049 and $999 respectively). I know a couple people who've had Kona bikes and liked them, and they have a following on BF, which is why I mention them.

i'm shorter than you and a bit heavier and was looking toward the jamis satellite series of bikes. steel frame and pretty nice looking. not sure about the wheels they come with.....but the rest looks pretty good to me. and the price is right at sub 1k.

Thanks for the info. I haven't heard about the Surly line. I will research this and find a local dealer if there are any near me.

Regardless, do you recommend buying from a local bike shop?

What about online, bikesdirect.com? Thoughts?

The mountain bike is DOA. My 9mile ride this morning I blew a tire on mile 8.5. Local bike shop said it needs about 325 invested in it, not going to go there with that old model. Its in bad shape.

Thanks for all the help.

An LBS if you have one you trust. Check online to make sure you get a competitive price. Surly bikes come assembled except for the headset and handlebars so a shop assembly charge should be minimal at best.

Marc

Have you considered the Felt F95? They retail for $869 but one can be had for under $800. It is a really nice bike and can be offered in a Team model and a standard model- both of which looks sweet. Also, the Specialized Allez is another bike that fits in you r price range. The Allez offers the option of a double, triple or compact crank for around the price of the 1.2. You can even go for a Cannondale CAAD8. It has the lightest frame in the entry-level class. It's a CAAD, so you know it's good. There are many more out there and you should really consider this when buying. All of these have wheels that will be able to handle your weight reliably. Just get the one that fits you the best .

I ended up going to about 6 local bike shops looking at a lot of different models. I ended up goon with a bike shop that was the most helpful. Bike Peddler in Nashville answered all my questions laser fit me to the bike and swapped out the spindle and did a few other adjustments to make sure it fit me. We worked on it for an hour or two.

I went with the Trek 1.2. So far I'm happy with it. I'm riding about 15 miles 5-6 days a week now and loving it. I'm now shopping for a more comfortable saddle. The stock saddle isn't very comfortable. I hope to make longer rides after I upgrade my saddle.

Awesome ... keep riding!

There are some pretty good deals on ebay, for "Big Guy Bikes", like us(6ft 4 and up), gotta keep checking. A road bike, imo, would be an excellent option for you too. Check around ebay, write to: Trek/Fuji/Cannondale/Argon/etc, and ask if they might have some older model bikes, or last years style, or something like that, laying around. Might even be able to find a frameset, then build your bike up, how YOU want it built.

Good luck, keep us posted? Im big like you(well, Im 6 ft 6, and 236), and I had the hardest time finding "big" bikes too, now i know of the options. You will too. If Canyon ever works out there kinks and decides to sell their bikes to the States again, I'd say check them out too, they have excellent bikes as well.

How are those FELT bikes? They pretty good? This site/forum needs a good listing of, good, quality, "BIG" bikes for us to use as a sort of blue print, or gauge? That way, folks can come here, and get reviews, or choices on different models? just a thought.

bgrave03: Your original story sounds like me last fall. I think you made a wiser decision with the 1.2 than I did with a 7300. Nothing beats riding many bikes before purchasing. My 7300 has a Brooks B17 on it now but I don't know how well it's "magic" translates to the world of drop handlebar seating positions.

I got a brooks b17 yesterday. It's a dream. I had been maxing my rides at 15 miles and I had a lot of pain on my stock saddle. Since getting my b17 yesterday. I rode 20 miles yesterday and 25 mikes today. It's awesome.

The only advice I can give, it to avoid the Soro Shifters, I wound up switching them out because I dispised the thumb click to shift.