Lennysody

Alright.. first of all I'm a fairly new roadie been riding for about 3 years-Ive had an '05 Specialized Allez Sport Triple-its a bit outdated and looking for an upgrade. I'm a bit ignorant in looking for a new bike, considering I don't know where i could find the best deals.. I'm a college student looking to make a solid road/race bike without spending five grand. Would it be better for me to put a bike together myself or to buy it "together." I'm not worried about labor or putting it together. Also not sure where to look for a great road bike...considering I'm a fairly big guy at 6'6" 230.. so.. I got kinda sick of breaking spokes on the Allez... Can I get some help or a point in the right direction? Any help would be appreciated.

Hickeydog

You can race on anything. Your Specialized isn't that old and unless you neglect matinence, it should be fine. If you are breaking spokes on the stock wheels (BTW: Those things are crap.), think about getting some different wheels. The Mavic Open Pro Rim combined with an Ultegra hub is perhaps the most "bomb proof" wheels. They should be around $300 for a pair.

Lennysody

Yeah thanks a lot for some direction. The frame is fine besides it occasionally "creaks" when I'm out of the saddle...It seems to be coming from the bottom-bracket..so I know that obviously thats not good but I dont see any cracking or anything so I hope thats alright. And a wheel upgrade would be great.. cheap and stop the spoke breaking-I do have a hand-built wheel that is literally bomb-proof weighing quite a bit and I have a crap Alex rim that is consantly untrue and breaking spokes so thanks for the help.