leeinmemphis

Hey everyone,

I am currently riding recumbents and am starting to think about maybe trying a road bike. I had emergency back surgery almost two years ago and at that time I switched to recumbents. I'm thinking about going with a road bike to use on club rides, some training rides, charity rides etc. Lets say for argument sake that I want to keep it under $4k and I would very much prefer disc brakes. I'm 6' tall 41 years old and currently weigh 228lbs. I've been looking at the Specialized Roubaix but haven't really looked at anything else. Honestly the Roubaix is just what I've read online. I hate to go into the shops until I have a better idea of what would fit my parameters. Granted that I am looking for a nice riding bike I guess I'm mainly looking at carbon or possibly titanium frames.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

halfspeed

You'll get a lot of suggestions for "endurance" geometry bikes from people who don't have bad backs, but the reality is sometimes more complicated. Some people with back problems do better with a more aggressive fit because it unloads the back from some upper body weight bearing by moving it to the arms. I suggest renting an endurance and a race geometry bike each for a 60+ mile bike ride and see what you prefer.

gc3

^^^^No fair, giving reasonable advice like that just isn't right ^^^^

leeinmemphis

I have also been looking at the Orbea Carpe but it's more of a crossover hybrid bike.

EnellCH

Start with a proper, professional, fitting - aim for a frame that 'offload' you back as much as possible
Then go for a carbon frame & seat-post (eat up a lot of vibrations, smoother ride. Consider a Cervelo R3 or similar)
Get a great wheel set (eg. DA C24) and consider 25mm tires (make for a smoother ride)
Work on core strength & overall flexibility...this will relieve your back, a lot, and is as important as proper bike fit for comfort.

bikerjp

Pretty much what I discovered. I don't have a "bad back" per se but I do have two herniated discs so maybe that counts.

Dave Cutter

Very interesting. I like to say my back isn't defective or anything.... just worn out from use. I have arthritic spurs and a damaged vertebrate. I wonder if there is a standard bad back.

In my case... halfspeed was correct. Getting the weight/stress/jolts off my back and shared with my arms helps a lot.

chip1

Sometimes I felt being on the hoods put more strain on my back than being on the drops, so maybe you're right.

halfspeed

I can't troll all the time. Although my reasonable advice usually just gets ignored.

Munk69

This is right on. I have had 2 fusions and 1 other neck surgery. I have found that taking the load off my back and transferring to my arms/core helped a lot.

I am 45 btw.

StanSeven

Ask around your area (local bike clubs is a good start) about good stores and experienced sales people with fit that proper fitting? As others have said, and upright position might not be best. You need to try a variety of bikes and see what works for you and your bike.

Are you in Memphis? Maybe the local people will jump in with advice about stores.

By the way, you'll have to get rid of your recumbent uniform of flannel shirts, jeans and beard.

kansukee

First thing that pops in people's minds when they hear the words "endurance bike" is the Roubaix. I knew that I wanted something different and got me a Look 675 frameset and moved my components over...problem solved, no more back pain. I also started riding 25mm tires which make a noticeable difference. I think you can get one of these with Ultegra for around $3,400 btw...

3alarmer 

....on notice: once more and I'm putting you on ignore permanently. You've been way over the line lately.


@leeinmemphis: there's no simple answer, as stated. "Bad Back" defines little in the way of your personal limitations.

I had a physical career occupation, and my back x-rays look very scary in terms of the arthritic changes and vanished disc
spaces, but I seem to do OK on a variety of road bikes currently. There were about 5 or six years where i just stopped riding.

For me, a longer top tube or long stem, or some combination that allows me to fully extend and retroflex the spine works,
but i have specific problems at specific locations that are doubtless different from yours. Yoga helps a great deal when off
the bike and stretching at your turnaround and post ride are also valuable. "It's not about the bike."

leeinmemphis

Thanks y'all. I am just now getting into the research part of what brands are available locally. There is one shop in particular that has been good to me about working on my recumbents. I do a lot of my own work but they've always been very fair with me. Most of the other shops refuse to work on them. I can say that a Roubaix and Carpe are probably on the top two on the list right now. I can also use the same dealer to buy giant and trek as well. I have absolutely no aspirations of racing but I do like to try to push myself at a little when out riding.

For me order of importance are:
1 comfort/fit
2 something with fairly common components because I do go out of town for a ride several times a year and want to be able to have a decent chance of obtaining parts while on a trip
3 would very much prefer with a certain dealer
4 overall performance

halfspeed

So have you been excommunicated from the recumbent forum for this thread yet or have they not found out about it?

leeinmemphis

No and I don't really expect to be. I have several recumbents but I am just interested to see if I can even handle riding a DF bike.

Chris Pringle

If you're thinking of spending anywhere over $3K, you might want to seriously consider going custom to tackle all the points you've mentioned. Most custom builders use steel though, coupled with a carbon fiber fork on their performance models. The nice thing is that a good builder will use different kinds of tubing based on your weight, goals, body proportions and particular feel you desire for the bike. You can talk to him about geometry adjustments to be made in order to save your back, depending on what issues you have. In my case, for instance, I suffer from lower muscular/ligament issues on L4 and L5. I have noticed that riding a road bike at about a 45˚ angle seems to be the right balance for my low back and endurance (long distance) riding. If I go any lower I start getting discomfort and soreness on my back due to my stiff lower back and leg muscles (I'm working on these things with pilates exercises though.) I have read that people who have herniated discs prefer to be as low as possible to unload their back. So, it very much depends on what is causing your "bad back."

If you enjoy traveling often with your bike, a custom bike with S&S couplers would be a great feature. It will allow you to disassemble the bike, put it in a special carrying case (that doesn't exceed the 62" linear allowed by airlines) to take your bike anywhere in the world (even on trains or puddle jumpers.)

As far as components, I agree that if you travel often, choosing middle of the road components is the way to go. Shimano is ubiquitous everywhere in the world and their parts can be easily sourced, although in certain parts of the country/world, it seems like MTB components are way more popular than road ones. So, if you don't care much about keeping up with appearances, you can actually build your bike with mostly MTB components. This is exactly what I did with my travel bike. The bike performs as equally well as any other road bike out there. You mentioned disc brakes, I highly recommend the Avid BB7 mechanical disc brakes which have proven very reliable.

I bought my bike from R+E Cycles (AKA Rodriguez Bikes) in Seattle, WA. We have bought two custom bikes from them remotely (we live in Mexico.) Those guys have an excellent system in place to insure the bike fits one well. Remember that a bike fitting constantly evolves given your level of fitness, flexibility, etc. At any rate, I can't recommend them highly enough.

Good luck with your search!

halfspeed

IME, BB7s offer no advantage over road calipers unless you're a nervous descender on mountain passes or riding in ice and snow. They are, however, heavier so they've got that going for them.

RPK79

What does the DF stand for? I see that acronym used by bent riders a lot.

pdedes

DF = diamond frame. cant only used by recumbent riders. utterly absurd.

halfspeed

It's one of the more civil things they call our bikes.

leeinmemphis

I guess I should probably qualify my mention of us traveling. We go to the mountains and beach a couple times a year but almost exclusively driving. I'm not particularly worried about having something that would fit inside a suitcase. I have a bike rack on the rear of the car so that's not a huge problem.

Quite honestly I haven't even thought about going the custom route. I wouldn't even know where to really start.

banerjek

I own two 'bents as well as a custom DF (which is really a modified race bike). Despite the fact that many people buy 'bents for their backs, I find my custom and race bikes considerably more comfortable. But I'm also much smaller than you.

If you go custom, you need to talk with the builder about what you like and don't like. You'll also need to have the builder put you on a rig where you can be measured and you can get the geometry dialed in and figure out what tubing will be appropriate. I love all my bikes, but especially the custom bike. Don't just get custom to get custom -- otherwise, you're taking a pot shot at getting it right.

side_FX

The Trek Domane is another option and they just released some disc options. Be sure to check them out!

halfspeed

Custom is generally a better idea for people who know where to start.