petegn

Hi Guys,

Newer to the forum, have been reading up on all this info... finally don't feel like a big man out hahaha. I'm 6'4" about 260. Currently riding around on a Klein MTB but want a road bike BAD. LBS said CAAD 9 from Cannondale should be plenty strong for years and years... LBS said newer bikes are strong as steel plus with a 61 or 63 frame I will have comfort and a bit of flex. Is it true that AL is stronger now through tube shaping than maybe 10 years ago and will I have comfort. I will be riding 10 to 40 miles per day about 3 times a week. I want the bike set up in a more relaxed geometry (stem and seat) but the frame to be a road? Any imput appreciated!

Pete

airbrake

Hey Pete, the caad nine isn't a relaxed geometry Cannondale. You need to look at the synapse models.

Cyclaholic

I'm rockin' the CAAD9 Optimo1 with lots of bling like full Dura-Ace, FSA K-wimg carbon bars, carbon post, etc.

she's plenty strong enough for my 215lb but she is not relaxed and she definitely does NOT flex! you don't want any flex in an aluminum frame anyhow. At 130psi in the tires you can read brail with this bike, everything and I mean everything is transmitted back to the bars and seat, you can feel the subtlest of road texture changes.

It's a high performance frame and she rides best when ridden agressively... the geometry is quite sharp so you have to stay focused. If you want the most efficient way to convert muscle energy to forward motion especially with the least ammount of weight, no flex, and sharp steering then this is it. If you want to cruise in comfort for hours and take in the scenery then the CAAD9 is most definitely NOT it.

Velo Dog

I'm about your size (a little lighter now, but I've been there...), and I've ridden a CAAD that belongs to a friend quite a bit. His is a 61, and it's significantly too small for me (34 inch pants inseam; I don't remember my cycling inseam). My own road bikes are steel, a Rivendell Atlantis and Rambouillet, both 64cm, and they're much more comfortable to me than the Cdale. If you're looking for something slightly relaxed, that 'dale might not be your best choice.
I don't think your weight will be a problem for the frame, but it might be for the wheels. I weigh about 230 now, but when I was 250+, I had constant trouble with wheels if I went below 36 spokes.

DieselDan

Don't worry about a Cannondale frame holding one of us clydes. Their aluminum frames can withstand 1500 pounds. Now the wheelset is another topic.

petegn

Thanks so much for the feedback. I will try the Synapse. It seems like a perfect blend for me of comfort and responsiveness. (on paper that is, but will be jumping on one in the next couple weeks) The bike shop said they will exchange the wheels for something stronger and throw some other parts around as needed. Any other suggestions on a good comparable 1500 dollar (give or take a few) bike to investigate?

Thanks so much
Pete

MIN 

I had a CAAD5. It's a great performance, stiff as hell but the ride leaves you numb.

v1k1ng1001

I'm 6'3", 230lbs. The bottombracket shell of my CAAD3 cracked at about 3200 miles. Not good.

I rode a few cannondales last season to see if I wanted to buy another one or replace the frame. The lateral stiffness is amazingly fun but the vertical compliance is still pretty harsh, even for bigger guys. Even if you can put up with the discomfort of the frame communicating every bit of road chatter to your body, it ends up fatiguing the hell out of you past 10 or 15 miles. Also, I sincerely doubt that these new super light aluminum tubesets are any stronger than my old CAAD3.

I ended up buying a steel/CF lemond buenos aires that gives me a nice blend of stiffness and compliance for $1400. It may not be any more durable than my Cannondale, and it is not as efficient or as fun to steer, but I feel like I can ride an extra hour on it. Unless I move someplace where the roads are all silky-smooth, I'll never go back to aluminum.

At your size and riding profile, I'd say look around for a stiffer steel frame. You should be able to find a few options in your price range although they seem to be disappearing. The Lemond Sarthe or Bianchi Vigorelli are nice choices. Bike shops will often try to sell you on aluminum because it is the only material they carry in your size/budget. Don't believe the hype.

lutz

I did try last years Aluminium Synapse model (~64 cm) and I did not get the impression that it was very stiff. I did not take it because the bottom bracket region actually seemed flexy. I went with a Raleigh Cadent instead, according to my "tests" a lot stiffer around the bb. It also has the more relaxed geometry - fortunately the LBS did take the original "thin guy" wheels back.

For $1500 you could get this years full carbon raleigh cadent.

petegn

Do you think I would do okay with a carbon frame? Kind of a big handsome fella I am! HAHAHA I am setting up a test ride on a Trek 5000, a Bianchi Imola, a CAAD9 and an alloy Synapse. Will probably jump on something else just to have a comparison. Cfrom more of a mountain bike world. Need a road bike where I live... not too hilly but long roads to Atlantic City!

v1k1ng1001

No idea about the Imola.

I did test ride a 5200 and it felt much much better than my old CAAD. I may be mistaken but I believe the 5000 is made in Taiwan while the 5200 is made in Wisconsin to more exacting specifications. At any rate, Trek gives you a nice warranty and seems to be willing to work with customers that have problems, unlike Cannondale.

My bike is 1/2 CF. I don't worry about whether or not it will hold my weight, I worry about doing some thing stupid like cracking the frame by overtightening the seatpost clamp or using a lubrication that dissolves the epoxy holding the CF together. With a steel frame you just have to worry about keeping the rust away. Come to think of it, the best thing about owning my old CAAD is that you didn't have think very much about any of these things.

If you're impressed with the 5000 you should start a new post asking clydes what they think about their CF bikes.

DieselDan

The 5000 is made in Taiwan to the same exacting specs as the 5200 is in Wisconsin. Just because the tech fabricating the frame isn't white doesn't make his work any less exact.

v1k1ng1001

Wait a minute, you insinuate that I am a racist by assuming that only white people work at Trek??? Huh.

I think we both agree that the race of the fabricator is not the issue. What is of concerns the extent to which a proprietary process like OCLV can be replicated by a contractor. Given the market incentives to move productions overseas, there must be some reason why they manufacture their higher-end products here in the USA. Since the OP was concerned about durability, he may find it relevant.

DieselDan

The OCLV frames are made in Wisconsin only to protect the patent. The 5000 frames are a carbon fiber called TCT. From what I have seen, built, and test ridden, the 5000 is a good a frame as the 5200/5.2. Implying a product is better made based solely on location is racist on the surface.

big john

I have a CAAD 5 that I put over 25,000 miles on, and while it is a great handling bike, it is quite stiff and will transmit everything on the road to your body. I think there was a significant improvement from CAAD 3/4 to 5 and again to 7 and 9. I also think the carbon Synapse would be fine for you, but why not look at some steel frames? You can get a Soma up to 66cm and build it the way you want it. I have a Gunnar and it really works well on the rough roads. The down side is you can't test ride them.

dbohemian

At your size and weight I would not recommend any of the standard Aluminum or Carbon frames as they just are not generally designed around perameters like that.

A small story for you. I personally know of a gentleman who had a Cannondale, not too long ago, custom made who weighed 335lbs and within a week the thing collapsed and he broke both his arms at the same time! You know the bigger they are the harder they fall. No carbon frame I know of is built with someone of your size in mind either and that failiure mode is catastrophic as you may already know.

I have to agree with the previous poster. For people on a budget of your size (I am not too far away myself) I have recomended Soma, Gunnar and Surely all with great results. There are a myriad of custom frame builders who would build you a great frame, made with your size in mind for between 750-1500 dollars. Co-motion knows how to build for bigger guys and then there are lots of higher end guys who specialize in it too.

With all the choice today, going with a standard company, who honestly, does not specialize in bikes for the larger set and will use basically the same tubeset for everyone is not the best choice IMHO.

All the best,

Dave Bohm
Bohemian Bicycles

v1k1ng1001

First, let's not confuse ethnocentrism with racism. My implication may have seemed ethnocentric but it was not intended to be.

Your point about patent protection basically confirms my worry. Why lose money to protect a patent if, as you claim, there is no difference between the two processes? Marketing?

Wogster

What your really saying is that the custom builder was so incompetent that they didn't take the riders weight into consideration, when custom building a bike.

DieselDan

OCLV and TCT are two different processes. The quality of the end product isn't much different. Going to Taiwan and farming out the work gets more quality pieces out with Trek's name on them.

lutz

There should be no worries with a good (~ brand name) carbon or a good aluminium frame since the OP's weight is not this outrageous. Cheaper alloy frames and carbon frames tend not to be not superlight and they have reserves - the problematic parts are usually the stock wheels and perhaps cheapest carbon forks.
Clydes put some special stress on bike frames but this stress is most likely mild compared to a Tom Boonen sprint. Comfort seems to greatly increased by a sloping geometry because the seatpost seems to do the majority of comfort-flexing and not the frame (tour-magazine measurements; march 2007). The longer the seatpost the more comfort.

v1k1ng1001

I thought the OCLV process was supposed to maintain a cleaner lay up on the inside of the frame increasing durability while decreasing excess weight. But even so, you might be right that it doesn't amount to much difference.

As for it being a marketing ploy, I've noticed that the sales people around these parts will play down the differences between the 5000 and the 5200 if you are initially interested in the 5000. Alternatively, they will play up the differences if you are initially interested in the 5200.

lutz

OCLV should be pretty much outdated by now. How old is it? 14 years?
I do not believe Trek has to worry about this patent or technology too much anymore. The new superlight and superstiff frames (e.g. Scott, Storck, Cervelo) use different technologies (as well as most mainstream bikes).