Decahedron

So I'm 20 years old, 6'3 and like probalby 250 poundsish? I'm getting tired of just running every day so I'm getting a bike within the next week or two. Oh, i haven't ridden in a decade or more. That could be an issue. Anyway the bike im getting is a Schwinn Madison. It's a singlespeed/fixed gear, and yah i realize that basically not knowing how to ride a bike this will be a harder one to learn on. i don't mind. the main thing i'd kinda like is for this not to fall apart on me while im riding it. Anyhow, I know i'll keepat it for the whole healthy wellbeing thing, but i just am curious if anyone knows about he durability of the parts, and what to look out forrrr

Decahedron

it has 32 spokes, which from lurking around the forums, seems to be a good thing. Also I'm getting the XL size. Does bike size effect the resiliency of the bikes at all>?

edit: i just realized theres an edit button, sorry for double posting.

v1k1ng1001

Depending on how you're proportioned, you might want to think twice about the XL size. I'd ride a L to compare.

The Madison looks very nice. It is a single speed so there's not much to wrong with it and you're only sinking like $400 into it right? So you can set aside some cash for upgrades if need be.

You might want to check Craigslist for a hot deal on a used road bike. $400 might get you into something that might be a little bit more flexible in terms of the terrain that it can handle.

shumacher

I'm 6'3" and 251. (I was 246 yesterday... gotta remember it's the trend that's important.) If it's not a folding bike, or some sort of high-dollar race setup, I don't worry about it. A broken spoke is very, very rare for me. I think I've had two spokes replaced ever, not counting bike storage mishaps. The Madison doesn't have any sort of featherweight fragile wheels. They look nice and robust. Get it and ride the wheels off of it.

c_m_shooter

It'll probably be fine. Just remember to "ride light" if you have to ride over curbs, speed bumps, potholes, etc. Make sure your not overgeared to begin with also, maybe about 42/17 or so to begin with. A lot of the lower end singlespeeds come with 48/16, and that is a big gear to push if you have any hills or stop signs on your route.

Kid-Cycle

Deca - Nothing against fg/ss but not sure it is a good choice if you haven't riden in 10 years. I recently built one and enjoy it, but I had some mileage under my belt before trying it... takes a little getting used to fg.

If you live in an area thats relatively flat you should be ok, if not you may want to reconsider. If you go fg/ss I recommend starting with ss until you get some experience. One thing I have to remember is you are young and resilent, so you should do fine. I also like shooter's recommendation for gearing.

Good luck and keep us posted.