Originally Posted by Funnycarrot

Seriously considering buying a vintage steel frame bike. The wheels are decent I believe but is a 700 X 23 tire out of the question for a 240lb rider? In northern Kentucky it's all hills and valleys so there is aggressive climbing and fast descents. Also, the roads are not always pristine either... lots of gravel and smaller pot holes.

Originally Posted by tallbikeman

I ride a 1980 Schwinn Sports Tourer made in Japan or Taiwan for Schwinn with ordinary 1010 steel tubing and lugged construction. The frame is 67cm tall on the seatpost and I have weighed as much as 282lbs. This bicycle is a daily rider and like zjrog's KHS it has been upgraded. VO hubs and rear 10 speed cassette. In fact everything has been changed. I did add a kickstand because at my age I don't want to bend over to pick up my bicycle or count on leaning it on something. Mild steel bicycle frames appear to be some of the best vibration damping bicycles ever made. Chrome moly tubing is stiffer and more brittle so more vibration can come through to the rider. Aluminum has a reputation for being very stiff and I'm sure the vibration can be pretty bad on a road racing setup bicycle. Wood framed bicycles may be the best vibration damping bicycles but are hard to come by. I don't run any tires less than 32mm wide. I find the wider tires to be better riding in all conditions than narrower tires. I spent many years in my youth on racing sew ups so I've tried a lot of setups. Wider tires themselves also help damp road vibration and are generally longer lasting than narrow tires. If you have never ridden very narrow tires I recommend a good helmet and a very cautious approach to learning how to ride them. It is very easy to crash on narrow tires. I love steel frames for their real world durability and longevity. Good luck with the Bianchi or any other steel bicycle you buy.