longdistancecy

the tires looked kinda thin and im kinda heavy. I figured id get an opinion from people who ride every day. Should i get a road bike with regular thicknesss bike tires. also i bought a bike from walmart and the chain started slipping after ride a 150 miles. it got to the point i was basically just pedaling and going nowhere. was this because it was only a hundred dollar bike. im looking to get a bike that wont have this problem that will only cost 300-400 dollars.

rossiny

I am sure many experianced people wii chime in for u. I dont know specifically. I think u probably can ride many bikes with a good frame . more important may be to have good strong wheels with more spokes and a wider tire. Just guessing so waith for the wealth of knowledge to come .

no1mad 

Moved from Road.

PatrickR400

Sure you can; I'm pretty much the same weight and I ride a bike with 24 spokes per wheel instead of 32. The one thing with 23 mm tires is that the ride will be rougher as you have to pump them to a very high pressure. If the bike will take bigger tires, the ride will improve.

travbikeman

I'm just getting under the 300lb mark, but have always been told and feel it's true that anything over 250lbs for wheels under 32 spokes and under 28mm tires is too much. Plus it's an inexpensive bike, I'm betting the wheels will not handle it.

But could be wrong.

oddjob2

I think those rims would not last long at your weight. 23mm tires are uncomfortable for bigger folk, and if you buy new wider tires and tubes, you just added $65 to the cost. I find tires of at least 28mm far more comfortable. i would suggest if your budget is limited to $400, look for a used road or sport bike, like a Trek 7.3 FX. I have a garage full of mostly steel road bikes, touring, sport, and racing with most costing $200 or less.

sdmc530

I had an issue with my rear I am at 290. I purchased a 36 spoke rear and put a 700x35 tire on it. Never looked back, run a 32 on the front. Had my LBS help get me set up. I had broken spokes and couldn't keep the rear whee true before I purchased a new rear set up. Not one issue at all for the last year. I tried a 28 on the front and it was way to rough for my liking but the 32 was good for me. good luck!!

dagray

at 360 pounds I went from a 700x25mm tubed tire to a 700x23mm tubeless tire and haven't looked back. I also try to ride light in the saddle and my 32 spoke rear wheel has held up for over 1000 miles before having the spokes replaced.

Yes on some rough road surfaces I get to feel the road, but I love the ride.

My bike won't allow me to run wider than 25mm tires as they just won't fit.

longdistancecy

i just got a credit limit increase of 1000$ on my capital one card today. so i could probably spend a little more. Could you go into more detail on your newer setup sdmc530. like what wheels did you use on your second setup and how much did they run.

longdistancecy

Sun - ATLAS i called my local bike shop and they recommended this bike. It has 12 g spokes and is rated to handle 300 lbs exactly. The only problem is its single speed and i want to ride around 30 miles a day my first year. Would the single speed make this hard. i imagine id have to walk uphill.

sdmc530

Sure, I will try to keep this not to wordy!
The bike is a Cannondale CaadX. I paid $1000 for it.It was the current year model at that time in 2015.It was good out of the box, being my first road type bike but I had issues right out.It actually a Cross bike but it was the only bike that would warranty my weight on the bike.They have a heavier weight limit.330lbs I believe on the cross bikes.It came with 700X35 gravel tires and I took them off and put on specialized tires 700x32, wanted a bit smaller tire and road tires.The bike shop thought it might be ok…….I rode it that way all nice paved trails for 3 months and broke a spoke on rear.They fixed in free and said next time will have to do something different.One week later broke another.He suggested that I put on a 36 spoke rear wheel and run a 700x35 tire on the rear.He built me a rear wheel and I upsized the tire and have not had one issue at all.I couldn’t keep a wheel true on the factory wheel but now 12 months and 1200 miles and not one issue.Still have to true the wheel every few months but still.I will get you the brand of wheel; I don’t know what it is off the top of my head.Still run the 700x28 on the front and have not had any issues.I am running at max pressure on the rear and probably %95 on the front.I am getting thinner to so that helps the bike too I am sure but the rear wheel swap was a huge improvement for my set up.
I paid $300 for the rear wheel and tire and all set up. Not sure if that was high or low but I have not had a single issue so it was worth it to me. I have a great LBS here that has a great rep……when I get home from work I will get the brand name for you.

Hope this helps.

obed7

at this stage of the game, do not worry too much about getting a really "nice" bike.
Talk to the folks at your LBS. Tell them the type of riding you intend to do and what your goals are...
you might even wind up with a rigid MTB or something like the Trek fx series... get them to set it up with the heaviest spoked wheel and widest tire your budget will allow...
for now you want something safe to ride that will allow you to have fun and get the exercise in you need. Down the road as the weight comes off and your conditioning improves you are going to get a different bike anyway.

sdmc530

I started on a MTB bike. Spec Hardrock, rode for 1 season, it has not moved since I got my Cannondale. Its a nice bike but waisted the $500 on it because I don't use it anymore. Respect your opinion but if he wants a road bike go for it, you will buy one some day anyways. Just my opinion

obed7

I am glad that worked for you... you did ride the MTB for a season... how much weight did you lose on it? How much did you improve your conditioning? I am sorry you feel that the money spent was a waste.
I rode a MTB in the very begining of my weight loss too... and I lost the first 40 lbs on it... the second 40 I was also on a road bike... then sold that one as I did not like the feel and fit of it...I now have riden quite a few and sold quite a few and only have 4 bikes in my current stable...
my suggestions are not based on the success of one rider... but on watching what happens to many newbies starting out on their return to fitness... I have seen lots of successes and unfortunately lots of failures...
I have seen way too many start off on what they "wanted"... not everyone at over 300lbs have the flex or feel to ride a road bike in the beginning... not everyone gets a bike that has been fitted to them... and far too many quit because they are uncomfortable and do not enjoy the ride as a result...in my mind no bike is a waste if it gets you out and riding and is comfortable so it keeps you riding...the bikes I ride now for hours at a time, before my weight loss and improved conditioning would have killed me in the first few minutes... I am afraid I would have become discouraged and quit...I am not a super rider by any means... when I am riding with the wife, we cruse along at around 14 mph... when I ride with my 45 year old son, we ride along at about 18 ,mph... that is about as fast as I ever go...when I first got on my mtb I went about 3-1/2 miles and had to take a break before I could turn around and go home...but I do encourage the op to find what ever type of bike that fits and is comfortable and makes him want to ride... be that an mtb, a cross bike... or a endurance performance bike, or a hybrid, or a sprint bike... what ever... just keep it fun and keep after it...that thin man, that fit man, is inside waiting to be let out.

sdmc530

Nope, you are correct I just wish I would have done things differently for myself. I just think about the extra $500 I could have spent on the bike I ride now! Man I could have a much higher end gear set that I don’t really need but a person wants best of the best.

OP should get a bike he wants and is excited to ride no doubt! Great lifestyle change to improve a persons life. Funny though I lost about 10 pounds on the MTB bike, lost 30 more on the road bike. Now I don’t know why besides I was just riding as much as I could but I think because the MTB bike easier gears were much easier to pedal on hills than the road bike easier gears. Hills were more of a challenge for sure on the road bike, I don’t have many hills on my bike trail system but I hit them hard and make the work count. But like anything you get used to it and become stronger, better faster!

I do hope he finds his dream bike and gets at it. I didn’t mean to discourage him buy our conversation. Just my perspective that’s all.

I think fun is the key word here after all!

longdistancecy

you couldnt be more right. i went ahead and had them order the sun atlas x type. its rated for 300lbs and has 12 g spokes. The link i posted earlier is not the correct link. Im going to get a more expensive road bike thats lighter once i start losing weight like you suggested.