mato_h2h

went into the LBS and saw a sweet 07 Trek 5000 for $1399 closeout. Sounds good, right? I thought so. Will those 23's hold up to 230+ pounds of weight?

bdinger

Hey man, I have 100lbs on you, and test rode a Madone 5.2SL. It was.. FAST. Like.. "omg as soon as I dip below 240 I'm buying one of these" fast.

I think you'll be fine. The wheels are amazingly tough for what they are.

jaxgtr

I agree, I think you will be fine on this bike,

Mr. Beanz

You should be fine on the bike but pretty sure you'll be needing sturdier wheels. Specs say 'Racelite' wheels. Only 24 spoke wheels just don't last under us big bods! Should be fine for a while but don't be surprised.

I've been using 23's for years at your weight with no problems but have a beefy rear wheel.

DieselDan

The frame is never really an issue, but wheels can be. I've had a Trek factory rep tell me Bontranger wheels are good up to 350#. As for tires, rider weight is relevant to the rider's comfort level. Tires don't have weight restrictions.

socalrider

Like many said above wheels can be an issue.. If you are worried about the tires, you can go with 700x25's no problem.. You can get prebuilt Velocity Deep V or Fusions for under 300.00.. Your local bike shop may also be able to order them for you..

https://wheelbuilder.com/thumbnail.as...&deep=3&cid=37

George

Most CF bikes are rated at 300#, at least that what the LBS told me.

v1k1ng1001

You'll be fine on that bike with 700X23 or 700X25. I doubt it will take anything larger than a 25. You might want to swap the tires out though. I've had horrible luck with Bontrager tires which are not very durable in my opinion.

mato_h2h

Thanks all for the advice, it is really appreciated. I am sort of bummed though now after doing a search on BF for the Trek 5000. It appears to some that it is an inferior CF bike compared to the hand built usa cf treks of the past. I would think all cf is the same? I am wondering if maybe the pilot 2.1 might be a better choice for a fitness ride for a big guy. Maybe cf is overkill? The blue color looks soo schweet though

Wogster

Trek builds some bikes in the US, and some elsewhere. Bicycles made in China or Taiwan, actually are not that bad, after all the Chinese, at least up until recently, rode bicycles everywhere, if you use something a lot, you eventually get good at building it. Mostly manufacturers use the factories of the worlds largest slave labour camp (AKA China), for a simple reason, cost. You can an American worker wants $25/hr and full benefits, a Chinese labourer is happy with 25 cents an hour and the benefits are paid for by the Chinese government. The manufacturers will soon have a dilemma though, as the price of oil increases, the cost of shipping increases, which means less of a benefit to manufacturing overseas. As unemployment increases in the USA, people will be willing to work for less money, and fewer benefits, which also means less of a benefit to manufacturing overseas.

andrelam

I picked up an '06 LeMond Buenos Aires (with 25mm Bontereger tires) back in April and have just about 500 miles on it. New old stock bikes can be a great value. A current model year Buenos Aires costs nearly a grand more than what I paid. I would NOT have gotten that past my wife... this was already at the upped end of what I throught she'd accept.

I weight 215 Lbs and always carry two water bottles, and have a (10 Lbs) handlebad bag with me all the time. When I started looking at road bike I was VERY worried about the skiny tires and low count spokes. Every local bike store told me not to worry. I managed to break a few spokes on my Gary Fisher Nirvanna which has 32 spokes front and rear, so I had experience with breaking spokes. So far it appears that the higher end bikes (over $1000) come with much higher quality wheels than your mid price ($500) hybrids. The Buenos Aires does come with slightly upgraded wheels over the Alp d'Heuz I was considering, but it does appear that these wheels can take the load. The roads around here in the Snow Belt are not always the greatest so the bike does take a bit of a beating, but so far so good. I have had excellent service from my LBS in the past when I've had wheel problems so I knew they would take care of me if I ran into problems.

Whenever I switch over to the road bike I am amazed at how easy you get up to speed, and how fast you can go in the more aerodynamic position, and with the higher quality bearings, etc. The hybrid is still the all weather "war horse," but it sure is fun to ride a thoroughbred on the longer rides.

Happy riding,
André