hicksrdalton

So I'm ~210 lbs(haven't weighed myself in awhile), 5' 9", and 19 years old at University.
I do some weightlifting, cross-training, and running.
I try to workout 3-4 times a week.
My bike currently is a 1994 Kona Fire Mountain converted to be a commuter and to get the most speed possible out of it.
I ride my bike a lot, usually every day aside from getting to class. In all probably 20-30 miles a day. I love the feeling of speed given I've always been a bit slow and cumbersome cause of my size.
I'm currently helping out with getting my university's club road cycling team back.
I'm right now fighting with myself on whether I should, come next semester or next year, move to a real road bike.

I really want to know, what is your opinion? Do you think it would be a worthwhile investment?

Given I'm on a budget I would very likely look into bikesdirect and one of their bikes. That or possibly a secondhand bike.

BigJeff

No. Save your money.

If you do get anything, skip buying new and only buy used.

Put a cap of $400 on what you spend, you want to always feel awesome that you didn't spend too much.

If your club gets going, figure out a way to get a decent bike without steeling... but still not paying for it.

---or better yet----

Start a club that you can put on your resume... Science, Technology, Engineering, Math.... Bicycling is just a form of transportation until you've created a funding stream where all life's needs are paid for first. (including saving for retirement)

Or have your parents buy you a nice bike.

But if you are like most people... you'd be better off with a beater/city bike and put effort towards cash generating efforts. Excess profits buy bikes.

Astrozombie

You could try bikesdirect, but if you can't have it in a safe place then maybe an old road bike is the way to go.

skilsaw

Bikes get abused at university. Too many bikes and not enough racks.
My son's bike was stolen in spite of being locked.
My other son, a serious triathlete, kept his road bike in his room while in university, and only took it out for training.

I think buying used is good advice for a student's first road bike.

MRT2

Congratulations on your commitment to staying in shape. Whatever road bike you get, don't leave it outside. New or newish road bikes are a theft magnet in college towns, so only use your road bike for training rides, and always store it indoors.

Lacumo

Bicycles have a way of disappearing from university campuses with far greater frequency than they disappear from most other types of places. You're definitely best off riding a total clunker while you're still in school. After you're out of school and into your own apartment or house and a "regular" environment would be a good time to consider moving into a road bike, but I'd strongly suggest that you not keep a decent (i.e: reasonably costly) road bike on a university campus. As said above, it'll be a theft magnet -- both when locked up out in public and when "secured" in a storage area.

Besides -- logging the mileage you log on an inefficient bike is a more challenging training regimen. When you start doing the same mileage on a nice road bike, you're going to feel like you're knifing effortlessly through the miles.

anthonygeo

I cherish my beater bikes but look for something used even an extra fixer upper wouldn't hurt.

floatsinwater

I would recommend against using a road bike for commute since road bikes seem to get stolen more often. Also if you're buying a road bike, an internet warehouse is probably the last place you want to buy it from. You don't know your size. You can't test ride the bike. Heck, you don't even know if you like riding road bikes. I know plenty of people that bought $3k bikes but just hated the riding position.

Since you're starting up a cycling club, I assume you know some enthusiastic cycling buddies. Assuming you're broke, I would ask one of the veterans to size you up and help you look for a second-hand bike on craigslist. It would be more ideal if you could get fitted at a shop but it's expensive for a college kid.

jsigone

IMO the sooner you get a real road bike the sooner you will get MORE miles under your belt. If you're doing 20-30miles now on a MTB commuter, you will do 30-50% more miles in the same amount of time on a more efficient roadie. The more you like the bike, the more you will want to ride it. Get something you want and in budget, IE buy the bike in person. Also put aside $200-250 for shoes, pedals, decent bibs and jersey.

vesteroid

JSI knows what he is talking about, this is sound advice.

ShartRate

If you are riding that much, a road bike is definitely in your future one way or another. Start saving your pennies and buying bits at a time when you are finding deals (as a recent college student who had a tiny budget and an addiction to motorcycle parts, I know this strategy well). You sound like a strong rider and if you really like speed, you need a road bike.

But as others have said, don't ride it to school or leave it outside. I'll leave my hybrid commuter locked up outside all day (graduate student now so still at university), but if I ride one of the nicer road bikes to work then they come inside with me.

hicksrdalton

That sounds like a good idea. I might talk to them when I look to possibly buy a beginner bike. My Kona while being relatively light and on 1.25" slicks just doesn't have the gearing for me to keep up. I just inquired about an abandoned Specialized Sirrus, so far they've told me that no one on campus owns it. They're supposed to call me later and tell me whether or not they'll allow me to take it and save it. I'm thinking even if they say no cause of liability reasons I'll just cut the lock and take it cause the person who did own it seems to have left. So I might be getting a new bike for free pretty much.
Gladly my campus doesn't really have a problem with bike theft unless you leave it out and unused for an ungodly amount of time. The only bikes that have had wheels stolen or have been stolen have been when someone just left it for weeks locked up.
The club is being started by another guy, I'm just helping with getting interested people to join. The club team should hopefully be competing in the spring.

digibud

If you like riding fast and it's a motivator it might be worth it but there is nothing more about a road bike that makes it better for fitness. You can push yourself just as hard on an old tank (assuming it's reliable) as a light carbon bike. But I DO enjoy going faster and my road bike is a huge motivator. I simply love riding it fast(er) than I could do with a mtn bike so it makes a big difference to me. If you are getting all the time you can and enjoying it with your current bike I wouldn't bother. What I WOULD do would be to look closely at HIIT training...high intensity interval training. THAT will make a difference regardless of the bike you use.

copswithguns

I'm gonna give some different advice that some people here have given. I started on a Specialized Expedition (comfort/hybrid) and I outgrew it quickly. So quickly that I bought a Specialized Allez 3 weeks later and sold the Expedition. I think, unless you're wanting to buy a Madone/Tarmac/etc., which I wouldn't recommend for the reasons that others have stated, I say go for it man. Go to your LBS and try out some sizes and see what works for you. If you wanna pull the trigger on a bike there, go for it. If not, then go used.

They're light, fast, and fun. You'll be able to get around much more quickly. Everyone that I saw when I was a college student rode Walmart mountain bikes. I always thought that was ridiculous given all the sidewalk riding they did. Anyhow, just my $.02.

CommuteCommando

Without reading past the headding. . . Don't become an old Clyde.

I speak from experience. At your age you can avoid Dunlops apron.

brons2

I rode a $750 mountain bike in college, and that was 20 years ago, so probably $1000 in today's money. I kept it in my room but used it to commute to class daily. Never got stolen, thankfully. In retrospect, I wish I would have had a road bike as well

donalson

over the years I've spent most of my time on a MTB of some flavor, in some cases I've turned them into nice pavement bikes with narrower smooth tires and bars that gave me a reasonable aero position (considering i'm an uber clyde).

the FIRST thing I notice ever time I get on road bike again and start riding is ​DAMN THIS THING IS FAST doesn't matter if it was an 18lb road bike or my near 25lb old trek that I built up with a triple and 32c tires... it was so much faster than the skinny tire 29er I had been riding and once I got things setup for me it was also much more comfortable

if you can stash one in your dorm room a road bike would be a nice addition for the weekends and such, I don't know where you are but watch CL and there are real nice bike deals to be had... but fit is so important on a road bike so it's easy to get carried away on a good deal... DON'T... wait for that bike that fits you correctly

FrenchFit 

My daughter rode a beat to hell Miyata 710 road bike for 4 years in college, she was a terror. Only thing nice on that bike were the wheels and tires, and they were stolen - twice (Ivy League campus). Nice, new bikes don't survive on a college campus, don't throw away your money. As far as being a Clyde, more running and biking, endurance and activities the weight will fall off, stay away from the short-term power - strength workouts or you may graduate at 250lbs. No one needs to bench press their weight - unless your career plan is to be a bouncer or you love really big women.

hicksrdalton

Yeah, I won't. My dad is 363 lbs and I see how much of a struggle it is for him to have even gotten to that weight(used to be 406). I am definitely going to keep my weight in check and do everything I can.