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help for a short guy

Old 06-10-14, 03:19 AM
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help for a short guy

I was a power lifter and am an army veteran. I am not small but am on the short side I weigh 275 and am 5'6" tall. Before my accident I was warming up with 220 and a max of 375 dead lift. I damaged my back and now have to change my life completely. I have a comfort hybrid. I am looking at a road bike. Any suggestions for an entry level bike?
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Old 06-10-14, 04:24 AM
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What's your budget?

Are you sticking to paved roads only?

Do you see yourself racing with road bike club members?

- OR -

Would you rather see yourself cycling on a long paved country road, just leisurely viewing the scenery?

......So are you a race guy or a scenery guy?
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Old 06-10-14, 04:33 AM
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Originally Posted by WestPablo
What's your budget?

Are you sticking to paved roads only?

Do you see yourself racing with road bike club members?

- OR -

Would you rather see yourself cycling on a long paved country road, just leisurely viewing the scenery?

......So are you a race guy or a scenery guy?
The bike club has both and as I get older I see me becoming more of a scenery guy. The problem is the Bacchetta Bella and the Cannondale are the same price. The speed demon in me is screaming Cannondale but the Squidward in me says Bella.
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Old 06-10-14, 04:38 AM
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Originally Posted by Sam10868
The bike club has both and as I get older I see me becoming more of a scenery guy. The problem is the Bacchetta Bella and the Cannondale are the same price. The speed demon in me is screaming Cannondale but the Squidward in me says Bella.
Nonetheless, what's your budget?
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Old 06-10-14, 04:52 AM
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Found them both used for about $500 and they are the same price.
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Old 06-10-14, 07:02 AM
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Welcome to BF!

I started at 5'8" and 252. My extra was all fat, I'm sure you're carrying a lot more muscle that I did. You're height and weight should pose no problems with stock size bikes. However, fit is king and if you're new to cycling I'd recommend visiting your LBS to know what size you need. Fit varies from brand to brand, a 51 Trek will fit different than a 51 Cannondale.
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Old 06-10-14, 08:01 AM
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Looks like your gonna have to either come up with extra cash or else monitor your local CL.

Otherwise, there's always a Performance hybrid available like the either the Giant Escape 2, the Jamis Coda, the Fuji Absolute, or the Diamondback Insight for approximately five hundred bucks, or less!

The following flat bar road bikes (hybrids) are all from Nashbar:

* The Schwinn Slicker @ $480


* The Diamondback Insight 1 @ $350 (medium only)


* The Diamondback Insight @ $370 (all sizes available)

Checkout www.performancebike.com

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Old 06-13-14, 08:37 PM
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Originally Posted by Sam10868
The bike club has both and as I get older I see me becoming more of a scenery guy. The problem is the Bacchetta Bella and the Cannondale are the same price. The speed demon in me is screaming Cannondale but the Squidward in me says Bella.
I am just going to comment that these are very different choices. For me I have gone toward the recumbents. I have a Bacchetta, a BikeE, and a no-name. I can go further, in comfort, than I can on a traditional bike and that extra comfort results in a higher average speed.
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Old 06-13-14, 08:42 PM
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Performance has a couple road bikes right at that price point, a Fuji and a GT... not looking at the site right now so I forget the exact models. I would stick with CL though.. where I live, I see bikes that should be in your size range listed constantly.
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Old 06-13-14, 09:34 PM
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Originally Posted by Robert C
I am just going to comment that these are very different choices. For me I have gone toward the recumbents. I have a Bacchetta, a BikeE, and a no-name. I can go further, in comfort, than I can on a traditional bike and that extra comfort results in a higher average speed.
Holy cats, you ride a bent in the PRC?

Post some pictures please...
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Old 06-13-14, 09:53 PM
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The bike shop called when they were checking the bella they found the frame was bad and refunded my money. I am being fit for a road bike with my physical therapist and bike expert.
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Old 06-14-14, 01:44 AM
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Originally Posted by TrojanHorse
Holy cats, you ride a bent in the PRC?

Post some pictures please...
Yes, I do; however, this is, very likely my last day here. I am heading back to the states and will spend a couple of months looking for work. If I don't find anything I may return; but, after over six years here I am tired of it.

That being said, riding a recumbent gets a lot of attention here. It is a bit like a clown juggling a clown, people slow down on the road to take pictures of me (not always very safe). I will try to post some pictures in a few days.
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Old 06-14-14, 05:26 AM
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Looks like you've lucked out, Sam!

Performance is having a 30% sale, both today and tomorrow!

Find Bikes, Cycling Clothing, Bike Parts & Bike Shoes Or Your Local Bike Store at Performance.

Checkout these two "racing" bikes @ $490 (after 30% deduction):

1) The Diamondback Century 1

2) The Fuji Roubaix 3.0 LE
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Old 06-14-14, 08:20 AM
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I am also a shorter guy (5'7") and generally don't like frames any smaller than 53cm. The smaller frames will often require that you need to raise the seatpost pretty high in the frame to get proper leg extension. On a bike designed for racing, this will result in a pretty substantial drop from the saddle to the handlebars. If you have a bad back you most likely will not be able to bend down to reach the handlebars for any amount of time. My advice is to select a bike that has a frame with a high head tube, have the shop leave plenty of the fork's steerer tube uncut, and maybe have a positive rise stem. This will allow the bike to be set up with the bars level or above the saddle height. You can easily lower the bars with this setup, raising the bars on a racing setup...not so easy.
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