biffstephens

I weigh 265 but weighed 300 all last year and I ride a carbon bike with no issues....

For sure a good wheel set is the way to go.....

Turboem1

6' 265 lbs, riding an aluminum road bike with 700x25 tires. Rims are bontrager 20 spoke front 24 spoke rear and I have been fine so far.

Go out and ride!

Paniolo

You'll be fine. As others said the wheelset is key, but there are some reasonable $ alternatives that will serve you fine. Try the oem ones on what ever bike you get and if you can't keep them in true, upgrade.

I've ridden just under 15,000 miles the last 3 years and after my 50 mile ride today the scales said 235#. I used 23mm tires the last 2+ years and picked up a new carbon Fuji in Sept (1000 miles). My rear tires usually last 2000 or so miles.

edit: I did change out the flexy Alex wheels on my Fuji with some low spoke Campy Zondas and they have been fantastic, stiff and true since I mounted them up.

Air

Hell - check out Tom's story! Dude's lost over 360 pounds and counting - plus is rapidly approaching double century mile rides. Kickin' my ass that's for sure and I (luckily) weigh less than he's lost!

Bizurke

Last year I was at 260lbs and put over 1000 miles on a road bike with 700x28's. I would have had no problem going with smaller wheels. The only things I would suggest is getting a bike that has a good amount of spokes in the wheels and trying different types of geometry since you'll be making a step from hybrid to road. I hear nothing but good things from my "big" friends that ride Specialized Sequoias and Trek Pilots. Also the Trek 520 (as mentioned before) is a good bike and brakes like a mountain bike. Felt as a new "Z" series that has a more upright geometry and has also taken the spot of the lower end bikes they sell. The F90 is no longer and has been replaced with an upright Z90 at the same price.

Shop around, and give that LBS the finger. Find the LBS that wants to serve you, once I found the right LBS things got a lot better for me.

schnee

6'-3", 255, ride a thin-tubed steel road bike and not destroying it.

I use 28mm tires to lessen pinch-flats, have 36-spoke 3-cross wheels, and use a Thompson stem. Those are my concessions to being a clydesdale.

kensuf

You are quite correct. Tom's a huge inspiration.

AverageCommuter

I began 2006 at 6' 235#, I'm now hovering right around 200. (just slightly over today, so i suppose that gives me the right to post in this forum *L*) I commute on an '80 Fuji Royale and recreate on an '05 Diamondback Podium. The only problem I had was the rear spoke on the Podium. LBS felt it was a manufacturing error and re-spoked it with better spokes. No problems since. The Fuji has been bullet-proof, and I'm NOT gentle on commuter bikes. Your LBS is full of it. Give someone else your business.

ludeboy_77

I have put thousands upon thousands of miles on my roadbike with 700x25 tires, varying weights from 215 to 300, nothing out of the ordinary in terms of flats and mechanical failures. I try to ride light, but that is just me. That LBS was off-base and I suggest moving on to another. The only reason they should give advice like that would be if you wanted some titanium pedal spindles rated for 185 lb.

howsteepisit

Just to add in my $.02....Many bike shop employees don't understand that all road bike are not racing bikes. I agree with the OP's shop that the OP might not be very comfortable and have good reliability on a racing bike (or one of its cheaper clones). But a touring bike or even whats called a sport touring bike, or what Grant P at Rivendell calls a country bike, will suit the OP just fine. I also think that the OP should look for a bike shop with a broader range of knowledge. Bet the shop guy was a young lightweight racer type.

bigbossman 

Bull*****. I'm 235, and ride a Giant OCR carbon bike with 23c tires and 24/28 spoke count wheels. So far this year I have 3200 miles on the rig with no issues AT ALL. I typipcally ride 7-9 centuries a year, with 10's of thousands of feet of aggregate climbing and the respective amount of descents. I don't baby my equipment, but I do not abuse it.

Rock sold - up, down, and in between. Go buy a road bike and have at it. Just make sure you get a decent set of wheels.

FarHorizon

Probably not. When I weighed 275, I rode a set of Campy Vento wheels for awhile. Eventually, I broke a rear spoke and retired the wheels, but they held up to daily riding for about 3-4 months before the first spoke broke.

I'd suggest buying a road bike & asking the shop to replace the factory "racing" wheels with a pair with at least 32 spokes and a 3x pattern. With those wheels, you should be able to ride without wheel problems.

So far as the rest of the road bike goes, there's no difference between the parts you already have on your Cypress and what you'll have on the road bike except that the road bike parts probably:
1. cost more
2. last longer
3. need fewer adjustments.

The only potential "problem" you might face with a road bike (once the wheels are attended to) would be the frame. Buying an ultra-light carbon-fiber race frame (or seatpost or handlebars) might not be a great idea.

The opinions above are mine alone, and I'm sure that fifteen people will instantly post saying that they ride a fly-fart-light carbon race bike with six radial spokes, that they weigh 500#, and that they've been riding their rig for the past decade with zero problems. It could happen, but...

FarHorizon

Be somewhat wary of using wider tires unless the rims are spec'd to work with the wider rubber by the rim manufacturer. Look what happened to my Mavic CXP-33's: https://www.bikeforums.net/bicycle-mechanics/201510-catastrophic-wheel-failure-why.html

Dogbait

I am 6'2", 260 and rode the four bikes in my signature for a little over 2000 miles this year. You will note that all of them are "road" bikes. One, the red Univega has 32mm tires and the rest are 28's. All my wheels have 36 spokes and I have not had any wheel failures... some minor truing every now and then. The wheels on the World Sport were built by REI in 1986 and are still going strong.

Ride what you like!

scottmorrison99

I was at least that heavy when I bought my road bike. Bike tend to be sturdier than you think. Just ride.

Eric Redard

I'm in a similar situation and wonder why Mavic Ksyrium SL's haven't come up as a solid wheel suggestion.

kensuf

Because of their price?

However, I'm riding elite's and have been happy so far. But I've only got about 300 miles on them..

biffstephens

If we are going to change the theme of the thread to the real question of 235 lbs - Am I going to destroy my road wheels? I have an opinion...lol

To get a cheaper (cost) wheels that is tough look for a higher spoke count for sure....I road some CPX33's for a long time without ever needing to be trued..they can also be had for an attractive price as well....

That being said I now and for the last three years ridden a set of Campy Eurus wheels. I have never had an incendent with them. I currently weight 260 and have weighed more.....highly recomended.....

adrien

Hello.

No, you won't break a road bike, unless you do something that would break most any bike, assuming you stay away from superlight racey stuff. And the advice about wheels here is spot-on.

One of the keys is whether you're tough on bikes or not. If you loosen your grip and come off the saddle to allow a bike to wiggle a bit over rough areas or bumps, it can make a huge difference. Bracing hard will put way more strain on you and on the bike. It's counter-intuitive, but it makes a big difference.

I faced a similar dilemma, and ended up with a cross bike. They are beefier than road bikes and made to take abuse, yet still pretty quick and versatile. I can stay with road riders, for example, yet can go off trail no problem. They are also built with more clearance for tires, etc. and have a (slightly) more compact and more upright geometry. I'm running 700x37 semi-slicks, and they are a good compromise between speed, ride, and handling. And I often go for rides that include packed dirt, and there's no issue there. If I get serious about distance riding, I'll change them out for full slicks (maybe 28 or so) for the centuries.

Last thought...get to a good LBS, tell them what kind of riding you're going to do and try a bunch of bikes. Try road, touring and cross. Try steel, Aluminum alloy / carbon combinations. See what feels best. Once you're comfy, pther things can enter into the picture -- level of compnentry, accessories, color, etc. A good bike is one YOU want to ride.

Hambone

I have to agree with what has been posted above.

I can't sing the praises of my Mavic Open Pro's enough. Have them tensioned by a mechanic you trust. I started out at well over 300 pounds and I put thousands of miles on them last year and they are still straight and true.

Don't give the shop you got your hybrid from any more business. Just walk away.

I don't ride super wide tires. My frame is too narrow for anything over 28cc. If you are looking for a more plush ride and want this option, keep this in mind. Cyclo cross bikes or touring bikes will get you in the more aero position AND allow for wider tires.

onebyoneallday

When I started riding it was on an old 70's road bike with cheapie OEM wheels and rims. I weighed 275 or so and never had a problem. Never got a flat, wheels are still true on that bike.

Make sure you buy quality parts, especially strong wheels. I also like using Thorn-proof tubes are they are much thicker than regular which reduces the chance of a blowout.

newsace

+1 (and to Tom's story, too) -- I'm currently about 3/4 of the way through the book, on my fourth or fifth reading of it. This time around, it coincides (again) with an attempt to finally get in shape. Thanks to seeing some sigs with Traineo info, I signed up on that site to help me keep track (and use their motivator function). After a couple of weeks on it, I'm down about 10 pounds.

And to keep this more on-topic to the original post: I ride a 2003 Specialized Allez Sport (or whatever they call the entry-level road bike these days). During the first year I got a new rear wheel built for my weight, after popping a couple of spokes; replaced the front wheel last year after breaking one spoke -- figured I'd just do ahead and get it done before breaking any more.

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Kimbercop

I'm 6'02 270#, I ride a Pinarello aluminum with 24 count rear Campy Proton wheels with 23's on them. I put on just under 1000 miles this summer without a single flat and the rims are still true.

Buy a road bike and ride.. you'll love it

alanfleisig

It's B.S.

I'm 6'4", and I'm down to 210 now, but when I first started riding again ~5 years ago, I was 250.

I first bought a hybrid Trek w/700c x 27 tires. Put a couple thousand miles on it, and never had so much as a flat.

At about 230 lbs. I upgraded to a Trek 1500. Had quite a few flats until I switched to Michelin Carbons w/Air Stop tubes. No more flats.

End of second season and after about 3000 miles I broke a couple of spokes on the rear Bontrager while climbing out of the saddle. Invested in Mavic Kysyrium Elites which now have over 5000 miles and many potholes on them, and are still not only structurally viable but have never even needed truing.

Only other potentially size-related matter: bottom bracket started "creaking" after couple thousand miles. Replaced it with Ultegra. Never a problem again.

Down to about 210 lbs. now, and just invested in a Madone SL 5.2 at the end of the season. I fully expect this to hold up just fine under 210 lbs.

So buy a road bike. Maybe stay away from some weight savers like carbon cranks and some of the lighter wheels. But any decent mid-range road bike should hold up fine for you.

e0richt

ok, Im 5' 9'', 310 lbs (used to be 350...). I ride a cheapie road bike (only cost me around 250) that had
a chro molly frame, with alex rims, maxxis zephyr tires (700x25c). I have not had a problem with the road
bike at all... I have ridden this bike this season (started april/may of this year) for about 500 miles with no
problems. I can't believe that higher end road bikes wouldn't work for you as well.

now, I did buy a trek 7100 from a LBS and I did have to have the wheel relaced with either more spokes or stronger ones... because of the way you sit on a hybrid, most of the weight is placed on the rear wheel and because of that, I was whacking it out of true almost every other ride until re-laced...

oh, by the way, get the road bike, I find its much more enjoyable to ride it rather than the hybrid... the hybrid is rather "heavy" compared to the road bike...