looking for some advice on ergos

Hey all, this is my first post here and after browsing the forum I'm pleased at the wealth of info that seems to be available here. Now I'm certianly not a newb to biking but deffinitely when it comes to road bikes. I've mountain biked for about 6 years now and would consider myself to be a pretty good rider but I'm looking to get into road biking. I plan to do some pretty long rides consisting of at least a couple of hours a day.

So my major concern is finding a bike that will fit my build relatively well, I'm about 6'4 225lbs. A friend of mine mentioned that a more aggressively angled frame is naturally better for larger riders. If that is the case which manufacturers tend to have goemetry's that would suit me well.

For the type of riding i'll be doing I plan to stay strictly on the road with this bike. I love to ride fast and get a good workout, I wont be putting along much at all.

My friend suggested i try to avoid bike's with components that have anything less than shimano 105 and to try and get the best rear deraileur that i can. I've noticed many bikes these days have at least carbon forks and other posts with Zertz inserts or something.

Hope you guys can wade through that to hlep me out as best as possible, thanks for any help.

-Bigmini

a few things:
1. tall bikes typically have steeper head angles than short ones. Seat tube angles are less so.
Headtube angle - determines ride "friskiness"
Seattube angle - determined by your thigh length.
You should get fitted and find a company that makes a frame with an appropriate seattube angle with the level of friskiness you want.
2. I agree with the "stay at or above 105". However, many mananufacturers put on a stepped-up rear derailleur to make the bike seem nicer. You should focus on the following:

Frame - fit, material - this is based on the premise you will keep the bike a long time and may wear out parts. You won't "wear out" the frame.

Wheels - although they are easily upgradeable, they cost a lot to do so. Good wheels (and in particular, good hubs) go a long way towards prolonging the life of a bike.

Bottom Bracket/cranks - this is the next most expensive thing to upgrade. I name them as a unit because there are so many unique pairings that you normally can't switch just the BB or just the cranks. Cheap cranks are horrible - the chainrings warp almost immediately, they flex, they're heavy. I would classify my Centaur cranks as cheap (they are probably Ultegra level). The Chorus cranks are still straight though after a year.

Seat - you must feel comfortable on the seat. You'll probably change out the one that comes on your bike. If you can't sit on the bike, no amount of carbon etc will make the bike fun to ride.

Disposable parts: tires, tubes, handlebar tape, chain, cassette, rear derailleur.

Parts you change simply for weight (as long as fit is good): seatpost, stem, bars, pedals

Inconsequential parts: brake calipers, front derailleur (as long as it's the right size/fit).

Figure out what you're willing to endure for now and then sacrifice those specs (i.e. if you have your eye set one some carbon cranks, then get the bike with the cheapest cranks).

This is how I build my bikes (typically a frame, partial group, and a few hold over parts - my seat/seatpost, bar/stem, wheels, pedals).

hope this helps
cdr