help me find a bike

[original_niceguy69]

i'm a big guy that got hooked on cycling. i'm 6'0 a little over 300
pounds. I ride a trek hybrid now. I was looking for a road bike or
something similar. The hybrid was ok when i got it. I keep wanting to
raise the seat so i can lean over , The more i ride it doesn't feel
right sitting up right like on a hybrid. A friend told me about
cyclocross bikes, like the cannondale cyclocross and the trek xo1. I
don't really know anything about these types of bikes , just what i was
told, they are basically a beefed up road bike. I figured i was too big
for a regular road bike. My bike allowance is $1500. thanks

 

[no spam]

In article <[email protected]>,
original_niceguy69 <[email protected]> wrote:
>i'm a big guy that got hooked on cycling. i'm 6'0 a little over 300
>pounds.

You should be fine on most sport-level road bikes (not super-lightweight
racers). Just ask the shop to switch the wheels for something heavier
duty than the stock wheels.

 

[maxo]

On Thu, 09 Dec 2004 00:19:50 +0000, no spam wrote:

> In article <[email protected]>,
> original_niceguy69 <[email protected]> wrote:
>>i'm a big guy that got hooked on cycling. i'm 6'0 a little over 300
>>pounds.
>
> You should be fine on most sport-level road bikes (not super-lightweight
> racers). Just ask the shop to switch the wheels for something heavier
> duty than the stock wheels.

Might as well go CX then, since they've already got sturdy wheels. Plus
you get more powerful brakes and can actually put
fenders/racks/coffemakers on the sucker. There's plenty of tire clearance
so you can run fairly fat 35c tires like on a hybrid since skinnies +
heavy rider = pinch flats and discomfort.

With a race bike that's all you get, a single purpose machine.

With a CX bike you get a bike that can serve many different rolls.

A lot of folks seem to like the Surly Crosscheck. It's affordable and very
sturdy. Handsome too. A complete bike will run about a grand. I'd see
if I could substitute some 36 spoke wheels instead of the usual 32s, at
least throw a 36'er on the back.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/surly-cross-check.html

 

[di]

"original_niceguy69" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> i'm a big guy that got hooked on cycling. i'm 6'0 a little over 300
> pounds. I ride a trek hybrid now. I was looking for a road bike or
> something similar. The hybrid was ok when i got it. I keep wanting to
> raise the seat so i can lean over , The more i ride it doesn't feel
> right sitting up right like on a hybrid. A friend told me about
> cyclocross bikes, like the cannondale cyclocross and the trek xo1. I
> don't really know anything about these types of bikes , just what i was
> told, they are basically a beefed up road bike. I figured i was too big
> for a regular road bike. My bike allowance is $1500. thanks
>

Touring bike

 

[maxo]

On Wed, 08 Dec 2004 19:06:48 -0600, di wrote:

>
> "original_niceguy69" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> i'm a big guy that got hooked on cycling. i'm 6'0 a little over 300
>> pounds. I ride a trek hybrid now. I was looking for a road bike or
>> something similar. The hybrid was ok when i got it. I keep wanting to
>> raise the seat so i can lean over , The more i ride it doesn't feel
>> right sitting up right like on a hybrid. A friend told me about
>> cyclocross bikes, like the cannondale cyclocross and the trek xo1. I
>> don't really know anything about these types of bikes , just what i was
>> told, they are basically a beefed up road bike. I figured i was too big
>> for a regular road bike. My bike allowance is $1500. thanks
>>
>
> Touring bike

Be forewarned that a lot of companies put braze-ons on their
entry level "cyclocross" bikes so that they can be used as tourers. I have
a feeling that they sell them as CX bikes simply because it sounds cooler.
That said, Fuji and Trek both make traditional steel touring bikes that
are fairly priced and easy to obtain and I'm sure you could slap a set of
knobbies on either and cruise some fire roads. Whatever you call them is
fine by me.

 

[Peter Cole]

"maxo" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news[email protected]...
> On Wed, 08 Dec 2004 19:06:48 -0600, di wrote:
>> >
> > Touring bike
>
> Be forewarned that a lot of companies put braze-ons on their
> entry level "cyclocross" bikes so that they can be used as tourers. I
have
> a feeling that they sell them as CX bikes simply because it sounds
cooler.
> That said, Fuji and Trek both make traditional steel touring bikes that
> are fairly priced and easy to obtain and I'm sure you could slap a set of
> knobbies on either and cruise some fire roads. Whatever you call them is
> fine by me.

There is at least one significant difference between cross and touring
bikes -- BB height. A low BB is great for stop & go road riding since it's
easier to dab a foot down, but it's not so good off-road where you can
catch a pedal.

 

[maxo]

On Thu, 09 Dec 2004 13:28:16 +0000, Peter Cole wrote:

> There is at least one significant difference between cross and touring
> bikes -- BB height. A low BB is great for stop & go road riding since it's
> easier to dab a foot down, but it's not so good off-road where you can
> catch a pedal.

Absolutely true, with the dedicated CX bikes, but it's my observation that
some of the CX bikes that are sold with braze-ons have a compromise BB
height, since the same percentage of riders are using them off road as
Escalade drivers are going muddin' LOL

Low BB height is a nice thing for cruising around, I'd recommend that the
OP bring a ruler when shopping about and take a few notes.