lookinn for all of you experinced riders for purchase advice

[will loose]

I am a 48 year old male.6' 1" 290 pounds i am a powerlfter i have had several hand operations and i now have a rotator cuff tear and another operation coming my way. I use to be a pretty avid road rider 20 years ago. With my medical issues i can not deal with the seating position on a road bike. I am looking at the 3.0 trek navigator but the bike store guy is pushing me towards a mountain bike cause of my weight. Here is my riding requireiments . Some rails to trails riding paved and unpaved a rack with some kind of bag for maybe a fishing pole and meds i have diabetis so i need those things with. Here is where the issues start i want to be able to do 15 or 20 miles on the road at a fair pace . Basially i want a good bike that will do everything pretty good my budget is a $1000 . Any advice you can offer would be greatly appreaciaed i plan on using the bike a good amount ao really need your guys and gals in making a purchase that fits my needs so i get out the with fellow bike enthusists be comfortable and enjoy. Thank you , will

 

[kdelong]

The Navigator 3.0 should be fine for you at 290 lbs. It is basically a hardtail MTB with a more comfort bike position. The 36 spoke wheels will be able to support your weight with no problem. The Navigator 3.0 is excellent for casual riding on a paved trail or a good unpaved hard pack. You might want a little more aggressive tire for loose unpaved surfaces. The only real difference that you will find between the Navigator and a MTB is that you will be in a lower riding position on the MTB, and the brakes on the MTB will probably be disc brakes. Take a test ride on the Navigator and on the Trek 3900 or a similar 3 Series MTB and compare them. The sales gerbils at Trek are trained to always steer heavier riders to MTBs but this is because a lot of heavier riders want a high performance race bike that will not be well suited for their weight. But the Navigator is just as well suited for your weight as any of their MTBs.

 

[oldbobcat]

Will, while you're looking at Navigators take a look at the FX range. It's a little sportier, will meet your ambitions better, and it's plenty strong for your 280 lbs. The 7.3 is probably the best bet for strong wheels without blowing the bank account.

 

[will loose]

Thanks old bob cat i will deffinatly be takeing a look at the 7.3 also ( thats why im here to gather info for a smart purchases and not have a expensive bike hangind on te wall that does not do what i need efficently and commfortly) i see the bike has a little more aggresive seating position do you know if there other stems to raise the bars . Thanks will loose

 

[kdelong]

Originally Posted by will loose .

Thanks old bob cat i will deffinatly be takeing a look at the 7.3 also ( thats why im here to gather info for a smart purchases and not have a expensive bike hangind on te wall that does not do what i need efficently and commfortly) i see the bike has a little more aggresive seating position do you know if there other stems to raise the bars . Thanks will loose

There are adjustable rise stems that you can add to the FX to raise the bars. I don't know if Trek has any that will fit a threadless headset. They have them that fit the threaded headsets like the one that they use on the Navigator but I'm not sure that they have one that will work with the threadless headset that is used on the FX. I have seen a couple on eBay though, so they can be found.

 

[alienator]

There are several companies that make adjustable stems for threadless steerers, one of which is Ritchey: The Ritchey Adjustable.