Hi all,
I really need some help with bike selection. A bit of background first. I am 6ft 5in, approx 118kg (and loosing), and currently commute and try to do some decent training rides on an Avanti Hurricane MTB. The MTB was recommended to me by my LBS a few years ago, with the justification being that no road bike would handle my weight.
I have put slicks on the bike, have a computer, am trying to take the cycling more seriously, and am getting extremely annoyed with the weight / sluggishness / etc of the MTB. I am trying (and in some cases succeeding) to keep up with some of the "real" roadies out on training rides during lunchtimes and on the weekends.
After a lot of lurking on forums such as this one (which by the way, I have found to be the best of the lot that I have found to date - congrats to the organisers etc) I have come to the conclusion that there are bikes out there suitable for bigger riders, although I temper that with the fact that not all bikes will be suitable for me.
I would rather pay a little more for quality, am not overly concerned with a little extra weight and would rather trade weight for durability any day of the week.
To my point (and sorry if I am a little long-winded - just thought that I needed to paint a bit of a picture in order to get the right advice). I am looking currently at a number of bikes, ranging from the standard off-the-shelf models to hand made ones (expensive). The two that I am seriously considering at the moment are:
Trek 1500
Cannondale R800
My concerns are that the standard wheelsets that come with these two bikes may / may not cope with my weight. I also looked at the R1000 which has Mavic Ksyrium Elites.
One LBS I went to offered to build a new wheelset for the Trek - 36 spoke double-butted for the same price as the standard Trek (he knows from speaking to me that he will also get a lot more business from me - computer, accessories, clothing etc etc etc - the list goes on).
What I would like is any feedback from you guys as to what sort of setup I should aim for. Am I looking in the right area (I don't want to start up the steel vs aluminium debate again)? Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for taking the time.
Colonel
I really need some help with bike selection. A bit of background first. I am 6ft 5in, approx 118kg (and loosing), and currently commute and try to do some decent training rides on an Avanti Hurricane MTB. The MTB was recommended to me by my LBS a few years ago, with the justification being that no road bike would handle my weight.
I have put slicks on the bike, have a computer, am trying to take the cycling more seriously, and am getting extremely annoyed with the weight / sluggishness / etc of the MTB. I am trying (and in some cases succeeding) to keep up with some of the "real" roadies out on training rides during lunchtimes and on the weekends.
After a lot of lurking on forums such as this one (which by the way, I have found to be the best of the lot that I have found to date - congrats to the organisers etc) I have come to the conclusion that there are bikes out there suitable for bigger riders, although I temper that with the fact that not all bikes will be suitable for me.
I would rather pay a little more for quality, am not overly concerned with a little extra weight and would rather trade weight for durability any day of the week.
To my point (and sorry if I am a little long-winded - just thought that I needed to paint a bit of a picture in order to get the right advice). I am looking currently at a number of bikes, ranging from the standard off-the-shelf models to hand made ones (expensive). The two that I am seriously considering at the moment are:
Trek 1500
Cannondale R800
My concerns are that the standard wheelsets that come with these two bikes may / may not cope with my weight. I also looked at the R1000 which has Mavic Ksyrium Elites.
One LBS I went to offered to build a new wheelset for the Trek - 36 spoke double-butted for the same price as the standard Trek (he knows from speaking to me that he will also get a lot more business from me - computer, accessories, clothing etc etc etc - the list goes on).
What I would like is any feedback from you guys as to what sort of setup I should aim for. Am I looking in the right area (I don't want to start up the steel vs aluminium debate again)? Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for taking the time.
Colonel