Need help with road bike choice



GavB924

New Member
Apr 8, 2020
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Hey all, I know many of you are very well versed with bikes and I was wondering if anyone could help me.
I’m 5’6 and a little overweight but helpfully biking will help with weight loss. Is there a good amount of overweight road bikers?
I do like the look of the drop handlebars and I like the feeling on going fast and for long rides.
But anyways I’m looking for a road bike and money’s a little tight so I was looking around less than $1000 price range.
If anyone has an idea of nice road bikes, it would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks
 
Eating habits are far more important to weight loss than exercise habits. Eat right and the weight will come off even w/o exercise. Eat wrong and not even hours of riding daily will take the weight off.

There are plenty of heavy road riders. Often referred to as ”clydesdales”.
There’s almost never any problems with forks or frames, but cheap and/or poorly built wheels can let a rider down.
Look for 32-spoke (at least) wheels, and ask to have them tensioned properly.
Learn to ”go light”. Meaning as you see a bump approaching, get off the saddle. Bend knees and elbows lightly and be ready to help the bike move beneath you.

”I do like the look of drop handlebars” will not count for much if your anatomy decides that it doesn’t like them.

If you are going to start your riding career on a drop bar bike, try to get one with an ”uncut steerer”. That will give you more options on how (high) to set your bar.

The bike industry is very homogenous. Similar money will buy you comparable bikes regardless of brand.
Find a shop shop you trust, buy there.
 
I agree with the uncut steering tube suggestion. I like my bars as high as possible to relieve the folding at the waist.

I am a Clydesdale at 6'1 and 270 pounds. So depending on your wheel set up, I do use 32 spoke 30 mm deep rims.

Do find a GOOD wheelbuilder to build your wheels. I build my own after having so many problems with local bike shop guys who call themselves pros when they are not. Not even close!

I gave these wheels to a buddy who was in need but not till after I put over 10,000 miles on them. The story of these wheels:

They came on my new bike back in 1998. They would not stay true (straight) for more than 100 miles. Bike shop pros said I was too heavy back then at 220 pounds. 3 trips withing 2 weeks to the shop, they sucked! Would not stay true so I ended up going to another guy I know who builds wheels. He built a set of Velocity Deep V wheels for me with 32 spokes. They were rock solid for years.

Had more problems with more bike purchases. So I decided to build wheels myself. I built my first wheel and it was great while I paid attention to every detail possible. I had great success so I dug these wheels out of my closet and thought I might give it a try building them myself.

I used the same exact parts, same rims, same spokes, I stripped everything down to pieces. I built the wheels back up and VOILA!!!! Perfectly good set of wheel with 28back/24front spoke wheels.

Like I said, I put over 10,000 miles on them with ZERO problems so it can be done depending on the skill of the wheel builder you chose.

I have since then built wheels for all my bikes, 7 bikes and probably 15 wheels. All with no issues but I did use 32 on most but a couple sets with 28 front and rear spokes to be safe. Not one wheel with an issue.

So imo, if you use a 28 spoke rear wheel, you will be ok if the builder does a good job. Not knowing how much you weigh either, 210 pounds is not all that much figuring I was riding the 28 spokes anywhere from 220-270 pounds over 10 years. You don't state your weight.

Loved this bike and these wheels. Sadly THE FRAME broke and the wheels are still perfect.

I did a ton of climbing on these wheels so they weren't babied and they are fine. Miss the frame though. :(

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As you can see, I built this bike and left the steer tube uncut so I could get the handle bars as high as possible. I'm not a small guy so I need some height up front to stay relaxed on long rides.

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I'm a big thick waist rider so I need my bars high so I can breath better while riding.

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But biggest part as mentioned above, diet! They say you can't out ride a bad diet, it's true! :D
 
Wow, diet is more important than exercise? I hate to be the spoiler here but without both you won't lose weight well at all, weight loss comes from a combination of both, anyway I'm not going on a long tirade about this since the subject was about a bike.

One of the bikes I like for under 1K is the Salsa Journeyman, this bike has a bit beefier frame tubes than most others do at that price range. Another possibility is the Fuji Touring bike, touring bikes are made for heavy loads too, another good example is the Jamis Aurora which has a classic look; both of those bikes can be fairly easy to find in larger cities.
 
If you are interested in weight loss, you should also consider your diet. Diet plays a huge role in our fitness regime. Around 60% per cent of any health/ fitness programs relies on the food you.

So, if you are just starting out, you can buy an amazing road bike under $400. Since you only wish to ride your bike for fitness, you really don't need to go for something above $500.

You can see the list of best road bikes under $300 here.

If you are new to biking and have no idea about size chart, then read the bike size chart guide first.
 
Diet, diet, oh......and diet. That’s not necessarily eating all that cardboard tasting food either. It is cutting way down on daily sugar intake, both simple and complex. Add exercise, wow, weight drops even quicker.

As to your budget, what I always suggest, find a well maintained used bike. If you are unsure what to look for, ask a friend that has been doing this for some time.

Good luck.
 
Buy a good conditioned road bike. Buy a bike that fits your requirement, watch out for frame size, weight and paddle condition. The factor is important for buying road bikes.
Another thing, if you wanna lose weight, Ride a bike for a certain amount of time every day, and try to push yourself further a lil bit every day. this is the best way to lose weight.
 
Hey there! Those are some great options you've mentioned. The Fuji Touring bike and the Triban RC 500 Disc are solid choices under $1,000. Another option to consider is the Diamondback Haanjo 2. Keep exploring and happy riding!
 

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