noob road biker looken for advice

[george1098]

Hi all
I'm looking at getting myself a road bike. i am a 6' tall 198 lb male. i've been on bikes all my life, but am a bit of a noob when it comes to road bikes. just wondering what size frame would be good for someone of my stature. i'm looking at spending somewhere in the 1000-1200 range. if anyone has any suggestions on brands, models and other stuff i haven't thought of, it would be great
thanks allot

 

[artemidorus]

Hi all
I'm looking at getting myself a road bike. i am a 6' tall 198 lb male. i've been on bikes all my life, but am a bit of a noob when it comes to road bikes. just wondering what size frame would be good for someone of my stature. i'm looking at spending somewhere in the 1000-1200 range. if anyone has any suggestions on brands, models and other stuff i haven't thought of, it would be great
thanks allot

There are a number of specific measurements each more important than your height, the most important being inseam length. In any case, you need to try a number of brands and sizes to get an idea. There is an ongoing debate regarding compact vs traditional frames.
Search these forums for "inseam length", "bike fit", "compact frame", "top tube length" etc etc
There are also some good bike fit sites on the Web that give you formulas for recommended bike dimensions based on your dimensions, google will help.
There is no substitute for trying lots of bikes, not even a professional bike fit session.

 

[domaindomain]

You are about the same size as me and I ride a 58cm Colnago with 172.5 cranks, 10.5 cm stem length

According to some that is totally wrong for my size but I have tried many combinations and this feels best for me.

Go to a store and sit on a few!

 

[Alpha]

Hi all
I'm looking at getting myself a road bike. i am a 6' tall 198 lb male. i've been on bikes all my life, but am a bit of a noob when it comes to road bikes. just wondering what size frame would be good for someone of my stature. i'm looking at spending somewhere in the 1000-1200 range. if anyone has any suggestions on brands, models and other stuff i haven't thought of, it would be great
thanks allot

Forget the measurements! Ride various sizes. I'm 6', 185 lbs. When I bought my bike last year, every store I went into told me I needed a 58 cm frame. None felt right. I started test riding 58 and 56 cm bikes from the same manufacturers. In all cases the 56 cm was more comfortable. After 4000 km on the bike, I'm glad I went with the 56 instead of the 58. My 6' 3" friend also finds the bike very comfortable.

 

[george1098]

thanks guys, i was in my LBS last night and i asked a few questions and they gave me some usefull info. i'm gonna go back in the next few days and take a 56 cm frame and a 58 cm frame out for a ride and see how they feel.
do you guys recomend i go for road specific shoes and clipless pedals? or will general purpose do?
also, what should i look for as far as components go for my first road bike?
i plan on spending quite allot of time on it this fall
thanks again

 

[azdroptop]

thanks guys, i was in my LBS last night and i asked a few questions and they gave me some usefull info. i'm gonna go back in the next few days and take a 56 cm frame and a 58 cm frame out for a ride and see how they feel.
do you guys recomend i go for road specific shoes and clipless pedals? or will general purpose do?
also, what should i look for as far as components go for my first road bike?
i plan on spending quite allot of time on it this fall
thanks again

I would go with at least ultegra or a comparable campy. My first frame was steel and I loved it! Very comfortable ride. I was 5'9" 200 when I first started riding. No more weights and a lot of time in the saddle and I'm down to 188 on the way to 180. Best of luck.

 

[WP33]

thanks guys, i was in my LBS last night and i asked a few questions and they gave me some usefull info. i'm gonna go back in the next few days and take a 56 cm frame and a 58 cm frame out for a ride and see how they feel.
do you guys recomend i go for road specific shoes and clipless pedals? or will general purpose do?
also, what should i look for as far as components go for my first road bike?
i plan on spending quite allot of time on it this fall
thanks again

Clipless pedals will be the single best thing you can do for yourself. They will allow you to utilize the entire pedal stroke, not just the down-stroke. You can pedal in "circles", that is to say, you can pull up with one while you push down with the other. Saves your muscles and makes you more efficient. Road-specific shoes will be better to put more power straight to the pedals, as the soles are generally stiffer than mountain shoes.