Racer/Road Bike For Big Fella!
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Racer/Road Bike For Big Fella!
Postby Deanoz » Fri Mar 04, 2011 8:22 am
I currently own a GIANT XTC2 Mountain Bike with the Schwable Road Tyres. Has the front shock with a lock position. It is still my pride and joy! But im wanting to purchase a race bike.. But not sure what would be a good one for my weight. I am currently 168kgs and 6'3..
Any info of bikes and what to buy would be great! I know its better to get fitted by my lbs but your input would help aswell..
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Re: Racer/Road Bike For Big Fella!
Postby sogood » Fri Mar 04, 2011 8:49 am
RK wrote:And that is Wikipedia - I can write my own definition.
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Re: Racer/Road Bike For Big Fella!
Postby Deanoz » Fri Mar 04, 2011 9:07 am
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Re: Racer/Road Bike For Big Fella!
Postby rkelsen » Fri Mar 04, 2011 9:19 am
Racing bikes are made for guys built like jockeys. Not only that, but they're made for said jockey sized guys to use for a season or two before being discarded. They're light and fast, but far from bombproof.
I agree with Sogood's concerns about the frame. I weigh around 100kg and have caused a mid-range cr-mo road frame to crack across both seat stays.
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Re: Racer/Road Bike For Big Fella!
Postby Deanoz » Fri Mar 04, 2011 9:30 am
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Re: Racer/Road Bike For Big Fella!
Postby sogood » Fri Mar 04, 2011 9:35 am
I would. A frame/steering component failure will see you kiss the tarmac while a snapped spoke will just slow you down. At your weight, unless you have $1M for a custom reinforced CF bike build, you are not going to find a regular retailed racing road bike safe. If you really want a blinging racing road bike, then you'll be wise to seek a quality steel frame (lots of custom builders out there) and match it with specific components for the build.Deanoz wrote:Im not so worried about the frame... More of the gear seat, wheels - Was hoping on somebody knowing a specific model that I could look at.. My main concern is if i go into a lbs, they will just try to sell me whats there instead of telling me whats best..
RK wrote:And that is Wikipedia - I can write my own definition.
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Re: Racer/Road Bike For Big Fella!
Postby brawlo » Fri Mar 04, 2011 9:36 am
Doing a lot of research and reading a lot of supposed horror stories, the general consensus on bikes is that any low to mid range frame should be able to handle your weight. Higher price frames start sacrificing the strength big guys need for weight saving. http://www.bikeforums.net/forumdisplay. ... b-91-kg%29 is a good source for info for people in our position. You can dispell a lot of myths about big people and riding on here by people that do it.
The big area of need is in the wheels and I'd doubt it if you could find a stock set of wheels to satisfy your needs on a road bike. You need to look around at some off the shelf wheels like Velocity or Mavic in a higher spoke count, or even a set of customs. TWE is another local company that should be able to help out.
I'm upgrading my bike very soon and have already purchased a set of Velocity wheels to go on it as I'm just not happy with the sets that come on bikes that I'm looking at for everyday use.
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Re: Racer/Road Bike For Big Fella!
Postby sogood » Fri Mar 04, 2011 9:38 am
You can change but it's not a road bike frame, so can't be turned into a "road bike". Further, there'll be issues with transmission and brake component compatibility, and it'll be expensive to make it work. We assume you wanted a real road bike, no?Deanoz wrote:Should i consider beefing up the XTC? changing the handlebars??? etc
RK wrote:And that is Wikipedia - I can write my own definition.
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Re: Racer/Road Bike For Big Fella!
Postby Deanoz » Fri Mar 04, 2011 9:39 am
If i cant get a frame that will hold the weight, maybe sticking with that I have a modifying it slightly... Just a thought...
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Re: Racer/Road Bike For Big Fella!
Postby sogood » Fri Mar 04, 2011 9:49 am
RK wrote:And that is Wikipedia - I can write my own definition.
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Re: Racer/Road Bike For Big Fella!
Postby Deanoz » Fri Mar 04, 2011 9:52 am
I will speak with TWE and see my lbs tomorrow and see what options I come up with..
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Racer/Road Bike For Big Fella!
Postby Comedian » Fri Mar 04, 2011 10:13 am
At that weight you'll be able to get an off the shelf cf bike and just get some heavy duty wheels. When you've lost some more you can then just fit the factory wheels and you have that blingy road bike.
On mass participation rides I've seen a number of dudes in that weight range on standard bikes.
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Re: Racer/Road Bike For Big Fella!
Postby zero » Fri Mar 04, 2011 10:19 am
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Re: Racer/Road Bike For Big Fella!
Postby sogood » Fri Mar 04, 2011 11:08 am
Good idea. As long as that fits OP's idea of a "real road bike".zero wrote:Touring bikes are intended to handle weight all the time.
RK wrote:And that is Wikipedia - I can write my own definition.
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Re: Racer/Road Bike For Big Fella!
Postby Deanoz » Fri Mar 04, 2011 11:12 am
yeah that was my next thought. Run it in hard and loose some more weight.. Doing well so far commuting to work every day.. 20 kms a day.. Riding up Forest Rd from Princess Hwy is a good hard work out for me.. My problem is everywhere i go, i see these fit racers - I sit right behind them.. i can keep up with them.. and im proud of it... however, thats only for 1 minute or so lol then im dead! either way, im lovin it!Comedian wrote:I must say reading this I would advise you to really turn some k's on the mtb and then re-look at this when you're down to 130ish.
At that weight you'll be able to get an off the shelf cf bike and just get some heavy duty wheels. When you've lost some more you can then just fit the factory wheels and you have that blingy road bike.
On mass participation rides I've seen a number of dudes in that weight range on standard bikes.
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Re: Racer/Road Bike For Big Fella!
Postby boyracer » Fri Mar 04, 2011 11:20 am
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Re: Racer/Road Bike For Big Fella!
Postby toppity » Fri Mar 04, 2011 11:31 am
Steel or Ally would be the materials i would consider in a frame if I was you.
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Re: Racer/Road Bike For Big Fella!
Postby brawlo » Fri Mar 04, 2011 11:42 am
Although if you do some searching through the link I gave, you will find plenty of people at your weight and even heavier having no problems on carbon frames. When you look past the hype, very few "catasrophic failures" happen in general riding and they happen to little guys as well. Most are the result of a crash or damage associated with a previous crash that has gone unchecked. If there's a fault in the frame it won't matter how heavy you are. But if you are heavier it will surely happen sooner.
Also try doing longer rides. I've taken up racing this year on road and track. I've been sitting on 130kg all season. My riding has improved heaps but I can't seem to drop the weight (I could be eating better though). I do a 20km race and the rest is short distance track riding. In the last couple of weeks I've joined a group that ride 35km early morning, almost doubling my longest distance, and I've already dropped down to 125kg. I'm trying to get some condition for the winter racing season where the races are around 40km long.
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Racer/Road Bike For Big Fella!
Postby Comedian » Fri Mar 04, 2011 12:04 pm
You are doing great. The fit guys are there to motivate you to keep it up. You'll be one soon enough.Deanoz wrote:yeah that was my next thought. Run it in hard and loose some more weight.. Doing well so far commuting to work every day.. 20 kms a day.. Riding up Forest Rd from Princess Hwy is a good hard work out for me.. My problem is everywhere i go, i see these fit racers - I sit right behind them.. i can keep up with them.. and im proud of it... however, thats only for 1 minute or so lol then im dead! either way, im lovin it!Comedian wrote:I must say reading this I would advise you to really turn some k's on the mtb and then re-look at this when you're down to 130ish.
At that weight you'll be able to get an off the shelf cf bike and just get some heavy duty wheels. When you've lost some more you can then just fit the factory wheels and you have that blingy road bike.
On mass participation rides I've seen a number of dudes in that weight range on standard bikes.
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Re: Racer/Road Bike For Big Fella!
Postby schmidty » Tue Mar 08, 2011 8:39 pm
Deanoz wrote:yeah that was my next thought. Run it in hard and loose some more weight.. Doing well so far commuting to work every day.. 20 kms a day.. Riding up Forest Rd from Princess Hwy is a good hard work out for me.. My problem is everywhere i go, i see these fit racers - I sit right behind them.. i can keep up with them.. and im proud of it... however, thats only for 1 minute or so lol then im dead! either way, im lovin it!Comedian wrote:I must say reading this I would advise you to really turn some k's on the mtb and then re-look at this when you're down to 130ish.
At that weight you'll be able to get an off the shelf cf bike and just get some heavy duty wheels. When you've lost some more you can then just fit the factory wheels and you have that blingy road bike.
On mass participation rides I've seen a number of dudes in that weight range on standard bikes.
Mate, firstly, good work on pushing yourself. Pretty soon you will find that 1 minute turns into 2 and then you will be dropping these guys like wet towels.
I started at around 135kg (6 ft 1) 5 years ago. My first bike was a flat bar road bike that lasted about a year before I upgraded to an Oppy Lyon. That got me through until last year when I got my Eddy Merckx.
I think you will always find that for bigger guys, the key is the wheelset. Bigger guys create a lot more lateral flex on a wheel in a normal riding position, more again when getting stuck in.
From personal experience I can say that Mavic wheels are strong, I have destroyed a few wheelsets over the years but never a Mavic set.
I reckon you may be well served with a nice steel frame with a quality beefed wheelset (mavic 32 hole rim, straight pull spokes) that will help you work towards getting the weight down to a point where you can move on to a carbon frame with a lighter/more aero wheelset. As a plus, you can then turn that old steely into a nice wet weather commuter so your new shiny carbon baby doesnt get all manky.
Anyway, thats my 2c worth.
Again, congrats on getting out there man. Nice work. Make sure you let us all know about it the day you drop one of those fit racer guys on your commute.
2010 Giant Anthem X3
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2004 Cervelo P2K
1978 Peugeot UE-8
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Re: Racer/Road Bike For Big Fella!
Postby DRAD81 » Fri Apr 01, 2011 12:38 pm
Deanoz wrote: yeah that was my next thought. Run it in hard and loose some more weight.. Doing well so far commuting to work every day.. 20 kms a day.. Riding up Forest Rd from Princess Hwy is a good hard work out for me.. My problem is everywhere i go, i see these fit racers - I sit right behind them.. i can keep up with them.. and im proud of it... however, thats only for 1 minute or so lol then im dead! either way, im lovin it!
I just went from a mountain bike that weighed 18Kg to a road bike that weighs 9kg. Trust me, with the lighter bike you'll be keeping up with them longer. I was looking at a brand new merida for $1500 but ended up with a 2nd hand apollo with full shimano 105 gear for $350. It's a completly different bike to the mountain bike and much easier to ride. If I was you, I'd look at a second hand racer and upgrade the wheels and other parts to heavy duty parts. This way, if you decide to buy a new bike later on you can bring those parts along to the new bike.
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Re: Racer/Road Bike For Big Fella!
Postby bigfriendlyvegan » Sat Apr 02, 2011 9:30 pm
David
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Re: Racer/Road Bike For Big Fella!
Postby TimW » Sun Apr 03, 2011 8:44 am
Comedian wrote:I must say reading this I would advise you to really turn some k's on the mtb and then re-look at this when you're down to 130ish.
At that weight you'll be able to get an off the shelf cf bike and just get some heavy duty wheels. When you've lost some more you can then just fit the factory wheels and you have that blingy road bike.
On mass participation rides I've seen a number of dudes in that weight range on standard bikes.
Best advice of the lot.Tim
Dean, i understand your frustration.Save up the pennies, and grind away on the bike you have.Smash those steamed veges/lean meat/fruit, and smash the k's.
You are doing great, keep it up mate.Tim
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Re: Racer/Road Bike For Big Fella!
Postby novice » Sun Apr 03, 2011 9:01 am
I have only just graduated to a road bike 11 months later at 108kg.
My advise if you want a Carbon roadie, is stick with the MTB until you get down to about 110kg. This is the mark that most brands have as a rider weight limit.
There is also wheel weight limits to consider and most are at 100kg, but you can beef this up with good rims and high spoke count.
Keep at it though because believe me, it is worth every drop of sweat to get on a roadie and ride with a bunch.
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Avanti Scratch 2.0 29er set up for road use.
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Re: Racer/Road Bike For Big Fella!
Postby toppertee » Thu Apr 07, 2011 5:42 pm
Wheel wise DT swiss 40mm wall 32 spoke rims.
This bike has taken a beating, I ride up upperbrookfeild rd Brisbane which is more like a goats track, pot holes rocks you name it.
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