ok here i go....

i need all the help and suggestions i can get on putting together a road bike for myself.....now i say about 90% of people who ride a road bike are not very tall and are usually under 200lbs.....now i weigh about 300lbs and im 6'2" ......as far as components i know what to get ...my problem is the frame, fork and wheel set???? what do u suggest?????


please help

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Christopher Mendez

What are your priorities? Bomb proof, weight, cost?

Brian

i definatly want it bombproof and cost is not too much of a big deal

i was looking at LOOK frames and forks what do u think about them for me

remember im about 300lbs

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Christopher Mendez

Chris

I am heavy as well compared to many - have come down from 250 to under 200 now.

My suggestion is to go for a steel frame, they are usually pretty bombproof if bought from a good builder. They tend to be resilient. I would avoid aluminium. The Look forks are very good. I have a pair of HSC4 carbon's on my steel bike (built from Columbus Ultra Foco) although they have some sturdier tubesets. Steel is not considered sexy anymore so they tend to be good value. Merckx frames are quite heavy but they are built to last. I'm lucky as I have a very good framebuilder in my area.

I also like Spinergy wheels. Have been using them for a couple of years and they have been very reliable and compliant - the spokes are a plastic compund of some kind. I also understand that Mavic Ksyriums are pretty bombproof as well.

It also depends on the power you have. Are you 6 2 and overweight or very muscular. If you are the latter you will probably be able to exert huge power, so it's even more important to get strong equipment.

wot about that Look carbon firbre thing.. the curvy one.. The pro's are riding it this season and i'm sure with full dura ace/record and a pair of Ksyrium SSL-SC - etc. deda newton oversized bar/stem combo it would build into a pretty light bike.. certainly on a par with the trade team versions..

dooz

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Dance you cares away, worries for another day, dance your cares away, down at fragglerock.

Chris,

you should certainly go for a steel frame as KB pointed out already. You don´t state your area but here are some very fine steel bike builders. Strongframes, Vanilla Cycles, Rock Lobster, Rivendell and Steelman.

Best of luck, Eric

Wheels?
http://www.zipp.com/Wheelsets/clydesdale.html

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Whow! That's a pretty damn nice garage door!

As most have suggested, steel is probably best for you. If money is no object, get a Titanium frame. Ti is the most resilient material, even more so then steel, but pricey. It usually offers a more "sprung" ride, more forgiving. Wheelset wise, because of your weight I'd stay away from the paired spoke wheels (like Rolf's, Shimano, Bontrager). Ksyriums are very solid but any standard, well built 32 spoke rim with 14 guage spokes is great also. Again because of your weight, no single-sidepull brakes unless you're writing that new book "adventures in stopping"! Good luck in the build I'd like to see what you end up with. The best way to lose weight on the bike is to ride - and watch the pounds melt off!

I'll second that opinion. I think steel is a good choice these days, even if it's not considered "exotic". There are some pretty exotic alloys producing very light OS tubes, i.e UltraFoco, which approach ti.
And maybe think about custom, for your size and riding style the tubes can be specifically selected, and usually the cost is not that different.
Strong Frames (Carl Strong) for steel/ti
Spectrum (Tom Kellogg) for steel/ti
Bill Holland
a bunch of others....
Where are you located? Maybe I can send you some custom links.
too bad Ibis is gone R.I.P.

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"Gimondi è un eroe umano, che viene sconfitto ma che continua la sua corsa fino a tornare a vincere." - Enrico Ruggeri

Whoa! 300lbs! Dude, you need heavy everything. I'd get Mavic Open Pro rims laced with 36 14 guage spokes to a Ultegra or Chris King Hub. Fork, if you want carbon other then the Ouzo Pro is too light and not strong enough. Frame, if you got the money Litespeed Vortex, I don't know a frame that stronger and lighter.

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MAMA SAID KNOCK YOU OUT! HUH!

I ride with a guy who is 6'4 240 lbs. He rides a EV2 with full campy record with Ksyrium wheels........never has had a problem with any of his stuff.

welcome to the forums chris - steel frame is a good idea - but i think he can go with alu (cannondale) very strong frames. i just do not like the ride of alu frames. ti will be a bit too much for a good frame, and i know chris personally he wants to get a high end road bike, but a litespeed vortex is a very strong frame. the ultimate might be stiffer but it has carbon seat stays, dont know how strong that is?


mavic ksyrium sl is a must, my friend weighs over 250lbs and he loves them, he says he would not use anything else considering his weight and the weight of the wheelset.

he already expressed to me that he wants to go with campy groupo, but i would do shimano DA just for the crank.

chris is from the nj area, he can ride 9W to nyack (good 20 mile road ride), but he has also mentioned that he might want to go trail riding so i think he is still undecided if he wants mtb or Road.

Heh.. well that only changes everything! Maybe a cross bike is what he should get if he's undecided. He can switch out between road tires and cross tires for different riding. I've seen others do it .. but it's probably better if he commits to one or the other before spending the $$$.

steel or ti frame. TI if you want to distance (centuries). A solid set of wheels (personally speed dream wheels - as he builds thems to your weight and ride type) or mavic SL.

Also consider a triple ring set up. May not be fancy or "vogue" but gets you up hills when the going gets tough.

Also get a comfortable seat. I am guessing 300lb means a pencil thin saddle won't do. Heavy but good is a selle trans am max(wide)

Also make sure your bar is wide enough for you. I run a 44 but you can get wider. If you are not comfortable you won't enjoy the ride

It's great you found this forum and are looking here, I wish I'd known about when I was looking for my bike, a lot of good advice....
You're big, but are you in great shape already? Or are you going to lose weight, etc.?

If so, I would concentrate more on a great frame, a bit less on the drivetrain maybe, definitely less on any real light weight exotic components which you'll put strain on right now and probably upgrade in a year or so when you're in better shape, know how you ride, are more informed, know what you like.

So maybe a pretty standard bar/stem setup like Deda, TTT, ITM, Ritchey base sets; Thomson Elite or Ritchey post; whatever saddle fits (even a narrow one might work, this one is totally subjective); maybe even the mid-range component group if you're gonna grind on it for awhile.

On the wheels, I too think Dave Thomas SpeedDream are amazing and a good price for what you get, but if you're going to lose significant weight and develop technique, then start out now with a bombproof OpenPro, 32 hole, 14 gauge setup and upgrade that later...no use in straining a $500.00+ wheelset now at 300#, and you'll really appreciate the change later when you're at peak shape and ready to use the tools.

If you're already in super shape, then go after all you can get, and call Dave on the wheels.

Have fun!

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"Gimondi è un eroe umano, che viene sconfitto ma che continua la sua corsa fino a tornare a vincere." - Enrico Ruggeri