Chunky Monkey wants to try again!

Bigtimmy

Hi all,

I have recently got back into mountain biking after a long layoff and a lot of pies / beers, etc :roll:

It has quickly become apparent that I have fallen for cycling again and now need a road bike to get my general fitness up to scratch and lose a bit more weight.

Here are the stats, I'm 34, 6 foot and weigh in at a hefty 21.5 stone, in the last five months I have lost 3 stone through a combination of finding out I am to become a daddy stopping smoking eating healthier and getting back on my mountain bike

I have been over to Coed y Brenin a few times and am not struggling with a few of the trails and my general fitness is improving week on week. I also paddleboard as well so despite being a chunky monkey my general fitness is reasonable.

The question is what sort of road bike should I be looking at to cope with my considerable bulk? Last time round (10 years ago) I had a splendid Peugeot racing bike with Campag Veloce gearset etc and I would happily ride 40 - 60 miles without too much issue.

I think second hand is my way back into road biking and I'm not looking to spend a fortune (£500 ish).

Any advice would be greatly recieved!

Cheers

Tim

Gizmodo

Chek out the reviews on the Decathlon Btwin Triban 5, a lot of bike for the money, will beat even 2nd hand for spec
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-5-roa ... 39801.html

Also check out this thread
viewtopic.php?f=40020&t=12916641

danlikesbikes

2nd hand is good if you know what your looking and & are savvy enough to work out if its a deal, plus you need to be able to try it out first to check the fit & that it all works.

Not a Triban owner myself but they do get really good reviews on BR from owners & for the money is a very good bike with descent kit.

Bigtimmy

Thanks for the info peeps, much appreciated.

My main concern is still my weight and those skinny wheels and tyres, will they carry my considerable bulk about the place without too many buckled wheels and grazed knees!

Liking the look of the Triban especially for the money.

napoleond

I'd just go for a Triban tbh.

pinchez

I imagine you'll be fine on a road bike provided you don't ride up and down curbs. Like others have said you're better off going for a Triban 5 with your budget. I tried for a while to buy 2nd hand and it's not easy. The small saving you make isn't worth the hassle. It's also hard work trying to find one in your size that's within reasonable distance.

keef66

The Triban has wheels with plenty of spokes so you'll be fine on them. You could always fit 25mm tyres for a little extra comfort / protection against pinch flats.

Bigtimmy

Again, thanks for the very useful advice,

Pinchez I have no intention of riding up and down curbs , our local council have just rebuilt a lovely stretch of road (about 12 miles) which is nice and wide and has good margins for cyclists and best of all has lovely smooth tarmac. It helps when your local roads man at the council also cycles!

Keef thanks for the tyre advice, it sounds like a sensible idea to fit a slightly bigger tyre for a bit more comfort.

I guess the more spokes the more rigid the wheel for a given rim depth and if you increase the rim depth you can reduce the number of spokes and still have the same stiffness?

So my ideal would be a large rim depth and lots of spokes 8)

simon_e

Why not put some slicks on the MTB? Ride it for a bit, and when you've reached a target treat yourself to a nice road bike. That's what Gaz did, and he was a lot heavier than you:

http://39stonecyclist.com/am-i-too-heavy-for-a-bike/

Otherwise any of the big brands would be fine. I'd suggest a Giant Defy in M/L.

seanoconn

Bigtimmy wrote:

Hi all,

I have recently got back into mountain biking after a long layoff and a lot of pies / beers, etc :roll:

It has quickly become apparent that I have fallen for cycling again and now need a road bike to get my general fitness up to scratch and lose a bit more weight.

Here are the stats, I'm 34, 6 foot and weigh in at a hefty 21.5 stone, in the last five months I have lost 3 stone through a combination of finding out I am to become a daddy stopping smoking eating healthier and getting back on my mountain bike

I have been over to Coed y Brenin a few times and am not struggling with a few of the trails and my general fitness is improving week on week. I also paddleboard as well so despite being a chunky monkey my general fitness is reasonable.

The question is what sort of road bike should I be looking at to cope with my considerable bulk? Last time round (10 years ago) I had a splendid Peugeot racing bike with Campag Veloce gearset etc and I would happily ride 40 - 60 miles without too much issue.

I think second hand is my way back into road biking and I'm not looking to spend a fortune (£500 ish).

Any advice would be greatly recieved!

Cheers

Tim

How did you become a Daddy?

Bigtimmy

SimonE, I tried the slicks on the MTB trick as a cheaper option to buying a new bike and whilst a useful exercise I quickly found that the MTB wasn't geared correctly for the road. Ideal for the 6 mile commute to work but no good for longer rides.

Just had a peek at Gaz's site, a proper inspiration on the weight loss side of things.

Seanoconn do I need to draw you a picture

seanoconn

Bigtimmy wrote:

SimonE, I tried the slicks on the MTB trick as a cheaper option to buying a new bike and whilst a useful exercise I quickly found that the MTB wasn't geared correctly for the road. Ideal for the 6 mile commute to work but no good for longer rides.

Just had a peek at Gaz's site, a proper inspiration on the weight loss side of things.

Seanoconn do I need to draw you a picture

Yes please

My advice would be to either stick with the MTB for a couple more stone, or go for the road bike with the sturdiest wheels. And no bunny hops!

keef66

I did the MTB with slicks thing for a while. The gearing, the upright position and the lack of hand positions drove me nuts.

Road bikes are a lot stronger than most people imagine.

Bigtimmy

I have a friend who does a lot of road riding and has worked in a couple of LBS's he's never given me duff advice before and I asked him the same question as you guys and he came up with this

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/jam ... e-ec041513

He suggested that the steel frame would be a more forgiving ride than an alloy one, weight wise it is only a burger or two heavier than the Triban and component wise it is similar.

What are your thoughts on the subject?

keef66

Not a bad shout. Should be a little more forgiving over rough surfaces than an alu frame, and it's got 25mm tyres.

Bigtimmy

All advice duly noted and action taken. Despite the attraction of a slightly more forgiving ride with the steel frame I couldn't reconcile my thinking to spend the extra £170 right now.

Having crept out of North Wales back into "the real world" for a few days I took a trip to Decathlon in Stockport and tried a few Triban 5's out.

Suffice to say I came back to North Wales with a shiny T5, some Look Keo pedals and cleats and some other stuff that the nice man said I needed and some other stuff that I knew I didn't need but like a magpie these bits somehow found their way to the checkout.

I'm keeping the whole setup pretty stock for the time being until I break something then I'll look at some upgrades, probably in the wheel and tyre dept first off as I feel these will be the bits that get most abuse!

I'll keep you all posted with my progress, but in the last week I have done nearly 20 miles on the MTB both on and off road so I'm quite pleased with my progress already.

Cheers for the advice guys.

Tim

danlikesbikes

Nice one, hope you enjoy your new bike & get racking up those miles before the little one is born.