Brand new - heavy rider

belfastchris45

Hi all

I am new to the biking area. It's been some 6 years since I rode a bike in anger.

The issue is now that I'm 6.3 and 130kg or so. Big rugby guy.

I want to get a road bike and start to clock up some miles. Eventually building up to a 30 mile round trip to work a few days a week.

The biggest issue I have is finding a bike that will work with my weight. It's a mind field. I have been reading forms, reviews and getting confused. Please help.

I have approx 1k to spend. Really need some good guidance

Thanks
Chris

yiannism

I think that is safe to say that you should forget a pure road bike and is better to start with cyclocross. You will not be fast at the beginning anyway so the more relaxed geometry and the stronger frame that cyclocross has is a good choice for a beginner of your size.

mac9091

Local bike shop is best bet IMO, does your company do the Cycle to work scheme?

belfastchris45

Yes they do. That's what I will be using.

Local bike shop wasn't much use as my weight means I need some specialist.

Matthewfalle

If you're going the cycle cross route - which is good advice - I think a Halfords do the Boardman cx bikes that are meant to be pretty good on the Ride to Work scheme.

Or Planet X: frame, fork etc bundle currently at £200 or so leaving £800 for some nice wheels and a group set.

They also (I think) do ride to work scheme.

belfastchris45

thanks folks. someone pointed me the way of planetX, so i have fired them an email.

I dont really know the first thing about bikes, so the thought of buying all the bits seperitily would be a little daunting.

I will have a look thou. Any other suggestions ?

belfastchris45

PS thanks for the tips on cyclocross. I had never actually heard of this before. It looks insane, so the bikes can take some punishment.

do you think a normal factory bike would cope with the weight without modification ?

Matthewfalle

belfastchris45 wrote:

thanks folks. someone pointed me the way of planetX, so i have fired them an email.

I dont really know the first thing about bikes, so the thought of buying all the bits seperitily would be a little daunting.

I will have a look thou. Any other suggestions ?

Not sure if Ribble do c/x but they also do R2W.

Evans Cycles deffo do c/x and R2W.

Planet X ali thing is an utter bargain though.

yiannism

belfastchris45 wrote:

PS thanks for the tips on cyclocross. I had never actually heard of this before. It looks insane, so the bikes can take some punishment.

do you think a normal factory bike would cope with the weight without modification ?

I have a friend who drives bottenchia gravel with 105 gears and disc brakes, he is also pretty big dude too, and he is just fine. Those bikes are made to take some punishment off road, so for you is the ideal kind of bikes. You can find them with flat bars too. The geometry is more upright than the traditional road bikes so your belly will not be an issue something that it was for him when he was driving a road bike.

I cant really tell you about the British brands/market since i live in Cyprus, but alu frame with 30-33mm wide tires and tiagra/105 will do the job just fine.

belfastchris45

Excellent

I have had a look and like both the Planet X XLA or the XLS

anyone have experience with these bikes ?

mrb123

Have a look at the Genesis Croix de Fer. Really tough bikes.
For example -
https://www.evanscycles.com/genesis-cro ... GwodVDUFOw

You might find a 2016 model cheaper than that if you hunt around.

NeXXus

I was heavier than you when I started cycling, MTB then went to road bikes when a few kilos came off

mac9091

If you go frame and forks route from Planet X, ensure they either include the headset or factor that cost in as well.

They had some cheap framesets at the back end of last year but headset wasn't included and cost £50. Probably could have sourced a cheaper one but couldn't be bother checking.

Matthewfalle

The Ali ones that Planet X have on a bundle at the moment come with head set, seat post, frame, carbon fork, under bottom bracket thingie, seat post clamp and mech clamp.

They are well pukka sweet frames as well.

Matthewfalle

belfastchris45 wrote:

Excellent

I have had a look and like both the Planet X XLA or the XLS

anyone have experience with these bikes ?

Have an XLA half built in the garage - just need to order some brakes.

Bundle as per my post above, I have it in Belgian Blue and it's lovely.

Really pretty, nicely made, not bad weight.

So far very recommended, especially at bundle price.

kajjal

Have a look at the max rider weights on bikes. I weight 100kg and have a specialized diverge which has a max recommended rider weight of 125kg. It also allows for wider tyres and has disc brakes which is important for stopping heavier riders. The other thing to be careful of is heavier riders are often alot stronger so bikes capable of going off road like cx and gravel bikes are stronger with stronger wheels. Any similar bike would be a good place to start.

I have had my diverge for a year and a half now riding it on and off road with no problems. When it is dry enough i take it on a 50 mile mainly off road route and it is fine. Main thing is get a stronger bike, with the ability to fit bigger tyres and has good quality disc brakes.

imafatman

I am 130kg and just went through two months trying to find a bike.... There are lots of options in theory but with a £1k budget you will be seriously limited. There are very few wheels that are rated for 130kg, and those that are cost upwards of £400 which doesn't leave much else for the rest of the bike.

The only manufacturer I could find which offers significant options at this weight were Giant. They have many bikes from cyclocross, to gravel/adventure bikes to straight bar kind of hybrids, all from 136-160kg, and they all have a range of price options within each type of frame.

If you have a Giant dealer near you go I'd suggest trying things like the Anyroad or the TCX to start with, both rated at least 136kg and from my test ride experience seemed stiff enough.

Also disc brakes are a must at this weight. Rim brakes are great for the average sub 80kg rider but 130kg is a lot of mass to slow down....

I eventually went for a custom built Genesis CDF with the aforementioned £400 wheel set and they are really solid so far. The stock genesis wheels are not really built for 130kg rugby type.

burnthesheep

Sounds silly, but clip on TT bars on a roadie is doable. The TT bars in a more relaxed posture holds your weight on the bars a lot easier than a drop bar. Your weight is on your elbows and you don't have to use muscle to hold yourself up.

I'm a light to medium weight rider and sometimes on long rides on a long straight will rest my elbows on the bar tops like TT position to rest for a mile or two.

wotnoshoeseh

belfastchris45 wrote:

Local bike shop wasn't much use as my weight means I need some specialist.

This is surprising. There are plenty of good shops in Belfast and surrounding towns.
Where did you try?

People here have mentioned Giant - so there's McConveys on the Ormeau Road - though to be honest I've not found it overly friendly. Also with Giant they do publish a weight limit - when you are looking on their website, at a specific bike, click on "What's my size" button and it gives a table and max. rider weight limits. Contend is 125 kg., Revolt is 136 kg. etc. etc.
Also Dave Kane's should be able to help.
Even the CRC store on the Boucher Road - there should be some assistance there.

Then there's Decathlon too.

Anyway Chris, good luck with the bike and cycling.

wotnoshoeseh

Chris,

Also have a look here....

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=40020&t=13078708

Bokers

Just rule carbon out, budget and weight wise.

I'm on a Hoy Aomori 003 at 145kg prop ;-) and it's just fine.