New "larger' Rider

mrnutt

Hello!

I am new here and new to cycling... well having last been on a bike in my teens, im now 28....

Now I have done some research into bits for bikes and was looking for some advice and info in the direction to go.

I am a larger chap shall we say at around 130-135 kgs.

I will be mainly riding on the road but also around my local parking that has good quality dirt paths. I was told an out and out dropped handle bar road bike wasn't the best idea, primarily because I would likely snap the back wheel when I sat on it..

Because of this I have been looking at hybrid bikes, the list is currently (now I haven't tested any of these yet but intended too this weekend)

- Boardman MX comp or Sport
- Carrrera Crossfire 3
- Specialized Crosstrail disc

is there any consensus about the above bikes and also the shops they come from, I have an evans and cycle republic to choose from, I have heard not great things about cycle republic... plus evans is part of my ride to work scheme with work so could see big saving sgoing with evans.

Would anyone have any other recommendations for bikes worth trying out? budget it probably max £600.

Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Dave

The_Wicker_Man

When I started out in road cycling, back in 2010. I weighted approx 155kg (100kg now). I bought a Specialized Allez comp for my local bike shop which I think at the time was around £550, it was a good beginners bike and I used it for 2 years until I bought a carbon Scott.

crannman

hi 5yrs ago I was 17st bought a Carrera virtuoso rode it for two years upgraded to a giant defy 2 now I weigh 13st don't set to high a goal go out and enjoy it you wont look back

MiddleRinger

A drop barred cyclocross bike would be a good choice I recon if you want drop bars - I certainly wouldn't be ruling them out and just looking at flat bar bikes. The CX bikes can be perfect for the, errrrm, larger gent as they have wider tyres and tend to be built stronger. Good for a bit of towpath and light off-road stuff. If you get into the road side of things more you can always throw some skinny fast tyres on it later down the track too.

milemuncher1

Welcome along.

If you are only looking at those 3 bikes, I'd say that the Specialized is the pick of the bunch, I actually have a Boardman MX Comp, and after replacing the bits they use to keep the price down, with bits that aren't quite so bad ( the stock Free hub was a particularly bad component) it's a very nice bike.

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/riverside-9 ... 79018.html

This is a seriously good bit of value for money, from Decathlon.

Hybrids are a good option for a larger rider, just starting out. I'd say look for something with lockable front suspension forks, and Hydraulic disc brakes, as a minimum. Good luck.

pblakeney

First up, welcome to the world of cycling.
Secondly, that comment about the back wheel is not only inaccurate, a wheel with 32+ spokes will cope fine, it is grossly offensive. I wouldn't give that shop a penny.
Thirdly, buy the bike you want.

ugo.santalucia

PBlakeney wrote:

First up, welcome to the world of cycling.
Secondly, that comment about the back wheel is not only inaccurate, a wheel with 32+ spokes will cope fine, it is grossly offensive. I wouldn't give that shop a penny.
Thirdly, buy the bike you want.

It's difficult to buy a road bike with a decent 32 H rear wheel these days, so it might well be that in that shop they didn't have anything along those lines, which means the comment is fair.

However, most budget disc braked CX bikes will come with 32 H wheels, so maybe that is the way to go...

964cup

What you need above all is tyre volume; you won't be able to get enough pressure into a regular road tyre to support your current weight. A cross bike will give you the clearance to fit a wide tyre (say 37c). Go with disc brakes, and consider having someone build you a wheelset; I'd say 36h, 4x, eyeletted rim - it won't be expensive (perhaps £200-250).

Vittoria Hyper Voyagers will take 90psi; you'll need 75psi front and 90psi rear to get the "standard" 15% tyre deflection. To give you an idea, a 25c tyre would require 150psi front and 190psi rear. You could do that with a tubular, but no clincher will stay on the rim at that pressure.

pblakeney

ugo.santalucia wrote:

PBlakeney wrote:

First up, welcome to the world of cycling.
Secondly, that comment about the back wheel is not only inaccurate, a wheel with 32+ spokes will cope fine, it is grossly offensive. I wouldn't give that shop a penny.
Thirdly, buy the bike you want.

It's difficult to buy a road bike with a decent 32 H rear wheel these days, so it might well be that in that shop they didn't have anything along those lines, which means the comment is fair.

However, most budget disc braked CX bikes will come with 32 H wheels, so maybe that is the way to go...

A decent LBS would accommodate.
Not so much buying off the shelf on line, which I wouldn't recommend in this case.

TonyJams

Whatever bike you're looking at make sure its got a nice low gear for the climbs. If you're over racing weight you'll really benefit from them as you find your legs and the climbs will still be fun without having to get off and walk.

mrnutt

Thanks for all the comments so far, very much appreciated.

Went to my local evans and had a look at some bikes - seemed to have narrowd things down to a specialized sirrus disc / the sirrus sport with carbon front blades. I also looked at the pinnacle neon 3 which seemed to be quite a good bit of kit for the money, but having not heard of pinnacle before I am siding more with the specialized.

The sales chap I was dealing with seemed to want to push me away from anything with front suspension. Not sure which is better bikes with suspension or not, obviously those without suspension provides a lighter bike. I found the straight blades easier intially to sit on etc.

The sales chap also said the carbon blades had more flex and give than alloy ones but not entirely sure if i'd notice that just starting out... plus the price difference was quite considerable!

Have to make a move before weds so will need to have a think

yiannism

mrnutt wrote:

Thanks for all the comments so far, very much appreciated.

Went to my local evans and had a look at some bikes - seemed to have narrowd things down to a specialized sirrus disc / the sirrus sport with carbon front blades. I also looked at the pinnacle neon 3 which seemed to be quite a good bit of kit for the money, but having not heard of pinnacle before I am siding more with the specialized.

The sales chap I was dealing with seemed to want to push me away from anything with front suspension. Not sure which is better bikes with suspension or not, obviously those without suspension provides a lighter bike. I found the straight blades easier intially to sit on etc.

The sales chap also said the carbon blades had more flex and give than alloy ones but not entirely sure if i'd notice that just starting out... plus the price difference was quite considerable!

Have to make a move before weds so will need to have a think

Actually i am not all that against fron suspension. My 1st bike was trekking (ghost panamao X4) as i didnt knew what i wanted to do. I was overweight too but not as you. It was a great 1st bike that i bought it for 480 euros and i did some trails too with it. Then i bought my road bike, and i replace ghost with a cross country Felt seven thirty that i bought 2nd hand, so i can enjoy the rides both on road/off road.

mrnutt

ok so I have my ride to work voucher sorted and some extra pennies to spend thanks to deals through the scheme so will be heading to my local Evans cycles soon to sort out a bike and kit, got a about £700 to play with for everything so should be able to come away with something that suits me

kajjal

As above CX or Gravel bikes have stronger wheels and also disc brakes which stop heavier riders better especially in the wet. Also make sure you have enough space for 32mm or bigger tyres as this will help a lot.

I am 100KG and take a my Diverge off road all the time with no damage at all, any similar bike would be fine. On road it is much faster than a mountain bike. I would keep away from suspension and simply lower your tyre pressure a little. If you were buying a mountain bike for pure off road riding it would be very different.

Good luck and take your time to get the best deal.

mrnutt

Ok so ordered a specialized sirrus disc today - got a decent handful of riding gear and extra's as well, now just waiting for the bike to arrive next week now

milemuncher1

On Saturday I rode with a chap who was about 6 ft tall, and 27 stone. He had a road bike with 25 mm tyres. He had his wheels built nicely, but as soon as he got his first puncture, it went tits up. We couldn't get enough pressure in the tubes to prevent repeated pinch flats with the mini pumps we had available.

Cyclinguphills

From those 3 bikes defiantly the specialised better quality than the othe 2! My Boradman hybrid frame paint started bubbling up after 3 years use! Where the weld are! Had a spear Allez for 3 years 4,000 still looked like New when I sold it!

mrnutt

Ok the bike is now in my garage, picked it up this evening, lovely gears and a smooth ride and find the bike light compared to previous bikes.
Glad I got some padded shorts as damn the saddle is uncomfortable! I think I maybe looking at a new saddle fairy soon!

Did a little run up and down the road to find my slightly wobbly feel and now excited and looking forward to trying out some short loops in my local area I put together.

Thigh_burn

Great, congratulations. Enjoy the riding. Take it easy and remember, you can almost certainly go further than you think.

timothyw

Milemuncher1 wrote:

On Saturday I rode with a chap who was about 6 ft tall, and 27 stone. He had a road bike with 25 mm tyres. He had his wheels built nicely, but as soon as he got his first puncture, it went tits up. We couldn't get enough pressure in the tubes to prevent repeated pinch flats with the mini pumps we had available.

On that note, he/you should get one of these (or similar eg topeak morph):
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobi ... prod155446