begginer on a bike - dont run me over

janzy77
janzy77 Posts: 10
edited August 2017 in Road buying advice
Hi all!
I'm here to ask a few Qs. I'm a begginer and biking has never been my go-to sport. However, due to increased popularity of this sport (and a couple of my colleges from work that started cycling) I want to participate too. So my dillema is the following. I'm a big person (1,96m, 110kg) - obviously not in shape -> what kind of bike would you recommend me? Must be durable :D
I am looking for a road-bike (or how do you call them) - the one with "thin" tires. Is this really suitable for me? I really want to get back in shape and I find gym very boring... bike might be the answer for me.
Thank you in advance.

Comments

  • arthur_scrimshaw
    arthur_scrimshaw Posts: 2,596
    janzy77 wrote:
    Hi all!
    I'm here to ask a few Qs. I'm a begginer and biking has never been my go-to sport. However, due to increased popularity of this sport (and a couple of my colleges from work that started cycling) I want to participate too. So my dillema is the following. I'm a big person (1,96m, 110kg) - obviously not in shape -> what kind of bike would you recommend me? Must be durable :D
    I am looking for a road-bike (or how do you call them) - the one with "thin" tires. Is this really suitable for me? I really want to get back in shape and I find gym very boring... bike might be the answer for me.
    Thank you in advance.

    Some details needed - what's your budget, what type of riding do you want to do, where will you be riding? Have you done any research, what do your colleagues ride, have you discussed it with them?
    You're on the tall side but that isn't an necessarily a issue but it might steer you towards certain bikes and equipment choices.
  • fat daddy
    fat daddy Posts: 2,605
    janzy77 wrote:
    I'm a big person (1,96m, 110kg) -.

    ah that's not that bad, Magnus Bäckstedt was 95kg .... all you need to do is cut down a bit, drop 15kg and you could go pro and win the Paris Roubaix .... skinny tyres and all !
  • janzy77
    janzy77 Posts: 10
    Arthur Scrimshaw wrote:
    janzy77 wrote:
    Hi all!
    I'm here to ask a few Qs. I'm a begginer and biking has never been my go-to sport. However, due to increased popularity of this sport (and a couple of my colleges from work that started cycling) I want to participate too. So my dillema is the following. I'm a big person (1,96m, 110kg) - obviously not in shape -> what kind of bike would you recommend me? Must be durable :D
    I am looking for a road-bike (or how do you call them) - the one with "thin" tires. Is this really suitable for me? I really want to get back in shape and I find gym very boring... bike might be the answer for me.
    Thank you in advance.

    Some details needed - what's your budget, what type of riding do you want to do, where will you be riding? Have you done any research, what do your colleagues ride, have you discussed it with them?
    You're on the tall side but that isn't an necessarily a issue but it might steer you towards certain bikes and equipment choices.

    HI. thanks for replying.
    My budget is around 1000€. Would that work for a beginner? As per riding - I prefer plane roads :D (but i know you didn't mean that). Plane for starters anyways. As per type of track - asphalt.
    No prior research was carried out... What I want to do is to join my collegeues on their trips. They ride bikes like these:
    cannondale-six-carbon-105-special-edition-road-bike1.jpg
    Pardon my ignorance, but I'm a total noob. That bike on the image looks super-sporty to me though :P
    So, should I begin with something in more "light" category?
  • fenix
    fenix Posts: 5,437
    If they ride road bikes then you probably want to as well.

    Factor in the shorts, tops, mitts, helmet, sunglasses, computers, pedals (they don't come with pedals), waterbottles and cages into the cost of the bike too.

    Something like this could make a good start - if you're European then maybe you have a Decathlon fairly close :

    https://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-540- ... 64452.html

    You may want them to put on wider tyres - 25mm is the narrowest I'd go - and this takes up to 32mm anyway.
    If it's hilly then you may want a different cassette on the back wheel. More teeth on the biggest sprocket to make it easier climbing.
  • arthur_scrimshaw
    arthur_scrimshaw Posts: 2,596
    janzy77 wrote:
    Arthur Scrimshaw wrote:
    janzy77 wrote:
    Hi all!
    I'm here to ask a few Qs. I'm a begginer and biking has never been my go-to sport. However, due to increased popularity of this sport (and a couple of my colleges from work that started cycling) I want to participate too. So my dillema is the following. I'm a big person (1,96m, 110kg) - obviously not in shape -> what kind of bike would you recommend me? Must be durable :D
    I am looking for a road-bike (or how do you call them) - the one with "thin" tires. Is this really suitable for me? I really want to get back in shape and I find gym very boring... bike might be the answer for me.
    Thank you in advance.

    Some details needed - what's your budget, what type of riding do you want to do, where will you be riding? Have you done any research, what do your colleagues ride, have you discussed it with them?
    You're on the tall side but that isn't an necessarily a issue but it might steer you towards certain bikes and equipment choices.

    HI. thanks for replying.
    My budget is around 1000€. Would that work for a beginner? As per riding - I prefer plane roads :D (but i know you didn't mean that). Plane for starters anyways. As per type of track - asphalt.
    No prior research was carried out... What I want to do is to join my collegeues on their trips. They ride bikes like these:
    cannondale-six-carbon-105-special-edition-road-bike1.jpg
    Pardon my ignorance, but I'm a total noob. That bike on the image looks super-sporty to me though :P
    So, should I begin with something in more "light" category?

    That's a bit weird , I have that exact bike (well with upgraded wheels and group set) and it's about 7 years old, nice to see a picture of it!
    It is ideal for racing, if you like that but want a more relaxed (but still fast) ride look at the Synapse, there's a model in your price range or plenty of good second hand ones around which will give more value.
  • g00se
    g00se Posts: 2,221
    Hi,

    Up to around €1000, most bikes will have similar specifications (aluminium frame, Shimano groupset, budget wheels etc) so as it's the first bike, the best thing would be to go to a few local shops and go for a trusted brand that you like the fit of. It's a good time to buy a bike as the new models for 2018 are about to be released and the shops will want to clear the 2017 stock. For example, the 2017 Specialized Allez fits the bill and the new shape 2018 model is about to hit the shops.
  • overlord2
    overlord2 Posts: 339
    That Cannondale looks perfect.

    My only recommendation is for your weight is to get wheels with at least 32 spokes. Race wheels aren't really designed for people over 80-90kg. At your weight these will be the first thing to break.

    Anyhow enjoy it. It is the best sport out there :wink:
  • janzy77
    janzy77 Posts: 10
    HI! Thanks for all replies. Well the bike I pasted there was the closest match to what my colleges have. I'm pretty sure its not this exact bike... Will check.
    Well as far as my weight goes I know I'm on the heavy side :D, so please suggest me a bike that can take a weight like this. It can be up to 1000€... (or is the only dependecy the number of spokes? How about frame?)
    I am planning to kill two birds with one stone (exercising and losing weight on the go), so eventually I hope I will drop under 100kg. That is my plan anyways.

    So I did some googling around and got even more confused. What kind of equipment do you suggest for me? Saddle? Gearbox?

    Man, I didn't know that these bikes got so complicated. When I was a kid a bike was a "bike". Nowadays you have to pick the proper equipment, gearboxes, saddles, tires, brakes etc.

    Man I'm old :D
  • janzy77
    janzy77 Posts: 10
    Bumping this thread a bit :)

    cheers!
  • wolfsbane2k
    wolfsbane2k Posts: 3,056
    Hi.

    I'm same height and weigh more, but ride a 2016 Btwin 540 (10spd, not 11 as they do now) from Decathlon as already posted above.
    https://www.decathlon.fr/velo-route-tri ... 77756.html (800E)
    You could drop to the 520 (https://www.decathlon.fr/velo-route-tri ... 77757.html) for 650E, which is still a good bike.
    Tribans have a 2 year / no weight limit (although the mavic wheels are limited to 120kg all up), which is one of the reasons I went with them - no other frame manufacturer would support a claim if over 120kg fully loaded ( I use mine to commute, so laptop, clothes, d-lock all needed to be taken into account, but shouldn't be a factor for you)

    Add suitable tyres ( ask your colleagues) :50E
    That "should" give you about 150 E for helmet and clothes.

    If your not comfortable with the default wheels ( I've broken the rims, which were replaced for free in the 2 year guarantee period), consider saving up 100E for a set of new wheels ( Rose bikes https://www.rosebikes.com/article/xtrem ... aid:339578 is what I now ride), and put the mavics on ebay/keep as a spare for when you've lost more weight
    Intent on Cycling Commuting on a budget, but keep on breaking/crashing/finding nice stuff to buy.
    Bike 1 (Broken) - Bike 2(Borked) - Bike 3(broken spokes) - Bike 4( Needs Work) - Bike 5 (in bits) - Bike 6* ...
  • janzy77
    janzy77 Posts: 10
    Thank you for the very useful info. This could really fit into my 1000€ budget. I will look into it and run some excel :)
    I hope that in due time I will lose some weight and not have to worry about broken rims though :)
    I'm going on a mission to lose some weight. Currently, my bmr is around 2274 kcal (bmr calculator) and i should be looking at 10-20% calorie deficit, right? But with all this biking my bmr should be higher (including the calories expended during exercise). How much calories does bycycling burn (mind you - my pace will be pretty slow at the begining). Thank you.
  • wolfsbane2k
    wolfsbane2k Posts: 3,056
    janzy77 wrote:
    Thank you for the very useful info. This could really fit into my 1000€ budget. I will look into it and run some excel :)
    I hope that in due time I will lose some weight and not have to worry about broken rims though :)
    I'm going on a mission to lose some weight. Currently, my bmr is around 2274 kcal (bmr calculator) and i should be looking at 10-20% calorie deficit, right? But with all this biking my bmr should be higher (including the calories expended during exercise). How much calories does bycycling burn (mind you - my pace will be pretty slow at the begining). Thank you.

    I can't advise on the calorie deficit I'm afraid - it's something I don't get right, but I know that generally by eating healthier ( less bread/refined sugars) and cycling 20 miles a day I've slowly lost 4 inches around the waist over a year, but very little actual weight.. but equally I can now cycle those 20 miles in the same time I used to need to ride 10!
    Intent on Cycling Commuting on a budget, but keep on breaking/crashing/finding nice stuff to buy.
    Bike 1 (Broken) - Bike 2(Borked) - Bike 3(broken spokes) - Bike 4( Needs Work) - Bike 5 (in bits) - Bike 6* ...
  • gimpl
    gimpl Posts: 269
    I'm a tiny bit shorter than you and a bit lighter (now). I started off closer to 125kg and I'm on a Giant Defy which to start with had the stock wheels, only one broken spoke in three years. Bought a really nice set of hand built wheels last year (32 spoke) and already had a spoke go on those so I think the standard wheels are pretty solid.

    You can get one in your price range new. Go for it.

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