one of the masters swimmers from the pool thinks i’m “the bike guy” ('cuz i worked at a bike shop and own more than one?) and is asking me what kind of road bike he should buy as he wants to take up cycling. i have, ahem, a more petite runner’s build (145 lbs) and can’t flex a wet noodle. this guy is a former PAC-10 butterflyer who is 6’3"ish and goes about 230 lbs.
so BIG BOYS, what do you recommend for a $1500-2K budget? yeah, yeah i know…get the bike that fits BUT what about bottom bracket stiffness and durability? when you only sustain a whopping 125 watts like me, they all feel the same!
I was wondering why the hell you were looking for a clyde / “big boy” bike!
Most of the major players will be fine, but now might be a good time to scoop a deal on a CAAD series or even a System Six. Light enough, stiffer than hell, and a pretty good bargain.
Most of the major players will be fine, but now might be a good time to scoop a deal on a CAAD series or even a System Six. Light enough, stiffer than hell, and a pretty good bargain.
Yuppers.
x 3 on the CAAD or System Six. As a suggestion, have your friend test several of the manufactures in addition to Cannondale. Trek, Bianchi, etc. GIANTs might also be a good consideration although can be little on the stiff side. I say GIANT because if your friend has a Michael Phelps’ type body(long upper torso, short legs), the GIANT’s slanted top tubed frame might work well.
I have been on a lot of bikes. I have settled on 2 (long story) and I can get great things out of either. P3C has great stiffness and rugged engineering but the rear drop out caused me some grief out of the saddle climbing ridiculous hills. I don’t have a power meter but when my 280 comes out of the saddle on 8% grade, I bet the power is somewhere above what they were thinking when they designed it. The bike is fine, but the power can suck the rear wheel into the drop out (bending or striping the adjustment screws in there). Cervelo confided that huge momentary power with some riders had dome the same and quickly set me up with a Shimano, side locking skewer and when locked up tight, the problem has never come back.
My other ride is a Cannondale 6 13 carbon / aluminum mix that they had for a year or 2 before going all carbon (Heather Fuhr and Farris rode them in Kona one year) and I have to say that it is a great bike. Different geometry and I find the top tube seems shorter in the same 58 frame as the P3C and I need a pretty good stem length to get position.
I thought I would snap a Felt DA and the Kuota didn’t like my mass much (but my wife loves hers!)
Hope this helps. I was on a Cannondale CAAD before and with the smaller budget, this was a great bike for me. The Cannondale SI bottom bracket is really stiff and great for a big guy. I have seem a few of these around in some shops for great deals.
I’m 6’4" 230lbs. I ride a Cannondale six13. It is far superior to any C’dale aluminum bike I have ever ridden(I’ve had a few). My spin is smooth so bottom bracket stiffness isn’t that big an issue. However, it is quite stiff. I used to ride a QR Kilo on Hed Jets. It was good too, just not comfy like the C’dale. Have fun!
I use a Cannondale R5000 (CAAD 8) frame for my road bike and it’s great. I’m 6’3" and 205 pounds and have had no problems with this frame. Plus it’s a hill-climbing dream, super stiff, no flex, and it feels solid as a rock on fast descents as well.
I’ve been between 250 lbs. and 200 lbs for the last 5 years and have been riding a Trek Madone 5.2. The bike’s frame has been very good for considering the size of my frame and energy output. I’ve had to replace components along the way–the rear wheel especially took it in the shorts given all the standing climbs I do around my neck of the woods, but Trek/Bontrager were great to work with and have replaced every part at no charge.
So my advice, if the geometry works for you, is Trek. Many of their bikes share the same geometry, so all you have to do is determine how much you want to spend on which materials. I acquired a 2008 hold-over in January and saved a bundle (a TTX 9.5–love the bike, though I still have to get used to it).
I’m in the 250 lb club, and ride a 2007 Trek 5.2 Madone. I’ve had occasional issues with rear-wheel going out of true, but until three weeks ago, that has been generally all the troubles I’ve had.
Three weeks ago, I had one of the rear drop-outs come loose. I was doing about 35 on a nice descent, and tried to bunny hop the bike over a concrete/pavement lip. Front wheel glided over, rear wheel whacked it. Within a quarter mile, I was stopped looking at just why I was doing 6 mph in the flats putting out HUGE power. Rear wheel rubbing against frame will do that.
Trek has the frame, and I should be hearing about what they will do very soon.
I like the bike. Geometry fit well, rides nice, and is reasonably stiff. I have a “loaner” 2008 Madone, but for some reason don’t like it as much. Mostly I suspect it’s because “It’s Not Mine”.
note that at 225+ lbs, pinch flats come more easily over bumps. After moving to Vresden TriComp tires and inflate to 140 psi, no more pinch flats.
I highly recommend getting a Systemsix if you can find one. For the price its a great bike. Ive ridden a Trek 5500, and the Systemsix offers a much stiffer ride and better power transfer. Im not huge guy, but if stiffness is the name of the game then I dont think you can go wrong getting either Systemsix, Six-13 or CADD 9. Treks are good bikes but from the ones Ive ridden, they dont match the stiffness.
My take is that there are no “Clyde” proof bikes. They are all generally good given the right geometry. One could make an argument about tire rims but even that is a stretch.
im on the titanium used marked at 6’4" and 205lbs. My 2005 litespeed blade may be a bit more than his budget used but i feel real nice up on it. its solid but has some give, not too heavy. tom D wrote it up pretty well if you dig. i dont worry about pushing the big watts on it.
I am 6’1 216 and am riding a Cervelo S1 I like this bike better than Trek as it is stiffer. I have not ridden the Cannondale’s so I can’t speak to a direct comparison.
I’m 6’4" and my weight varies between 210 and 220 through the year. Because I work in the industry, I have ridden a ton of bikes over the last few years. Here is the list of bikes I thought were fine as far as stiffness goes, in no particular order:
Those are all bikes I have owned in the last few years. All were great. The only bike I owned and didn’t like was the Litespeed Ghisallo. It was just too flexy. It was in no way intended for a rider my size. I think the poster who said virtually anything from the major manufacturers will be fine is correct. I have ridden quite a few other bikes during this time, and I can tell you that virtually all were fine as far as stiffness goes. Some are stiffer than others, sure, but that is going to come down to personal preference.
I’m 6’5" about 225 and have ridden a Specialized Roubaix Road bike for over 10,000 miles the last few years. Very comfortable and plenty durable, although not the stiffest bike out there. I have however had some problems with wheels coming out of true and would definitely recommend some 36 spoke rear wheels for training purposes (mavic open pro on ultegra hub - rock solid).
I have a 2006 Madone 5.2SL and it has been great with my 225lbs. Your friend may want to search the old bike inventories of some of the regional chains, for instance bikeline in my area, you can get about a 40% discount on a new 07 madone for $1999 vs $3630 list. I’m sure other bike stores probably have similar sales on prior years.
Most of the major players will be fine, but now might be a good time to scoop a deal on a CAAD series or even a System Six. Light enough, stiffer than hell, and a pretty good bargain.
Agreed as well.
The CDale CAAD Alu frames are outstanding value for their cost. Ditto the System Six or the Six-12’s. I have ridden all three - very stiff but also surprisingly comfy if you kit them out with top of the line tires and a good saddle.
Same thing happened to me. 07 Madone 5.2 My rear dropout came loose and the wheel/tire put a nice guage in the chainstay. It took a while, but Trek finally got it right. Frist time, they just fixed the drop out and returned it. The second time I complained, they got me a new frame.
IF they don’t replace, get your LBS, to send it back in and complain. 1 key factor for me, was my bike was 3 months old at the time…
That said, I’m 6’2" 225 and pound the crap out of the that bike on hills. I do like the bike and recommend it, but wonder if the 08 bigger bottom bracket would be stiffer under pressure.
I think they repaired rather than replaced, but I only had a quick talk with the LBS today, so I’m not sure.
By eyeball, the '08 bottom bracket area looks to be much stiffer than the '07, and it rides a little stiffer. However, I haven’t had the opportunity to torture test the '08 frame.
The '08 drop out also looks a little different than the '07. Can’t compare side-by-side, but there’s a chance the '08 is stronger.
