I am 57 years old, 182 cm and weigh 105 kg. I have been cycling for the past 5 years, mostly with a city bike, Trek 7.5 FX. After a trial of a long distance lasting a week with that bike, I realized what it meant to be more aerodynamic. What would be the best option for me? More of an endurance type or more of a performance type of bike, such as Trek Madone 5.9? I tended to avoid bending forward while cycling too much until now. However, seems that I need to. 56 cm versus 58 cm? Any experience or thought would be very much appreciated. Many thanks in advance.
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2Remember, performance is almost the polar opposite of comfort. If you want to go fast-as-possible it won't be comfortable. Depending on the distances you want to achieve, a touring road bike might be better than a racing-style bike.– Criggie ♦Commented Jun 12, 2016 at 0:04
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1Another comfort AND speed option is to forgo the traditional diamond frame bike in favour of a recumbent two-wheel bike. Nipping along in your pedal-chair could be ideal, however they're not common, not cheap, and its hard to ride with road bikes... group rides of `bents are non-existent.– Criggie ♦Commented Jun 12, 2016 at 0:07
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1How much is long distance?– BatmanCommented Jun 12, 2016 at 11:51
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1@Criggie rare, rather than non-existant. But given how rare 'bents are in general, possibly not usually rare to see groups of them. In Melbourne especially most of the big bike rides have groups of bents entered (unless they ban them, which also happens).– MóżCommented Jun 14, 2016 at 22:04
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2 Answers
You basically get what you pay for, so there isn't any secret formula. Trek is one of the largest manufacturers on the planet, and is probably as good as any other on the market.
But have a look at, and test if possible, other bikes as well as Trek, because different models have different geometries, and another geometry might feel better to you.
Size also is only really judged by testing, but 56 or 58cm seems a good place to start from what we know about your height. In truth there is very little between these two sizes, so it is unlikely it would be a straight "fit"/"not fit" scenario. More likely one size will feel a bit more comfortable to you than the other. If two frames do feel absolutely the same, the smaller frame will tend to be a small amount stiffer and lighter.
Often with bikes you'll face a trade-off between a better frame or better components. Of course, it depends how averse you are to upgrading the bike after the initial purchase, but be aware that many components can be upgraded later (although it isn't very cost-effective) but upgrading a frame is usually prohibitive - more likely than not you're then in the realms of buying a new bike.
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3And, we should add, at 100+ kg, the op is above the load limit of many road bikes. He'll need to make that part of his selection criteria.– andy256Commented Jun 12, 2016 at 10:56
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4The official load limit is normally around 120 kg. That's not to say 100 kg will work well, though.– BatmanCommented Jun 12, 2016 at 11:50
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2But something he should probably cbe aware of before purchasing...– PeteHCommented Jun 12, 2016 at 17:36
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4I've weighed around 220 lbs/100kg for the past 20 years or so, and, while I'm not going to win any races, I've never felt that my weight threatened the structural integrity of the bikes I've ridden (including a number of kiddie bike I had to perch on like a circus clown while test-riding). At that weight one should probably avoid an ultra-lightweight bike, but any standard duty bike should give decent service. Commented Jun 12, 2016 at 19:21
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2With weight I think wheels are more sensitive, light, few spokes wheels maybe be not good choice Commented Jun 13, 2016 at 16:11
I bought a Malvern Star Oppy S1.
I have a similar age as you, similar intentions and wants, but only weigh 74 kgs. I have just completed an 2300 km ride into western and central Qld, and I can't fault this chromoly steel touring bike.
The price was very good, excellent warranty and great service from the dealer and the parent company, if you are going to look at bikes look at this one as well, you wont be disappointed.
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1Welcome to Bicycles @Ric. Remember that people the world over use this site, and we have no idea where mazhar (the OP) lives. AFAIK, Malvern Star is not sold world wide. I see you've done the tour, the next thing to do is read the help center for more advice on writing strong answers.– andy256Commented Jun 16, 2016 at 10:58
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