First bike.. Heavy rider.

[Raging Squirrel]

RS10's for 89 quid too........gutted because I really wanted some but currently out of work at the moment

 

[Billy213]

So could a T3 and some extra grease be the order of the day? At £300 quid I'd be able to afford new wheels from the get-go but might as well run them into the ground if possible.

Apparently Evans Cycles and Decathlon are next to each other in Thurrock so I should have plenty to look at. Cheers for all the replies so far guys, massive confidence boost to get me going.

 

[smokeysmoo]

So could a T3 and some extra grease be the order of the day?

Very possibly. A mate of mine bought a second hand T3 a while ago and the first thing we did was repack the hubs and they're still running fine now

If you go that just make spoke inspections part of your weekly checks. Just check none are loose and you should be OK. If any are just fettle before riding.

 

[Billy213]

Well as I'm sure I'll be starting off with fairly low mileage on decent road surfaces I hope to have very few problems but will definitely be a regular check.

Whilst I'm here a quick list of essentials would be great, just to get me out and about as soon as possible. I've got concerns with regards to things like chafing and saddle comfort primarily. What would be a basic set of tools needed for at home and on the road?

 

[vickster]

Padded shorts, go for some from decathlon, but not the cheapest - you'll be sore to start, backside needs to toughen up

Multi tool, track pump, couple of inner tubes, couple of bottle cages + bottles

Riding on decent road surface, guessing you don't live in the UK

 

[Billy213]

Okay then, decent-ish.

I feel I'm ready to go and look at bikes now without finding it too overwhelming. Hopefully I can come away with what I want tomorrow morning and start putting in some miles. This has been long overdue for me.

 

[vickster]

Try to get the red triban from Decathlon if they have stock, carbon fork to help with those occasional poor surfaces Evans cheapest roadbike is £500 odd and will be no better most likely

 

[Nick Stone]

This weight malarkey crap is bit weird, I'm 6ft was 18.5 stone gong down now and use RS30. Think 20 spokes on the back 16 on the front never a problem they've been hammered on the mean street to, completed a couple of sportives and the Manchester cycle, used as everyday wheels even riding a unsurfaced road on Saturday, running smooth, running true and were a bargain, check hubs and spokes on regular basis and never had a worry with them.

Shorts or bib +1 - best invention since he wheel

 

[Billy213]

Try to get the red triban from Decathlon if they have stock, carbon fork to help with those occasional poor surfaces Evans cheapest roadbike is £500 odd and will be no better most likely

Looking online, they MIGHT have the red in the larger frame, which may be too big for me. Can't say for definite until I go there tomorrow. They have the white one in stock in the next size down so either way...

This weight malarkey crap is bit weird, I'm 6ft was 18.5 stone gong down now and use RS30. Think 20 spokes on the back 16 on the front never a problem they've been hammered on the mean street to, completed a couple of sportives and the Manchester cycle, used as everyday wheels even riding a unsurfaced road on Saturday, running smooth, running true and were a bargain, check hubs and spokes on regular basis and never had a worry with them.

Shorts or bib +1 - best invention since he wheel

That's reassuring. I'll whack some grease in the hubs from the very start just to eliminate that being a problem and then I should be good to go.

 

[Raging Squirrel]

Deffo get bib shorts. If youre a big guy like me then normal cycling shorts slide down and show your arse haha. Get some gloves and a saddle bag to keep the bits in. Id change the seat too, triban3 seat is a bit hard......maybe a sella italia gel seat? And get a small pump to attach to the bike.....then I think you're sorted

 

[vickster]

I think they tend to have a slightly smaller geometry than some, but seem to have a longer stem that can easy be switched

 

[Spoked Wheels]

I am about the same size as the OP and run my road bike on 700x23 inflated to 120 lubs per squinch.
If you are on a tight budget, consider getting the wheels re-spoked with better spokes as an alternative to new wheels. You can upgrade to better wheels later and you will still have a serviceable set of wheels,
Make use of your own suspension system - your knees! On a rough patch of road, use your knees to raise your butt off the saddle and allow your now weightless rear wheel to float over the obstruction..

.

Open Pro are very popular rims but at your weight I would suggest something stronger.

Ultegra hubs are a fine choice but save yourself half the money and go for 105, very little difference between the two. A few grams perhaps.

I am about the same size as the OP and run my road bike on 700x23 inflated to 120 lubs per squinch.
If you are on a tight budget, consider getting the wheels re-spoked with better spokes as an alternative to new wheels. You can upgrade to better wheels later and you will still have a serviceable set of wheels,
Make use of your own suspension system - your knees! On a rough patch of road, use your knees to raise your butt off the saddle and allow your now weightless rear wheel to float over the obstruction..

.

If you are thinking to rebuild the triban wheels then I'd say that would not be a wise idea. Rebuilding is more expensive than building, although I charge the same for both, free of charge . Seriously, he also needs good rims otherwise it would be money down the drain.

Yup, but as vickster says, your LBS is your best source of advice. Ebay is good for many things, but some things need to be considered, in other words, what happens if the ebay wheels go wrong, you need to consider the aftersales support, (and the hassle of possibly having to return a wheel to the ebay seller).

I know your not necessarily thinking of buying the ebay wheels, but yes that's the sort of thing you want to be asking your LBS to price for you.

FYI, the hierarchy of Shimano components, (in case you don't know), from top to bottom in terms of hubs is,

Dura Ace
Ultegra
105
Tiagra
Sora

There are a couple of real low end ones as well, but IMO I'd stick to Tiagra or higher. The price only really leap when you look at Dura Ace, but for the average rider Tiagra/105 is the perfect middle ground.

+1 with the exception that I would go for a good wheelbuilder instead of your LBS. In my experience and also many people that understand about wheelbuilding, LBS are a bit hit and miss.

I'm 6'3 and 23st 10lb and I have the triban3 with original wheels in a 62cm frame. No issues with frame, wheels or tyres. I was told most bikes will take 150kg plus luggage

Wow, my previous comments were based on the many complains I've read on this forum and also what I saw at the Decatlon in Southampton.

 

[Raging Squirrel]

What did you see?

I think bikes are like everything else, good ones and bad ones....touch wood mine is a good one haha

 

[Spoked Wheels]

What did you see?

I think bikes are like everything else, good ones and bad ones....touch wood mine is a good one haha

Easy tiger, I'm talking about the wheels only.

 

[jifdave]

i ride a triban 3 at 6'8 and 19st.... (lost a stone since i first rode her)

I found the wheels were made of cheese, i broke several rear spokes, had the rear wheel rebuilt with stronger spokes, cost about £40. they stood up to around 600miles of winter running with no probs. still have these as spare.

But the more i got into it i wanted better wheels so had some wheels handbuilt by harry rowland for £250 and not had a single problem with them. Open pro rims and 105 hubs with sapim strong spokes, so far 500 miles and still run beautifully.