Bike for new gravel rider

Just a had a great talk with a different LBS than I've been to.  More important to get riding, rode a few, but the Jamis Renegade Exile might be the one to get me going.

Craig - At your weight, at least until you can trim down a bit, I would suggest something that  has strong wheels and wide tires. You might be better off with an entry level mountain bike. Something with strong 26" wheels and 2"+ tires. You'll be more comfortable in the more upright position, and you can run your tires at lower pressure for additional comfort. The wide mtn. bike gearing may also help you with climbing. You can probably pick up a new entry level hardtail mtn bike in the $500-700 price range. I disagree with some others here who recommend buying used. Manufacturing and equipment technologies have kept the prices of new bikes very reasonable, and you can buy something exactly the right size. I would also suggest buying at an LBS, rather than online.
PS -- I'm a rider myself with no industry or dealer connections. Just, lots of experience buying, riding, and racing bikes since 1958.

You're fine on skinny tires at 300 pounds. Just keep the pressure up to prevent flats. I rode a 23c tire road bike at 320 pounds and never had an issue. I'm 285 now and riding a carbon frame road bike but now I'm on 28's for comfort but the bike came with 25's and no problems. My CX bike I sold today was also carbon and on 35's. My CX bike I ran around 75 psi and the road bike sees around 90 psi. Sure...it's a little less comfortable than it could be if I was low 200's or even <200 pounds, but that's the price us heavier riders pay. Don't shy away from a road or CX bike because of your weight. They'll be just fine.

I will add that for peace of mind...I did grab a new set of wheels for my road bike that are 32 spoke. They are H Plus Son rims laced to Shimano 105 hubs. They've held up great so far. But the time I've spent on the stock wheels...no problems. And I still use the stock rear wheel on my trainer actually.

I read down through this thread and after a little thought, if your Crossroads fits you, you already have a great gravel bike! I have one of the older steel versions of the crossroads, Great frame, I have mine setup with drop bars and vintage 7 speed triple. the bike will roll 700x42c tires and is very strong...I say run what ya brung!

You could get the top of the line London Road for your budget.  With hydro brakes.  Maybe the XL could fit.  You would probably want to figure out your fitting before ordering.

Planet X USA

Finnyct90 wrote:I read down through this thread and after a little thought, if your Crossroads fits you, you already have a great gravel bike! I have one of the older steel versions of the crossroads, Great frame, I have mine setup with drop bars and vintage 7 speed triple. the bike will roll 700x42c tires and is very strong...I say run what ya brung!

Funny, what started me looking more seriously for a new bike was simply all the trouble I had trying to find rigid forks to replace the suspension.  Seems almost impossible.  

If I ignore that, and assume that my extra weight is hurting me more then the extra 3 lbs on the fork, then yeah, perhaps I should just ride more on this bike.

I don't know if I could put some drop bars on and still mount those thumb shifters & brakes??  Perhaps a different thread for that question.  Maybe new brake levers and shifters with drop bars won't be too bad?  Maybe no changes.

Ugghh....the choices!!

I think I've convinced myself to not spend any $ until I've ridden at least 65 miles on gravel in one ride.  The gravel race is what got me looking, so no rewards until I've accomplished a similar ride. 

Wish me luck!

Good luck on your 60 miler! 

Here's a pretty good option in 62cm (i'm 6'.5" and ride the 59):

Niner RLT 9 full Ultegra with Stan's Grail wheels: $2,000 (33% off)
http://www.jensonusa.com/Niner-RLT-Jenson-Ultegra-Stans-Bike-2015?cs=Grey

Supporting your LBS is , but think this fits the bill (OK +$500). You can get an extra 6% cashback through ActiveJunky.

Update

Longest ride has been 40 miles so far.  

I came across a pretty good deal on the Diamondback Haanjo Comp, so I went for it!!  I've only had a couple of short shakedown rides and so far so good.

I love the matte black color, even though it will probably look dirty all the time.

I'm a tad bit nervous about the lower spoke count on the wheels, but time will tell.

Expect more updates as I've ridden this some more and.

Craig Treptow wrote:I'm a tad bit nervous about the lower spoke count on the wheels, but time will tell.

Expect more updates as I've ridden this some more and.

Have a shop look them over. Make sure tension is good all around and everything is true and round. 

Up until Saturday (finally got my new wheels setup)...I've been riding a couple months on 24 spoke wheels and beating on them pretty hard for the past 700+ miles. I'm currently 270 down from 285 back in April. I wouldn't sweat it too much. Just take it easy until you drop some weight and keep a good eye on them. Keep them trued and tensioned and you should be ok. 

@nubster What did you set up for wheels?  Was it for added strength?

Craig - before fretting too much about the wheels, check the various forums to see what others are experiencing with that specific brand and model.  My Specialized Tarmac came with some fragile light weight wheels that I quickly knocked out of true (about one month of training rides). Another big friend had the same problem. I purchased a set of Ksyrium Elite's for training and my wife (much smaller and lighter) has put several thousand miles on the Specialized wheels without issue.  For the record - big powerful riders will break any wheel. It's not a question of "if" but rather "when".  The only wheel I haven't broken are some 40 spoke touring wheels - but they don't see as much use as the other wheels.

For performance AND durability I prefer Fulcrum Racing wheels made by Campagnolo. I'm right at 200 pounds and race criteriums (lots of sprinting which beats up the rear wheel).  Fulcrum just came out with CX specific wheels which are a bit wider. These are available via UK and Germany on-line stores for around $250.  Don't know why US prices are so much higher but that's a rant for another time and place.  Note that due to the "innovations" in bikes, these might not be compatible with your bike. The Fulcrum Racing Quatro is for standard quick release and rim brakes - not thru axle or disk brakes.

Bottom line - the rear wheel takes the greatest pounding (most of the weight sits on the rear wheel) and the pedaling energy places constant forces on the spokes, hub and rim which cause these to fatigue fail.  Front wheels almost never go out of true or fail.

Heh, I just saw Craig's post on another site saying he has been breaking spokes... guess that answers the question about 24-count spokes on that bike

http://bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/42366/can-the-hed-tomcat-wheels-be-made-stronger

THats hilarious, He is 300lbs and breaking spokes. Who would have guessed a 24 spoke wheel was not up to the task. Be reasonable people.

Enoch wrote:THats hilarious, He is 300lbs and breaking spokes. Who would have guessed a 24 spoke wheel was not up to the task. Be reasonable people.

Yeah, I'm 230 and I had a 24-spoke wheel that couldn't handled hilly pavement riding under me; 32 or more since then!

Craig Treptow wrote:@nubster What did you set up for wheels?  Was it for added strength?

Missed this...sorry...I had a set of Hope Pro 4 hubs laced to WTB i23 rims...32 spoke. I did the 32 spoke for the added strength because of my weight and because this wheelset is intended to be for rides when I know the terrain will be rougher. So I wanted peace of mind that I wouldn't have any issues. I've lost about 25 pounds since building them so now the weight to strength is even greater...lol...so bonus on that but I'm also riding a little harder now too so I suppose it all evens out.

I'm 250 right now riding 24 spokes all the time on the road and gravel. Perfect for nearly 1000 miles since I got the bike. I started north of 275 when I got the bike earlier this year and not a single issue with the wheels. American Classics with bladed spokes. 

Update:

I generally still love this bike.  It had everything I wanted, looks good, and I'm having fun.  So much in fact, that I've planned a 60 mile ride for Saturday morning with the temps in the mid-40s.  What am I thinking?!?!

The only issue was the spoke breakage.  Luckily, I came into a little unexpected bonus $$ from work, and spent a chunk of it on some Velocity Ailerons, 36H front, 40H rear.

They look good and will hopefully hold up for a long time.  I think I'll also go tubeless on the next set of tires, since the rims support that.

I'm currently running WTB Nano Comps, and I love these tires, too.  The Kenda Happy Mediums wore down very quickly, especially on the rear.

And remember, higher spoke count not only makes each spoke less likely to break, it also is a huge benefit in case one does break.
A high spoke count wheel can probably be nursed home, vs a low spoke count wheel being unrideable.