I'm 6'4" and about 320 lbs right now, but I used to be in great shape, rode in centuries, etc. etc.
I broke a lot of spokes back then, even though I weighed less than 200 lbs... probably because I was bunny hopping my road bike over dead armadillos.
I'll agree with the heavy spec components. Look for either tandem or downhill wheels and cranksets. The Hussefelt cranks I installed on my Montague are hell-for-stout, and I haven't had a problem with my wheels yet.
For a road bike, I hear Ksyriums are the way to go, short of picking up tandem wheels.
Another thing I didn't have to worry about... I need a relatively upright seating position as this gut I seem to have grown pushes up into my lungs when I try to ride aero, so I added a stem riser so I could breathe. I can't ride fast enough for an aero position to help anymore anyway.
I used to ride 26 miles to work and back, through hilly areas and along a river trail. In the condition I was in, I didn't consider this adequate exercise, so I'd toss in an extra couple 12 mile laps by the river on the way home. I also tagged along with the CARVE guys (racers) when I saw 'em out there. Some of those guys didn't care for having a guy in baggy shorts and a road-tired cyclocross bike keepin' up with 'em.
Oh, yeah... there's an idea for a big guy's road bike. Get a cyclocross bike (mine's a Kona Jake the Snake) and wrap some road tires on in place of the knobbies. Right now, Jake's wearing 35c Panaracer Paselas instead of the 23c tires I used to ride. The fatter rubber is better suited to my fat kiester, and is probably saving the wheels a lot of stress.
Most importantly, have fun. If it ain't fun, you won't want to keep doing it. I get out there and I'm noticeably slower than I used to be. This depresses me and I try too hard to maintain speeds that used to be super easy... which leaves me gasping and wanting to throw up.
When I'm riding with someone else (at my current level) I have a much more enjoyable ride, as I'm not trying to compete with a younger, fitter me.
I broke a lot of spokes back then, even though I weighed less than 200 lbs... probably because I was bunny hopping my road bike over dead armadillos.
I'll agree with the heavy spec components. Look for either tandem or downhill wheels and cranksets. The Hussefelt cranks I installed on my Montague are hell-for-stout, and I haven't had a problem with my wheels yet.
For a road bike, I hear Ksyriums are the way to go, short of picking up tandem wheels.
Another thing I didn't have to worry about... I need a relatively upright seating position as this gut I seem to have grown pushes up into my lungs when I try to ride aero, so I added a stem riser so I could breathe. I can't ride fast enough for an aero position to help anymore anyway.
I used to ride 26 miles to work and back, through hilly areas and along a river trail. In the condition I was in, I didn't consider this adequate exercise, so I'd toss in an extra couple 12 mile laps by the river on the way home. I also tagged along with the CARVE guys (racers) when I saw 'em out there. Some of those guys didn't care for having a guy in baggy shorts and a road-tired cyclocross bike keepin' up with 'em.
Oh, yeah... there's an idea for a big guy's road bike. Get a cyclocross bike (mine's a Kona Jake the Snake) and wrap some road tires on in place of the knobbies. Right now, Jake's wearing 35c Panaracer Paselas instead of the 23c tires I used to ride. The fatter rubber is better suited to my fat kiester, and is probably saving the wheels a lot of stress.
Most importantly, have fun. If it ain't fun, you won't want to keep doing it. I get out there and I'm noticeably slower than I used to be. This depresses me and I try too hard to maintain speeds that used to be super easy... which leaves me gasping and wanting to throw up.
When I'm riding with someone else (at my current level) I have a much more enjoyable ride, as I'm not trying to compete with a younger, fitter me.