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Question about bike, please don't hurt me if you've had this one before
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Hi guys
Newbie here. First off before I ask the intended question I went all the way to page 5 (yup, hard working is what I am) to see if anyone had posted a similar question, but then I gave up and decided to search for it. But couldn't find the exact search box for this forum, so resorted to posting a new thread. OK, after that long winded introduction here is the long awaited question. It is to do with a bicycle (title gave that away I suppose). I did my first sprint triathlon on the 1st July on my mountain bike, which I have been using extensively on the roads. And as I have the bug and want to do more (have another one in August) am looking at different bikes, most probably a road bike. I have found a used specialized allez sport on ebaywhich looks quite good and am concidering taking a look at, but the advertiser states that he is selling, after having used it for 6 months, as he is above the max user weight of 16 stone. Now my question is, does this mean that this bike is one to avoid? With the max user weight having been surpassed would a bike like that bend? Or what? Sorry for making you read all this stuff, but thought the question needed some background to make sense.
Thanks
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Comments
Max User Weight?
There's a few of us on here that weigh more than 16 stone
and I have never found a bike that wouldn't take my weight (might explain the snapped spokes though)
That said the key to a good bike is getting one that fits you.
The bike frame shouldn't bend but the cheaper the bike, the cheaper the components used (wheels etc) which is probably why I used to snap spokes a lot, now I have upgraded the wheels, not snapped one since
Well obviously its impossible to tell without seeing the bike.. If you're going to look at it just give it a thorough examination. Don't buy it without seeing it and particularly without taking it for a ride. Get through all the gears, test the brakes, make sure the wheels run true. Make sure its a good fit as well. Read up on how to tell if a bike fits you. No point spending money on a wrongly sized bike even if its cheap.
The wheels are the only bits of a bike that have a weight limit, usually, unless it's a particularly expensive featherlight frame which the Allez isn't.
(Not that there's anything wrong with the Allez, it's just that at that price point they're catering for everyone and aren't in the business of shaving off weight an the expense of strength)
If the wheels are true and all the spokes are in place, it's probably OK. But as BK points out, give it a proper check and a test ride. If the seller is tall (he's over 16 stone so there's a good chance) then it'll be a large size which might not be a good fit for you.