Hey everyone,
Glad to have joined this forum, heaps of useful info.
I'm getting back into cycling after a break of about ten years. I've set some goals of which the ultimate aim is to be able to compete in a 100 mile charity race mid next year.
I've only ridden mountain bikes my whole life, the last one a Merida which was basically my mode of transport before getting a decent job many years ago.
I want to get a road bike to achieve this goal but as I've never owned one, I worry about durability. I'm 6'6" tall and weigh 285 lbs at the moment so getting a proper fit is priority but need advice about whether a road bike will handle my weight. I weigh about 260 lb when fit so I doubt I'll ever reach the sub-250 lb mark.
My choices at the moment are Cannondale CAAD9 4 (USD$1700), Trek 2.3 ($1600), Cannondale CAAD9 5 ($1400) or the Cannondale CAAD9 1 ($2800).
I'm already heavily leaning towards the CAAD9 4 but have concerns about the Shimano RS10 wheelset. Most reviews I've read don't rate them very well and the roads I'll be using them on are not the smoothest. This is why I'm considering the CAAD9 1 with the RS80s instead of getting the CAAD9 4 and swapping the wheelset for an extra 600 odd dollars. This would also earn me Dura-Ace components vs SRAM Rival. I'd wish not to spend this amount of money upfront but if it will save me in the long run then it might be worth it.
Any advice would be appreciated.