Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - What type of bike do you ride?

Specialized Hardrock. Damn thing is a solid gold tank, I've been TRYING to break it and failed. Hit curbs, jumped curbs, 350 miles and a month.25 later the wheels are still true as the day I got it. I love the hell out of that bike.

Next up will be a Bianchi Volpe and Specialized Stumpjumper. :)

Trek 7000 Hybrid - Custom rear wheel for the weight.
Trek 7.3FX Disk Fitness Bike - stock

Trek 7500FX with a longer stem and setback seat post. So far (touch wood) the wheels which are 20 spoke front and 24 spoke rear seem to be holding up to my 280lb frame. I'm planning to upgrade to a drop bar bike in a year or so and am pineing big time over the Lemond Poprad and if I an't swing that a Trek cyclocross bike. Figure the wider rims et all will hold up better as I'm planning to get down to 230ish and thus will be a perma clyde.

Specialized Hardrock. Damn thing is a solid gold tank, I've been TRYING to break it and failed. Hit curbs, jumped curbs, 350 miles and a month.25 later the wheels are still true as the day I got it. I love the hell out of that bike...

^ +1 for the Specialized Hardrock. Mine is one of the two best bikes I've ever had (and it only cost $350!).

EDIT: What I have is a "Rockhopper" not a "Hardrock." The names get confusing... HardHopper, RockHard, HopRocker, etc.

Masi Gran Corsa, Steelman Cross, Yeti Kokopelli and a Soma Rush in no particluar order.

I have an '04 Specialized Hardrock. I put Armadillos on it for commuting, but I haven't been commuting much on it lately, although I probably will when the weather gets bad.

I also have an '05 Trek 5200. It's full Ultegra except for the Bontrager crank. It's my main ride and I love it. No issues with the wheels, or frame at all. I commute on it almost daily.

Road-'00 GT Edge Aero, Al frame/kinesis Al fork I built it up with :

a mix of 105 and ultegra
Salsa Bell Lap cyclocross bar because it is the widest bar I could find
Ultegra hubs and Mavic Open Pro 36 spoke wheels
Conti GP4000 25cc tires
Specialized Body Geo saddle
Shimano SPD peddals

If I had it to do over again, I'd get something a little more gentle...I went from MTB to roadie because I moved to NYC.
24975
Please don't out me to the OCP crowd on the Roadie forum for this picture. I know it doesn't meet the standards. It was done for a friend... -hambone

I'm riding a folder -- a Dahon Boardwalk D7.

First I'm a MTBer, riding the FSR XC Comp below. I also own a Rockhopper hardtail. Second I ride road on the Cannondale Silk Road SR500. Also for the road, I just picked up the Bianchi Campione below. I have yet to ride it though. I just purchased it for way too much, it has a flat that I just haven't had time to repair.

Started out with a comfort....rode that for about 2 years (though I was only the "weekend warrior" the first year or a tad more). Then I got much more into it, and after about 8 months, I got a road bike (touring style) which is my main ride now. I'm kinda itching to test ride some Tri bikes though.


First bike (comfort) - Trek Navigator 300
http://kingtermite.net/publicstuff/nav300/bike1.JPG

Current bike (road) - Trek 520 Touring
http://kingtermite.net/publicstuff/Trek520/PC241601.jpg

I've got two roadies, an old Univega Sportour (I'd like to find out what year it is), and a new Cadillac RLE 1.8 that I just tossed mustache bars on yesterday.
Of course, that's not enough, and I've really got a hankerin' to find a vintage touring frame to build up, but that'll have to wait a little while, I guess.

http://www.cs.unm.edu/~wneumann/images/BlueVinnie.JPG

http://www.cs.unm.edu/~wneumann/images/Caddie.JPG

Well I am a DH'er with a ton of Xc experiance who trains regularly on the road. As for my rides, my stable is going through some changes right now so I have sold the Dh bike, the roadie and the ss so I can afford the new rides but here is what is in the stables now and soon to be;

Currently have;
Foes Inferno
Kona Bear (actually the wifes but I use it to tote the kiddies around)

On order (all 3 should be here with in 8 weeks)
Giant Glory - replacing my Kona Stab
Bianchi Lewis - replacing my W.U.S.S. (ss bikes)
Bianchi 928 CARBON Lugged/SRAM - replacing my 928 Veloce

I can not wait for the new SS and the roadie. I may love the rush gravity provides but there is something to be said for going 55+ on a roadie or the burn a ss mtb can cause.

MSF:beer:

cyclocross - one bike does it all :)

I've got two main road bikes - a modern 2005 Giant OCR Limited, and a vintage 1975 Mondia Super. I love them both.

That Mondia Super is 200% awesome.

6'7", 260ish lbs. Bikes:

Rivendell, full custom, 68cm, all Campy Record. My main fast road ride.
Cannondale CAAD3, 66cm, NOS in 2004, all ultegra-9. Backup fast road bike.
Nishiki, 27" with 27x1.25 tires. In town beater.
Cannondale M500, hardtail mountain.

I'm 34, 200 lbs, 6', former road cyclist (18 years ago)/mountain biker (10 years ago). Bought a 2005 Giant OCR1: Aluminum frame, Ultegra group, triple, etc. Great bike for those of us who like to go fast but don't want to a) forsake our retirement plans, or b) forsake our spines.

Key for me (particularly when I was heavier) are the 25 mm tires and gel seat I use. I've got a million friends who suffer for their 23's and carbon saddles. Personally, I wouldn't WANT to ride if it's not something I enjoy. For me, enjoyment is comfort and comfort is, to my ass, a nice set of 25's and a saddle that suits my body. That tire size is the perfect compromise to help me go fast and have fun at the same time. For most people, that seems to be a tough compromise.

Im 5'9" and 229lbs. Ive been riding a Specialized Sworks M4 Road, Time cabron fork and a Trek 4300 Disk hardtail MTB.
Im not 100% but I think my road wheels are Mavic CXP33 3x spoke pattern and after the initial truing and one broken spoke I havent had a single problem. Im running 23c Michelin Speedium tires and a a Specialized Avanti saddle. I just recently changed my stem to a higher rise, and installed some FSA Gossimer cranks, and a FSA flat top road bar (highly recommended). Components are mostly Campagnolo Mirage/Veloce including cables, and LOOK pedals.

VERY nice stable. I've been eyeing the W.U.S.S. all summer, and the Lewis is just hot. I may just keep my Hardrock and get a Lewis instead of a Stumpjumper :). Would be a fun not-so-steep-trails bike and alternate commuter.

How'd you like your WUSS? Why did you go with a Lewis to replace it?


Well I am a DH'er with a ton of Xc experiance who trains regularly on the road. As for my rides, my stable is going through some changes right now so I have sold the Dh bike, the roadie and the ss so I can afford the new rides but here is what is in the stables now and soon to be;

Currently have;
Foes Inferno
Kona Bear (actually the wifes but I use it to tote the kiddies around)

On order (all 3 should be here with in 8 weeks)
Giant Glory - replacing my Kona Stab
Bianchi Lewis - replacing my W.U.S.S. (ss bikes)
Bianchi 928 CARBON Lugged/SRAM - replacing my 928 Veloce

I can not wait for the new SS and the roadie. I may love the rush gravity provides but there is something to be said for going 55+ on a roadie or the burn a ss mtb can cause.

MSF:beer:

bdinger ... I just orderd the Lewis myself through LBS (Bike Masters), should be here end of October, can't hardly wait, my first SS!

An updated pic of my ride:

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j12/DieselDan_1973/updatedCannondale.jpg

My edgie is a Trek 7500FX, but my real joy is a Wiz Wheels 3.6 Recumbent Trike. It's a little slower than the Trek but I can ride it forever without getting sore.

How'd you like your WUSS? Why did you go with a Lewis to replace it?

They are the same bike with a different name, only two maybe three differnt componets but the Lewis comes in that ugly Celest color. For that reason alone I decided to get one.

For what it is the W.U.S.S. is a great bike. With a little adjustment of the stem and bars it is very nimble yet solid at speed. The frame seemed to handle some decent abuse as well (the occasional 4' - 5' drop) and I aint no light weight:rolleyes:

MSF:beer:

The frame seemed to handle some decent abuse as well (the occasional 4' - 5' drop) and I aint no light weight<snip>

F* the frame! what kind of wheels are you doin' that on?

bdinger ... I just orderd the Lewis myself through LBS (Bike Masters), should be here end of October, can't hardly wait, my first SS!

Oh man, I'm green :) With envy!! ;)

A buddy just ordered a '07 San Jose. I'm REALLY intrigued by that bike, mainly because I want to get one and throw a Nexus IG hub on the back.

But, at the same time, a Lewis would be a HOT commuter. Damn :)

F* the frame! what kind of wheels are you doin' that on?

I wonder if they are the stockers. All the Bianchis I've seen have really bulletproof wheelsets. A friend and fellow rider has a Volpe (among others :D) that I managed to run into the rear wheel. Long story short, he was turning and yelled that back to me, but I was going about 25 mph and obviously only heard wind :).

I probably hit him dead on center of his rear wheel at 10mph. The front wheel on my old Raleigh was knocked pretty well out of true. He took his to the LBS the next day, and they could barely tell it was out of true at all. :)

Road, Sports tourng (favorite) and an old mountain bike I rarely ride.

F* the frame! what kind of wheels are you doin' that on?

32 hole SingleTracks laced to Hadley hubs with Sapim CX-Ray spokes/brass niples.

I build my own wheels and never had a problem with the rims but there have been times I have gotten lazy and had a few spokes come loose because I did not check the tension.

MSF:beer:

Touring bike, now in the fourth generation, Miyata 1000, Bianchi Volpe, Cannondale, Bruce Gordon BLT. I would not worry if I weighted over 300 pounds on my BLT and loaded the panniers with rocks.

Trek Liquid 20 with a zokie z-1 drop off fork, the rock shox pyslo isn't clyde proof.

Currently looking for a touring or cyclocross bike for rail trails riding and "some" road riding.

Mine is a Waterford 2200 with Campy Record 10 speed. Mavic Open CD Pro Ceramic wheels. Love the ride!

32 hole SingleTracks laced to Hadley hubs with Sapim CX-Ray spokes/brass niples.

I build my own wheels and never had a problem with the rims but there have been times I have gotten lazy and had a few spokes come loose because I did not check the tension.

MSF:beer: If you don't mind, next time I'm out your way visiting family, I'm gonna bring my spoke wrenches over and have you bless them.

Stories about four to five foot drops onto road wheels should end with, "and that is why the guys at the lbs laughed at me while I picked up my new nipples/spoke prep/etc"

If you don't mind, next time I'm out your way visiting family, I'm gonna bring my spoke wrenches over and have you bless them.

Stories about four to five foot drops onto road wheels should end with, "and that is why the guys at the lbs laughed at me while I picked up my new nipples/spoke prep/etc"

It's not unheard of doing that stuff w/o wrecking the wheels. So as long as they are built correctly with quality parts and proper tension is kept on the spokes then a good set of wheels will handle the abuse. I check the spokes on an everyday basis. Mainly because I have had a wheel come apart on me during a race (finished the day with half of the spokes twisted around the others, it was interesting to say the least).

Another thing, my friends and I learned to do drops up to 7' back in the '70s, (when we were young, did not know what pain was and healed in a day or two) on our bmx bikes so we have had many years to perfect the landings and if you have a tranny to land on it makes it that much smoother.

I should aslo mention a good set of tires with stiff sidewalls also helps.

If you ever get this way I would have no problem checking your wheels for ya (now where is my sledge?;) )

MSF:beer:

. . . onto road wheels should end with . . .

I just noticed that line. I do not do this on road wheels. SingleTracks are a mtb rim. That might make make more sense for ya.

Biggest drop I have done with a set of road wheels was 3' and that was waaaay back when on my fathers bike. Luckly I did not break anything on it:rolleyes:

MSF:beer:

... SingleTracks are a mtb rim. That might make make more sense for ya.<snip>This is one of those your eyes read, "SingleTrack" and your brain hears, "SingleSpeed" 'cause, well, when you ride in NYC all the time -- there isn't much "track" single or otherwise.

Thanks for the offer.

This is one of those your eyes read, "SingleTrack" and your brain hears, "SingleSpeed" 'cause, well, when you ride in NYC all the time -- there isn't much "track" single or otherwise.

Thanks for the offer.

Well the SingleTracks are on a SingleSpeed;)

MSF:beer:

2005 Giant FCR4 at my 6'3" 315lb frame, I likes this bike!

Trek 5200 with conversion to Mavic Open Pros. The stock Bontrager wheels were fine for two years then I cracked the rear wheel and started breaking spokes. The Mavic OP's have been great.

I've had road racers, touring bikes, recumbents, and now, a MTB. What's the preferred Clyde-Ride?

I've got three bikes: a Lemond Poprad cyclocross bike set up for road and light trail riding (I don't race); a Fisher HT mountain bike that I hardly ride anymore due to a bad back (and I really miss riding the technical trails); and a Burley tandem that I ride with my wife. Since she's gotten her own bike we don't use it much (I miss that, too).

6" 240-something, see the signature for the bike...a steel roadie with wide tires and a brooks b17 saddle.

Count me in as another steel man. I love my steel Lemond and dream of someday owning a deluxe custom made steel roadie.:p

Trek 7500FX with a longer stem and setback seat post. So far (touch wood) the wheels which are 20 spoke front and 24 spoke rear seem to be holding up to my 280lb frame. I'm planning to upgrade to a drop bar bike in a year or so and am pineing big time over the Lemond Poprad and if I an't swing that a Trek cyclocross bike. Figure the wider rims et all will hold up better as I'm planning to get down to 230ish and thus will be a perma clyde.

Get the Poprad, I've got an '01 model that I've had for over five years and still love. Make sure they check the spokes in their setup, this is the only problem I've had. I ended up buying a set of custom wheels built for a Clyde and now I have a bombproof bike.

Mine is a Waterford 2200 with Campy Record 10 speed. Mavic Open CD Pro Ceramic wheels. Love the ride!

You have my dream bike! I've always wanted a custom steel bike with Campy components.

6'0", 212 lbs. I guess that technically makes me a clydesdale, unfortunately I should probably be down around 185 because I'm not 'big boned'. In any case I ride road and dirt. Litespeed Solano for the street and Ellsworth on the dirt. Both bikes were bought as framesets and built up from there. The road bike is 9 spd Dura-Ace and the MTB is all XT. Both sport Ritchey seatposts, bars and stems. Neither bike has what you would call burly wheels. Velomax Circuits on the Litespeed and A-Class Vectra on the Ellsworth. I think the whole clydesdale thing is much ado about nothing. I guess if you are north of 250 there could be some issues, but anybody that weighs less than that probably doesn't need to worry about equipment too much unless you start looking at uber-lightweight stuff. Some manufacturers have weight limits on their gear. Pay attention to that. They built it so I assume they know what they are talking about. If there isn't a weight limit I usually don't worry about it. If there could be a problem with weight, trust me, their lawyers would have had them lable the component accordingly.

I have a riding buddy who weighs between 240-260 depending on the time of year. He rides hard, especially in the dirt. He doesn't seem to have too many problems with equipment. He used to break a lot of spokes on his Rolf wheels but i just chalked that up to him always fiddling around with them. He couldn't resist tampering with his spoke tension all the time. Just my opinion. YMMV.

I'm 5'10" and 204 lbs, I don't look 204 lbs but I am. Anyways I ride a lot of bikes I have one for each type of riding. Just check out my Sig below.
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I'm 5'10" and 204 lbs, I don't look 204 lbs but I am. Anyways I ride a lot of bikes I have one for each type of riding. Just check out my Sig below.
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I'd restore the Holdsworth to ridign condition if it isn't already! Then I'd take it out for a spin every so often! Bikes die if they are not ridden, it sucks out their soul!:eek:

I suppose my second bike counts as a comfort, old school three-speed (schwinn) upright that I use for my weenie 1.5 mile commute into school. Other is an even older school Raleigh supercourse that needs to have the bars retaped and is forcing me to get flexible enough to use the downtube shifters (friction shifting rules!!)

j

Road, touring, mountain. Alum and steel.

Roadie
Waterford 2200 lugged 853
Trek Madone 5.5
Razesa Slx S/S

Other: Fixed gear conversion.
For the record I'm not a clydesdale. However, the weight loss posts have inspired me not only to lurk here but also to lose some excess baggage and cut out sodas/beer for this month (just to see how much they're affecting me).

I'm 5' 9" and started at 245 lbs, now down to 219 (and can't get below that number for some reason!)

Nephew talked me into a Trek 7000 in 1999, was the best spent $625 I ever parted with. 4,000 plus miles on it now, only repairs have been routine stuff- chains, tires (I had lots of flats before switching to Armadillos) and assorted 'little stuff.' NO problems with frame, shocks, or wheels. I am looking to replace the BB bearings this winter, and probably the chain and middle chain ring.

Also ride a 1974 Schwinn Tandem Deluxe a couple of times a year- it was the 'courting bike' for my wife and me, and nothing reminds you how much things have changed more than trying to get a 66 lb. bike with a 5 speed tranny moving.

Finally the Wife bought us a Trek T-900 Tandem for our Anniversary, we ride it when she is in the mood. Btw wife is petite, so no weight issues with either tandem.

Was thinking of loaning the Trek Tandem to a friend who wants to exersize, he weighs 330 lbs or so. thought the tandem would handle the weight better, but after reading the other responses beginning to wonder if just a regular Mtn bike might serve just as well.

6'5" 322 lbs down from 366 in July
I have a few bikes, but the main ride is my newly built steel SR fixed gear.
I use this to commute to work, weekend rides, anytime I can ride, bike.
I also have an old schwinn steel frame that is Single Speed
an old steel univega mtb that i have only ridden a few times. (probably going to make it SS too)
and a Specialized Rockhopper that's used for the MTN's only.