Frame Strenth

[chuckhill2]

I Weight 240# And Just Starting Bike Rideing Again After Not Riding For 30 Plus Years.

My Question Is Will A Aluminum Bike Frame Hold Up To My Weight. I Just Bought A Mongosse Optimal 26" Aluminum Fram From Sams Club. I Know Its Not A Top Of Line Bike But Being Over Weight Out Of Shape And Not Riding For 30 Plus Years Didn't Want To Invest Too Much To Maybe Become A Garage Orinament To Hang Things On.

[Ebbtide]

You should be fine on that bike/frame.

Last year I weighed 240#, I'm now at 160# thanks to the power of the bike. Long rides, low gearing, and less food did the trick. Don't over do it at first....and STOP thinking it will become an ornament.....well, it will once you upgrade! ;)

[rmwun54]

As an old addage will be tolded it's not about the bike, it's about putting time on the saddle, and it's about finding the fun in cycling again. Who knows how far you will go, only you can find your own reason for riding. I started out with an old Nishiki 10 speed, and now 30 years later and 11 bike's since then, I can say if I have time during the day to sit around and watch television I have time to ride for as long as there is sunshine. So forget the couch and find a good comfortable saddle and put some miles on. That's what I think.

[MichaelW]

Modern frames are designed to be very strong. They don't break under heavy loads, and mid-range frames are often stronger than lightweight high-end ones.
The weak point on any bike are the wheels. With spoked wheels, their strength is mainly due to the quality of construction; the spokes should be evenly tensioned to the correct degree.
You should be fine on your bike , but if you find that spokes are breaking, then you may need to upgrade your wheels. Call back to the forum if this becomes a problem.

[AndrewP]

Keep the tires inflated to the max pressure shown on the sidewalls. Dont hop curbs with all your weight on the saddle. A cheap upgrade that will make riding a lot easier, is a pair of slick tires from your local bike shop.

[RonH]

When I started cycling in 1999 I weighed 240#. I bought a Raleigh R600 aluminum frame road bike. Got down to 185# and I still ride the Raleigh. It's my commuter and backup road bike.

[seely]

The Mongoose frame will hold up but nearly everything else will need replacing under your (or pretty much anyone else's weight) unfortunately.

[chuckhill2]

The Mongoose frame will hold up but nearly everything else will need replacing under your (or pretty much anyone else's weight) unfortunately.


Don't tell me that i thought with the shamanio deraires and shifters it would hold up. everything will go do you know this from experience.

Thanks Chuck

[Don Cook]

Why did you decide to ask this question AFTER you spent your money and took it home?

[seely]

Don't tell me that i thought with the shamanio deraires and shifters it would hold up. everything will go do you know this from experience.

Thanks Chuck

Yeah unfortunately he's right... the bikes are just poor quality to begin with, and the parts receiving the most stress (cranks, wheels, etc) are not made for any amount of serious riding. I'm a mechanic, and Magna, Mongoose, NEXT, etc make up about 80% of my workload each day. We order cranks, wheels, derailleurs in bulk...

[chuckhill2]

Why did you decide to ask this question AFTER you spent your money and took it home?


It was in my price range and the aluminum frame seemed like a bonus plus haveing shamaino parts. You didn't answer the questons though about the frame ane the parts that a previous poster said would defenately need replaced.

Thanks Chuck

[tbone-Ike]

Chuck,

I see it like this - If that's all the $ you had at the time & weren't sure you would continue biking anyway, it's better to buy the Mongoose than nothing at all. If you decide to continue riding (which I'm sure you will :) I went from 224 to 211 lbs after a few weeks of riding), than you 'may' have to shell out a few bucks for a component repair down the road while you will save up for a better bike you will undoubtedly want to buy anyway :)

I see 200+ lb people riding cheap bikes everyday, I wouldn't worry about a major catastrophe. I know the repair shops see alot of these bikes, but there's thousands and thousands of these bikes sold everyday. I think it's more of a factor of how much and how hard you'll be riding the bike.

It's plain and simple & like everything else in life - it's ok to buy the cheap stuff, it just won't perform to the high standards and has a greater likelihood of repairs, especially if you ride them hard and frequently. My guess is this: you'll want to keep riding, increase your riding, and your desire for the sport & a better performing bike will be what drives you to the local bike store for a better bike. Worse case, you end up spending some money to repair/upgrade some components, or worse yet, decide you don't like bicycling and you hang $130 on the garage wall instead of $500.

Getting out there and riding is the most important thing :)
-jeff

[Ohio Trekker]

Chuck,

If I were you I wouldn't worry about the parts failing. Take that energy and learn everything you can about maintaining the chain, derailers, brakes, etc. etc.. That will pro-long their life while you save money to "upgrade" and determine whether you like riding enough to expend more cash.

I think you made the right choice, not knowing if you would enjoy cycling or not. The way I see it, we all upgrade or dream of upgrading sooner or later, some of us just start out cheaper to begin with than others. Why have even a $5-700 bike hanging on the wall in the garage if it turned out you didn't enjoy riding.

As for the frame, I bought aluminum in July last year when I weighed in at 300 pounds. By the end of the year I was down to 250, and had 1500 miles on it. I had NO problems with the aluminum or the wheels for that matter even at that size. If I were you I would still check the welds and stress points on the frames, since the less money spent usually equates to lesser quality tubes and welds you want to keep an eye on them. But I would say that to anyone at any weight or for that matter any price.

As inevitably happens, I upgraded this spring and have another Aluminum frame this time road bike, and between my bikes am up to 2500 miles since July. Both these bikes were inexpensive (<$800 each) in the scheme of things, but are a logical progression in my book. I am sure it is once again inevitable that come spring next year, I will have lost my weight, be down to ideal for me, and will finally buy the road-bike of my dreams that will last me for years to come. I still ride the bike I bought in 88-89 and will still ride the 2 I bought since than when I get another, regardless of price, they have served me well and will continue to do so long into the future, which in my book makes them all excellent investments.

I suspect if you enjoy riding and decide to invest in newer and better, you will still hold onto that bike, and ride it as a back-up with a "happy" feeling, knowing it's the one that got you back in the saddle and on the road to a healthier lifestyle and at a good price.

[chuckhill2]

Chuck,

If I were you I wouldn't worry about the parts failing. Take that energy and learn everything you can about maintaining the chain, derailers, brakes, etc. etc.. That will pro-long their life while you save money to "upgrade" and determine whether you like riding enough to expend more cash.

I think you made the right choice, not knowing if you would enjoy cycling or not. The way I see it, we all upgrade or dream of upgrading sooner or later, some of us just start out cheaper to begin with than others. Why have even a $5-700 bike hanging on the wall in the garage if it turned out you didn't enjoy riding.

As for the frame, I bought aluminum in July last year when I weighed in at 300 pounds. By the end of the year I was down to 250, and had 1500 miles on it. I had NO problems with the aluminum or the wheels for that matter even at that size. If I were you I would still check the welds and stress points on the frames, since the less money spent usually equates to lesser quality tubes and welds you want to keep an eye on them. But I would say that to anyone at any weight or for that matter any price.

As inevitably happens, I upgraded this spring and have another Aluminum frame this time road bike, and between my bikes am up to 2500 miles since July. Both these bikes were inexpensive (<$800 each) in the scheme of things, but are a logical progression in my book. I am sure it is once again inevitable that come spring next year, I will have lost my weight, be down to ideal for me, and will finally buy the road-bike of my dreams that will last me for years to come. I still ride the bike I bought in 88-89 and will still ride the 2 I bought since than when I get another, regardless of price, they have served me well and will continue to do so long into the future, which in my book makes them all excellent investments.

I suspect if you enjoy riding and decide to invest in newer and better, you will still hold onto that bike, and ride it as a back-up with a "happy" feeling, knowing it's the one that got you back in the saddle and on the road to a healthier lifestyle and at a good price.

thanks your post makes me feel a lot better

[sophijo]

So....my question. I'm 58, 6'4", 260lb and want a good road bike. Can I get one $500-1000? Recommendations appreciated! Thanks,
Dave

[Prosody]

So....my question. I'm 58, 6'4", 260lb and want a good road bike. Can I get one $500-1000? Recommendations appreciated! Thanks,
Dave

You're eight years older and two inches taller than me :), but we weigh about the same. I ride a Fuji Roubaix that cost just under $1000. Fuji makes road bikes that cost less, but the Roubaix had the components I wanted. Go to a bike shop and see what they have. Ride a few to see how they feel. Don't think you have to spend over your price range to get a good bike.