Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - LBS's & Awesome experience w/ Velocity

I've been lurking on this forum for a little while now since I had my Surly Cross-Check built by my LBS (Bike Doctor of Frederick). I'm somewhere between 280 and 300 lbs so I'm a definite clydesdale that is really concerned about durability more so than weight.

I've been putting about 75 miles a week on my bike for awhile because I've had to have the wheels trued every time I ride. I've been working with my LBS on this problem and have had them go so far as to rebuild the rear wheel (Handspun 36H Velocity Dyad on Ultegra hubs) with double butted spokes. During the rebuild they noticed the rim was sufficiently wonky that they could probably make it better but it probably would never be close to perfect. They've been fantastic in trying to get my wheel to stay true and it has been a lot better lately in that it's going out of true at a MUCH slower rate.

A couple of days ago I emailed Velocity via their 'Contact Us' form to let them know the kind of problems I've been having and to ask whether there was anything they could do to help me, any suggestions they could make, and possibly anything I should change.

I really didn't expect to hear back from anyone at all--let alone quickly--but it was worth a try. I got an email on Monday morning from Matt at Velocity USA and the support I have gotten from Velocity has been amazing.

Sometime this week my LBS will be building me a new wheel with a 36h Chukker rim that Velocity is sending to replace my Dyad. I'm seriously holding my fingers crossed that this will be the end to my rear wheel woes.

For me, I've learned a few important things through this whole process...

1. While it's true that you can buy a bike from online vendors for significantly less, it's worth supporting your LBS simply for the service you receive. If I had to deal with this problem on my own, I would have been up the creek. That alone makes me glad I bought from my LBS.

2. It pays to be polite and request customer service from reputable vendors. Velocity has really come through with taking care of me as a customer even though they normally only deal directly with bike shops.

3. I need to lose weight faster. If I weren't such a super-clyde, I probably wouldn't be having so many issues. :)

I'll let y'all know how the Chukker rides when I have it built up and tested.

Kevin
Frederick, MD

hey Kevin, a shout out from someone who grew up 20 miles east of you in Sykesville.

great to hear Velocity has been good to you. I haven't had the need to call them, but my Dyad on a Deore hub has been great for me.

Yes, I have had the same quick responses for Velocity, Matt to be specific. That was about 3 years ago!:thumb:

I'm sort of the other side with he LBS though. I would have never built a Dyad for a rider of your weight. I just don't think a 22 mm rim is as good as the 30mm of a Deep V. Also, having to deal with the rims after every ride is also a sign of a poor build. There's a reason I started building m own wheels.:eek: I'm almost tempted to advise you to look for a wheel builder and skip on the shop. You never should have had to go through these problems in the first place.;)

The Chukker looks super, I've seen some and think of building one just cause they look cool. Good luck with the wheel. A wheel of this size should be a super duper wheel. :thumb:

Kevin,

Great to hear that the Bike Doctor is helping out, they are a very good group over there. Give em a shout maybe we can hook up for a ride.

Bike Doctor and other people have also said that the problems I've seen are the sign of a bad build but they always caveat that with the fact that Handspun is known for being pretty good wheel builders that build MANY wheels. Since Bike Doctor didn't do the original build, I have no knowledge of who built the wheel. I'm just happy that they've been so terrific working through a bad situation.

As for the opinion that you wouldn't put a 300# rider on the dyad, Velocity also said that the Dyad should be fine for a 300# rider and it's possible that something happened during the build to make it a bad build. I'm going with the heavier Chukker more to be absolutely certain my problem goes away than because I doubt the Dyad.



e LBS though. I would have never built a Dyad for a rider of your weight. I just don't think a 22 mm rim is as good as the 30mm of a Deep V. Also, having to deal with the rims after every ride is also a sign of a poor build. There's a reason I started building m own wheels.:eek: I'm almost tempted to advise you to look for a wheel builder and skip on the shop. You never should have had to go through these problems in the first place.;)

The Chukker looks super, I've seen some and think of building one just cause they look cool. Good luck with the wheel. A wheel of this size should be a super duper wheel. :thumb:

Be very picky about how they treat the spokes. For bigger riders like you and I, they usually recommend that you have them re-tension the spokes after the first 50-100 miles, and then 2-3 times per year after that. Yes, each and every year after that. Good wheel builders around here do the first couple of re-tensionings for free, and then charge you something like $10 each time after.

I also suspect that you either had a poor build, or that they did not have you come back in to re-tension the spokes. I forgot the compound that many wheel builders use on the spokes, but it is similar too, but less rigid than "locktiight". Without it, many new rim builds have the spokes loosen rather quickly. This is okay if you are good about checking the tension on your spokes on a regular basis, but can signal a fast death of a rim of you don't.

I started riding close to 5 years ago on an old hybrid bike that I broke spokes weekly on. My LBS suggested I purchased a Specialized TriCross with a set of Velocity Deep V wheels because I weighted 400 pounds at the time. My LBS talked with Velocity about my size, and they set me up a rear wheel with 38 or 40 spokes (can't remember) and 36 in the front. I have never broken a spoke again, but the rear wheel did split on the side after 2 years. Velocity sent a replacement wheel the next day at no cost. I currently ride about 150 miles per week running speeds of 20-22 on this bike and wheels. My weight is now at 290 and I swear by this company!

Be very picky about how they treat the spokes. For bigger riders like you and I, they usually recommend that you have them re-tension the spokes after the first 50-100 miles, and then 2-3 times per year after that. Yes, each and every year after that. Good wheel builders around here do the first couple of re-tensionings for free, and then charge you something like $10 each time after.

Wheels which are properly tensioned and stress-relieved during the build really shouldn't need to be re-retensioned after 50-100 miles. The wheelset I built has close to 2000mi on it and not needed a single adjustment yet...


I also suspect that you either had a poor build, or that they did not have you come back in to re-tension the spokes. I forgot the compound that many wheel builders use on the spokes, but it is similar too, but less rigid than "locktiight". Without it, many new rim builds have the spokes loosen rather quickly. This is okay if you are good about checking the tension on your spokes on a regular basis, but can signal a fast death of a rim of you don't.


Again: wheels which are properly tensioned during the build shouldn't need Spoke Prep (http://www.wheelsmith.com/ourtools.html) or Loctite. Spoke prep can make wheel building go a bit faster, but in my mind it isn't required if you're doing things properly...