Originally Posted by CliftonGK1
I'm looking to build up a new commuter, and I want to go singlespeed. One of the two frames that I'm interested in is the IRO Rob Roy. What concerns me about the IRO are the curved tubes for the rear triangle. I understand that they're curved to offer some dampening when it comes to road vibration, but could that be a structural weakness when combined with my weight (260 pounds) and the extra frame stress of me standing and hammering a 48/17 gear up a 3/4 mile hill for my daily commute?
I just have horrible visions of the rear triangle collapsing under my bulk, and ending up with a butt full of tire as I'm mid-way up the hill one morning.
The curved stays are a bit of a gimmic, but I doubt they will affect the real world durability of the frame. These type of stays don't actually deflect under loading in any measurable way, regardless of what the website claims. If they did, you'd have fatigue failures, or buckling of the seat stays in very short order, even with lighter riders. I'm going to be building up one of these frames soon, as I think they are a great deal, on a practical frame. I had good experience with, and ~15 000 km on my Jamie Roy before it was stolen.
Another thing to consider-bikes with cantilever brakes, like the RR require beefier seatstays to provide a strong, rigid mount for the brake pivots. For this reason, they are much heavier and stronger than stays found on 'road frames'.