Hambone

this is also true on the little-little combination. But the noise you would hear from this is more like a scrapping (from the chain hitting the back edge of the front deraileaur (sp?))

Primetime75

DaBigRague
Take a look at the Felt line of bikes. I am an owner of an F65 with no problems, 300+ dude on skinny tires. The only change I would suggest is the wheels. 32 or 36 spoke. Most bikes will hold your weight just fine.

Also, find a shop that wants you as a customer, and, if possible, has put other big guys on a bike.

goaliedad30

I'm 6' 1", 243 and riding a Trek 1000 just fine. Started 2.5 months ago at 264, so making good progress. For racing in tri's, you may want to get a little higher up (like the Trek 1500 it sounds like the LBS guy recommended to you) in terms of components and slightly lighter weight.

haimtoeg

It is a new bike thing, the shifter cables stretch and need to be readjusted, on my bike it was about 200 miles or so until they settled. No problems since.

maxrep

so i guess this is something i need to learn from my LBS so I dont need to take it in for adjustments every other day hehe...?

Angus

Mike,
As others have said on these forums many times, it's not the frame, it's the wheels. I'm at 300, and I ride a Specialized carbon fiber. I've put hundreds of miles on it this summer with no problems. I woudl assume that most of the other manufacturers would be fine, too.

One thing for a Clyde is that we flex frames more than others, so go for a good test ride before you make up your mind. Not all carbon fiber bikes are alike--I tried several that felt like an overcooked noodle under my weight. But the stiffer bikes were fine.

I look for a bike that's overbuilt in the bottom bracket area. That seems to be where I really flex a frame, especially when I'm accelerating.

I had wheels handbuilt at my LBS. I went with the Velocity deep-V 32 spoke wheels, and they've stayed in true all summer.

And I say if your LBS laughs at you for wanting to ride a road bike you really need to find a new bike shop. They don't want your business very much.

Ironkat

The wise clydesdales in the thread have stated numerous times that it is the wheels....I agree with them in that about 90% of a bicycle for us big boned riders has to have strong wheels. I ride hand built ultegra hub and mavic open pro rims with 36 rear spoke and 32 front spoke count. Any good lbs will make sure you have something at least comparable for you. Wheels on bikes under 2K are pretty much junk. I was breaking spokes almost weekly before I had my wheels built. Another option I would consider is a bike with a compact crank...been riding one for a few weeks and find it is much more user friendly than the triple ring set up. In addition it is more durable with less mechanical stress on components as well. A steel frame is a plus for a more compliant ride or a steel/carbon mix frame like the Lemond Versailles. I started with a Biachi Brava steel which was good for a starter. I now ride a Felt F4C which is more bike than I need but such a sweet ride. Good luck on your selection and keep on spinning.

mister

I'm a clyde at 6'2'' 220lbs, and just wanted to chime in on the latest batch of bike/ upgrade recommendations.

I have a Trek 5200. Full carbon fiber frame, carbon fiber seat post, carbon fiber fork, and Bontrager Race wheels (20 spokes up front, and 24 spokes in the back). Granted I've only had it for a couple months, but I've put in close to 1000 miles and I haven't had any problems with wheels becoming untrue, creeky/ cracking frame, spokes breaking or anything like that. I am gentle with it, but mainly because it was a big investment for me at $2000.

Bearonabike

Okay, this is from someone who is 6'2", a diabetic, and STARTED at 360 pounds, and now I'm down to 340. I own 2 bikes. The first is a Trek Multitrack (hybrid) 7100 and the second is a Trek FX (fitness bike) 7300. My 7100 is a 2004 model and has no front shocks so the equivalent today would be the Trak 7000. As a first bike to get back into biking, I'd recommend the 7000 with 1 modification (at about $35), have the rear wheel relaced for a 4-cross pattern. At 3 cross (the standard from the factory) I popped spokes. After a year of riding a 4-cross rear wheel, I've had no additional problems, and I've peddled myself home with 2 rear panniers full of groceries. I figure the bike has actually seen almost 400 pounds on it for a 2 mile ride.

Today, I'm up to 30 mile rides on the same bike and plan to ride 50 miles one day in the next 3 weeks.

The FX comes with a more beefy set of spokes. That bike has seen 350 pounds and performs like a champ. I use it for more intense but shorter rides as it is geared more agressively. Did a recent fitness test and held 15 MPH for 15 minutes. I was tired as heck but he bike did quite well.


Oh yes, they mean it, hydrate or die. Big folks like us need to pay special attention to that part of the equation.

Bill98006

I wanted to chime in with my own experiences. I started riding a year and a half ago- 6'1" and 279 lbs. Started with a Trek 7300 hybrid. The stock rear wheel did not hold up, started blowing out spokes so I upgraded to a Mavic rear wheel. Also started riding a Raleigh comfort bike on the dirt/gravel rail trails and the rear wheel on that one did not hold up either. So needed another rear wheel.

After 6 months of riding I got a nice road bike - the LeMond Chambery AC/DC bike. It came with the Bontrager Race wheels and the Race Lite tires. The wheels are fine on this bike but I kept blowing out the tires - pinch flats. Had 8 of them before I gave up on those tires. I went all the way and bought the Continnental Ultra Gator Skins - the 700x25 ones. They work! In the past 4 months I've had only 1 flat and it was from a piece of glass. I've ridden the road bike 1800 miles in the past 13 months and my weight is now down to under 230, hope to lose 30 more in the next year.

My distances have shown good progression. With the hybrid I started off riding 20, then 25, then 30 and when I hit 35 miles it was time for the road bike. Now 35 miles is a short ride. I rode a 76 mile ride last week and felt good, could have gone 100. It's a matter of putting in the miles and increasing your distances. In order to do this you need to fit the bike so you are comfortable, get a saddle you like, get a pair of shorts that works with the saddle and the biggest thing was buying good shoes and pedals. I got the Sidi Dominator 5's and the Speedplay Frogs. Very comfortable combination. I also put in the "superfeet" inserts into the shoes and wear the Smartwool medium weight cycling socks. My feet feel great now!

Hope my data dump is useful to others. I plan on riding a century event next month.
Keep on riding!

Bill

maxrep

whats the lowdown on chamois butter?
i just got a pair of these.
https://www.teamcyclist.com/store/Lou...ck_P575C29.cfm

heres the chamois

https://www.louisgarneau.com/media/im...CS5_ergo_g.jpg

is it ok to use chamois butter with these? does it really do well to prevent chafing. im a new rider and wonder if i should tough it out and get used to it or go the comfort route.

Hambone

never used it never felt the need.

I say go without and see how you feel but I was raised Catholic...

Hambone

I bet if some of you big guys had your wheels tuned when you got your bikes (this is on the shop, not you) they would have lasted longer.

Entry/mid level bikes come with factory/machine built wheels. They don't measure up to hand built wheels. PERIOD.

The same material hand built vs machine built will be very different. That is why the guys who ride a lot will steer you away from getting wheels from Nashbar or Performance and towards Excel or Probikekit, etc.

I have a set of Mavic Open Pros on Ultegra hubs which were built by Excel. They have no business being perfectly true at this point. But they are. (I'm taunting fate at this point.) I credit that to the guy (gal?) who built these wheels. Had they been laced by a machine, there is no way they would survive the horrors of NYC biking.

ponds

Hey guys.

Trying to decide between: Giant OCR3, Trek 1000, Specialized Allez. OR the alternative, if I decide that I'm too heavy for these, is a steel touring/cross bike like the Bianchi Volpe (with slicks).


I'm about 325 on a good day, and dropping. Now, I used to ride a hybrid when I was 425, and it wasn't extra beefy or anything, so I assume I will be OK. The only thing that bugs me is that these bikes have carbon forks and some have seatposts, but the guy at the LBS assured me that wouldn't be a problem. All have 32 spoke wheels, which is what I ride right now. The Allez has a 28 spoke front, which I can't see that being much of a problem.

Should I be ok on one of these bikes? Any reccomendations on which?

Hambone

I rode a Specialized Allez (sp?) and liked it. THe Giant is a nice looking bike. The Trek seems well liked.

The reality is that you are the better judge at this point.

I would say you should be on the bike that makes you most excited. If they each are comfortable, get the one that is sexiest. The one that will make you want to ride harder and faster. Because when it all comes down to it, any of these bikes can carry you. The thing now is you getting on it.

bdinger

I'll finally chime in. I'm definitely a super-chubby biker who loves the heck out of his bike. I know this is a roadie forum, but I'm all about MTB's. I know they are less efficent, yadda yadda.. but hey, it works for me.

Anyway, I started on a older Raleigh M40 with 32 spoke wheels. It was great, but too short for me, and not up to my abuse . I just picked up a '07 Specialized Hardrock three weeks ago, and nearly 200 miles later I can say I'm in love. Several curb hits and other abuse have not knocked the 36h factory wheels out of true at all, and the frame looks like I could drive my pickup over the dang thing.

Next up, I'd like to get some sort of roadie. Sometime. Soon.

Air

I've been browsing the roadie threads a bit...musing I learned how to do a lot of maintenance which saved me about $300 on my mtb (I asked how much it would cost to do an overhaul, that was the figure they gave me). I can get up to 22 mph on flat but I'm probably working a lot harder with 1.95s and 26" wheels then the racers I follow. And I couldn't maintain that for too long, maybe a few miles before dropping down to 15 or 17. I've put about 700 miles on my mtb this summer and will go over 1000 before the summer's out - not too bad after getting back into riding after a few years off.

I love beating the crap out of it and knowing it's fine. I'm thinking the best bet after reading these threads for a while would be a cyclocross bike and if the wheels are problematic get the Mavics that everyone here seems to love. Can you pick a decent one up for <$500?

And I vote to have a Clydesdale subforum - I think it would be really useful to separate out all the info on these threads!

DaBigRague

We'll folks,

Let me start off by saying thank you for all your information and support. Again I want to stress I am so happy I found you guys on the net. I grabbed my biking expert friend and him seek out some bikes with me over the past few days. We assessed all options, and came across a deal we could not refuse, actually I could not refuse.

I am soon to be the proud owner of a Giant OCR Limited Composite. I am getting the V bars put on it as well. On Thursday I go for the fitting, and I will officially be ready to start training (besides the health club bike). If I had only bought this at the start of summer.... Oh well. I should be able to get some good rides in before its all over.

The bike feels nice, and I will fully test it out Thursday, but man does it look killer. Although not the primary reason for the purchase.

It will be cool!!!!

Thanks for your help

mike

Hambone

Mike are you in Ankorage?

I live in NYC and I ride 12 months of the year. (Maybe not 365 days but there are always a few in January and February you can hit the road.)

DIGITAL39

Chiming in as a chubby road rider. I am 5'8 and 252 right now, my lean mass is 175 so even if I lose the fat and meet my body fat goals I will still be right over 200. I ride a Diamondback Expert TG I bought 11 years ago when I was 14. Tonight was my first ride in 10 years and it seems to handle the extra weight I put on just fine. I think I need to upgrade the gears, if I max it out I just dont get the power I want.

JustaSpinning

When I started riding this year I was 240 on May 1. I have put almost 5000 km on my Devinci Caribou touring bike this season and have not had any troubles at all with it. Its a triple with a low gear of 32 front and 34 rear so I can still spin up mountain passes or steep river hills at a fair good cadence, which sure helps when you're packing 35 pounds extra cloths, rain gear and water, etc. Today I weighed in at 190 and feel great, still love the bike and riding the roads.
The only thing I did to the bike was install the disc brake option, Brooks B17 and took the 700 X 28 Michelins off and put on some Conti 700 X 25 4000 on which gave me a couple km per hour over the touring tires.

Hambone

your target cadence (RPM of your cranks/pedals) should be 80-90 for the short term.

In my experience most big guys turn too high a gear. (I was one of them and it is only now -- after 6 disciplined months -- that I have my avg cadence inot the mid eighties.)

A modest computer will give you this value.

DaBigRague

Ha!

I actually live in Chicago, but will be back in school this fall. I am done in December, but that may take up more time than anticipated. As for riding in the cold, my bias is not to do that in Dec, jan, Feb, and possibly March as I have a really hard time with cold air / breathing.

I hope to offset that with a strong indoor training program, so I can do some sprint tri's and hopefully a few century rides in 2007.

I am going to sound like a rookie here as well, but I am assuming I would need clothes for the cold weather rides, and unfortunately that is not in the budget at the moment.

So the go forward plan is ride as much as I can this year. Train hard Dec - March, and then look to bring it outdoors.

Again, thanks for all your help.

Mike

Mike

Hambone

If you have a hard time breathing in the cold air then I'll step off now. (But otherwise, I ride in regular old clothes I would do anything outside in. (Except I have shell ski pants which I put on over my sweats if it is really cold/windy.))

Do you have access to an indoor trainer?

The serious riders talk a lot about Core strength. That is going to be part of my off-season training regimin (sp?).

Waxbytes

I hover at about 195 LBS, on a 5'8" body, but I can top 200 LBS at the smell of a bakery !

I ride a 2004 Sequoia Comp, with 16 spoke shimano wheels (WH-R540's). Lot of rough pavement miles on those wheels with no trouble and no signs of rim cracks. They are not all that light, compared to most low spoke count wheels though.