tbrown524

I've been riding Aluminum for a while now and considering stepping up to Carbon Fiber. I weight 240# and only see myself dropping down to 200# in the next year or two. My question is if Carbon Fiber is a good option for a Clydesdale such as myself. Currently I'm not racing although I do like speed and am pretty competative. Just wanted to get an idea of the number of Clydes here currently riding CF.

Thanks

Ray Dockrey

I just got my Kuota Kharma and I weigh 260right now. The LBS promised me that it would be fine and he has never lied to me. I know it has no flex and the ride is incredible. I know what people say about heavier riders and carbon fiber but I wonder how much of that is fact and how much of it is heresay.

zonie

If you go CF, I'd go with some serious experiance in using CF. I went with Trek, figuring they've been making CF bikes for quite a while and the American Market is their target....they know that some big folks are going to be riding the larger frames. Check the beef factor at BB and headtube areas. Keep it out of the sun if it's not painted, I read UV affects CF, and not in a good way.
If you have any doubts, go with steel. I'm rather partial to old Italian frames, they are kinda springy, very fun to ride, and they seem to "get involved" in the whole experiance. My 5900 seems kinda dead, but it is a smooth ride. I pull it out for hillclimbs and really fast club rides.
Just my .02

Cheers

DieselDan

Most bike frames can handle loads upwards of 500 lbs, some even more. The wheels are the key. A good set of 32 spoke wheels professionally laced to a quality rim would be ideal.

zonie

If it is an option, go 36 or more on the wheels. Asymetrical rim on rear, no dish. (or very little) Sacrifice a few gears for a truly dishless rear. Run larger tires. Helium balloons attached front and rear......

Kid-Cycle

I'm about your weight and have been riding a Trek 5200 for a few years now with no problems at all with the frame. After the first 2k miles I started popping rear spokes on the Bontrager wheels so I went to 32 spoke Ultegra hubs laced to Mavic Open Pros. 4k miles later I have had no problems at all.

When I first got the bike I was a little worried the bike would be fragile because of how light it was. After I got the first few hundred miles of riding (crossing many rail road tracks and riding on rough country roads) the strength and integrity of the frame was proven and the thought of failure never enters my mind anymore (though I still have the occasional thought of how bad a blow-out would be when descending a hill at 35 to 40 mph).