anyone around the 400lb mark had any experience with the Trek CrossRip range?
 

Really like the look of this bike, and know it's rated as having a max of 300lb - it's not hard though to find many testimonies from 400lb riders successfully riding the Trek 720 tourer, which has an identical rating of 300lb.

I emailed Trek and they politely hinted I may be okay - though I know I'm reading too far into things, and that they did little of the sort.

Also, any similarly specced bikes around that will definitely carry a 400lb rider would be of interest to me.

I'll be riding very gently, on reasonably good roads.

Regards.

I would be more worried about the wheels than I would the frame.

Thanks; Do these bikes take Road sized hubs?

Yes, they do.

Actually the disc brake models take mountain bike hubs while the one with rim brakes takes road hubs.

I will second the comment about the bike will probably be just fine but you might want to look into a wheel upgrade. I am pretty biased but good wheels are one of the most important things to a bike, just behind proper fit IMHO.

If you decide to just ride the wheels it comes with until they start to give you issues you should at the very least find out if the shop has a good wheel builder and ask him to stress relieve and double check the spokes are at proper and even tensions. That will go a long way in keeping your wheels happy and is something production wheels are usually lacking.

all good advice, thanks.

ive only ever ridden stock bikes, and at a far lesser weight than I am now; I'm still at a stage where I haven't yet mastered the knowledge of these hybrid/dual-discipline bikes enough to be able to specify exactly what I am after, particularly in a market with so many variables! i think I will aim for a 36 on the back and at least a 32 on the front to begin with; in the knowledge that nose manuals are to be avoided until I am a little nearer my target weight!

the Bianchi Zurigo has caught my eye now too; they seem especially cagey about weight restrictions.

A well built 32/36 hole wheelset should hold up to you just fine. The key being well built. It also would be a good idea to look into building with spokes that have a 2.3mm elbow like the DT Alpine 3 or Wheelsmith DH13. It will make for a much more durable build. I would also try to set yourself up with the widest tires that will clear in the frame, not only will the ride quality be much better and not any slower rolling but the wider tire will also help protect the wheels more.

thats good to know. Thanks again.

It's a sturdy bike, get some better wheels in the back and be careful over bumps.

Master the art of riding lightly. That means, anticipating road debris, broken pavement, potholes and railroad tracks and learn how to avoid what is avoidable, and unweight and "float" over objects that are not avoidable. And never try to jump on or off curbs. Might have been great fun as a kid, but as an adult, not so much.

I am 417 lbs, I just Purchased a Bianchi C-Sport 3 at the end of Dec 2014. I have put 200 KM on this Bike in the past mth... I love it, No issues what so ever.... I have done two 20 mile rides.. and both flawless... I did have new 36 spoke Double walled rims I purchased after my first 20 miles. I did this out of precaution not because i was having any issues.. The stock rims are 32 spoke. and I wanted to beef up a bit. I know that a mth is not alot of time to judge a bike, but I do love it and I am 100% satisfied with it and wanted to pass it on.

own a CrossRip and it's a good bike, but I would get stronger wheels. I weigh in at 190 at the moment, was 235 when I got mine last May and the wheels flexed something terrible. If you got some 36 spoke disc rim laced up, I think you would be fine.

Hubs would be standard 100 front and 135 in the back.

This is useful, thanks.

my next concern now is whether my Trek stockist will refuse me a sale since I don't meet the weight limit restrictions :( possibly why they don't offer mail order...

Treks are typically only sold direct through bike shops, that's just the business model. It helps keep the prices high and the bike shops in business!

^^ What he said on the business model. Depending on the case....prices can be better or worse.

I have a CrossRip and agree with everything above. The only thing missing, if it's not obvious, is the opinion that you should ride on wider tires, too. The CrossRip will clear 37mm with fenders or 45mm without fenders. You could probably upgrade to some 29'r MTB wheels that are wider, stronger, and will easily use the 45mm tires. The Velocity Blunt 29'rs are wide and can be ordered with 36 spokes. :thumb: Good Luck!

hi Chris, I'm looking at starting with a rear wheel upgrade, but being new to geared bikes, am a little unsure what to look for. I know I want 36h and a disc compatible hub, but axel diameters and cassette sizes are spinning my head. Price is not a massive deal, as I want quality. I just haven't the faintest idea where to start. Almost definitely want to buy online too, as I want to use PayPal, plus all my lbs are pretty limited.

Sorry, only just saw this! I Like what you are saying. I've put to Chris a query regarding hubs. Id be grateful for your opinion too!

BBBRPDL,

Unfortunately, I really don't have the experience to recommend an axle for someone your size, mostly because I really don't know what's available. I weigh 225-lbs. My closest experience is as part of a 350-lb tandem team. I'm speculating, but I suspect steel axles will be part of your recipe, as well as plenty of spokes. Heck, I think tandem wheels with 40-spokes would be good. But I don't think they can be had in 135mm hub widths. Hopefully, someone here will educate us all.

Good Luck,

Scott

They can be had, but not cheaply.

Amazon.com : DT Swiss DT 540 TD 40h 135mm Disc Tandem Disc Hub Black : Bike Wheels : Sports & Outdoors

I am close now a bit over 350#; and dropping fast since New Years.

I build my own wheels after becoming very frustrated with a LBS.

I use Wheelmaster 40h Tandem hubs, which are 100mm OLD in front and 135mm OLD in rear.
http://www.amazon.com/WheelMaster-Al...bxgy_sg_text_y
http://www.amazon.com/HUB-RR-MT1110-...wheelmaster+40
They are also available in silver.
Wheelsmith SS14 (Ø2.0mm) spokes
Velocity Dyad rims for 622 (700c) and Velocity Aerohead rims for 559 (26").

These hubs are a copy of Phil Wood's design. A 5mm Allen Key is all that is required to take the rear hub apart. They use industrial style cartridge bearings and roll nicely.

I currently have wheelsets like this that I built on our tandem (500++ lbs team) and my two commuter bikes. No issues.

You could also purchase these, which use the hubs above:
http://www.amazon.com/Wheel-Master-S...wheelmaster+40
I would tension and stress relieve the spokes.

They are not disc compatible.

Any disc specific 36 spoke rims should be fine at your weight. I was 375 when I started riding on my Trek 7300. I had some 36 spoke Velocity Deep V's built up for it and they were bomb proof as they get. I recently sold that bike, it had 3.8K on it and the wheels had to be trued 1 time in 8 years. I used Shimano XT 36 spoke hubs and made sure I serviced the hubs each year. You can get non-machined Deep V's rims which will work with any disc based hubs.

Velocity spec 36h rims in plenty of tandem builds, and I've had enough indication to suggest 36h is capable, provided the wheel is put together with the job in mind.

its def a 135mm mtb disc hub I require - I just wanted to know what this 10mm/12mm/14mm/15mm business is when hubs are listed, and if any would be unsuitable for the CrossRip elite. BMX has two dropout sizes for instance - one being enough to leave some hubs rattling around unsecured.

Those will not work with the CrossRip Those are through axle qr's. CrossRip has standard QR fork and drop out

Thanks. I've had similar said many times before; their Synergy and Dyad rims also for narrower builds are too apparently quite happy lugging the lard around!