Big Man Looking For First Bike
 

I am a big man[ 6ft. 2in.-270lb.] looking for first bike. Would like something thats good for street and trail. MUST BE STRONG.[B]

Evil Imperial.

What's your budget?

I'm also in the Rhino Class (or Super Clydesdale) type of rider (250 lbs +). So, I'm speaking from experience! I'm down about 25 lbs from last fall, but still pushing 253 lbs.

Things to consider: Most XC (cross country) bikes are designed with a rider of about 175 lbs. That's not to say that these bikes won't hold up to your (and my) weight, but you will wear out a lightweight designed bike, AND you will need to swap out certain parts from the very beginning.

With the popularity of Freeride (FR) and DJ (Dirtjumping) many manufacturers are making components with more strength in mind vs. low weight of years past. Look for these type of parts/components.

Kona is on the right track and a definate "Should Consider" bike for you with their Hoss. It's a XC bike designed with the Clydesdale rider in mind.

Other things to consider: Most wheels are usually 32 spoke. Consider swapping out to 36 spoke, or a more FR (Freeride) or DH (Downhill) oriented wheel.

I would also avoid any tire less than a 2.25. The extra volume will help with a smoother ride and better support your weight.

Forks, regardless of which fork (and rear suspension) you WILL need to change out the springs to a heavier rate. I usually swap to the "X-Tra" heavy rates. This usually costs another $40 when buying a new fork. Also, if you go with a full suspension bike, you'll have to do the same with the rear shock spring.

Although the technology has improved over the years, I would still recommend a coil sprung shock (fork or rear) vs. an air sprung shock. In order to get the proper pre-load with air, you'll have to come close to pumping it to the max. This will cause faster wear and tear and higher sucepatbility to blowing out your shocks.

Pedals will be a constant problem. Get some DJ pedals with oversized axles.

What else? Yeah, seatposts. You'll strip heads, break bolts, bend them, break them...etc. until you step up to a Thomson Elite. It'll set you back $65, but it's worth it in the long run. I'm on my 4th or 5th year with mine! Went through about 6 cheaper ones before I stepped up!

L8R

diddo...being 250 to 270 all the time everything a2 says is correct. :)

The Kona Hoss is a great bike built from their very strong dj frame into a slightly less slack xc / trail frame. Very nice bike.

what about bearings and wheel hubs?i go thru a lot of bearings.i will try the "elite"when my seatpost wears out.its a bontrager 30mm about 6-8 mths old.no problems so far.went with 390mm length.i use a 1250psi spring on my rear coil shock(cant remember name) and a 200+ spring in my front shock.the notubes has made my rides smoother too i am a relative lightweight compared to you guys at 207 but still medium springs do not cut it for me.heght is also going to be an issue to contend with.good luck and welcome to the forum

You go through bearings?..wow I am scared to check them. I have never really had a problem except on my bb.

yes i have been thru more bearings than i can count.i have been thru MANY hubs due to them as well as BB,headsets(needle).ive had the best luck with shimono hubs vs sealed cartridge bearings they hold up better laterally for me.the headset was due to lack of maintenence.i was riding a couple months ago ,jumped a curb,POP,rode straight home with slight clicking noise.i took back wheel off and apart and bearing housing was GONE on outside!they were some high$ precision khs,kch, or some such name.had to replace entire wheel.

:O...holy crap. BB I have issues with cause I jump and do drops...but my hubs hold up fine. Sorry to hear that really sucks.

hey it gave me a reason that my wife believed(she was with me when it popped) to get some new wheels!!!got some ds-2 from sun with shimono disc hubs for under$100.i got new wheels,she saw small $.and she even let me get some new brakes(kinda had to con her there).got avid mechs!.it turned out for the best.got early christmas presents and learned to stay with what works for me.i dont do big jumps (3-4' max,occasionaly)but i do a lot of stumps and mud so i been thru a couple brackets myself over the years.cartrige is no prob here for me but crankarms have been known to bend in crashes HA HA.i agree with the pedals but where do you get oversize axles for them

I solved the problem with pedals...simple really. Buy those cheap wellgo sealed one for 50 cdn (give or take) and replace every 3 months in your typical maintenance scehdule :)...I have tried cheap and really expensive and I have issue with pedals.

I have had good luck with crankarms...but then again I haven't had any crap ones until my bighit, which I am replacing before the have a chance to break.

Seats, I've gone through my share of saddles. I used to get the ti rails or manganese rails...they all were bent in weeks. I now only use saddles with chromoly rails the benefit is you can usually find a sweet saddle on closeout for cheap. My last one was a Salsa Zona Tres that I picked up for around $15.00. I should've bought two or three for that price!

Never had a problem with bearings. However, I don't do a lot of riding in the wet stuff. Water contamination kills bearings.

As far as pedals, I using a pair of Truvative Holtzfellers that I bought as a Christmas present from my wife.(Yes, I bought them for myself). So far they are holding up very well!

Pricy though!

That's the thing, whenever I buy something cheap to save money, I usually end up spending just as much after buying two or three of them. Gotta Pay to Play in certain circumstances. Saddles, yes! Pedals, no! Forks, no! o.k., nothing else except saddles!

My biggest nemisis are wheels, I taco at least 2 a season. Good thing I've gotten really good at rebuilding wheels. Last one was my front, going down an easy drop that I've done a hundred times. Lost concentration for an instant and WHAMMO! Flat on my back with mexican food on my bike!

L8R

i am fortunate that i have not broken any crankarms but i have bent 3 on my old v-link(diamondback).i use Schwinn platforms cuz you can replace the pins when they sheer off or wear out plus i know and trust them.they are about$18u.s. last time i got some about a couple of years back.(ill go out and probably break them tom. since i brag on them thats the way life works at times).i hate breaking rear derailers too.v-link frame broke at rear bottom pivot point climbing a hill(go figure)

how often do you change bars?ive heard 2 years but i do every year.same with stem.thats why i aked when i did before.it was time to replace them.i guess jumps put more strain on all parts than trail riding but i ride as rooty and bumpy as i can find on an aluminum frame too.just love that feeling of being on the verge of out of control but do not want to kill myself on broken parts

I usually wait for catastrophic failure!

Actually, I usually go about 2.5 to 3 years on my bars!

L8R

thanks for all the help

I've went through 'bout every piece brought up here in less than 2 years time. However, when I upgraded, I did the research and found the right pieces. When my rear shock came apart (no blowing seals, no loose anything...the shaft literally stripped away from the head!), I ordered a custom air shock from Risse Racing. They built it to hold my 225 lb butt. Next to go was the headset, which was replaced with a Chris King. At the same time I upgraded the factory fork with a Manitou Black Elite. One piece of advice : DEFINITELY UPGRADE YOUR SPRINGS...it took one good endo before I ponied up the forty dollars to make the thing work right...sheesh

When it came time for wheels, I asked/researched/dug for two months til' I knew what would work: Bontrager Race Lites. Not to get on a rant (cause I know it can happen here), but everyone I talked to with Mavic CrossMax's broke spokes pretty often, even the big-moster spoke models...However, the Bontrager's are working great...they have 36 spokes (vs. the usual 24/28/?? of everyone elses...) and that was a selling point when I had to make the decision.

As far as cranksets/bb's, I know I'm ready to switch to the ISIS drives over the square taper stuff I'm running now...it doesn't take too long to develop squeaks and creaks...hope the ISIS cures this?!?!?

Stems/seatposts/ and bars haven't been an issue...but I'm not riding terribly rough stuff...my current seatpost has a lil' bend in it, but it's been that way for 18 months...mighta been there before(??).... I tried a new USE Alien but the seat clamp just wouldn't hold when my butt landed a good jump...

Overall, I'd say buy the best you can afford and ask the other fat guys around ya...experience speaks volumes...

The cheapest and most significant modification us Clydesdales should make (other than the correct spring rates for our fat arses) is some big fat squishy tires. I can't tell you how many "snake bite" flats I've gotten and how many times I've flat spotted rims. I switched to some 2.4" tires and those problems dissappeared.

L8R

adding notubes to mine has been like ading 1/2" without the extra rolling resistence cuz i run at 40psi max. instead of minimum!that sucks on the rear shock.ive heard real good stuff about risse not only as a sale but after the sale too if you need help or revalving due to weight or any other concerns

6'3". I'm 230 when fit & buff, 270 now ;-). I tend to sway between these extremes ;-)

Don't forget thick walled inner-tubes. In fact they're good for anybody who doesn't count grams. It reduces the chances of pinch flats AND puncture flats. Plus, they hold air a lot better than thin-walled tires. You don't need to inflate them every time out.

When it comes to rims, make sure they're double-walled. Sharp bends makes any piece of metal stronger.

As soon as you wear out your pedals, buy a really strong pair instead of the cheapy pair of cages. I've been through about 5 pairs of those. I'm going to Mallet-C pedals when funds allow. I'm tired of the cages.

As a big guy, you should consider disc brakes. They're indespensible for downdhillers. But a Clydesdale will put similar stresses on their rig. Additionally, you're weight is more likely to send a wheel out of true and force you to release tension from the brake cable (making it harder to stop).

I'm now on disc brakes and I'll never go back.

I'd point you to the Specialized Hardrock line. The frame looks like it was intended to take a serious amount of punishment. Like I said, I've been pounding my Giant for years and there is no wear except dings in the top tube from the handle bars swinging around and hitting them.

Another clydesdale/rhino (6'4", 250lbs - down from 270, on my way back to under 220) seeking advice...

I've got a crappy Costco hardtail that I've had for years as commuter bike and am starting to get more into offroad riding and am wanting to step up to something more capable. My price range is around $1,000 and I've been consider some full-suspensions like the Giant Warp or Jamis Dakar series, but someone said I should check out the Kona Hoss Dee-Lux, too, so I'm torn as to whether or not to stay with a hardtail.

I'm not super crazy on the downhills or jumps (hell, I just learned how to bunnyhop a few weeks ago) and I don't want to be bobbing all over on the climbs, so maybe a hardtail is where I should stay.

What do you all think?

For Clydes looking to ride seriously I think the Kona Hoss is probably one of the best options out there. Most F/S bikes don't withstand a 250lbs rider very well at all, even many of the "all mountain" bikes... you will quickly need to upgrade to a coil over, and look forward to replacing pivots and the lightweight XC components on many of them.

If you want to go FS and are a clyde, I would have to say the Kona Coiler is a great choice. I don't sell them but I know a lot of larger guys riding them that love them and do some pretty aggressive stuff on them. As I understand it, its kind of the FS Hoss.

Any other recommendations or things to look for when trying out bikes at the LBS?

Borah Clothing! Sizes up to XXXXL. I'm not THAT big, but Borah is one of the ONLY clothing companies that makes an XXL that I like!

L8R