hellsmith

Hello! My name is Alex and i live in Kazakhstan - there are a lot of mountains there so the prospects for mountain biking are endless))) Sorry for my bad english! )
I am 197 cm height and 130 kilos weight, local powerlifting and shot put champion. Want add some mountain bike cardio into my training.... But cant understand which bike stand such big piece of meat as me)
I think i need a 23 frame... and in my city there are only 3 options to choose
1) FUJI NEVADA
2) TREK 4300
3) SPECIALIZED HARDROCK
all costs almost same 650$
Help me, as i am a Newbie in mountain biking. this is my photo on KONA FIRE MOUNTAIN 22"




a little too small...)

BikeLite

Any of them.

Null66

try over in clydesdale forum...
There are clydesdales by choice and by nature... I'm both.


26'' wheels are inherently stronger...
Usually the standard suggestion for a clyde is a Craig's list 26' hardtail...

hellsmith

wich frame is stronger steel or aluminium? There are fuji nevada steel with frames now!

Daspydyr 

All your choices would make for good bikes. I used to ride with an offensive tackle from the Cincinnati Bengals. He was 290. Steel frames are very durable, but these days all the frames are pretty stout. Getting a good fit is going to be very important. Get with a shop that is willing to work with you on the right size.

hermanchauw

Hello, i would suggest steel as steel can take abuse, like in the gym. Hehehe.

Null66

I had 2 issues I had that a normal cyclist wouldn't understand.

1) horizontal dropouts... I could tear the axle free at will and by accident. This caused the tire to hit the chain stay and the bike stopped dead. I tried everything almost a dozen mechanics said short of swapping out quick release for solid axle. So for someone who's got some mass and some strength vertical dropouts.

2) if cantilevered brakes, you may need brake boosters. You could see the forks and the seat stays flex. So coming down a hill at 40-ish braking was not up to task to a 285lb er with just ok grip... A young one such as yourself probably doesn't use straps to pull like I do... So even worse with you.

Zephyr11

Depends on the steel. Chromoly is a solid choice. Hi-ten is crap.

And aluminum can be very durable. It depends more on the frame design than the material itself. There are carbon downhill frames nowadays.

I'd think most frames could handle your weight, at least depending on your riding style. If you're planning on jumping and you're not smooth, or riding urban and doing big drops to flat, then your choices get narrowed significantly though.

agressor

Алекс тебе однозначно нужен большего размера велосипед. В районе 23" frame aka (XXL), любая модель из тех трёх что ты заприметил подойдёт. После покупки советую пройти bike fitting (т.е. подгонка/настройка велика под себя) это очень важно.

Daspydyr 

Yeah, that's what I meant to say!

atallen223

wow, 130 kg= 286 lbs, a little larger than the average cyclist... I think wheels will be your biggest durability concern. Check the weight rating for the wheels.

CbadRider

Google translate:

Alex you definitely need a bigger bike . In the region of 23 "frame aka (XXL), any model of the three that you spotted suitable . After buying advise walking bike fitting ( ie fitting / setting is great by itself ) is very important.