Wheels for Bigger Guys
06-18-13, 09:29 AM
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Wheels for Bigger Guys
Have destroyed both Bontrager Race Lites and Mavic Kysrium ESs. I weight about 195 lbs and ride 700 miles a month on Northern California Roads. My latest bike came with a set of 36 spoke Velomax A23 with Ultegra hubs. They are bit heavier than I used like but tired of destroying wheels. Any suggestions?
06-18-13, 09:32 AM
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195 lbs is not an excessive amount of weight. Lots of big guys here top that easily and have no wheel problems.
I'm 200 now, was once 220, never had a wheel problem.
I'm 200 now, was once 220, never had a wheel problem.
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06-18-13, 09:33 AM
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I'm about 220-230 and I've been riding Mavic Aksiums for 2.5 seasons, never even had to true them up yet.
06-18-13, 09:47 AM
#4
Making a kilometer blurry
You don't need special wheels. You need some that are well built. Pick a price range, find some you like the look and weight of, and go put your hands on them. Pluck spokes to see that the tones are consistent all the way around (for the rear, drive side and non drive will differ, but should be consistent around the same side).
Custom wheels built around a set of 28/32h Kin Lin XR-300 should last you a decade or so.
Custom wheels built around a set of 28/32h Kin Lin XR-300 should last you a decade or so.
06-18-13, 10:07 AM
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195 really shouldn't be a problem assuming they were built well and properly maintained.
06-18-13, 10:09 AM
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I'm amazed that you destroyed a set of race lites. Do you hit a lot of potholes ? I had a pair on my last bike when I was 250 and never had a problem with those wheels.
06-18-13, 10:28 AM
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Have destroyed both Bontrager Race Lites and Mavic Kysrium ESs. I weight about 195 lbs and ride 700 miles a month on Northern California Roads. My latest bike came with a set of 36 spoke Velomax A23 with Ultegra hubs. They are bit heavier than I used like but tired of destroying wheels. Any suggestions?
I've destroyed two 24-spoke, 27mm deep rims in a manner similar to yours in the past four years. In both instances, failure occurred on the drive-side. I've since reverted to 36 hole, 14ga spoke, Open Pros with Ultegra hubs that I pulled off my cyclocross bike. I average about the same monthly mileage as you, and weigh about 10 lbs less, fwiw.
Btw, my miles are all commuting, and I tend to jump curbs.
06-18-13, 11:11 AM
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Hed Ardennes. I'm 200lbs. I had Psimet build me a set with C2 rims, Chris King Hubs, and 24/28 spokes, for the stated purpose of Gravel Racing.
Bouncing off small boulders at 45mph descending in Dirty Kanza didn't faze them.
Bouncing off small boulders at 45mph descending in Dirty Kanza didn't faze them.
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06-18-13, 12:09 PM
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Go look at Boyd Cycling. They have a high spoke count option on their wheels and good reputation for being bomb proof. Mine just arrived today and I'm mounting them tonight. I'm 185, 6'3" on the way down to 170, but I generally don't tear up wheels.
06-18-13, 12:26 PM
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I'm 195#, I average ~225 miles per week, I do a lot of climbing, and I can make wheels cry during a sprint. I've been riding 24f/28r spoked wheels for several years now and I agree with Waterrockets. Stronger rims with quality build should take care of you. Oh, and as someone said, be sure to un-weight your bike while riding the rough spots.
06-18-13, 12:45 PM
#12
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I typically use 32 spoke, 3x wheels for the bulk of my miles as they are durable and easily repaired roadside should I break a spoke. I'm 200lbs on the dot. For racing, I use lighter wheelsets: one is 20fr/24rr, another is 24fr/28rr - the latter is a track wheelset with tall carbon rims which see 2g's in the turns during a match sprint. These work fine for my weight. I am not, in general, worried about my wheels collapsing. However, the lighter wheelsets will tend to wear out more quickly in the form of spoke fatigue if I rode them more.
Most of the time what kills my wheels is the brake strip wears out. Stopping 200lbs in the rain and grit tends to wear the rim pretty quickly.
Most of the time what kills my wheels is the brake strip wears out. Stopping 200lbs in the rain and grit tends to wear the rim pretty quickly.
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Cat 2 Track, Cat 3 Road.
"If you’re new enough [to racing] that you would ask such question, then i would hazard a guess that if you just made up a workout that sounded hard to do, and did it, you’d probably get faster." --the tiniest sprinter
Last edited by Brian Ratliff; 06-18-13 at 12:48 PM.
06-18-13, 02:34 PM
#13
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Just checked and it was a drive side spoke where the rim split. My last item to destroy were Bontrager Carbon Seat Masts so pretty good to un wieght on rough stuff. As far as I know, there was no single impact that led to this failure. I had just finished the AIDS Lifecycle. On the Bontragers it was a small stone that took out the front rim and a drop into a pothole because of bad behavior of somebody on a group ride that took out the rear. Hopefully on my way to about 185 lbs. but will not realistically go any lighter and looking for a wheel that I can use for 5 years or so.
06-18-13, 06:33 PM
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06-18-13, 06:37 PM
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In the Clyde/Athena forum, there is a lot of love for hand=-built Velocity Deep V's with 105 or Ultegra hubs. No personal experience, but I read a lot of positive reviews.
06-18-13, 06:42 PM
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I'm well over 200 and riding campy Eurus. Touch wood - so far so good
06-18-13, 08:27 PM
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Off the shelf Fulcrum 5, 3 and 1 have been very good for me and I weigh a LOT more than 195lbs...
06-18-13, 08:30 PM
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It's more about spoke count and well built. Your pic of the shot rim looks like you have a small spoke count. I too use Hed Belgiums with 32 spokes laced to DT 350's. I'm 250 and get 1000 miles a month and never think twice about having to baby my wheels. There as true as the day I pulled them out of the box. I had wheelbuilder make them for me.
06-19-13, 06:33 AM
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Just checked and it was a drive side spoke where the rim split. My last item to destroy were Bontrager Carbon Seat Masts so pretty good to un wieght on rough stuff. As far as I know, there was no single impact that led to this failure. I had just finished the AIDS Lifecycle. On the Bontragers it was a small stone that took out the front rim and a drop into a pothole because of bad behavior of somebody on a group ride that took out the rear. Hopefully on my way to about 185 lbs. but will not realistically go any lighter and looking for a wheel that I can use for 5 years or so.
For me, having grown up on the tail end of the pre-SIS road bike era (i.e. friction shift) and pre-suspension fork era MTBs, finesse on the bike was part and parcel of good technique, and I learned how to pick lines, float the bike, and plan ahead, none of which are necessary the same way today thanks to better bike tech, so the skills really have to be focused on deliberately, and if you do, you'll be rewarded with less trouble, longer equipment life, and probably faster riding.
06-19-13, 07:28 PM
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If your breaking seatposts and wheels it sounds like you need to learn how to ride a bike not just just sit on it. Or buy a MTB.
06-19-13, 07:48 PM
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Just got my new Boyd's mounted. They sure look great. I'll see about the ride in the morning.
06-19-13, 07:54 PM
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I'm wondering whether Bontrager wheels are not really ideal for someone who's a bit heavy (at least by biking standards) unless you get one of their ultra expensive wheels.
