Bikes for big guys

thepeddler

Hi All,

This is my first post in this forum and I was hoping to get some feedback from people with hopefully more knowledge than I.

I am in the process of up-grading from my Malvern Star Cobra mountain bike to a flat-bar road bike. I have been to various bike shops in Perth and have looked at Treks, Avantis ( really nice bikes) and Giants. Having perused a number of bike forums there seems to be a lot mentioned about getting the correct bike size in relation to the height, leg length etc of the rider. My question is not in relation to rider height etc, but rider weight.

I am about 190 cm and weigh around 105 kg. Having come from a mountain bike, the skinny wheels on the flat bars look as if they would collapse if went over even a small bump in the road. Is then rider weight a factor to consider when buying a bike or is the "flimsyness" of these bikes just an illusion?

I ride for the majority on cycle paths sometimes on the road. I want to eventually cycle from home to work which is about 25km one way.

Any constructive comments would be appreciated.

thanks,

Imanewbie

You should have no trouble on most bike wheels that have 32spoke 3x provided they are of a decent quality.

Lighter racing wheels like the R550's are a tad light and while they will carry your weight no worries keeping them true might present problems. I had this situation myself and invested in a pair of velocity deep v's which are very strong.

DamianM

Unless you're spending some serious cash, the stock wheels that come with the road bikes might give you some problems with spokes breaking. Particularly the low end Shimano 550s or 560s or the Alex rims.

Most shops will let you trade in the stock wheels for something stronger at the time of purchase, a handbult wheel with a Mavic Open Pro rim on an ultegra hub with DT spokes is a tried and true combo for a heavier rider while remaining fairly light.

One last thing, if you're going to buy a nice road bike... don't waste it on a bike path

rambler1au

Well mate Im about 100 kgs or a little more and I recommend you get some decent wheelsets with the new bike.

I had standard wheelsets with the Scott I ride and had spole problems after 2500kms as the wheelset spokes got weak and kept breaking them.

I got both front and rear re spoked with some stronger spokes thats fixed it for now.

I suggest you get some really good wheels with the set try Mavics however youll find if its a cheep flatbar, the wheels will add significant cost to the bike.

So you can either get the standard wheelset wait untill they break and get some wheels then or see if you can get some cash back on the wheelsets you have now and get some goodies it all depends on what you want to spens $$$$$$$$

thomas_cho

I know lots of people still riding on their R550s with no problems, myself included. I was 110kgs when I rode on that set of wheels, its coming to 4000km old now ... no problems.

I think that factory wheels being factory wheels will not have been individually checked over, and the overall build/inspection will not have been as high as a handbuilt wheel.

But if you look at the design of the R550, and the mavic factory wheels, they have eliminated a weak point of tradition spokes by having spokes that are anchored at the rim, and just a straight pull design. These spokes dont have an elbow, which is where most traditional spokes break. Also the higher end / newer models are built on a off center rear rim, which would give a more balanced spoke tension between the drive and non-drive side, thereby resulting in a more reliable rear wheel.

In my opinion, if you take a set of factory wheels, and get someone (or yourself) to do a QC on the spoke tension, and true the wheel properly to begin with, they would make quite a reliable set.

I have only built two wheelsets (14G spokes 3X), and also trued my R550s, and they are all good. But if I had to choose between the wheelsets to take on a 200km ride or on a tour, I would choose my 32 spoked wheelset, simply because if the spokes broke, replacement is relatively cheap, and more importantly easily found. Also for the Paris-Roubaix race, many pros go with the 32 spoked 3X wheelset for reliability and "comfort" (relatively speaking).

I suggest reading up on basic wheel design and the stresses a wheel faces. This will help you to put into perspective some of the things you read on these forums, and what the bike shop will tell you.

With lower end wheelsets, sometimes the rims are so badly manufactured, they are just impossible to true and still maintain a consistent spoke tension around the wheel. With such wheels, there is nothing much you can do but ride until they break and then upgrade.

To address your concerns about "skinny" wheels vs MTB wheels. Chances are that the flat-bar roadie you get will have enough clearance to mount 700X28C tyres or even 700X32C tyres. These wider tyres should give you more comfort on your ride, but will relatively faster than your MTB ones.

Just out of curiousity, why are you going for a flat-bar bike? I can speak from experience, that I went with a flat bar, and it wasnt long before I got hooked, and went to a road bike. In hindsight, the flat bar only served to get me hooked on cycling, but I should have just done a road bike straight away.

thepeddler

Thanks for the replies,

I will probably go with the standard equipment that comes with the bike and see how I go. If the spokes start breaking or the wheels buckle I can then look at upgrading them. I like the Avanti Blade Comp, which is about $1200, can't really afford to spend much more.

I like the flat bars because you are in a more up-right position, easier to see whats going on around you, and your hands are in easier reach of the brakes. This is handy on the shared pathways that run along the coast here in Perth when dodging prams, dogs etc. Not to keen to go on the roads to much, crazy Perth drivers . Having flat bars or drops certainly seems to generate a lot of debate.

Cheers

willocrew

I see lots of big guys on recumbents.

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