Folding Bike weight limits...

[Fr Jack]

Are they to be taken seriously?

After doing more thinking(and extending my budget to £350), I've had a
look at folding bikes and quite fancy either of these:

http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/product/11520/Dahon_Glide_P8_Folding_Bike_2007
http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/product/14974/Dahon_Vitesse_D7HG_Bike_2008

But they say "max weight 105kg". I've never seen this before and I'm a
smidgen over that (at the moment, though cycling will help reduce
this).

I don't see such weight limits on "normal" open frame bikes.

Anyone care to enlighten me?
--

Fr. Jack

The ex(un)civil servant

 

[naked_draughtsman]

On Tue, 13 May 2008 18:13:13 +0100, Fr Jack wrote:

> I don't see such weight limits on "normal" open frame bikes.
>
> Anyone care to enlighten me?

The Aldi unicycles came with a weight limit of 85kg although mine hasn't
broken yet.

All bikes will have a limit to the amount of force they can take although
it's unlikely to be as straightforward as 'the mass of the rider' -
bouncing while pedalling, riding off kerbs, hitting potholes etc. will
increase the amount of force going through the bike so there's likely to
be a big factor of safety on whatever is quoted (10 was a typical figure
quoted by an engineer for the FOS used on designing machinery!)

peter

 

[Just zis Guy, you know?]

On Tue, 13 May 2008 18:13:13 +0100, Fr Jack <[email protected]> said in
<[email protected]>:

>http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/product/11520/Dahon_Glide_P8_Folding_Bike_2007
>http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/product/14974/Dahon_Vitesse_D7HG_Bike_2008
>
>But they say "max weight 105kg". I've never seen this before and I'm a
>smidgen over that (at the moment, though cycling will help reduce
>this).
>I don't see such weight limits on "normal" open frame bikes.
>Anyone care to enlighten me?

The Dahons are aluminium and have very long stem and seat posts, so
a heavy or strong rider will experience quite a bit of flex. Not as
bad as a Bickerton, which was made of noodles, but more than a Brom,
which is surprisingly rigid even when ridden hard.

Try one, see how you get on. If you don't hammer it I am sure it
will be fine.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

85% of helmet statistics are made up, 69% of them at CHS, Puget Sound

 

[Nick Kew]

On Tue, 13 May 2008 23:10:31 +0100
"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email protected]> wrote:

> On Tue, 13 May 2008 18:13:13 +0100, Fr Jack <[email protected]> said in
> <[email protected]>:
>
> >http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/product/11520/Dahon_Glide_P8_Folding_Bike_2007
> >http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/product/14974/Dahon_Vitesse_D7HG_Bike_2008
> >
> >But they say "max weight 105kg". I've never seen this before and I'm
> >a smidgen over that (at the moment, though cycling will help reduce
> >this).
> >I don't see such weight limits on "normal" open frame bikes.
> >Anyone care to enlighten me?
>
> The Dahons are aluminium and have very long stem and seat posts, so
> a heavy or strong rider will experience quite a bit of flex. Not as
> bad as a Bickerton, which was made of noodles, but more than a Brom,
> which is surprisingly rigid even when ridden hard.

I'll second that. I'm moderately heavy (eightysomething Kg) and
ride moderately hard, the latter due to living in a hilly area
(Dartmoor being a large part of it). I have a Dahon folder,
and while it's fine in terms of having the low gears, it's a
bit delicate and way too soft for a good ride. And the
wheel quality certainly leaves something to be desired.

My friend one valley away has a Brompton and is happier with it.
But he's smaller than me, and a less demanding rider (doesn't
take it on the serious hills).

--
not me guv

 

[dkahn400]

On May 13, 6:13 pm, Fr Jack <[email protected]> wrote:

> I don't see such weight limits on "normal" open frame bikes.

You would if you wanted to buy a stupidly light racing bike, as in
well under
the UCI minimum, but I suppose that wouldn't count as "normal"
either.

--
Dave...