Super Clydesdale who thinking of returning to biking world



Big D

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Jan 9, 2010
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Hi fellow clydesdales, I need some help with ideas of which bike to purchase. A little back ground on me, first off I not a small guy last summer I tipped the scales at 398 lbs and thought I need to get back to shape (high school I weighed 200 as an athlete) I started hiking and now hike 4 miles in mountain trails in park close to home everyday. I am down to 347 and have a goal of 250 lbs.

When it comes to biking my last bike was a Bianchi I rode around Cape Ann loop back in Massachusetts where I grew up. Even at 200 I was able to bend cranks, wheel and finally the frame. No bike I had survived my hard riding. Today I sure I not going to as hard as I was but still need a bike that can hold up to weight issue.

I have be looking at two models and coming up with a third idea of building one. First model is F5 from Cannondale, the second is the Mullet from Gary Fisher. Builder frame I am interested in is from Surly and call the Investagator. My riding is 55/45 road/trail no hardcore jumping until more pounds are dropped. So any addvise would be great one the two models or if the build it would be better.
 
How tall are you?

Zinn Cycles specialise in big/tall. I've recently purchased a beautiful road bike from them. I'm 6'7 and 275lbs. Handles my weight/height perfectly. Like you I used to regularly break things too - but this is built to handle the stresses. And it's super confidence inspiring! Check out their range call "Project Big"

And they can put together a super strong wheelset also.

Mines a light DT Swiss touring rim laced up to an ultera 36hole hub. Bullet proof for someone my size!

SideSmaller.jpg


(My baby)

Here's a review I did not long after getting it...

http://roadcycling.co.nz/GearTalk/project-big-a-custom-zinn-experience.html

Adrian.
 
Big D said:
When it comes to biking my last bike was a Bianchi I rode around Cape Ann loop back in Massachusetts where I grew up. Even at 200 I was able to bend cranks, wheel and finally the frame. No bike I had survived my hard riding. Today I sure I not going to as hard as I was but still need a bike that can hold up to weight issue.

I have be looking at two models and coming up with a third idea of building one. First model is F5 from Cannondale, the second is the Mullet from Gary Fisher. Builder frame I am interested in is from Surly and call the Investagator. My riding is 55/45 road/trail no hardcore jumping until more pounds are dropped. So any addvise would be great one the two models or if the build it would be better.
FWIW. Another bike to look at is the RALEIGH XXIX+G ... it's a steel framed 29er ... the price has varied and the last time I looked, it retailed for about $1300.

The advantage of a 29er is that the frame is designed to use either 700-52 or 700-58 tires -- either could probably be considered to be the equivalent of a small motorcycle tire ... and, that is probably a very good thing for a heavier rider ...

You could use a set of 700-32 or 700-42 tires for the road ...

An advantage of a 29er is that you can use almost any 700c tire ... with the smaller sizes (700-19 through 700-25) you may want a different wheelset which would have narrower rims.

A 'medium' size 29er is like a 'large' MTB ... so, you would choose either a 'M' or 'L' depending on how high you wanted the handlebars to be + how far forward you want to reach (generally, a 2cm difference in length from size-to-size) ...

I reckon that you would be happier with a 'medium' 29er.

There are other 29ers ... most cost more ... most have alloy frames which may-or-may-not be robust enough for you based on your prior riding experience.
 
Not sure if you got your bike yet, but the other thing you may want to look into is a touring bike. These are built tough to take added load, and usually come with beefy high spoke count wheels and cantilever brakes. You can probably pick up an older used one for a song, and beat the **** out of it until you lose some more weight. You can even put some cyclocross tires on it for some off pavement excursions.
 
Why not contact the manufacturer instead of asking us for our opinions? They'll know what their bikes can take.
 

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