Wheels for a big man. 285 lbs. ?

[BikeyGuy]

A friend of mine is looking to get a road bike. He's 6'4 and 285 lbs.
His concern are wheels. Years ago he always had wheel problems. He's a spoke buster. Any thoughs as to what would be a good solid wheel set up ?

Spoke count 36 ?
Spoke type ?
Rims ? Thanks

 

[mrowkoob]

A friend of mine is looking to get a road bike. He's 6'4 and 285 lbs.
His concern are wheels. Years ago he always had wheel problems. He's a spoke buster. Any thoughs as to what would be a good solid wheel set up ?

Spoke count 36 ?
Spoke type ?
Rims ? Thanks

Shimano Ultegra or Campagnolo Chorus (depending on what brand you use) hubs, 36 holes ofcourse.
Spokes any of the major brands Sapim, DT Swiss. Steel spokes, 2,0-1,8-2,0 minimum. Mounted in a 3 laced pattern.
Rims Mavic CXP 33.

Should be bomb proof.

 

[JJakucyk]

I weigh 270, and I had my LBS build me some wheels with Ultegra hugs, 36 straight-gauge spokes, and Mavic A719 rims. They've been rock solid so far, and they doesn't weigh too much either.

 

[martin_j001]

I weigh about 240, and am riding Velocity Deep-V's, 32 spoke 14/15db spokes, and Ultegra hubs. Very sturdy set of wheels, and they come in colors!!

 

[daveornee]

A friend of mine is looking to get a road bike. He's 6'4 and 285 lbs.
His concern are wheels. Years ago he always had wheel problems. He's a spoke buster. Any thoughs as to what would be a good solid wheel set up ?

Spoke count 36 ?
Spoke type ?
Rims ? Thanks

Yes, 36 spokes
Spokes = Sapim Race or DT Competion 14/15 DB
Rims = Velocity Deep V for up to 28 mm tires or Mavic A719 & Velocity Dyad for tires 28 mm and wider.
Rivendell has an exclusive Velocity 700C version of the Synergy Asym. I use these in their original MTB 26" size and find them very durable in rears and Disc Brake applications. I would expect them to be very suitable in this rider's application, but I haven't tried the 700C version.
Bontrager Fairlane Asym is quite strong and suitable but they are not nicely finished and take some extra efforts to clean them up for smooth inside by rim joint weld and nipple access holes. Ritchey 700c Trekking Rims with OCR rear are also very strong and suitable only for wider tires.
Most "racing" frames won't handle anything wider than28 mm and some won't do more than 25 mm in certain brands and models. I would look for frame/fork/brakes that can handle wider tires for this rider. Wider tires act to cushion the ride and protect the rims.
If he can look into a Cyclocross bicycle or touring bicycle, they have 2 advantages:
1. 135 mm OLD (Over Locknut Dimension) for better spoke support angle in the rear.
2. Wider tire clearance.
If he does this, then the hubs will be mountain style hubs from Deore, LX, XT, or even XTR.
Build quality of the wheels is very important. 285 pounds is above the specifications on even Mavic A719. Spoke tension and tension balance is critical and shows it's value as the load goes up.

 

[dgregory57]

As a very large rider (315 pounds) formerly even larger (started at 365) I can only say that the stock rims and tires on my Giant Sedona DX have only failed me once in 1800 miles. The only issue I have had was one broken spoke last year.

I have had two flats after I switched to narrower tires (none before that). Ironically, I switched to the narrower tires, and had two blowouts, which seemed to be on the inside, caused by spoke wear (even though my liner was in place, which makes me think there is a design conflict between these rims and 80 PSI tires). This caused me to go with the thicker puncture resistant tubes, and since then I have put on several hundred miles without issue, although I am looking forward to losing more weight and getting a lighter wheel/tire combo, as I really struggled last October to complete a metric century.

Which does bring me to a question as well.

Does anyone know if 700c wheels would fit a Giant Sedona DX?

 

[JohnO]

You could always try tandem wheels - they're definitely designed to handle 300+ pounds, and they aren't that much heavier than normal 700c wheels.

 

[daveornee]

<SNIP>
Which does bring me to a question as well.

Does anyone know if 700c wheels would fit a Giant Sedona DX?

700C wheels won't fit. Even if you could get them in the frame and fork, the brakes wouldn't reach up to the rims.

 

[dgregory57]

700C wheels won't fit. Even if you could get them in the frame and fork, the brakes wouldn't reach up to the rims.

I figured that the brakes would be the biggest issue.

Well then... It looks like I will be in the market for a new bike next year. I was also considering that I would prefer the weight advantage of a solid fork to my current suspension fork anyway. Oh ****, now I'm thinking a 700c front wheel after a fork change... Someone talk me out of it before I waste money I should be saving for a new bike.

I had hoped to ride a century this year, but I have been slow at getting back into cycling this year, after moving from California to Pennsylvania. And before I take that ride, I definitely want to move away from my 26" wheels.

 

[jerryz]

5 years ago I was that guy.6'4" and 293. However for whatever reason I've never been a spoke breaker. In fact I think that by and large the big guy as spoke breaker is mostly myth. Get a a good 28 spoke wheel lace it up 3x. I use Dura Ace hubs and Open Pro hoops.

I'm now down to 215 and ride with a a guy who weighs 180. He regularly breaks spokes. In the last 5 years (27,000+ miles) I've broken one spoke. Don't hit big holes. Choose smooth lines. Keep your wheels true and your spoke tension even. Wheels should hold up even for a big guy

 

[mezzinator]

Even a lighter rider can break spokes if enough torque is placed through the back hub. I'm a 200lb sprinter and I moved to cheap 'Velocity' deep dish rims on my roadie with thicker gauge spokes after breaking one spoke on average every ride for about a month (sometimes none, sometimes 2, 3 or 4) plus bending a couple of expensive rims.

I've been problemless for about 3 months now.

 

[StartTday]

Ultegra hubs are nice, but even better with Mavic Open Pro 36 hole rims.

CXP33s are good, heavier rims with a great rotation once you get them up to speed.