Another Big Rider Thread

[idig]

I'm a bit long winded, sorry.

Here's the situation. My body type is NFL offensive lineman. I'm 6'2", and when I'm not riding, I can easily reach 320 lbs. When I'm riding a little (2-3 times a week, 50-100 miles total), I usually carry 290-300 lbs. If I ride more, I can get down to 250-260 or so. The thinnest I've been in the past 10 years is 235, and I was averaging 200-250 miles per week. I primarily do charity rides (35 - 60 miles) and training rides (20 - 45 miles) to prepare for them. In short, I'm a big dude who loves to ride.

I've been primarily riding a Gary Fisher Big Sur with slicks, as the wheels on most road bikes complain when I take them for a spin. I bought a mid-nineties Colorado Legend on eBay a few years ago, hoping that it would motivate me to get slim enough to ride it. That hasn't exactly worked out, but after 3-4 years and thousands of miles, I am ready to ditch the mountain bike for something that is more road friendly.

I told my LBS all of this and they said that the Serotta would be fine for me with some beefier hoops. We decided I would bring it in and finalize the details. Naturally, I've been very excited about finally getting to put in some meaningful saddle time on a fine steel steed. Unfortunately, the chainstays on my Colorado Legend are fairly narrow, and upon seeing the bike in person, the LBS has changed their stance.

The most economic option is to pull off the Campy Chorus 9-spd group and slap it on a new frameset, and sell the Serotta frame. Selling the Serotta would be tough, but the worst thing that could come out of it is if I lose a bunch of weight, and suddenly wish I had kept it. It's not like I have a lot of fond memories riding it; just a lot of fond dreams of riding it.

I know I probably need to go with touring quality wheels. Can I get by with some Campy 36-spoke hubs, or do I need to go with something else? If I go with something else, are there options that would work well with my Chorus 9-spd drivetrain? The biggest question is what frameset to get. The LBS recommended a Soma in either the "Road Sport" or "Cross" class. They also suggested a Surly Long Haul Trucker, though I think the Pacer would work as well. I've also read good things about Co-motion, but I don't know if my budget could handle it.

I'd appreciate any advice, particularly from riders who may be above average in size.

[coylifut]

"In short, I'm a big dude who loves to ride."

wasn't there a link to a blog not long ago about a huge dude who loves to ride? I bet you could contact him and find out his experiences. I'm 5'11, weigh about 162, so I don't qualify, but here's my take. I think the LBS is correct, get yourself a Soma with wheels strong enough for a tandem. Run 28s and go ride your arse off.

[maunahaole]

The front wheel is not a critical as the rear. I'm similar size and have ridden a 28h front for years without problem - get a sturdy (450+ gram) rim and a 14g/3x /brass build and you will be good to go.

The back is the problem area. It holds the majority of the weight, deals with the power transfer and is dished, so it automatically is weaker. I currently have a velocity dyad on a 36h record hub there. It is really sturdy and gives a good ride. It is a wide rim, so you will NEED to run a fat tire on it - like a size 25 michelin. Luckily, it is not too heavy, so it will give a fairly sporty ride.

I can get by with a 32h rim, but again the rim needs to be beefy. Find a good builder in town (or here) and get set up with something. The velocity deep v or DT 1.2 might both be good choices for back wheels. The deep v comes in 36, the DT does not. I have not used either rim, just for the sake of disclosure.

GOing 36 on a training wheel is a good idea as the rim will he held in straighter by the other spokes if (when) you break a spoke out on the road.

[Ahneida Ride]

I am in the 225 - 250 range.

I have a Legend Rapid Tour with rather massive chain stays.
The frame is comfortable but not flexible. Almost stiff enough for
Uncle William and he is 255+ of pure muscle. William would take the
next Ti tube size up.

Rims are 36 hole Mavic CXP 4 cross. These are bombproof.
Hubs are White Ind. Racer X. Mtn bike hubs.

Serotta can certainly custom build a frame to accommodate you.

My LBS guru fitted a guy 6'6 and 285+.

I demoed a Custom Otrott built for a guy 6'6 about 265.
Bike is Solid as a rock.

Why not chat with Serotta a bit and see what they can do for you?

Problem is most used frames are just not designed for us Clydesdales.
I found only one used frame in 6 years that was a decent match.

Ask about Serotta's Rapid Tour Option. IT's a sport tourer.

I hope this helps.

[TimD]

....
I demoed a Custom Otrott built for a guy 6'6 about 265.
Bike is Solid as a rock.



This bike used 36H rims (unknown manufacturer - maybe Sun?) with Phil Wood hubs. It was meant to be bulletproof. Contact Mountain Cycology in Ludlow, VT for more detail.

Peter White once opined that the Velocity Dyad was probably the best touring wheel out there, all things considered (strength + weight + price). I recently sold a touring tandem built up with these and 36H Hugi hubs.

You probably have a lot of options available, actually.

Tim

[Kervin]

I'd appreciate any advice, particularly from riders who may be above average in size.

I'm 5-10 and this morning I'm at a ten year low of 180. I've built and used a bunch of different wheels. I regularly include a few miles of gravel roads in my ride on top of the mile I have to go to reach pavement.

I use a high cadance and spend most of my time sitting. My thoughts are that you want to have a GREAT wheelbuilder to get some lighter (not light) wheels to make your road bike more fun. I've found a bigger tire (25/28) helps the wheel last longer. I used DT revo spokes w/ alloy nipples for years and years, but after the first season on them, at your weight, you'll be riding on borrowed time. My thinking on the spokes is that you'll get more strech in the middle, so the heads don't break.

On your frame choice, I'd go for a low bottombracket cross frame.

[Ken Robb]

If I were you(here comes the opinion) and planned on a new bike I would get some touring rims from Mavic or Velocity on Shimano XT hubs with 135mm width in the back. I think 32 or 36 hole would be ok. J-Tek thingie so I could use the 9 spd. Campy brifters with Shimano gears and derailers. I loved a Rapid Tour CSI that I rode so Serotta can build a suitable bike. OTOH, a Rivendell Atlantis frame and fork would take all you can dish out and more. Even though I'm back under 200lbs. (just) I still like to ride 700x25 at the very skinniest and really prefer 28-35mm tires. I hate flats and our roads are bumpy and full of debris so 700x23 tires beat me up. Another idea stolen from Rivendell would be to have a frame spaced at 132.5 mm. so you could run 130 or 135 rear hubs with different rims and tires for different types of rides.

[rphetteplace]

I'm definately at the upper end of the gravity enhanced at 6'6" and an even 3 bills. Definately look at Velocity deep V rims something nice and handbuilt by someone that knows there stuff. I'm on a set that Ergott built 2 years ago and haven't touched them with a wrench. Also 25 or 28 mm tires will do you worlds of good. The michelin pr2's are excellent big fatties. I'm sure any framebuilder worth their salt is able to build a frame that will work for you. I'm currently riding Columbus Zona frames with a 38mm downtube and a 35mm top tube. Doesn't wince at all. Also of note I have become a huge believer in a good steel fork. pm me if you have any more gigantor questions.

[idig]

Thanks for all the advice. There's a lot to consider. A custom Serotta built for a gorilla would certainly be my first choice, but it's not really in the budget. I'm leaning toward building a Soma Smoothie ES, though it requires long reach brakes, which means my Chorus stoppers are out. I'm not really enamored with any of the long reach brake options. I really wanted to try to keep the Chorus group intact. Now I'm considering scrapping the idea of using it and just going with all new stuff. Decisions, decisions.

[Peter P.]

The Soma choices are good. ANY cyclocross frame would be good too, because the greater clearances would allow you to ride wider tires. Forget thinking about a lightweight bike, once you add your bodyweight, any savings from a light bike are MEANINGLESS.

So, you need a bike with clearances for wider tires. Wider tires will absorb a lot of road shock and result in longer wheel life. If you're still concerned with wheel longevity, your only problem should be rear wheels as it's VERY easy to build durable front wheels. You should ask for a Velocity O/C rear rim because the offset spoke holes will make for a rear wheel with more even tension between the left/right side spokes, and thus a longer lasting wheel.

Forget "beefier" rims. The quality of construction and the tire volume are more important than the rim strength. Most rims are already strong enough already.

But none of this will work if you can't fit wider tires.

Start with a 32 or 28mm tire. Try narrower tires as yours wear out, to find you lower limit where you start to eat wheels. No need to pump them up extra hard, either. Experiment with tire pressure.

Unfortunately, I don't think the Serotta will fit any tire wider than 25mm, which is WAY too skinny for you.

If your LBS is a Soma dealer, then let them hook you up with one of the two models mentioned. I'd go for the Cross model, because it will fit 135mm hubs. The wider hub, combined with an offset rim like the Velocity, will result in a wheel with VERY LITTLE dish, and hence a longer lasting wheel. But don't forget those wider tires, OKAY?!

I think the Surly LHT is not the bike for you as it's for true long distance touring types and hauling loads (other than big riders). I just don't think you'll enjoy the way a true touring bike handles, considering the type of rides you participate in.

[Lifelover]

.....Unfortunately, the chainstays on my Colorado Legend are fairly narrow, and upon seeing the bike in person, the LBS has changed their stance.......


I don't know Jack Sheit about building bikes, but I suspect you would have no issues at all with the chainstays. Worst case would be derailler rub when mashing.

One thing you can say for sure is; It won't get soft!

Email Serotta the serial number directly and see if they would provide any input on how the bike would handle for you.

If they say it's not an issue, than ride it like you stole it.

However, fatter tires would be nice.

[jnusbaum]

Hi ... if I were a big dude, I would consider contacting Co-Motion:

http://www.co-motion.com/

They build both tandems and single bikes that are really nice! Their prices are reasonable for custom frames. They have a great reputation. And they will have tons of experience building frames designed to carry 300 lbs. I'm sure they could kit out the whole bike with appropriate wheels and components that will meet your needs.

Good luck!

-John

[Ken Robb]

Thanks for all the advice. There's a lot to consider. A custom Serotta built for a gorilla would certainly be my first choice, but it's not really in the budget. I'm leaning toward building a Soma Smoothie ES, though it requires long reach brakes, which means my Chorus stoppers are out. I'm not really enamored with any of the long reach brake options. I really wanted to try to keep the Chorus group intact. Now I'm considering scrapping the idea of using it and just going with all new stuff. Decisions, decisions.

Oh do your self a favor--get the Shimano standard reach brake calipers and use them with your campy levers. You'll have two places to open the calipers and fit FAT tires without deflating them. People will buy your Campy calipers. You're not afraid to have an unmatched gruppo are you? ARE YOU????? DBRK would be ashamed of you. :no: :banana: :beer: