Clydesdale rated components

On 28 Sep 2004 14:41:00 -0700, [email hidden] (Ben

White) said:

I am a new tri-athlete looking for a bicycle to train and race on. Can
anyone suggest what brand/model components are tough enough for the
Big Men? I am 6'4" 235lbs. I was told by the bike shop guy that a trek
1000 would fall apart underneath me...is there any truth to that?

Pfui. The 1000 should have no problem structurally, though you may
want to brush up on your tube repair skills if you live in an area
where the roads are not particularly flat. Roadie tires typically
offer less resistance to pinch flats than the wider tires that are
commonly used on cross and mountain bikes. The rest of the bike will
have no complaints about your weight, in my opinion. (You might want
to check and see if the fork and frame provide enough clearance, and
if the wheel provides enough width, to mount a 700x32 tire, though.
That would give you some options later on if the 700x25 proves to be
less tire than you need.)
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Ben White said:

I am a new tri-athlete looking for a bicycle to train and race on. Can
anyone suggest what brand/model components are tough enough for the
Big Men? I am 6'4" 235lbs. I was told by the bike shop guy that a trek
1000 would fall apart underneath me...is there any truth to that?
Thanks,
Ben

Have the wheels gone over to tension balance, check for adequate tension, and stress relieve. Make sure to keep tires, brakes, and chain in good condition. TREK 1000 is fine for you. There are many people larger than you riding bicycles and components mcuh less suitable than on TREK 1000... and having nothing fall apart underneath them.
You might shop for a different shop.

daveornee said:

Ben White said:

I am a new tri-athlete looking for a bicycle to train and race on. Can
anyone suggest what brand/model components are tough enough for the
Big Men? I am 6'4" 235lbs. I was told by the bike shop guy that a trek
1000 would fall apart underneath me...is there any truth to that?
Thanks,
Ben

Have the wheels gone over to tension balance, check for adequate
tension, and stress relieve. Make sure to keep tires, brakes, and
chain in good condition. TREK 1000 is fine for you. There are many
people larger than you riding bicycles and components mcuh less
suitable than on TREK 1000... and having nothing fall apart underneath
them.

Sounds to me like they're telling you, OP, "We can't make this work
for you." I tend to believe people -- if they don't think they can
make a Trek 1000 last for you, they can't. And wheels are the first
things to fail (although you're only a junior clydesdale at your
weight), which makes me wonder if they know how to tension and true
any bike wheel.

Quoted message said:

You might shop for a different shop.

Wise advise.

Pat

Email address works as is.

Quoted message said:

My first road bike was a Trek 1000. I was 283 lbs. back then.

Have the wheels properly tensioned, and you're good to go. Cheap
wheels normally don't have near the correct tension for a big guy.

You may also want to swap 23mm tires for 25's, if the current 1000
comes with 23's. Mine came with 25's and they were fine. The extra
air volume in a slightly bigger tire will help the wheels last longer
by absorbing some shock.

yep the wheels are key. 36 in the rear 32 in front for me. I use 25's too.

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"Ben White" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

I am a new tri-athlete looking for a bicycle to train and race on. Can
anyone suggest what brand/model components are tough enough for the
Big Men? I am 6'4" 235lbs. I was told by the bike shop guy that a trek
1000 would fall apart underneath me...is there any truth to that?

I'm also 235, but at 6'10", I ride a bit larger frames. As others have
pointed out, the critical component is wheels, particularly the rear. Also,
bike frames are more likely to flex in larger sizes, particularly with
heavier loads. For these reasons, I find touring bikes to be generally
better suited to large riders, particularly those with large diameter
tubes, which usually means aluminum. Touring bikes are designed to carry a
bit of extra weight, generally have beefier wheels, clearances for larger
tires, and a bit longer wheelbase, which makes for additional stability.
These changes come with a rather slight weight penalty. I think it's smart
to think of bike weight in terms of a percentage of rider weight, not in
absolute terms. If you want to race, you can get a second set of lighter
wheels and fit them with racier tires; a second set is nice to have anyway.

I haven't had much trouble breaking things. I did break a non-touring steel
frame, fatigue cracking the front tube along the lug boundary. I have also
cracked a couple of freeehub fixing bolts, and regularly bend rear axles on
freewheel-type rear wheels. I also fatigued and broke a stem, likely from
the load caused by using aerobars extensively (something to be aware of on
a tri-bike). I would also recommend not pushing the weight envelope on
handlebars or fork (touring frames usually come with pretty substantial
forks & bars).

The only things less-than-optimal for racing with a touring frame are
seattube angle (too slack) and BB height (too low). The first item is the
more serious, since it may limit how low you can get. I get very low, but
my thighs bump my ribs, steepening the seattube angle would be the only
change I would make on my Cannondale frame. Cannondale and Klein make large
framed, big tubed bikes in "full race" geometries, they might be worth
looking at, too.

benjamin->I am a new tri-athlete looking for a bicycle to train and race on.
Can

Quoted message said:

anyone suggest what brand/model components are tough enough for the
Big Men? I am 6'4" 235lbs. I was told by the bike shop guy that a trek
1000 would fall apart underneath me...is there any truth to that?

Geeezzzz...really hard to get a bad bicycle these days from a decent bike shop.
What you won't generally get is a good bike fit and good bike service. Go to a
shop that will fit you, arrange the bicycle for what you want to do with it and
stay away from shops that want to sell you gizmos..like over priced, non
reliable, boutique wheels.

Shop aroind, look for a 'Evan the tailor', or 'Men's Warehouse' of bicycles,
not Penneys.

Peter Chisholm
Vecchio's Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com
"Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"