# Roadie Question for Clydes



## rhino biker (Nov 28, 2006)

I'm a 6' 270 lb clyde who wants to get a drop bar road bike. My question is... do you know if a Specialized Sequoia or a Trek Pilot (both with carbon forks and stays) or any other road bike for that matter, would hold up under my clydeness or would I quickly beat them to death? Thanks.

Jack


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## migmi (Aug 9, 2006)

*Clyde Road Bike*

I am a mt biker first and a road rider second. Some guys from the gym I belong all wanted to start riding road rallys this past summer. I did 4 of them on my mt bike and then rented a TREK 1200 and a TREK Pilot 2.1 and ended up purchasing a Trek PORTLAND with avid disc brakes and a full alumnium frame, Both front and rear wheel spole count = 24 on this model. My weight is 270# and have put 400+ miles on this bike. I had the bar swaped out to a 46cm wide and now have flipped the stem upside down and lowered the stem below the spacers. Another reason is that the stock tires are 28cc rather than 25cc.

The only down side is I do get some disc rotor rub when I hammer so I run with the pads adjusted a little farther from the rotors and hope this will disappear when the body weight decreases.

My other choice was a Surly Cross Check due to its steel frame. I only ride my bike once a week for 50+ mile rides. I am glad I finally purchased a road - my first one ever and I am 44 years old I do not fit in with the true roadies as I also installed a rear rack on my bike.


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## Dad Man Walking (Sep 7, 2004)

rhino biker said:


> I'm a 6' 270 lb clyde who wants to get a drop bar road bike. My question is... do you know if a Specialized Sequoia or a Trek Pilot (both with carbon forks and stays) or any other road bike for that matter, would hold up under my clydeness or would I quickly beat them to death? Thanks.
> 
> Jack


I would not worry about the strength of the frame, and carbon forks can be plenty strong and stiff too. If the manufacturer was overly concerned about rider weight limits, you would see a very conservative figure in the specs, but I didn't see anything so you are almost certainly just fine. You might get the frame and fork to flex a bit than a little skinny turd, but if you can live with those side affects (some chain rub while climbing hard, a little less precision tracking through corners but nothing worrysome) you should be OK.

A good LBS will almost certainly steer you away from low spoke count wheels, though...stay away from fancy-looking low spoke-count system wheels and get a set of sturdy 32 (or even 36) count wheels. The lighter wheels are still probably strong enough to hold you up, but will flex more (in line with the axle) and are going to stay rideable longer if you do end up breaking a spoke under your hugeness.

I've been 230+ and have ridden 28fr/32rr wheels on good rims for years without any trouble whatsoever.

Good luck.


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## logbiter (Dec 30, 2003)

rhino biker said:


> I'm a 6' 270 lb clyde who wants to get a drop bar road bike. My question is... do you know if a Specialized Sequoia or a Trek Pilot (both with carbon forks and stays) or any other road bike for that matter, would hold up under my clydeness or would I quickly beat them to death? Thanks.
> 
> Jack


seems like the concensus on the roadbike forums (if there can be one!) is that the carbon stays are more hype than not, especially for a clyde. 
I'd go for a frame that can take wider tires (at least a 28, if not a cross/touring frame that'll take something like a 700x35 wide tire) in either alu or steel. 
I ended up using a bunch of parts from a fuji team (alu w/ carbon stays) that I got for a killer deal & put most of the parts on an old trek multi-track hybrid (steel & lugged, so it's oldschool) which I would dub a 'monster cross' bike. yeah, it's heavy compared to the road frames!
I figured after riding the fuji a while that I needed a more comfortable ride that wider tires would provide & that frame would barely fit 700x28's (depended on the tire model). Also, pinch flat protection vs ride comfort... my local roads are full of potholes & I don't float over them like other 'finesse' rider do!
With some wider 700x30 touring tires it rides so much smoother than the stock 700x23 tires it's like it's not the same bike (even better with some 700x37 tires). 
The easton vista wheelset is holding up fine so far with my 240+ lbs pounding, but I've had some '29er'/cross/touring wheels built up to put the cross tires onto and will use the vista's for the road rides on 700x30 tires.

whatever you end up doing, you'll probably want to start with a more upright riding position & as you ride more and get flexible you can lower it.


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## Capt Tripps (Jan 19, 2005)

try a 29'r for the best of both worlds.... lace up a set of road wheels to disc hubs, and have a ride that does both. I have for years runs fat boy slicks on my 85 rigid Ritchey with a 11>28 rear cluster, biggest problem I had was popping spoke heads when I get out of the saddle and really flex things, I felt it was a combonation of the flex, and the 100 psi not giving much cushion. I just went to a 29'r for a new ride, and am hooked, next will be a set of road wheels...... you can always swap to drop bars if you want, but it would give a great transition. my 2 cents ...

happy trails!


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## rhino biker (Nov 28, 2006)

*Cross Tires on Pavement*

Thanks guys... great suggestions all. Would the use of 32C cross tires at slightly lower pressures on pavement add a measure of cush by distributing the loads a bit more and enhance the durability of the wheelset? If so, would the rolling resistance penalty be too muc?


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## Dad Man Walking (Sep 7, 2004)

It's me again...Mr. "Don't Worry About It." You'll do fine on 25mm road tires, 28's if you are really worried about it provided your road conditions are more or less "normal." The larger tires do run at lower pressures and feel a bit smoother as a result. I run 23mm tires at 115-120lbs (upper end of the recommend pressures b/c I am a clyde), and 25mm tires on my fixed gear bike at 95-100lbs. 

Remember that the heavier the wheels and tires get, the less snappy they are going to feel. This might trigger a bit of a debate here, but I personally enjoy the riding experience a lot more when there is as little as possible between me and the road. For a really big guys, there is little performance advantage in shaving off 5 lbs. from the bike when we really should take 40 or more pounds off of our own chassis. But the feeling of the bike will still change noticably, and lighter bikes and wheels feel "better." The roadies here know what I am talking about...when you are flying down the flats really laying down the power (a situation where the big guy's power is a noticable advantage), hitting small rises and powering up them and accelerate instead of slowing down, or if you are good enough shape, attacking a hill with power instead of just dropping it into a low gear and grinding, a light bike can almost "disappear" and you get the sensation of applying power directly to the road, instead of to the bike. (Usually, that's right before everything gets blurry and you puke, but that's a different story )

My point is that you don't want to overkill the road bike for the sake of cush...get it right for your weight but no more. A heavier bike can be stronger, and fatter tires will be smoother, but who wants to ride that? A Honda will get you to work just fine but it's a lot more fun to drive a Porsche. Same idea.


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## nitrochris (Dec 1, 2005)

For a roadie I currently ride a 20 year old steel frame (Myata One Ten if you've heard of it). The only problem I have is with wheels but thats expected being that they are so old. I run cheep tires (27" by 1.25") that max out at 100psi and I usually keep it in the 90-100 range for my weight. Before this bike I rode my dads all aluminum (pre Carbon fork days) Cannondale and had similar issues with wheels on that. Usually I can just true up the wheels with a spoke wrench myself and I haven't had issues in quite a few months now. 

I like the way the steel frame rides nice and soft. Its a huge frame too that I barley clear the TT on (frame measures 27" from BB to seat clamp). Its not the perfect setup but it works for me and was in my college budget (free from my dad). In some ways I'd like to upgrade it but by the time I get it in in good shape it would be rather pricey and I'd just as well look at a new ride.

Chris


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## Gevorg (Dec 7, 2004)

*I recommend Lemond with 853 Reynolds*

I ride 2002 Lemond Buenos Aires. It has a steel Reynolds 853 frame and carbon fork. My weight varied over the past years between 215-245lbs. I put 11,000 miles on the bike and never had any problem with frame or fork. 
Weakest part on this bike were wheels. Original wheelset was Bontrager select($200) (20 spokes front/24 back). They lasted about 4,500 miles then bearings in the back went bad, however wheelset was strong. Then I upgraded the wheelset to Bontrager Race lites ($450)(20/24), and that wheelset was not durable at all. They have been replaced under warranty 3 times over 3,000 mile usage. Rims cracked, hub cracked, freewheel broke, rear wheel will not stay true for more then 3 rides).
So I replaced them with wheelset form Neuvation M28 Aero ($250), and after 3,500 miles no problems so far. Did not do any maintanance on them yet.
http://neuvationcycling.com/wheels/m28aero.html
So if you get the Pilot I do not think those Bontrager wheels will last long. I will just ride them and replace them with Neuvation M28 Aero when they fail.
For tires I am using Vredestein Fortezza SE 700x23, rated to 160 psi, I run them at 140psi, I had a good luck also with Michelin Carbon 700x23, and Continental Ultra Gatorskin


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## Mordy (May 31, 2006)

I'll add my word to the 'don't worry about the frame' ballot. Wheels are another matter.

I am 300lbs and ride a Trek 1600. The bike holds up very well, and the wheels, only 20spoke are ok, but do get bent if i hit something to hard, but they are doing ok.

Best of getting a set of hand made 28 or more spoke with velocity deepv's from your local shop.

Wide tires help, but only a little. More important is tough tires


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## Dad Man Walking (Sep 7, 2004)

So Rhino Biker, here you have a great example of why you should stay away from low-spoke count wheels. Get a good set of Mavics (Open Pros or something like that) w/ 32 spokes front and rear and you'll do fine. Note that Grevorg had no complaints w/ 23mm tires...if you were worried about the extra weight you are carrying 25's will still do fine and provide the essential ride quality of a performance road bike.

Assuming you are getting the bike from an LBS, you could ask them to tune up the wheelset before you even ride it...a lot of machine-built wheels (which are what will come with a factory bike) look OK out of the box but are not as well built as a good hand-built set, but a competent wheel builder should be able to tweak them for a lot less than the cost of a hand-built set.


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## Gevorg (Dec 7, 2004)

*It is not the spoke count, it is in design and material*

Just to explain myself better. Bontrager wheels are paired spoke 20/24, and they have hard time staying true, my Neuvation M28 Aero wheels are 16/20 but evenly spaced thick aero spokes, they seem to flex less and like I said so far no problem. I beleive rim used is also strronger, without any weight penalty. I also asked John Nugent (owner of Neuvation) and he said that M28 Aero should be no problem for clydesdale). I beleive strength of the wheel comes from the rim and spoke design, which I think Neuvation is better. I think Bontrager/Trek went after performance too much and sacrificed the strength and reliability for heavy riders.


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## bingemtbr (Apr 1, 2004)

I've got 6K+ on a 2 yr old steel italian frame which happens to be celeste <cough cough>. I'm 6' and have weighed as much as 320lbs on this, though I'm down to 250lbs right now. The fork is carbon and has given me zer0 issues. I've cracked the rear rim once, stress cracks in the spoke hole eyelets but the manufacturer warrantied it with no questions asked.

I wouldn't worry. Even though I'm no fan of Specialized or Trek if you've got a relationship with an LBS who'll be willing to work with you go for it. Regarding tires, I'm on conti pro's 21's. The skunk pattern.


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## RYNOFREERIDE (Feb 26, 2004)

I'm a 260 pound Clyde and I bought my first road bike this past summer. I'm a die hard mtn biker, but I was surprised how much I enjoy riding my road bike since getting it. The rear wheel that came with the bike keeps having spokes break and the shop says I need a new wheel one of these days. It doesn't surprise me, seeing what I have done to mtn bike wheels. Does anyone here have any reccomendations for what kind of wheel I should have built for my rear wheel this winter? I'm not a racer, and I could care less about weight, I just want a good durable wheel that will hold up to my weight when I take the road bike out. Thanks.


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## Dad Man Walking (Sep 7, 2004)

Any quality deep-V rim should do the trick if it is built properly. The deep V's supposedly have some aero advantage (offset somewhat by their weight) but they can also be brutally strong because of the geometry of their cross section. I've got a 32-spoke Mavic on the back of my road bike that barely budged even when a spoke loosened up...I only knew something was wrong when I started to hear things clicking. And I've got a 36-spoke Velocity deep-V in back on my fixed gear bike, also tough as nails. If the builder is competent and you try to ride around stuff instead of slamming into it (not always, just most of the time) you should have no problems and the wheel will have strength to spare.


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## xdefx (Aug 13, 2004)

*Steel!*

I would recommend a steel frame like the Lemond above or anything similar. I am about 230-240ish. I ride a SOMA Rush track frame which is Tange Prestige. It rides fantastic. I use Velocity rims on IRO hubs, 32h. I use 25c Specialized Armadillo's.


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## explodingtaco (Jul 22, 2006)

I got the 2006 Ibex X-Ray race so that I did not have to worry as much about having to go over some dirt or something. I have put roadie tires on it however. I really like it. It has handled everthing I have thrown at it, included was 2 nasty potholes I could not avoid on a crowed street.

Oh BTW I am 255lbs geared up.


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## scottyperkins (Oct 29, 2006)

I'm 6'3", 275 and ride a 2004 Trek 5500 full carbon between 50 and 120 miles a week. I have had no issues with frame/fork/bars/post. I did upgrade two main components:

1) The wheels, to Mavic Kysrium Elites, which I've had trouble with. My next attack of upgraditis will probably result in a set of hand-builts. I built up a set of mountain wheels and have been very, very happy with them.

2) The cranks, to external BB Ultegras. Huge stiffness difference, well worth it. 

Wheels and cranks I suspect will be your biggest risks, as they were for me. If you do upgrade the wheels, don't go too light. Having a wheel come apart on a descent is not fun. Go with me on that one. ;0)

HTH


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## hugh088 (Feb 1, 2004)

I also have the neuvation A28 rims and like them, but I have broken 1 spoke with my 230lbs. That might not seem like a big problem but on these low count wheels once you break one your walking. With a 32 or 36 spoke wheel you may be able to ride it home.


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## IAmCosmo (Apr 11, 2004)

I'm riding a Specialized Allez right now. Stock everything but tires/pedals. It has held up great under my 250+ pounds for over 1000 miles so far. The only thing I do is true the wheels about once a month and keep the chain lubed.


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## clyderider (Oct 19, 2005)

specialized have always worked for me. Road an Allez with great results, road a Roubaix full carbon including the steerer tube and currently have a couple rides on a Tarmac Pro. All had carbon bars and posts. Never had a problem other than the post slipping. Roughed up the post with some sand paper (very lightly) and fixed the problem. carbon today is way better than 5 years ago. By the way, I run 6'4" 270-280 and have been over the 3 hundo mark. I'd say that if you aren't curb hoping or slamming pot holes you're fine on just about anything. most manufacturers don't list weight limits as 300 is typically the top mark. good luck choosing.


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## bigworm520 (Sep 18, 2006)

I am 6' 255lbs. and ride a Specialized Roubaix. When I first got it I weighed in at a beefy 286lbs. six months ago, and have since put 1500 miles on it with no problems. Even the carbon seat post is still going strong. It has carbon frame, fork, seatpost, crank set, and not one issue yet. I think its safe to say that a carbon bike can hold up us big riders just fine.
Thats me finishing the El Tour De Tucson in November.


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## Psycho Mike (Apr 2, 2006)

You could always go retro...

I'm a 6' 240lb rider and my "other" bike is a 1955 (best guess) Mercury. Steel frame seems to work just fine as do the 27x1.25 tires and 32-spoke, oiler hubed wheels.


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## njbiker66 (Oct 23, 2005)

*roadie question for clydes*

I'm 6'2" and 300lbs, I had a Trek madone for 4 rides the frame snaped in the center of the left seat stay i went down like a sack of chips. Go for a Ti and carbon mix frame you will love it.


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## California L33 (Jul 30, 2005)

rhino biker said:


> I'm a 6' 270 lb clyde who wants to get a drop bar road bike. My question is... do you know if a Specialized Sequoia or a Trek Pilot (both with carbon forks and stays) or any other road bike for that matter, would hold up under my clydeness or would I quickly beat them to death? Thanks.
> 
> Jack


 I know the thread is old, but I thought I'd throw in my two cents. I'm 6 foot, 200 lbs., and bought a Specialized Sequoia (size Lg) almost exactly 1 year ago (Jan 7th, '06)- '06 model. I've put over 3700 miles on it- not an estimate, I take my GPS with me.

I've been meaning to write a review to put on RBR but haven't gotten around to it, so here's a mini-review. My Sequoia is the base model, so it doesn't have the carbon seat stays, but there have been no problems with the carbon fork or aluminum frame. The junk, horrible, wear out in 500 miles don't know why anyone would buy a bike with that crap on it Sora/Tiagra combination has needed adjustment- twice- and I laid it over hard on the drive train on the third ride. (I'm actually waiting for them to go so I can justify putting 105 on it, but no luck so far  ) The rear tire wore out after about 2000 miles (700x25). The front tire was replaced in the fall before it wore out. The chain wore out after about 2500 miles. Those are aren't unreasonably short life spans and seem to be about what others get on road bikes.

There was one real issue, and that was the rear wheel. It broke spokes 3 times in the first 600 miles. The first two were replaced under warranty. When the third spoke broke the entire wheel was replaced under warranty. It took two days. (There are threads over on RBR about this, but Specialized [and a couple of other makers] got a bad batch of spokes at the end of '05 [ended up in some '05 and '06 bikes]). Since then the rear wheel has had 3100 miles on it without even a truing tweak and it still runs straight. I should say I'm pretty easy on equipment- don't go up curbs, slow down for major surface transitions, steer around potholes, etc. With your weight you might want to consider a 36 spoke Velocity Deep-V for the back, 32 front. (There is a rider on RBR who claims to be over 400lbs. and riding 28 front/32 rear spoke Mavic Cosmos with no problems.)

My overall impression of the Zertz inserts in the fork and handlebars, and the shock absorbing seat post is good. We have some pretty rough roads and trails and I don't get beat up as badly as on a 'true' road bike. I've been wanting to like the Milano saddle, but I finally (today actually) replaced it with a Specialized Avatar. The Milano had nice padding at the sit bones- nice padding everywhere without looking like a 'comfort' seat, but there's too much padding up near the saddle horn for me. On long rides I'd start to get numb 'down there'. If I angled the seat forward to reduce the pressure I'd just start to slip off. It also had rather sharp sides (as opposed to being smoothly rounded like the Avatar and most 'racing' seats) and if ridden without clothes with the proper support, a certain part of the anatomy could get pinched- ouch. (And of course, the idea behind having a seat like that is so you don't have to wear the skin tight gel insert cycling shorts on every ride). 
Anyway, if you're still thinking Sequoia my experiences have been good- even my experience with the warranty end was good. And that was something the dealer told me. Ideally you never have to use the warranty, but Specialized warranty service is the best of all the brands he carries.


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## rhino biker (Nov 28, 2006)

*Thanks!*

Thanks to all who have contributed to this thread. Your comments and advice have been terrific. ~ Jack


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## Padre (Jan 6, 2004)

I had a Specialized Allez Elite.
The bike will handle you. The wheels WILL NOT.
Upgrade those with beefy spokes and solid hubs/wheels and you are golden.


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## xraydog (Jul 16, 2015)

Rhino Biker,

I am your size 6', 275lbs and put about 2500miles on my Specialized Diverge (running 32m tires) without fork problems. I broke a few spokes and had to replace the rear rim recently due to some cracks near the nipples. 

I recently (2 weeks ago) purchased a Sequoia Elite. Haven't had a chance to ride as the weather here in has been terrible for riding (Cold, snow and ice).

Rick D


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## life behind bars (May 24, 2014)

xraydog said:


> Rhino Biker,
> 
> I am your size 6', 275lbs and put about 2500miles on my Specialized Diverge (running 32m tires) without fork problems. I broke a few spokes and had to replace the rear rim recently due to some cracks near the nipples.
> 
> ...


You're replying to a 10 year old post.


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## Darthlindz (Apr 25, 2015)

I ride a 2016 specialized allez and a 2014 crux. Both are great bikes. Being 280 lbs , I just have to watch out for weight limits on wheel sets. But road part groups are a lot stonger than they were in the past.


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