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Overweight middleweights

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Production bikes built now all have robotically laced wheels. They never stay true. Never properly tensioned, and the spokes will loosen up as they seat in and you've got a wobbly wheel.

Most human-built wheels will stay true for a long time, no matter the spoke guage, as long as they're built right.

I've built wheels for klunkers that get beat to hell on trails, motorized bikes that get raced on go kart tracks at speeds of 45-50mph, bar-hopping beach cruisers that get seriously mistreated, and the only time they get tweaked is from hitting curbs, rocks, and other immovable objects.

Even with alloy wheels and 15g spokes.

Junky rear hubs, and hubs that aren't maintained are a big problem, especially with those that are, uh, on the huskier side.

Riding style is a major factor, too. If you're a big guy and never get off the seat, you're crushing the bike over potholes, curbs, etc. Gotta learn to unweight yourself and glide.
 
I don't think the brand or frame has anything to do with this...Pedals, seat, rims will give up before the frame. How many fat people have collapsed a frame? (That would be hilarious to watch however) Some folks get by with lighter duty stuff on the same trails/applications from being smoother riders and thus easier on the bike. Maybe real fatties should look into downhill mountain biking parts?

I have taken bottle brackets apart at 200 more than 250 or even 300. My legs do that.
 
I'm 240 and never had a problem with any of my old school bikes, I don't have anything newer than 70's and certainly no made in China Walmart crap. I did put a set of heavy gauge spoke wheels off a Schwinn tandem on my Schwinn middleweight panther because it has that "heavy duty" look and ya know, just in case.
 
Seats & seat clamps. That is the most common weak point I've found on older bikes.

I routinely ride 70+ year old wheels that have been rebuilt with all original components. I just make sure spokes are tensioned & not bound up and nipples are lubed. I might break a spoke every other year or so.


New bikes (80's & up) are a completely different story. You get what you pay for!
 
Reminds me of the time I saw a fairly substantial High wheel rider attempt a track stand in front of a large group of oglers. Potato chipped rim, I think is the term! How embarrassing.
 
I don't think the brand or frame has anything to do with this...Pedals, seat, rims will give up before the frame. How many fat people have collapsed a frame? (That would be hilarious to watch however) Some folks get by with lighter duty stuff on the same trails/applications from being smoother riders and thus easier on the bike. Maybe real fatties should look into downhill mountain biking parts?
They make fat bikes! A skinny dude on a fatty looks little......a fat dude on a fatty looks proportionate!
 
At 5'8" and 175 lbs ergonomics have never been important to me. On every one of my MW's and HW's I run the stem down all the way and get the seat as low as possible. Sometimes I will mount the seat directly to the seat tube and bypass the post. This drops the seat about another 2"....Just a look I like and am comfortable with. When I see a bike with the seat post way up and the bars all high it's like looking at a convertible with the windows up.
 
Standard spoke Wal Mart bikes are rated to 175lbs.
Bike Shop Bikes (brand Name) 225-240.
However you'll notice Kmart, & Wal Mart have started using Heavy duty
spokes on their Cruiser bikes in response to warranty issues.
I'd guess a standard spoke Schwinn would easily accommodate a rider to 250+
Wheels and pedals being the weakest points.
I've had several HEAVY people break the seats on the newer cheap bikes; 1 with very bad results.
This reminds me of an episode of BikeMan4U where he's railing about the rim on a new "Schwinn" that crapped out. If an American company built something like this, the product liability lawyers would sue them out of business. Do the big box stores just pay settlements as part of their overhead?
 
I am 6'1 and was at 230 and found no problem with a repop Phantom or a 1961 middle weight Schwinn Hornet. I also had a Sport Tour and a few others.
 
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