Sllab

I am also heavy, can endorse what others say regarding the frames and ancillaries being strong enough. Problem is wheels, nickthewheelbuilder on this site can sort you out with a set that will hold up. I have broken loads of wheels - found a solution that I really love in a Silverback Double scoop Fatbike. It can go anywhere a 29er can and the wheels have a 200kg weight limit. Mine has 2 x 10, so there is always a low enough gear for serious uphills to keep the heart rate in check.

My 2c worth - I have owned Trek and Specialized, currently have a Cannondale Rush, a single speed build on a Momsen STR29 and a Silverback double scoop fat bike. I weigh in at anything from 105 to 125 kg over the years, depending on the status of my food addiction. . I am also an ex track rider and power lifter, so I tend to put a lot of power into the frames - not that my power to weight ratio is brilliant, just that I have to pedal hard to get my fat ass up the hills, but it does mean that I go like hell on the downhills and put a lot of stress into the bikes like that. I have not had frame issues with any of them, but wheel issues are a common problem. I have found Mavic and Roval rims to be fantastic, even when I am hammering downhills on a hardtail. My dual suspension Cannondale has a set of Kore Realm 27.5 internal width hoops and they have taken a lot of abuse without any issues at all. My advice to you would be make sure that the wheels are at least 32 spoke and have a decent weight rating (Check this on the wheel manufacturers website before buying a new bike, quite a few of the well known rims max out at 90kg rider weight, or 105kg all up weight, including the bike). You can also get a good robust wheel set from Nick Krul at wheelbuilder.co.za (Nickthewheelbuilder on this forum, I think?) - he understands us larger guys and the challenges we bring to MTB, he also has a good price range on wheel sets. The custom Kore Realm mentioned earlier was a budget wheel set, built on shimano XT hubs. I have done over 6000km on them without even having to true them. The original rims on the Cannondale lasted less than 2000km, before terminally pancaking after breaking spokes on 3 previous occasions. Of course, if your goal is overall fitness and fun, not being a race snake, the Silverback fatbike has a wheel weight limit of 200kg, with the 80mm width rims and 4" tyres. My fatbike is my "go to" training machine, it seems to be nearly indestructible. I hope this helps a bit - I agree with the earlier comments that any decent modern frame with enough of the seat post in the frame should be fine, just watch out for the wheels!

Hi Duane. I started from scratch a few years ago, worked up to 8x Half Ironman events. Had similar problems, but I am in my 50’s now( us old farts take longer to adjust) - nevertheless, spend thousands on medical advice, fitted shoes, orthotics etc. The specialist I went to for orthotics told me that although the muscles and lungs acclimatize quickly, it can take up to 2 years for joints and bones to adjust. Especially for long term cyclists, as cycling is not a load bearing exercise. Long and the short of it is as you said - take it very easy. I went to a specialist coach, started with 7 minutes running, 5 minutes walking for 40 minutes. Gradually brought the walking down by 1 minute per week, based on 3 runs a week until I was running the entire 40 minutes. Then started pushing the 40 minutes up, but by no more than 10% a week. Was a bit frustrating, but it worked.

Hi Philip. I wish I could find an LBS that demonstrates trustworthiness like yours. Re fitting the parts - only OEM parts from Chain Reaction Cycles. Fitted with the OEM workshop manual and tools, to their specifications. Always with a torque wrench. I dont charge other people for my services I only work on my bikes - if I mess it up, I bleed. No ones fault except mine. The key moment was this- saved up my cash for a long time to buy my first double susser - eventually got a Cannondale Rush 2. Had issues with the suspension right off the bat. Took back to the LBS, watched him tighten all the linkages FT. Told me to ride it. Issues persisted, took it back 3 times. Every time, linkages were “loose”, tightened up by the owner. Qualified mechanic, owner of the shop. When it eventually failed, I took it apart - none of the bearings were properly lubed, seals had cracked. Caps that were tightened FT had damaged the bearing races and were destroyed. LBS answer, backed up by Cannondale? Oops. Maybe we should have checked - warranty? No way. Service fault, lots of finger pointing, no action. This is a guy who has Cannondale, Trek and Merida agency. He doesn't have a torque wrench in the shop - I asked. BTW - tighten the bolts on your 100k carbon frame bike without a torque wrench and watch the cracks happen. Wont happen on my 20k aluminium frame - the more cutting edge your equipment, the more critical the service accuracy is.

Hi Jewbacca I seem to have caused a furore. Apologies if I have offended anyone, just happened to be a pet hate of mine. To your questions - yes I do all of my own servicing. I build my own bikes, wheels, etc. do all the servicing. I am a qualified engineer, not a qualified mechanic. But, respectfully, the difference is that I dont charge other people for service work. If I cock it up, I bleed. No ones fault but my own.

Really? Either one is qualified or one is not. There is no narrow view or otherwise. There is an objective standard which most bicycle ”mechanics” dont meet. Or are tested to, or are certified at. Period. Like all things in life though, let the user beware - if you are happy with what you get, that is just fine. I dont say ALL mechanics are not certified, but I have yet to see a certificate for one. I have yet to experience work that I trust, but that is just me. Look earlier in the conversation- one person is an aircraft mechanic. Bet your life (and you do, when you fly on an aircraft he has maintained) that he is trained, tested, certified, retested etc. No narrow view there - just an objective standard which he is certified to. Period. Like all people who work on safety critical equipment should be.

Agreed. Most of the cretins working in a bike shop dont have a formal qualification. The owner of our local, a supposedly qualified mechanic ( dont know how, he has done no trade or apprenticeship, has no certification), has no torque wrench or torque tables. He hires 4 other mechanics who are also “qualified”. No trade papers, of course. I have sat and watched them work - no standard procedure, no torque wrenches, no pre and post inspection, no double checks on work done, no paper trail. Nothing. They have some skills, certainly, and they know some tricks of the trade. Certified? Qualified? To work on your R100k machine SAFELY?? Almost certainly not. Look at it this way - would you let someone who is not a certified mechanic work on the brake system of your wifes/son/daughter/SO’s car? Highly unlikely-but if the brakes on your MTB fail at 60kph and toss you into a rock garden, the result could easily be fatal. South Africa has only has an NQF standard for a bicycle mechanic since 2018 and it is supposed to be a 3 year course from what I can make out. So, the first properly qualified people can only qualify next year - go figure. So - firstly apologies for the long rant. Secondly, educate yourself and insist on proper work standards, job cards and proof of work done. Personally, I wont let the mechanics at my LBS (which is top of the range, supposedly) wash my bike, let alone work on it. If they cannot be careful enough not to scratch it, they are certainly not good enough to work on it (btw, scratched and damaged by them previously, due to laziness and incompetence). LBS is just a source of parts I cant get over the internet.

Looks like the top of that crack is following the weld to a certain degree - this would indicate that there is either heat damage or some kind of damage to the actual crystalline structure of the material. This is generally caused by an overheated weld during the manufacture process and is irreparable - the problem that you have is that there's damage to the structure of the material. It could be welded up again, but you will further weaken the structure of the material in a very high stress area. So, there is a chance of a catastrophic failure the next time, which could be really painful. If you have a choice, replace the part. Much, much safer.

I believe you are OK with up to 4 in check in baggage. Here is the link to the IATA regulation : https://www.iata.org/whatwedo/cargo/dgr/Documents/DGR-60-EN-2.3a.pdf

I have had quite a bit of experience with new bike wheels breaking spokes. I am 105 kg, ex track rider, dont do a lot of highly technical riding or drop offs. Haven't yet ridden a factory wheel that hasn't popped spokes pretty quickly( Cannondale and Merida), certainly within the first 1000km or so I expect 2-3 broken spokes, mostly back wheel, some fronts too. Like you, I could not get a decent explanation but when I measured spoke tensions on the undamaged wheels, they were all over the place, as much as a 20kg pull difference from spoke to spoke. Long story short, spoke to the local wheelbuilders and their advice was that the spokes used in the factory build are not always brilliant and the wheels are machine built, so problems can and do happen, especially with riders near the weight limit of the wheel. I decided to put this to the test - rebuilt the wheels with the existing rims and hubs, but with double butted spokes from Rapide. Set the spoke tensions to manufacturers spec, about 120kg as I recall. Got to within 0.1mm runout radially and axially, measured with vernier. Then rode the wheels for 8 months over the same tracks with the same group - no problems. So my take on this is that factory wheels give problems, regardless of the make. This is only my experience and I am a heavy guy riding R30k range bikes, so I am sure that lots of lighter guys out there / people riding more expensive wheelsets have different experiences - this is my experience over 4 bikes in the last 6 odd years.

From a design perspective the rule of thumb for an M5 thread would be 5 to 10mm of engagement for secure fastening. So, if the spacer is 5mm wide and the original bolts have been used, it would seem that the original designer allowed for something of the order of 7mm engagement. Aggravating factor is the fact that you are screwing a steel thread into an aluminium body, which is weaker than steel on steel. Long story short - thats a dangerous setup. Get longer bolts asap - you can get them from most specialist shops in stainless steel that are more than adequate for the job. Would suggest 5mm more thread than you currently have.

Hi all. Two issues - firstly, any product that CoolHeat import is guaranteed to be late, wrong, and a rip off. They are the Shimano agents and they just milk it - have tried over many years to work with them, they are a major problem. Secondly, Aramex offer a UK forwarding service. So you have an account with them, you send your overseas purchases to Aramex in the UK. They forward to you via Aramex couriers. You will pay VAT and import duties, but as far as CRC and others are concerned, they are shipping to the UK......

Rode their sprint locking pedals on the track for 3 years. Prior to using them, broke 2 sets of Looks whilst sprinting. The Keywins were absolutely fantastic. No issues at all.

Ask for James at the Specialized store just outside Stellenbosch. He is absolutely brilliant and will see you right. Dealt with him for a long time in Centurion, he has been at the Specialized store down there for nearly a year now.

You may want to check your setup, as Vetseun says. If your saddle is too far forwards, and your knee is too far forward, it can cause some pain. Cleat position affects this, as per Vetseun. Do some researcba about your setup. Also, try to keep your cadence above 80 and your loads light until it clears.

Damn right Chris! Plan to ride for at least another 30 years! Fatbike with a Bogus painted frame is next, single speed????. Doesnt matter how we ride, as long as we ride!

Seem to have caused some consternation here????. For completeness, I am 1.82 tall and I ride a large frame Cannondale. 740mm from centre of crank to top of saddle, 530mm from nose of saddle to front of handlebar. That said, it is a 785 wide bar with 35mm stem. As an old guy, I cant ride low and stretched out like the youngsers - back, neck and shoulders cant take it. I used to ride the same bike with a 670 bar and 110 stem (As it came from Cannondale new) and it killed me. So I went with the wide bar / short stem route to take weight off the lower back and wrists. The original question was about going to a wide bar and what the effect was - I reckon that my experiment was pretty extreme and it works well. Im sure that the original poster can find a happy medium somewhere inbetween my sit up and beg style and a flat racing style - depends on his body type I guess.

ChrisF and Patensie - agree 100%. Its a very individual thing, depends on how you want to ride, what your specific body shape is etc. I should have added that Im an old fart at 51, so that also plays a role. But you have to start somewhere - I do agree that a pro fitment is best. Not everyone has that privilege though, so some rough guides is the bet that I can offer. Mind you, I think I own 5 different length MTB stems though.......????

Had an issue with bar width when I got into MTB a year ago. Did an awful lot of research, paid for bike fitting etc. finally got it down to a couple of points.(I have a broken neck and other issues that make a good bar width absolutely essential) Firstly, bar width relates to shoulder width. I found that doing a comfortable pushup gives a good indication of required width. Do a pushup with a tape measure between your hands. Distance between the outside your hands approximates a good bar width for comfortable width. Second issue is the stem length. Assuming your seating position is good for you, a good start position relies on the nose of the saddle. Put the point of your elbow on the nose of the saddle, extend your arm and hand towards the handlebar. The furthest point you can reach with your fingertip whilst keeping your elbow in contact with the saddle nose is where your handlebar should be. Sounds a bit simple, but its about a good seating position that keeps your hands, back and neck in the most stable and comfortable position. I went from 640mm bars and 90mm stem to 780 bars and a 35mm stem. Also no more hand and back pain.

Just FYI, Shimano makes two types of MTB cleats for spd pedals. One type (SH51)comes out with a sideways motion only, the other (SH56)will release with sideways or angled upwards motion. Makes it a lot easier, especially when you are a bit nervous. I have been riding for 25 years and changed to the SH56, they are much, much better. Might make using your clipless a bit easier.