sideshow

I'm pushing 300 pounds and from what I hear all the light weight bikes won't hold up to that. My question then is, should my best option be a 27" steel wheel bike from the 70's or 80's? I picked up a minty 1982 schwinn world sport, it's heavy, but American made, fully lugged frame, decent components (not high end) bike rides well and seems solid. I just tuned it up and new tires and tubes. Is this a fairly good route to go for a road bike, or should I sell it and get something better. I do like vintage bikes, they have character that the new ones don't.

gman214

Start looking online or visit "A FEW" LBS to get an idea of the bikes you're thinking about purchasing. Look thru the online owners' manuals or site for max weight. My bike has a maximum capacity of 355 lb...I'm at 325, it rides great!

Null66

Nice find!
If you like it, and it speaks to you go for it!


Braking can be an issue with steel wheels. I know (back in the 80's) that chrome and rain and friction don't mix...

However, they have MUCH better brake pads. koolstops work better then stock. I've read swissstops are an option. Perhaps over in classics and vintage or bicycle mechanic someone would have direct experience with steel wheels and newer brake pad material...

NaturalFork

I am 250 pounds and have a mint 1982 world sport!!!! I love this bike. It is my lightest bike (feels light to me). However I keep breaking spokes on the rear wheel. Not sure what the deal is. As far as the frame and other components go .. they have held up great.

The wheels on mine are alloy though ...

Big Pete 1982

If you like vintage bikes, by all means continue with what you've got. But don't be afraid of new bikes because of your weight. I was 330lbs when I started riding my Cannondale CAAD10. I had a few spoke issues, but since I got better wheels, I've never had any problems.

MRT2

No, steel wheeled bikes are not the answer. Just because the bike is heavy doesn't mean it is made for a heavy rider. If you like old school vintage bikes, that is fine, but steel wheels are not as safe or as responsive as aluminum alloy wheels, and you can build alloy wheels to hold your weight.

Your world sport weighs 34 lbs, which was frankly, heavy even for 1982. Find a good road bike from just a few years later, and you are in the 25 or 26 lb range, because of the aluminum alloy wheels and cro moly frames, instead of the cheap hi tensile steel frame of the world sport. One more data point. Just for the heck of it, I weighed my 1994 Trek 930 mountain bike. It weighs 27 lbs.

these days, you can get an entry level road bike that weighs 21 to 23 lbs. Modern hybrids go from 24 to 27 lbs. Full touring bikes with front and rear racks built for loaded touring weigh 28 to 29 lbs. Even dual sport bikes with wide tires and lockout suspensions weigh less than 30 lbs. You can set up any of these to handle 300 lbs.

MRT2

Once you start breaking spokes, you need to consider either rebuilding the wheel with all new spokes, or replacing the wheel. I went through this on my first hybrid. The bike shop chose the former approach, and I didn't have a problem since.

mkadam68

You were told wrong.

+1

Little Darwin

I don't ride a road bike, but I would avoid steel wheels simply because as big riders we need good braking, you can't get that as well with steel wheels. I weigh well over 300 and have ridden virtually nothing but aluminum rims for several thousand miles.

EDIT: Forgot the most important point... find some good wheels with aluminum rims for your bike if you like it otherwise.

gunner65

My 300# riding buddy rides this:

Specialized Bicycle Components

I checked his wheels at about 500 miles and they are still true. It is completely stock excpet for the saddle. Im not advocating this particular bike but I am advocating that you do not have to limit yourself to a heavy steel bike. Modern steel frames made with higher quality steel can be fairly light as well. I think my Salsa Casseroll build came out to about 24lbs or so.

Crash_N_Carry

It isn't true. I have two bikes, one is a 2005 Raleigh Grand Prix and a 2013 Specialized Rockhopper.

The Grand Prix is an aluminum frame with a "cheap" Chinese carbon fork that it came with from the factory. The wheels aren't stock (they're Mavic Kysyrium's) though. I had to replace the wheels three years ago when the spokes broke on the rear wheel. They broke not really because of my weight; at the time I was around 230lbs. They broke because of two factors: one, back in 2005 there was a run of bad spokes on the Alexrims wheels the bike originally came with, and two, the bike sat unused for a few years in an unheated garage and the spokes had some corrosion on them that didn't do them any favors. To put that in perspective, I ended up having to also replace the shifters on it since them being unused for so long deformed the internal parts with the tension I had left on it.

Unfortunately my weight has not only gone down but also up to the highest I've ever been in my life (285), mainly because of some health issues I've had including knee surgery. I'm finally able to ride again and the Grand Prix doesn't complain. I've ridden it on some of the worst roads that Boston has to offer too.

My Rockhopper is for all intensive purposes, bone stock. It's holding up well under my weight and doesn't complain, but ironically I'm having one issue with that that I never had with my Grand Prix. The Rockhopper has a suspension fork and it isn't rated to hold someone of my weight, so I have to keep it locked all the time. Beyond that though it's a great bike.

donalson

as said there are plenty of options out there for guys our size... my road bike is a 31 year old lugged steel trek crit racing frame build up with late 90's parts... runs plush 32c tires (the one thing that so many modern frames just can't do), I would prefer a bit more relaxed geometry but that is just my own preference.

also as mentioned a good modern wheelset will be plenty strong if build up and the spec is right, light weight rims with minimal spokes isn't going to last under girth but a strong rim with good spokes and well built will last and last

veerod82

When I first contacted my LBS about my weight and what I was looking for they had no concern about me Riding a road bike. I was looking at the Allez, but they suggested the Secteur due to not riding a bike in a while. I bought the 2013 Specialized Sport Disc and haven't had any issues. Just hit 1800 miles. I am at 315# 5'11 .

gunner65

Nice bike I like the relaxed geometry.

dagray

I am down to about 370 at 6'3" and at the 380 mark tried out a Raleigh road bike (aluminum) that was very light and it rode like a dream.... I just don't have the $950.00 as disposable income right now. I ride my 30 year old Centurion Le Mans with factory rims and a new (last years model) Raleigh Talus 29er with which I pull a Burley trailer with my four year old (will be four on 21st of May) and camera gear inside. I have not upgraded my rims in any way shape or form.