ban guzzi

Is it possible? I'm a large fella tipping in at about 265 and dropping. So far, all bike shops tell me the carbon Colnagos/DeRosas' won't hold up under me. That's fine!

I'm a commuter/fun rider type person. I won't likely commute on it but would take it out for fun or work in nice weather.

I really want to know if a vintage or classic frame would be acceptable for my weight? I just love how those bikes look and the details in the frames and forks. I get all pie-eyed whenever I see any Colnago or DeRosa...

Any help for Clydes like me?

I'm new to this kind of thing.

SoreFeet

New or retro depends. You would want to look for Clolumbus SP tubing or oversized reynolds 531 tubing. There are plenty of other good bikes better than Colnago or DeRosa...Not all those old brand names mean much anymore. They are outsourced junky frames.

The high end frames of yesterday and today can probably give you the strength you need. Do a google search for Raleigh International Columbus Zona.

That was a limited production frame. They have now switched to aluminum. The Zona steel is very thick and stiff tubing. Great for a clyde.

Citoyen du Monde

Weight on its own is not the disqualifier, as many experienced smooth clydesdales can be less damaging on a bike that certain lightweights. I saw Ernesto Colnago personally fit a fellow of your size for a C50, so he must not rule it out. Bikes from the pre-1985 period will work well for you, as the bikes were still quite overbuilt at teh time and weight wasn't the sales feature it has now become.

ridethecliche

You could probably get a cross frame setup as a roadie. Cross frames are hella tough.

pastorbobnlnh 

I hate that term, "Clydes." It makes me think of the dirty horses stuck in their pastures that I pass every day on the way to the church. While I weigh nearly as much as you do (and at times in my life weighed more), we're not equines stuck out in the field waiting for the next time farmer Messer hitches us up to the hay rake or maple sugar sled.

Now with that out of the weigh (sic), a vintage steel frame will serve you well. I've yet to cause damage to any of my 46-29 year old steel framed bikes and the roads here in the NH mountains are rough and bumpy. Of course it is a challenge to bend or break an electro forged Schwinn.

Vintage is your best value. Now, if you are hoping to have 10 gears in the rear with brifters out front, you could go with a modern steel frame bike, custom made to fit you perfectly. It will cost you several Gs.

SingeDebile

if you were looking at carbon then it sounds like you may have the money for a custom.... which would be well worth it (assuming you can afford it), built to fit you like a glove and strong enough so that youll never have to worry. If you are willing to have it tig welded a nice custom would start around $1200 or $1600 for a lugged.

ban guzzi

cool! Thanks for the replys!
I'm after vintage frames. I don't have thousands for carbon and don't really want one. Looking for lugged steel and was wondering about old Colnago frames.
I'n new as I said so really spending time looking at old/odd bikes. Still really like the DeRosas and Colnagos.

Thanks for info on tubing sets to keep an eye out for.

Anything I should be aware of with these older frames? Colnago specifically.

PastorB: I love my Schwinn! Three speeds and and blue. Looking to rehab it this winter and get it set up for in town and farmers markets with baskets. I've watched your posts and I'm glad there are other people who love these old road tanks..!

Picchio Special

How sad. While to some extent I get your point, I couldn't disagree with your "dirty horses" comment more. Work horses are magnificent animals, and worthy of respect. Which around here, at least, they get. Maybe it's not the draft horses that are "stuck."

monogodo

When I weighed myself this morning, the scale read 233#. I own & ride a Colnago frame built with Columbus SL tubing. It holds up under me just fine.

I am, however, a very "light" rider, as Citoyen du Monde mentioned. I have never had a pinch flat, and my wheels rarely go out of true.

purevl

You beat me too it, I was going to post almost the exact same thing. I'm a Clydesdale myself at 225, and i bear it as a mark of honour. The Clydesdale is a magnificent beast, beautiful in its rugged way and incredibly strong. From the Wiki:

"Clydesdales are noted for grace and versatility; they can stand as tall as 18 hands (1.8 meters or 6 feet) in height and up to one ton (2,000 pounds) in weight. A Clydesdale has a large head with somewhat convex profile(a Roman-nose) small ears, large, dark eyes and a heavy forelock. The neck is short and slightly arched, the chest deep, the shoulders heavy and well-muscled. The back is short, the withers clearly defined, and the rump presents a well-muscled and distinctively rounded silhouette. The legs should be long and strong with characteristically large hoof size, being at least twice the diameter of those of a light riding horse, such as a Thoroughbred.

The characteristic action of a Clydesdale is demonstrated at a trot. Despite its large size, the Clydesdale presents with an energetic quality described by the Clydesdale Horse Society as "gaiety of carriage and outlook.""

I can identify with that, I'd much rather be a clyde than a wimpy thoroughbred

FlatFender

i was up around 280lbs last summer. at the time I was riding a very light nishiki (no idea what the model was) while it was a great bike, it was a bit like trying to ride a wet noodle.
I now ride an 82' Schwinn Voyageur S/P which is a little heavier, but its much stiffer under my weight ( did i mention i am down to 247lbs?!!! w00t!)

pastorbobnlnh 

I'm not trying to pick a fight. I was very specific about the horses to which I was referring;

I'm speaking of Farmer Messer's horses (which are Belgiums, BTW). His horses are dirty. And yes, I do drive past them every day, sometimes more than once, so I know what they look like.

But my point is that a cyclist is a cyclist regardless of their weight, their height, their physical condition, their speed, their mechanical ability, or the type of bicycle they ride. We don't need a special designation for cyclists, just because a person weighs more than 200 pounds.

We have a couple of regular C&V members who ride very small framed bicycles because they are under ___ inches tall. We don't call him/her a "Pony" (or substitute any descriptive word you choose), just because they stopped growing and are less than ___ inches tall.

Walter

I own and ride Reynolds 531, Columbus SL, Vitus 888 and Columbus Gilco (Colnago Master with shaped tubing) frames and have weighed towards the wrong side of 250. I've dropped weight but still meet the BF definition of "Clyde" (Forgive me, Pastor Bob) and have never had a frame problem.

The frames range from the 1970s (Vitus and 531) through the 80s (Columbus) into the 90s (Gilco). You could also add in a modern tig welded LeMond of Reynolds 853. Wheels are more an issue than the frame when it comes to bodyweight unless you are looking at some esoteric stuff.

clipped

I'm within a few pounds of you and tend to ride 70s-80's steel these days. Really like my 531 Austro-Daimler, but found a 531 Masi I once owned a bit on the whippy side under my weight. It felt like a suspension bike the way it soaked up bumps but when sprinting it would load up and spring. Had I opted for 631 or higher I might have been happier but the geometry was an issue too. A frame with enough clearance to keep my heels from smacking the chainstays and with enough clearance for 28 or 32 tires is really good. Even a less expensive steel frame with tires of that size can ride nicely. I stay away from modern weight weenie wheels and carbon. Snapping off a titanium spindle pedal once was enough pain to teach me that training and form can do more. Have fun.

barndoor

I don't think the frame is as much an issue as the wheels....

Get yourself a real nice set of strong wheels built up to hold your weight and you should be good to go...

N8t

I'm a CLyde too and I'm riding a Colnago Dream. It feels strong as hell under me but all of the talk about weight limits and frame fatigue have got me paranoid. Any thoughts?

jr59

^^THIS^^^

Spoken for truth right here.

DMC707

They lied

CliffordK

(oops, we jumped a few years here )

Your first choice is used vs new.

Some companies have extremely good warranty support for bikes bought new. I'm not sure Colnago is one of them.

A used frame may be 1/4 or less the cost of a new frame, so you could buy several for the cost of the new frame.

Interesting thought about vintage. I think Colnago started lightening their frames with the transition from the Colnago Super to the Colnago Mexico, and later Master lines. So a 1970's or early 80's Colnago Super might be a good choice. Of course alloys did change too.

While a complete Colnago can be in excess of $1000, good used frames start around $500 or so, more or less. It is a chunk of change, bit wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if one was to wear out. If you're only doing light riding on the weekends, it may well last you for decades.

Wheel and tire choice may be a bigger issue, and also related to your bike choice. You may select 28mm tires. Unfortunately not all modern frames will take a 700x28 tire. That may also be a good reason to look at vintage frames that often have slightly more tire clearance.

I'd probably select a "modern" rim (better alloys, stronger profile) with 36 spokes. Butted?

CliffordK

Keep riding and enjoying it. Is that an aluminum frame?

If it wears out, get something new and better.

DMC707

There's Clydes , and then there are "Super Clydes" -- i think the Super Clyde territory starts at about 3 bills ---

I think an aluminum frame (is yours full aluminum, or the model with the carbon stays?) would serve anybody in regular Clyde territory well, with periodic close inspection for cracks at the bottom bracket and head tube area

By aluminum, i mean something built sturdy like your Colnago, i wouldnt expect an old bonded aluminum Viner to hold up as well

Over 3 bills and maybe steel starts looking like a more attractive option ---- shoot, my carbon Cannondale has a 315 lb suggested weight limit too -- and weight limits for bikes are a bit like weight limits you see on ladders at the hardware store, -- it says 250 lb weight limit, but roofers run up and down the things all day long with 2 bundles of shingles thrown over their shoulder

DMC707

Colnago and DeRosa are "grail bikes" for many for sure -

I have been looking for a Colnago for a while now , -- and have even asked the peanut gallery here about a frame or two over the last few months

But along the way of looking for a Colnago, i found a couple of excellent deals recently on a Pinarello frameset and a Bottecchia frameset

The Pinarello has carbon stays, but the main frame is built with super thin and oversized steel tubing --- its one of my definitions of what a modern classic is. --- Was one of Pinarello's flagship models before carbon took over about 10 years ago



And i dont even know why i bought the Pinarello as i dont need it, but the bike i am excited about is this Bottecchia, -- In Italy they are roughly equivalent to what Trek or Schwinn is here- meaning they make bikes at all levels.
But their flagship Professional line is nice --- this one is a CroMor Professional frame. It is a light stiff tubeset, but not as light as SL or SLX, so it doesnt carry the same price tag ---- this i got for a song and i plan to build it up with a modern drivetrain.

A CroMor or Thron tubed bike has limited appeal to hardcore collectors, but as a driver for someone like us (I'm a Clydesdale too) - the characteristics the skinny people don't like are perfect - meaning a really tight stiff ride, so i wouldnt overlook a bike with a lower priced tubeset . Normally a quick tell is an SL or SLX tubeset has a braze on front derailleur clamp, while Thron, Cromor, Aelle etc use a clamp on front derailleur

-- So while a CroMor Bottecchia with a modern Shimano drivetrain may not have much snob appeal, it will still be one of the coolest bikes at any given local race or club ride (unless its a L' Eroica event or something like that )




There's lots more out there --- I got a nice deal on this late 80's Ciocc --- i originally wanted to do the same thing to it as i am proposing to do to the Bottecchia -- modernize it so it is more fun to ride --- downtube shifters become tiresome quickly when you have a belly -- modern brakes and compact drivetrains are awesome too
-- but the bike was too nice and "put together" to modernize it, --- so it has gone largely unridden for years until i took a spin on it and realized how much i love Italian steel bikes -- that short spin is largely what influenced my recent purchase of the 2 above




Other classics would include Schwinn's PAramount lineup, and any Waterford is a modern classic as well
tough to make out the fine details on a black frame with not great light, but my track bike has beautiful workmanship on a lugged 753 Reynolds frame --- not state of the art compared to the modern carbon superbikes out there in track land, but since i have quite a few pounds to lose myself, i can never blame a poor performance on my bike -- It will still do all that i am capable of doing




Good luck with the search --

In addition to the brands i mentioned above, -- Others to look at would be Moser, Gios, Guerciotti, Casati, Cilo, Eddy Merckx, Olmo, Serotta, Tommassini, Torelli, Rossin, MAsi (but no later than mid 90's MAsi) , - and even some under-appreciated domestic favorites, like the Centurion IronMan's and lugged steel Specialized Allez's from the mid 80's to mid 90's ---

Other italian bikes that are in the same vein as the Bottecchia can be nice -- Torpado made nice stuff, as did Battaglin

There are quite a few more than that
- If one gets hung up on one or 2 brand names like DeRosa or Colnago, you want miss a screaming deal on something else --- and many of the brands i mentioned are the equal of a Colnago or a DeRosa

HAve fun looking !

thinktubes 

Zombie vs. Newbie

N8t

Thanks man! I appreciate your encouragement. I am around 250 and would probably be considered fit around 200. I'm hoping to get town to 225-ish and call it good. I sure would love to keep my Colnago around for a long time because it feels good. I had a Bianchi Martini Racing aluminum and I broke it below the top part of the headset almost immediately. Had the stem changed and I felt a snap the very next day. I have a hunch that the headset was overtightened, but it COULD be that I was too heavy for the bike, and/or the bike was worn out in that section of the frame. But just a few rides and I was hooked on the feel and the sexy Italian style of light aluminum racing frames, so I went after a better quality racing frame and now here we are. It never occurred to me before a few days ago and much paranoid web surfing that since professional racers are all medium-sized dudes, the bikes might just be trimmed down accordingly. But shouldn't a high performance racing bike be even tougher than a more average frame? I do figure that my Colnago is well-made because it cost a lot in its day and it's still here looking just about brand new. Thanks again for the feedback and let me know if you have any other thoughts about my big dude - Italian aluminum racing frame combo.

N8t

THANKS! yes, it is an all-aluminum frame. There is nothing better! (paint job-wise, that is)
I appreciate your feedback.