heavy newbie needs advice

Neil1

Hi

Heres my question I 'm about 17.5st and was wondering if what seems to be the norm 700*23 tyres are going to be a prob i.e will they support my weight and if so are they going to punture everytime I hit a bump in the road. If so would something like a Trek Pilot be better with a larger tyre 700*28 but what effect would this have on your speed

Any other suggestions on a bike would be good as well. Want to get fitter and lose some excess poundage so a few hours in the saddle are needed so comfort is important & would like to get up a decent speed willing to spend up to around £700

Thanks

N

hmm just thought lugging around 17st might be hard to get upto a decent speed :oops:

Rich Hcp

Make sure they are well pumped up!

The tyre width won't affect speed enough for you to notice, as the weight falls off you could change anyway.

Go to your Local shop and have a chat about the best type of bike to get, Road or hybrid and take it from there.

The best bike is the you are comfortable with at the right price!

JWSurrey

The tyres and tubes themselves should not be a problem, however as suggested you need to keep them under good pressure to avoid pinch-flats.
32hole or 36hole (36 spoke) wheels will be more durable - I recently had a set of handbuilts with 32H built for my road racing bike - mainly because they're more durable - less likely to go out of true, and give a nice solid (yet strangely pliant) ride.

The higher widths with a larger footprint are better in the wet and slippery conditions - though if you're lightweight you can risk lowering the pressures in your 23c tyres.

Don't forget the 25c option too!

HungryCol

Tyres aren't your problem here although unless you're not used to skinny tyres go for 700 x 25's or 28's.

Last poster was correct on wheel choice. Go for a 32 hole or 36 hole spoke setup. In fact C+ have a good choice of commuter wheels in this months mag which would be fine for the heavier rider on a road bike. I wanted a pair or Mavic MA3's or Mavic Open Sport with 36 spokes. These are really good entry wheels for big folk like me.

Good luck...

e999sam

I was 17 1/2 stone in April this year when I got back on my bike. Since then I have done 1500 miles on a pair of 23mm conti gator skins with no poblems even after hiting a few pot holes with my full weight.

redddraggon

That should manage 17 stone!

vernonlevy

Ypu'd be surprised at what you can do. I'm at least four stones heavier than you and use a Dawes Galaxy with 700 x 28 tyres and Raleigh R100 road bike with 700 x 25 tyres. Untill a moth ago I was riding a 100km Audax every weekend and I'm about to ride from Calais to montpellier starting this weeken cycle camping all the way.

I have shaken a few weekend warriers when they've been unable to shake me off on the flat for five or six miles but sniff a hill and victory is theirs - so yes weight does get in the way but it doesn't get in the way of fun.

Neil1

thanks for the info guys

seeing what people have said and the tyre size not making a lot of diifferents to speed my next query is thou most of the time i,d be on the road there this little voice in my head that wants to see country side and a few dirt tracks not full blown MTB tracks things lke canal sides and worn dirt paths with no car to knock you down!!. I dont want a hybird had one before and always rested hands on bar ends no where near brakes!!!!! So would a Giant SCR Ltd with 26mm tyres handle any different to the specs tricross with the 32mm on these kind of routes I'm leaning towards a tricross as it seems to be built for what i want to do and a good range of gears for when i'm dead on my bike and i.m sure i could moved to smaller tyres/wheels if i really get the tarmac bug but you can a SCR ltd for about £150 cheaper

any one ridden any of these

your thoughts please people

thanks again in advance