heavier riders on factory built wheels

cydonian74

What do people think when it comes to heavier riders (85kg+) riding on factory built wheels?
I see no reason why it shouldn't be viable. Big strong professional's like Backstead/Cancellara et al, both over 84-85kg put out MUCH more power than most (all?) of us mere mortals don't they? So how come it seems that these lightweight wheels are expected to be flimsy under larger riders? Is there something that i am missing? :?:

Slow Downcp

I've never had any issues with my Kysrium Elites and I fall into the 85kg+ bracket (despite efforts not to).

cydonian74

Slow Downcp wrote:

I've never had any issues with my Kysrium Elites and I fall into the 85kg+ bracket (despite efforts not to).

So no rim rub/flexing at all? Broken axles etc?

Slow Downcp

cydonian74 wrote:

Slow Downcp wrote:

I've never had any issues with my Kysrium Elites and I fall into the 85kg+ bracket (despite efforts not to).

So no rim rub/flexing at all? Broken axles etc?

Not that I've noticed. The wheels on my Bianchi (own branded Compenenti) rub when rocking the bike on climbs, but never had the probelm with the Elites. The story may differ with the lighter ES's though.

meanwhile

cydonian74 wrote:

What do people think when it comes to heavier riders (85kg+) riding on factory built wheels?
I see no reason why it shouldn't be viable. Big strong professional's like Backstead/Cancellara et al, both over 84-85kg put out MUCH more power than most (all?) of us mere mortals don't they? So how come it seems that these lightweight wheels are expected to be flimsy under larger riders? Is there something that i am missing? :?:

Just from logic, rather than experience - mightn't it be that pro's expect their race wheels to tweaked/changed at the end of everyday of racing? Pro teams cost a fortune to run, so they can afford to buy expensive and marginal performance advantages.

cydonian74

meanwhile wrote:

cydonian74 wrote:

What do people think when it comes to heavier riders (85kg+) riding on factory built wheels?
I see no reason why it shouldn't be viable. Big strong professional's like Backstead/Cancellara et al, both over 84-85kg put out MUCH more power than most (all?) of us mere mortals don't they? So how come it seems that these lightweight wheels are expected to be flimsy under larger riders? Is there something that i am missing? :?:

Just from logic, rather than experience - mightn't it be that pro's expect their race wheels to tweaked/changed at the end of everyday of racing? Pro teams cost a fortune to run, so they can afford to buy expensive and marginal performance advantages.

Yeah, agreed. But they also wouldn't risk performance compromises. They are so much more powerful for longer periods/situations, then the associated risk of a breakage or failure could be more prevelant? Also the repercussions more wide reaching.

mm1

So no rim rub/flexing at all? Broken axles etc?[/quote]

Most common cause of broken axles is overight q/r's

markos1963

I use Shimano whr550's and I am 85kg and have had no problems at all with mine. I think sometimes certain bits of kit work better with a bit more weight on them.
I was thinking back to a time when I was motorbiking a lot and a bike came out(Suzuki TL1000S). It had a reputation as a bit of a widow maker due to its new suspension system but riders over 14st didn't have any problems with it(me included)

XTCRider

Shimano 105 on mine and I am just under 18stone

cydonian74

XTCRider wrote:

Shimano 105 on mine and I am just under 18stone

The 105 factory built wheels? So you could recommend those to larger riders?

brownbosh

Im now 16.5 but was nearly 20! Mavic open pro 36 spoke builds have been indestructable but only just started to use my kyserium elites again as they went out realy fast when i was heavier.

SteveR_100Milers

I'm 98 Kgs, have been around that weight for 18 months riding FAS RD220's (supposedly flimsy for heavy riders) a pair of Shimano cheapo wheels (Sora?) and recently some Fuclrum R3's.

The FSA's required trueing once (I raced on them all of last season and did 3 sportives as well as 60% training rides). The R3's are simply so stiff I cant get them to felx when riding, and I have broken one front spoke on the shimanos (which are as flexible as a new Visa card). I would add that the R3's are a revelation to ride after the other 2 wheelsets, being far more responsive.

graeme_s-2

markos1963 wrote:

I use Shimano whr550's and I am 85kg and have had no problems at all with mine.

I'm roughly the same weight (maybe a couple of KGs heavier) and have no problems with my WH550s either.

meanwhile

cydonian74 wrote:

meanwhile wrote:

cydonian74 wrote:

What do people think when it comes to heavier riders (85kg+) riding on factory built wheels?
I see no reason why it shouldn't be viable. Big strong professional's like Backstead/Cancellara et al, both over 84-85kg put out MUCH more power than most (all?) of us mere mortals don't they? So how come it seems that these lightweight wheels are expected to be flimsy under larger riders? Is there something that i am missing? :?:

Just from logic, rather than experience - mightn't it be that pro's expect their race wheels to tweaked/changed at the end of everyday of racing? Pro teams cost a fortune to run, so they can afford to buy expensive and marginal performance advantages.

Yeah, agreed. But they also wouldn't risk performance compromises. They are so much more powerful for longer periods/situations, then the associated risk of a breakage or failure could be more prevelant? Also the repercussions more wide reaching.

The time that a wheel might go between maintenance sessions in a pro team - literally a day's riding - is so short that I don't think this argument necessarily applies to wheels that might go months without expert attention. Something might be completely safe for a day without being at all usable over a month.

Other thought: a super light wheel that isn't maintained to pro standards is more likely to become inefficient (due to being squashed out of true) than to hit outright failure.

I just wouldn't try to keep up with the pro's re weight saving - they will literally work at the limit of what is possible, with an unlimited budget for hardware and maintenance.

muthas

I'm about 98KG and 6 ft 6 and have had no probs with my WH550s. I am thinking of upgrading and am considering the Ksyrium SLs, the Fulcrum 1s or the Dura Ace. I'm wondering though whether the extra expense is actually worth it. Will they actually get me up hills any quicker than the WH550s?