Will I Kill It???????????

Bubblehead08

I have a brand new Lapierre Zesty 214 sat in my living room and it hasn't moved in about two months now!!!! It's tyres are as black, clean and intact as they were when I bought it.

The problem is that the owners manuel instructs that the upper weight limit for a rider is approximately 15.7 stone and at the moment (despite taking off half a stone) I am still just over 18 stone - so that's an excess of about 2.5 stone!

Now my road bike has the same weight limit and I have ridden that with no issues but obviously I'm not bouncing over rocks and off drops on that.

My question is...... how exact are these weight limits? Are they there, largely, to try and prevent civil litigation? And finally, how much should I lose before taking it out?

I'm desperate to get it dirty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

cat_with_no_tail

I had no idea that they put a weight limit on the Zestys, that's a bit ghey!

In response to your question though, I would sincerely doubt you'd break it. The max weight might refer more to shock settings or something perhaps?

mossmotorsport

I have recently bought a Specialized FSR XC - and the owners manual states a recommended maximum weight of 100kg. I'm 115kg (was 122kg in November) and I've never had any problems. I ride loads of trail centre stuff, and can't see my weight damaging the bike. I'm loosing weight slowly but surely, but I suspect your better made Lapierre should hold out just fine.

blister pus

you sure that's not just the upper weight limit for the wheels that come standard with the bikes

AndyOgy

Where abouts are you? I weigh a little under 13 stone, and I'd be delighted to get it dirty for you.

joshtp

well... they didn't earn the name snappy Lappy for nowt ya know!





seriously though, it should be fine.

pilsburypie

Ride it like you stole it....... If it breaks take it back to the shop and say you bought it for your 10 stone son and want it replaced under warranty.

weescott

Don't use your weight as an excuse not to ride it. What's the worst that could happen? You break it, Lapierre come round your house, strip you naked and weigh you?

cooldad

You will kill it and then you will die.

There are worse ways to go.

mak3m

wtf there are weight limits on bikes!!!!!!!!

whoa i must have a tank of a gt cos i aint shy in a cake shop and thrash around all over :P

MountainMonster

Weight limit is most likely a cheeky sad attempt for them to not have to give out warranty frames or parts. They are known for snapping, but I suspect you will be fine!

They normally put stuff like that in as a "if you break it and want it fixed but we don't want to fix it, then we don''t have to" kinda thing.

Mccraque

It's a trail bike not some mincy little weight weeny. Just get on it.....the more you ride it the closer you will get to the guideline upper limit anyway. Perhaps just avoid 6 foot drops and road gaps for the moment. If that's your bag.

Reminds me of a time we went to Nant Y Ayrian though - a friend of a friend came with us....a 20 stone gentleman (who even more amusingly thought lycra shorts were a good idea ! :shock: :shock: :shock:

Day 1 - he blows out majorly and has to walk his bike back down (as the only spare tyres...other than the tractor one around his waist) were with us in the carpark (we'd finished)

Day 2 - First climb up out of the carpark he's wheezing - first descent...again we're all waiting at the bottom...ask passing cyclists if they had seen a bloke in lycra...nobody has...

then one lad comes down - "no lads sorry...I haven't seen anyone....apart from a fat bloke laying in a bush with a wheel folded in half" - "He's ok though...some people have formed a human chain and are pulling him out".

And that was the end of his riding weekend. P1ssfunny. To us.

Bubblehead08

Cheers for the replies folks.

Made me feel a lot more at ease now so it'll be getting punished next week!

The Northern Monkey

Mccraque
you sound like a bunch of tossers tbh. Thats pretty harsh.

Neil Fat man on a bike

Being similarly challanged by gravity myself.
The only things I have really broken are rims.
Get yourself some heavy duty wheels and you'll be fine.

Anonymous

Jake151 wrote:

Ride it!!

If it breaks take it back.

Mountain monster is right though. They will almost certainly not replace it, that's why the weight limit is there.

I'll be frank with you, the zesty is a very light bike for it's "category". They had strength issues a while ago under normal cicrumstances. They really are not designed to take a hammering off a big guy.
Be gentle with it.

I'm no lightweight either, I hover around 15.5 to 16 stone, and at my lightest, trimmest, only get a shade under 14.5 - and I don't hold back on the big terrain. which is why a lot of my bikes consist of DH parts - I need to know that strength is there.
I just wouldn't feel safe on a lightweight frame.

RamMan13

The Northern Monkey wrote:

Mccraque
you sound like a bunch of tossers tbh. Thats pretty harsh.

Ditto

Stiff_Orange

Hi Bubblehead,

The Lapierre manual is a generic manual given out across their whole range of bikes. The Zesty range comprises fully alu like the 214,314, alu/carbon 514 and fully carbon 714/914. So they have to cover the weight weenie bikes in a coverall policy.

I wouldn't recommend a 914 to someone of your statue, but you won't have any probs on the 214 it's a very robust bike. Give it hell!! That's what they are built for.

blablablacksheep

the only reson they give weight limits if that if bike breaks they can turn round and say " we told you so" :roll:

end of the day you know if the bike isnt working as intended just by taking it for a ride.

dont bash too hard on it, ie high jumps/drops, take it for a spin, see how the forks feel and if so ajust them.

Anonymous

The weight figures must be based on something, they're not going to just pluck numbers from thin air.

Mccraque

The Northern Monkey wrote:

Mccraque
you sound like a bunch of tossers tbh. Thats pretty harsh.

Thanks Monkey!

Perhaps i should qualify that. Not funny that it was the end of his riding weekend,....but funny that a 20 stone lycra clad man is pulled out of a hedge. Funnier because we were worried about him and the sense of relief when you know he's safe

And I guess the fact that he found it funny makes him a tosser too?

Anonymous

Mccraque wrote:

The Northern Monkey wrote:

Mccraque
you sound like a bunch of tossers tbh. Thats pretty harsh.

Thanks Monkey!

Perhaps i should qualify that. Not funny that it was the end of his riding weekend,....but funny that a 20 stone lycra clad man is pulled out of a hedge. Funnier because we were worried about him and the sense of relief when you know he's safe

And I guess the fact that he found it funny makes him a tosser too?

I'm with you on this one. The universal law on how to behave when a friend crashes a mountain bike goes as follows (some people are newbies, and were not taught the sacred scripture)

1: laugh
2: stop laughing just long enough to make sure they're not properly seriously hurt.
3a: if they're not hurt too badly, continue laughing.
3b: if they are hurt badly, worry a bit, then argue over who's going to call the ambulance, and who's going to call his/her significant other.
4: laugh about it some more once it's all sorted out.

Of course, there is always the over-riding "man law", which states that:
"If a woman in a croud of male bikers takes a tumble, all men should rush to be as excessively "worried" as possible. Whoever manages to grab a feel under the presumption of "checking for broken bones" wins"

MountainMonster

yeehaamcgee wrote:

Whoever manages to grab a feel under the presumption of "checking for broken bones" wins"

LOL

Zziplex

yeehaamcgee wrote:

Mccraque wrote:

The Northern Monkey wrote:

Mccraque
you sound like a bunch of tossers tbh. Thats pretty harsh.

Thanks Monkey!

Perhaps i should qualify that. Not funny that it was the end of his riding weekend,....but funny that a 20 stone lycra clad man is pulled out of a hedge. Funnier because we were worried about him and the sense of relief when you know he's safe

And I guess the fact that he found it funny makes him a tosser too?

I'm with you on this one. The universal law on how to behave when a friend crashes a mountain bike goes as follows (some people are newbies, and were not taught the sacred scripture)

1: laugh
2: stop laughing just long enough to make sure they're not properly seriously hurt.
3a: if they're not hurt too badly, continue laughing.
3b: if they are hurt badly, worry a bit, then argue over who's going to call the ambulance, and who's going to call his/her significant other.
4: laugh about it some more once it's all sorted out.

Of course, there is always the over-riding "man law", which states that:
"If a woman in a croud of male bikers takes a tumble, all men should rush to be as excessively "worried" as possible. Whoever manages to grab a feel under the presumption of "checking for broken bones" wins"

But the very same people that laugh would soon start crying if you smacked them in the face.

fwiw, you would think that a full sus bike would be easier on parts due to mass being suspended rather than taking the full force constantly. Just don't ride it like a RAD knob with a hat on wonky.

Anonymous

Zziplex wrote:

But the very same people that laugh would soon start crying if you smacked them in the face.

Who? the people who don't find their mate's crashes funny? Yeah, you're probably right.