Too heavy for my wheels??

dnormski

Hi

I am 6ft 3 tall and 90kg. I have broken spokes on my front Shimano RS80 wheels on 3 occasions now and am in the market for a replacement.

I have never had a repeated failure like this but have never ridden such lightweight wheels before, am I too heavy for them? or could it be that I have just been unlucky? I would have thought the rear would have gone if the wieght was a problem.

Are there any recommendations people would have that offers both wieght saving and strength, looking to spend upto £400.

I ride with a club but am not a racer. I probably do about 150 miles per week.

any advice appreciated

ugo.santalucia

You are right, rear wheel would go first... looks like you have a specific problem... either the tension was way too low or there is some manufacturing defect in the spokes/hub which causes premature fatigue.

In your case, I would not recommend any factory wheel, but get a quote from a builder (Wheelsmith, Harry Rowland) and then send me a PM to see if I can do you a better deal. £ 400 is plenty, you can get a great set of wheels for less than £ 300

arlowood

Hi dnormski

I think you may just have been unlucky. I fitted some RS 80's to my Spesh last year and at that time i tipped the scales at around your weight of 90kg. Rode them for close to 1000 miles before selling them on with the bike. Experienced no spoke problems at all and they were still running great when sold.

I did have the impression that they were beginning to flex a bit latterly as I heard a few ticking noises when out of the saddle mashing up hills - reckoned it was the computer magnet clipping the pick-up as the spokes flexed.

If you're looking for something sturdier the Hope Hoops Pro 3 seem to get good reviews - Probably about £300 for a set

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=38867

Or possibly some Cole C24's which also do well in reviews:-

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... t-11-45438

With your budget however you could go handbuilt - maybe give Wheelsmith a call and discuss options for your budget.

http://www.wheelsmith.co.uk/

Cheers

lostboysaint

That's not good. I'm 98kg and have no issues with my Fulcrum Racing 5s. And when I was 115kg I didn't have a problem with my Ambrosio Evolutions (on Campag Mirage).

fat lad in lycra

i used to be 22st (not sure what that is in kg) and i had the same problem, upgraded to kinetic ones and they've been spot on, there a bit flash but go with the bike very nice

ugo.santalucia

lostboysaint wrote:

That's not good. I'm 98kg and have no issues with my Fulcrum Racing 5s. And when I was 115kg I didn't have a problem with my Ambrosio Evolutions (on Campag Mirage).

Evolutions are great rims for the price... I wish I could still find them...

Fat-Boy-Roubaix

Thats strange, Shimano do not give any weight limits, which is the reason I bought them. 500 miles two buckles first didn't break a spoke (my RD went in to it) and one broken spoke after Evans trued the wheel, when the spoke went instant bad buckle. Thus far Evans failed, and a mobile mech to get it right. I am 200 miles in to the third attempt. My problem one is the rear and I weigh 79kg.

Previous to that Mavic Askiums 5000 miles no problems...

ben16v

ive been ok on pro lite bracciano`s from 80-91kg 2000miles covered

Kiwi_rich

I weigh 100+ kg and if I have problems it is always with the back wheel. I have fulcrum zero's on my best bike and they have been very robust, the same for a pair of mavic SL's. I have some new mavic equipes on my second bike - regularly used for commuting - and they are not as robust as those I had 5 years ago. I will swap them out for some fulcrum 5/7's when they pass the point of no return.

racingcondor

I'm 70kg and while I like RS80's for the most part I do find them flexy if I'm climbing out of the saddle or sprinting. Sounds like you may be a little too much for them.

I'd either go with hand builts since they'll have the advantage of being tailored to your needs or try some Fulcrum 3's which are a step up in strength at a cost of a few g's.