Am I to fat to bike

[Bazzer]

I am 6.4 and I was just under 22 stone two months ago when my 2012 Cannondale CAAD8 arrived (it's a 56cm frame, which I believe is like a 58cm frame with other manufacturers) . I have to run my 23mm tyres at 120psi otherwise I feel too much compression on my rear tyre, which could cause me to get a pinch flat or worse cause damage to the rim of my Madoux RS 3.0 wheels.

I think a good way around the problem of being as heavy as I am, would to use a bigger tyre size which will allow the weight to be spread over a larger surface area. This, IMO should give me more resistance against damaging the rims. As the road surface/quality in Oxford is extremely poor, which is crazy when this city is famous for the sheer number of bike users, as well as being a pretty wealthy city.

If you are seriously considering bigger tyres, be careful how much bigger you go. My Cannondale has 23mm tyres and when the wheels, with the tyres inflated, are dropped and refitted, they have to be wriggled through the brake blocks, even with the cam levers open. If bigger tyres were fitted, say 25mm, I am not sure they would fit easily.
If you like your brakes biting as the levers get near your bar you might have a little more room, but personally I don't.
In the garage there are work arounds such as deflating the tyre before removing and refitting the wheel, but if I am on the side of a road having had a visit from the fairy, I want the tyre fixed, inflated and back on the bike asap, without having to think about the work arounds for my minor modification.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

@Bazzer Just adjust your cable tensioner so you can slacken that off a touch as well its only a few secs to retention it.

 

[jefmcg]

I want the tyre fixed, inflated and back on the bike asap

Wouldn't the solution be to change the order and refit the wheel before inflating it?

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Wouldn't the solution be to change the order and refit the wheel before inflating it?

You do have to inflate a little to make sure the tyre is seated properly.

 

[jefmcg]

You do have to inflate a little to make sure the tyre is seated properly.

I always go around and check the tube is not caught, so with wired rims I'm always sure it's well seated. Folding tyres might be different, I guess.

 

[Bazzer]

@Bazzer Just adjust your cable tensioner so you can slacken that off a touch as well its only a few secs to retention it.

I carry a multitool and could do that, but I like my brakes "just so". (I blame my OCD). So if I have fixed a puncture, the last thing I would want to be doing is adjusting the brake cable before continuing my journey.

Wouldn't the solution be to change the order and refit the wheel before inflating it?

My personal preference is to inflate before fitting. Again I blame my OCD.

I know there are work arounds which I am happy to do in my garage, unless forced to do them on the road. I was just trying to point out to @Felix79 that putting on bigger tyres would have other consequences he/she might not have considered.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

@Bazzer on mine there is an adjuster you screw out too tension the cable. Its possible to set it up so if needed you just screw it in to open the caliper, so you don't need to disconnect the cable clamp, its not a perfect solution but could give you the odd few mm without to much hassle.

 

[ColinJ]

I can get my fully-inflated 25C tyres between the brake blocks on my Cannondale CAAD5. They do touch the blocks but a firm tap on a wheel gets it in. I have my brakes adjusted so they start to bite at about 25% travel on the levers and lock up the wheel at about 60% travel. That gives maximum modulation of the braking without risking the levers pulling all the way to the bars.

 

[Bazzer]

@Bazzer on mine there is an adjuster you screw out too tension the cable. Its possible to set it up so if needed you just screw it in to open the caliper, so you don't need to disconnect the cable clamp, its not a perfect solution but could give you the odd few mm without to much hassle.

Yes there is on my Cannondale, but my OCD uses them for fine tuning.
Still, on the positive side, between the screw adjusters, allen keys on the cable lock, the brake cam, a firm tap when refitting the wheel or deflating the tyre before refitting, should @Felix79 decide to go for bigger tyres to relieve his 120lb pressures, he has food for thought about making them fit.

 

[Felix79]

I've got the bike up on the stand as I'm upgrading the groupset to a mix of Ultegra/Dura Ace. I will eventually go over to 25's (if I can), but for now I am ok with 23's. It's just a pain in the backside keeping the pressures so high.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

I've got the bike up on the stand as I'm upgrading the groupset to a mix of Ultegra/Dura Ace. I will eventually go over to 25's (if I can), but for now I am ok with 23's. It's just a pain in the backside keeping the pressures so high.

How so.

I have just gone back to 23's from 25's, mainly for mudguard clearance as soon as there is any dampness the tyres pick up muck and rub. I have only done the one ride since but managed to improve this segment by 6 mins (this is more than just the tyres mind, wind and fitness)

 

[Stevec047]

At 5'8 and a sminge under 18 stone last october I took the decision to sort my life out. Picked up a second hand road bike and started the slippery sloop of cycling. Roll on to today I am 14 stone with the help of changing my eating habits and getting out every weekend and doing between 25 and 50 mile rides solo or with a group of freinds.

The first few months were make or break for me the pain and suffering from not doing any physical activity to riding 10 - 15 miles nearly broke me but I persisted and now I can't wait to get back out on the bike each weekend. My body is more toned I have muscles in places I didn't know existed. The backside is accustomed to the saddle well with the help of some padded shorts. I have no issues wearing lycra. I have more energy. Sleep better and can run around with the kids without having to huff and puff to catch my breath.

It's the best thing you can do low impact and great to just loose your thoughts out in the countryside.

 

[Felix79]

How so.

I have just gone back to 23's from 25's, mainly for mudguard clearance as soon as there is any dampness the tyres pick up muck and rub. I have only done the one ride since but managed to improve this segment by 6 mins (this is more than just the tyres mind, wind and fitness)

The roads in Oxford are utterly shocking, so with the pressures right at their max, it gets pretty bumpy pretty quickly. The main reason why it's a pain is I find I need to keep pumping the tyres up every few weeks as they lose enough pressure (about 15-20 psi) for the tyres to compress enough that I worry about the edge of the rim hitting the surface on harder bumps.

 

[Profpointy]

The roads in Oxford are utterly shocking, so with the pressures right at their max, it gets pretty bumpy pretty quickly. The main reason why it's a pain is I find I need to keep pumping the tyres up every few weeks as they lose enough pressure (about 15-20 psi) for the tyres to compress enough that I worry about the edge of the rim hitting the surface on harder bumps.

There's your problem: "every few weeks" is not regularly enough to pump up tyres. For commuting use, certainly at least weekly, and before a long ride regardless. If you've not already got one, get a track pump as then a couple of pumps gets you up to pressure so it's no longer a fag, and a hand-held pump is a struggle to get you to full pressure regardless

 

[Nigelnaturist]

@Felix79 the roads are shocking everywhere to be honest, I have had a could of pinch punctures over the years (only ones I get on gatorskins so it seems), I hit a stone a few years back so hard it dented the rear rim a bit and took a chunk out of a nearly new tyre about 2,500 miles I think I had done on it. Which is why I ended up on the 25c on the rear for the last 7,000+ miles, so like I said I can't tell the difference really.
@Profpointy there is many a time I have topped up my tyres only to find the only air loss is that thats just gone into the track pump.