Heavy guy on not many spokes

[helston90]

So finally worn out the freehub on my stock wheels after 4,500 miles and decided to upgrade the whole wheelset as an early Xmas present. (I will then replace the freehub in my own time with bargain parts off e-bay)
One that's looking tempting is the the Shimano R501 on Ribble which with their 13% off everything comes out at £65 for a '£137 set'- however on the scales this week I'm coming in at 99kg so bit concerned that 20-24 spokes will be a recipe for disaster.

Can anyone either confirm my fears or tell me they have similar for similar weight and their experiences?

If anyone else has seen any other great offers I'd be pleased to hear about them with the restriction that it needs to be <£130-140 and must by Shimano 8 speed compatible?

 

[Drago]

You'll be fine. I recently discovered that almost all road bike equipment and frames are rated for a rider of up to 105kg.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

My OH is +85kg and routinely takes panniers on his R501's which add quite a lot to the weight when taking his work's laptop brick into account. He will often come home with anything upto another 5kg of shopping in the panniers as well and he is not particularly particular about how well he misses potholes and the likes. I think you should be fine.

However, I would suggest you go for the standard spokes rather than the bladed spoke version simply because if you do have any broken spokes, they will be easier to source...
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/ro...andard-spoke-clincher-wheels-pair/shimwhfr202

 

[helston90]

However, I would suggest you go for the standard spokes rather than the bladed spoke version simply because if you do have any broken spokes, they will be easier to source...
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/ro...andard-spoke-clincher-wheels-pair/shimwhfr202

Thanks for that pointer- I don't think I am fussed whether they're flat or standard- this would then make them £63 for a pair.

 

[RichK]

I'm not far off that weight and have been riding 20/24 spoke wheels for the past couple of years.

 

[pclay]

I am about 96kg and I got the Shimano R501 (30mm rims) from Ribble about 4 months ago (same spoke count). Not had any problems with them. The have not required any adjustment, have remained true so far, and touch wood, no broken spokes.

 

[helston90]

Thanks for your help people- I went with them as it would have been daft to pass off a chance to give them a try for £63, time will tell.

 

[albion]

I suspect low maintenance weighs more heavily on spokes. If they become a bit untensioned then the likelihood of any breaking must go up many fold.

 

[Anthony Haines]

I'm 105kg and run on Mavic Kysrium Elite S wheels. These have a max rider weight of 100kg, but I've had no problems with them.

 

[turbopercy]

If wheels are anything like most things in life they are tested to at least 1.5 times the stated max weight so you should be fine

 

[Colin_P]

Time for more dieting then, if 100kg to 105kg is the limit, I need to quickly loose 3kg to be safe

 

[Diggs]

Just noticed that Ribble have got another 12% off code XMAS12 (T&C apply, not bikes groupsets etc..) so I've ordered the 501s for the Trek after my recent "incident" Want the bike to be ready for when I'm ready to get back on

 

[Drago]

Time for more dieting then, if 100kg to 105kg is the limit, I need to quickly loose 3kg to be safe

indeed. I'm 112kg in my boxers, which is why I stick to alloy or steel frames.- if alloy fails it's liable to show.advance signs and fail progressively . Carbon tends to just go bang with no warning.

 

[Colin_P]

indeed. I'm 112kg in my boxers, which is why I stick to alloy or steel frames.- if alloy fails it's liable to show.advance signs and fail progressively . Carbon tends to just go bang with no warning.

Indeedy.

Carbon scares me, frames but more so wheels. I have visions of it exploding into a cloud of dust and shrapnel with no warning. I bet the spoke could be lethal as well on a shattered carbon wheel, very stabby.