Too Overweight For A Bike

[Wester]

there is no reason 17/18 stone cant ride either.

When you say sprocket, which part do you mean? are you talking about the whole rear cassette or just one of the sprockets on it?
What bike was it?
A road bike with 32 spokes should be fine for someone of this weight.

This is a photograph of the model not this one but the same model

http://edinburgh.gumtree.com/edinburgh/46/42564146.html

 

[Tharg2007]

A bike of that type should have no problem with 17/18 stone at all, if any part should fail I would put it down to cheap components.

 

[Wester]

A bike of that type should have no problem with 17/18 stone at all, if any part should fail I would put it down to cheap components.

It was a new bike

 

[Tharg2007]

new cheap components are probably more likely to fail than older/used higher spec components.

 

[Norm]

What is driving the question? Has the supplying dealer (if it was new) said that they won't fix it?

If so, unless he gained weight massively since he went to look at the bike, they have no grounds for denying the repair / replacement. And I still don't get how weight would affect the sprocket anyway.

 

[Wester]

new cheap components are probably more likely to fail than older/used higher spec components.

The bicycle shop people said that it would cost 60 quid to have a new part fitted would it be worth it . or would it be a waste of money as i have said the bike i am talking about is a new bike hardly ever used

 

[Tharg2007]

if he bought it new then it should be covered under warranty, as norm says his weight has nothing to do with it.

 

[Wester]

if he bought it new then it should be covered under warranty, as norm says his weight has nothing to do with it.

It was bought new by another person who never used it for 3/4 years i am certain of that then he sold it to the second party so the warranty should have expired by now

 

[Tharg2007]

i wouldnt spend £60 on a new sprocket for the back to be honest, you'd be better off spending that £60 or a bit more on a second hand bike with a better spec, there are some good bargains on ebay for second hand bikes.

 

[Matthames]

A persons weight will have no bearing as to what happens to the drive chain, you will be amazed at how much torque you can put through it.

In all honesty that bike could probably manage another 10 stone of weight on it, which is equivalent to a well provisioned touring kit.

You can replace a sprocket yourself for less than half what the shop quoted you. Sprockets would set you back no more than £15-£20 and you need to have a chain whip and the correct tool to undo the lock ring, those won't set you back more than £10-£15.

 

[normgow]

Sorry if I appear a bit slow but I still don't know just what part is broken. Is it the the freewheel cassette or the sprockets which are (nowadays) splined onto it?
Sprockets can be replaced although not always individually, sometimes three come as an integral unit. The cassette body can be replaced but this normally involves removing the axle and bearings.
The charge of 60 pounds ,if this includes parts , is probably not unreasonable but it shouldn't be too difficullt to do yourself if you have the tools or can borrow them.

 

[fossyant]

It's likely the freehub has gone, or freewheel and the shop is talking a new rear wheel for £60.

Do you know what bike it is - might help as we could then advise about what components are on it and if worthwhile repairing.

 

[Ivan Ardon]

That bike is from the Argos catalogue. It will have a freewheel, rather than a cassette. Assuming it's that that's broken, a tenner sould see it back on the road. However, the entire bike is very low quality, so you'll most likely be chasing the next problem soon.

Weight shouldn't be an issue, but the wheels are likely to be really poor and may suffer.

 

[andrew_s]

Cheap freewheels will break if too much power is put through the back wheel. Tandem riders on old bikes do complain about the shortage of good quality freewheels. A friend who was riding an elderly Galaxy (whilst waiting for a Roberts) managed to destroy a couple after around 3-400 miles use.

 

[peanut]

What weight would be considered to heavy for a road bike/ mountain bike

A friend of mine recently bought a road bike and within a few days the sprocket packed up he weight is 17/18st was it his weight that caused the problem

I have been 17st+ for many years and nothing on any of my bikes has broken. I think it is very unlikely that the cassette broke due to your friends weight . They are extremely tough.

oops not bothered to read all the posts sorry if this is irrelevant . Freewheels can collapse if they are not tightened properly . Are you sure it was nothing to do with the hub?