chrisb1357 said:
Well i am 238 lb just nearly 17 stone
and 6ft tall so as i say not the lightest guy on earth but been getting my weight down a bit each month for last 12 months.
I am now worried that the tyres on the new bike will not take my weight
Chris
Hah, beat you, 6'1" and was 252lbs when I started cycling, dropped to 208lbs but sadly change of work and uncontrollable attraction to the fridge saw me back to 238lbs. But moving in right direction again, now back to 231lbs, it's amazing how fast it drops if you up the mileage.
Your tyres will be fine and will cope no problem just may not have the lifespan/quality of a higher spec tyre. The M+'s are rate from 50 to 85 psi, I ran them at 55 when I started and, after about 1000 miles upped them to 80 psi and they've stayed there since, 4500 miles. I've had no punctures in them.
The idea behind high pressures is that it prevents penetrative punctures and, especially, pinch punctures. The latter being where you hit a pothole, or similar, and the tube gets pinched between tyre and rim as the tyre deforms. This didn't happen to me as an 18 stone novice riding 55 psi, in the dark, on country roads. The lower pressure was also a lot comfier as I wasn't bike fit. I tended to sit heavier in the saddle and couldn't pedal as hard/often(pedalling applies a lightening effect to your seating).
The downside to running max pressure(or some go beyond) is it makes for a harsher ride and can slow you down on rougher road surfaces. Energy is transferred into jolting around rather than where you need it. In theory the heavier you are the higher pressures you can run to get the same ride quality/benefits as a skinny guy on lower pressures. In reality the skinny guys are the worst for whacking the pressures right up. Maybe they believe that by rattling their fillings loose they're going faster
I'd say experiment by yourself, maybe start out at 65psi and vary it around to see what you like speed v comfortwise. Setting the bike up properly is vital, starting with saddle height and setback, then working forward. But you will get aches and pains to begin with, no matter what you do. Having just started upping my mileage again I'm getting a right shoulder pain I thought was behind me. This is to do with a left elbow problem and favouring the right side, but I know that when I get fit enough it vanishes.
