|   Bike/Shock Help | frabonir
Jun 16, 2002 1:32 PM | | I have been out of biking for a number of years and would like to get back in. I am in desperate need of information about shocks. I am a heavy rider, about 325, and every bike i have test rode or sat on i would bottom out the shocks just sitting there.
Any reccomendations about shock types and upgrades needed would be greatly appreciated. I would like to stay within a reasonable bike total cost. I am hoping to lose enough weight to start riding my trek 9200 again.
Thank you for help.
Rich |
| re: Bike/Shock Help | mikregor
Jun 16, 2002 4:17 PM | | I would recommend any spring Marzocchi with a X-heavy spring. Better than this is a Rock Shox Psylo because they have even heavier rate springs for the fork (speedgoat.com sells the springs). I'd avoid any air shocks.
These are the 2 forks I know of with heavy spring upgrades. But ANY fork with a heavy or x-heavy spring should do. I know the Marzocchi will flex a lot less. I have both a Zoke and a Psylo. |
| re: Bike/Shock Help | jcw
Jun 16, 2002 4:29 PM | | Hey Rich, great that you're getting back into biking, it's a great sport. It's not suprising that you're having trouble with stock bikes. Most bike companys build for the "average" rider, which they consider to be between 150 - 160 pounds. Even guys at 225 lbs have trouble finding a bike that will work for them. This is not my area of expertise, but you're definitely going to need a bike that's designed to take a lot of abuse. Look for brands like Kona, or Rocky Mountain. Also Trek is going to be coming out with a couple of new bikes this summer that are aimed at more heavy duty use. I'd definitely recommend buying new, and sticking with one of the bigger brands (except Cannondale - while I love their bikes, their warranty support sucks) so you'll have that full warranty if something should break. You can also get heavier springs installed on front and rear shocks, though at your weight I'm not sure what's available. Hopefully someone else will have some specific recommendations. Good luck, and welcome back! |
| re: Bike/Shock Help | JBurton
Jun 16, 2002 4:32 PM | | Most likely, the bikes you have tested at the bike shop were set up for the average, across the board rider. Many women or small male riders have the problem of never finding shocks that aren't too harsh for them if they are under 110lbs, so its common to have to cusomize the shock. Your lbs might even do this for you to make the sale. The point is, find a bike that you like, and most likely the shock can be modified to fit your needs, as long as the fork is a relatively high end fork. (Some of the cheaper forks cannot be modified). Manitou forks are the only forks I have any long term experience with, and I know that the elastomer can be upgraded to fit the person.
Good luck on your journey back to the bike! I have nothing but encouragement for you. Get out and ride! |
| Some other considerations | Porter
Jun 16, 2002 6:04 PM | | When I first started riding I tipped the scales @ 260#s and I went through a good number of parts. You name it, I broke it. I had great deal of trouble with my wheels, seat, and seat post. You may want to consider a custom set of wheels with 36 hole downhill rims. When it comes to seats I had my best luck with models that had titanium rails. As far as seat posts are concerned, I still us my Thomson post to this day. I also found components that were designed for downhill use to be significantely more durable. Good luck... |
| Some other considerations | Hammer_FLMB
Jun 17, 2002 10:44 AM | | I agree that you may need to go more of the downhill parts route. I'm 6'2" and about 230 lbs and ride a Marzocchi Z-1 w/ extra heavy springs and don't think they would work efficiently with another 90-100 lbs on them. I really don't believe a Psylo would work any better (it would probably be worse). I have looked at almost all of the big name fork makers tech manuals and they do not have any spring rates for riders of your weight. Why not try riding a rigid frame/fork for a while and once you loose a little bit of the weight, then upgrade to a heavy duty suspension fork. You could always call/email some of the smaller/custom fork companies (i.e., Stratos, Risse, White Bros.) and ask about a custom shock, but then you are talking big $$$$. |
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