BIKE: Heavy rider needs bike recommendation

[Que]

Ditto to that,
I built a traditional touring frame and built it up for a fellow that was 6'6" and weighed 320 lbs to tour China on and we used 48's with cross 3 and he spent a year banging around over there and the wheels held up.
He returned weighing 240 and with lots of tan, and the bike was still ridable.
I used DT spokes back then but I think the principle will work even with plain ones.
PS the year was 76' 
Freddy Parr

Mike Librik or Amy Babich <mlibrik> wrote:
Michael and Carrie Williams wrote: I've ridden bikes off and on for years to and from work (6-10 miles one way), and I've always had a problem breaking rear spokes.  Now, I'm out of shape and even heavier than before, and I need to get a bike that can handle my size for my ride to the bus stop (6 miles) in Pflugerville every weekday.  I'm 6' 3", 315 pounds with a 32 inch inseam and fairly strong legs (stresses spokes even more).   Internet searches always tout the lightweight frames, yada, yada.  I need BEEF, especially in the wheels.  Funds are fairly limited and with a six mile ride one-way (twice a day), a classic single speed cruiser won't cut it.  Recommendations?

It sounds like the wheels are more of a problem than the frame. The spoke breakage may well come from poor spoke tension. Had the wheels with the breaking spokes been trued and tensioned in recent memory? Design-wise, one can make a wheel sturdier by using more spokes (particularly a 48-spoke tandem hub and rim) and making the spokes longer (such as on a three-cross or four-cross spoking pattern). 
I would suggest getting any bike one liked, then making sure it has a good quality rear wheel (alloy double-walled rim, preferably with eyeletted spoke holes, stainless steel spokes, and brass nipples) and make sure that wheel is properly trued and tensioned. 315 pounds is more than bikes are typically rated for, but so long as you are pretty mellow about your ride to the bus stop I suspect you will do OK. If you think it is worth it, get a custom built wheel that can handle 48 spokes and build it three-cross. I have no particular recommendation as to type of spoke to use. I always build with rather whitebread 14-gauge straight gauge spokes. 
If one is particularly concerned about spoke fatigue due to pedaling torque, one could build the drive side of the wheel four-cross, but one's build cost or personal build headache would likely be increased. Highly crossed wheels are a hassle to build. 
Note that smaller wheels are naturally stronger, at least according to accepted wisdom (I have made no scientific tests, personally), though they do not hold speed quite so well. You could try a small wheeled recumbent like the EZ-1, but you would definitely need to rebuild the wheel, since these bikes are typically even more loaded to the rear than upright bikes. 


Freddy Parr
3557 Jasmine Ave. #4
Palms 
California 90034 
310-204-5689
http://www.picklexpro.com 
http://www.classicsteel.net 
http://www.framebuildersmart.com    
parrbicycles  

.........................................................................................................................................Freddy ....










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