Just curious. I was thinking about this OP as I was pedaling along on a
night ride last night.

500 pounds is certainly a large individual. I'm giving the benefit of the
doubt that the OP was genuine and serious.

I am genuine and serious. This person is a very good friend of mine,
and he loves cycling. He used to ride an Electra Rally Sport. Apart
from a bent crank (yes, the cranks again), it held up well -- it even
survived a nasty crash -- but it's a single speed and the rear brake
has almost 0 stopping power.

Despite his weight, he can ride for long periods, and he was riding
almost every day. I've been on ~20 mile rides with him. Since
riding, he lost 10 - 12 lbs and he's trying to adopt a healthier
lifestyle. But cycling is still his love, so naturally it's his
choice of exercise.



IIRC, the man in question has already snapped a couple of pairs of cranks.

Not so much snapping as "cored out". It's hard to describe. Where
the crank threads, it looked like it was stripped from the inside. I
should have been more specific, I apologize. But he did manage to
bend the crank on his previous bike as well. In each case of the
"break" it was the left crank, and it may have been a bent left crank
on his previous ride.



How is that possible? Wouldn't LA -- or any other top TdF rider put
dramatically more force on the cranks than this gentleman likely could?

Is it safe to assume that--if this /is/ true--that we must be talking about
some really poor, totally low-end cranks?? IOW: how much force can your
average Ultegra/105/DA crankset take before it gives. I was assuming it was
about 10x anything I'd ever give.....

I was out with him when he lost his left crank the first time, so I
saw it (and the crank) first hand. My friend is convinced the problem
was due to the threading being in the direction of motion, but I'm not
so sure. It seems like this shouldn't be an issue either way.

Also, the last time out, he warped his wheel, so it isn't just the
crank that's an issue.

If it comes down to it, I'll be happy to accept recommendations for
good quality cranks and wheels. Maybe he can just outfit a bike he
likes with them. I'm not sure what his max price is, but he was
willing to buy an adult trike for $550 + tax, so I figure that's a
safe figure to start from.


Thanks in Advance.