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maximum weight on a Bianchi Eros frame.
Ok. For about the last nine months I've been sidelined with some real
nasty Achilles tendonitis. That ( plus a change in medications to one that causes weight gain ) has caused my weight to really scoot up. Now that the pain is subsiding, and I am ready to get back on a bike can someone tell me what the maximum weight that the frame on a Bianchi Eros can handle is? Thanks The reply-to email address is . This is an address I ignore. To reply via email, remove 2002 and change yahoo to interaccess, ** Thaddeus L. Olczyk, PhD There is a difference between *thinking* you know something, and *knowing* you know something. |
#2
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maximum weight on a Bianchi Eros frame.
TLOlczyk wrote:
Ok. For about the last nine months I've been sidelined with some real nasty Achilles tendonitis. That ( plus a change in medications to one that causes weight gain ) has caused my weight to really scoot up. Now that the pain is subsiding, and I am ready to get back on a bike can someone tell me what the maximum weight that the frame on a Bianchi Eros can handle is? The frame can carry pretty much whatever you put on it, for a while at least. (Remember the Viet Cong hauling 500 lbs. or more along unpaved roads on old French road bikes?) It's the wheels, and the square taper crank if it has one, that are at the most risk of failure from heavy loads. Next in line is probably the fork steerer. (If you have an Eros with a carbon/aluminum fork, I wouldn't be surprised if Bianchi were willing to specify a weight limit for the fork, if you ask.) This all presupposes that you are riding in a controlled fashion over relatively good surfaces. For example, I managed to trash more frames when I weighed in the mid-200s than later when I weighed in the mid-300s, through a combination of highly athletic riding, lots of miles, and inadvisable hijinks. The couple of frame failures I have experienced while weighing above 350 lbs. have been sudden and dramatic. Both occurred while braking hard with a special brake of my own design, though, and I don't believe they would have been caused by the use of any commercially available brake. I wouldn't worry too much about it at this point. If your wheels fail quickly, then you can concern yourself with what might go next. But if they hold up OK, then I doubt you will have other structural problems. Do switch to some kind of tubular spindle crank if your bike is equipped with a square taper, though. When those things snap off-- and that is the only way they fail structurally-- you can get seriously hurt. One of the new 2-piece cranks with outboard-mounted BB bearings would be a good choice. Keep in mind that the risks you assume by not getting enough exercise may be much graver than the risks you assume by riding a flimsy bicycle. To mitigate both kinds of risk, however, you can always upgrade to a sturdier bike. Chalo Colina |
#3
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maximum weight on a Bianchi Eros frame.
Chalo wrote: TLOlczyk wrote: Ok. For about the last nine months I've been sidelined with some real nasty Achilles tendonitis. That ( plus a change in medications to one that causes weight gain ) has caused my weight to really scoot up. Now that the pain is subsiding, and I am ready to get back on a bike can someone tell me what the maximum weight that the frame on a Bianchi Eros can handle is? Do switch to some kind of tubular spindle crank if your bike is equipped with a square taper, though. When those things snap off-- and that is the only way they fail structurally-- you can get seriously hurt. One of the new 2-piece cranks with outboard-mounted BB bearings would be a good choice. Maybe you ought to see how much the gent weighs before you assume that a square taper crank/BB will be unsafe. Many have ridden square taper w/o problem for decades, and to paint it as 'unsafe' for nearly anybody is not accurate. In 20 years I have seen 3 BB square tapers break. I have also seen 2 octalink break and we will have to see about the two piece systems, as they have only been around for 3 years so far. Keep in mind that the risks you assume by not getting enough exercise may be much graver than the risks you assume by riding a flimsy bicycle. To mitigate both kinds of risk, however, you can always upgrade to a sturdier bike. Chalo Colina |
#4
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maximum weight on a Bianchi Eros frame.
Qui si parla Campagnolo wrote:
Chalo wrote: Do switch to some kind of tubular spindle crank if your bike is equipped with a square taper, though. When those things snap off-- and that is the only way they fail structurally-- you can get seriously hurt. One of the new 2-piece cranks with outboard-mounted BB bearings would be a good choice. Maybe you ought to see how much the gent weighs before you assume that a square taper crank/BB will be unsafe. Many have ridden square taper w/o problem for decades, and to paint it as 'unsafe' for nearly anybody is not accurate. As I've told you before, I have broken two square tapers under pedaling loads alone; one when I weighed about 240 lbs., and the other when I weighed about 260 lbs. IMO this is not so far out of the normal range that the square taper can be considered safe. The OP does consider himself enough heavier than average to pose the question. In 20 years I have seen 3 BB square tapers break. I have also seen 2 octalink break and we will have to see about the two piece systems, as they have only been around for 3 years so far. That's not terribly surprising about Octalink (it being a Shimano product after all), but I did assume that the feeble little crankarm splines would strip before the "pipe spindle" snapped. Chalo Colina |
#5
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maximum weight on a Bianchi Eros frame.
Chalo wrote: Qui si parla Campagnolo wrote: Chalo wrote: Do switch to some kind of tubular spindle crank if your bike is equipped with a square taper, though. When those things snap off-- and that is the only way they fail structurally-- you can get seriously hurt. One of the new 2-piece cranks with outboard-mounted BB bearings would be a good choice. Maybe you ought to see how much the gent weighs before you assume that a square taper crank/BB will be unsafe. Many have ridden square taper w/o problem for decades, and to paint it as 'unsafe' for nearly anybody is not accurate. As I've told you before, I have broken two square tapers under pedaling loads alone; one when I weighed about 240 lbs., and the other when I weighed about 260 lbs. IMO this is not so far out of the normal range that the square taper can be considered safe. The OP does consider himself enough heavier than average to pose the question. And as I have mentioned, there is something amiss in the ones you used and I do not think it's a design flaw. Many as heavy and strong as you or more so, have used square taper for decades w/o any failures. In 20 years I have seen 3 BB square tapers break. I have also seen 2 octalink break and we will have to see about the two piece systems, as they have only been around for 3 years so far. That's not terribly surprising about Octalink (it being a Shimano product after all), but I did assume that the feeble little crankarm splines would strip before the "pipe spindle" snapped. Chalo Colina |
#6
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maximum weight on a Bianchi Eros frame.
Qui si parla Campagnolo wrote:
Chalo wrote: Qui si parla Campagnolo wrote: Maybe you ought to see how much the gent weighs before you assume that a square taper crank/BB will be unsafe. Many have ridden square taper w/o problem for decades, and to paint it as 'unsafe' for nearly anybody is not accurate. As I've told you before, I have broken two square tapers under pedaling loads alone; one when I weighed about 240 lbs., and the other when I weighed about 260 lbs. And as I have mentioned, there is something amiss in the ones you used and I do not think it's a design flaw. I was willing to believe that after I broke the first one. I continued to use a square taper and it cost me my six top front teeth. I would be a damn fool to give a proven piece of junk like that another chance to hurt me-- as would anybody over 220 lbs., in my opinion. Many as heavy and strong as you or more so, have used square taper for decades w/o any failures. And several people who post here in this group have broken them. It's not rare and it's the result of just plain bad engineering. Chalo Colina |
#7
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maximum weight on a Bianchi Eros frame.
Qui si parla Campagnolo wrote:
And as I have mentioned, there is something amiss in the ones you used and I do not think it's a design flaw. Many as heavy and strong as you or more so, have used square taper for decades w/o any failures. Peter, Have you seen more broken Shimano Square BBs than Campy BBs? The only Campy I have seen are the really old ones in the picture collection referred to frequently by this newsgroup. -n |
#8
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maximum weight on a Bianchi Eros frame.
Chalo wrote:
The frame can carry pretty much whatever you put on it, for a while at least. (Remember the Viet Cong hauling 500 lbs. or more along unpaved roads on old French road bikes?) It's the wheels, and the square taper crank if it has one, that are at the most risk of failure from heavy loads. How exactly will a heavy load affect the bottom bracket spindle? I would think the bottom bracket spindle is affected only by the amount of force/power the motor/rider can put into it while turning the cranks. No matter what load is being supported above the ground by the frame and wheels, it does not cause the motor/rider to produce more power/strength and stress the bottom bracket more. |
#9
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maximum weight on a Bianchi Eros frame.
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#10
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maximum weight on a Bianchi Eros frame.
Chalo wrote:
This all presupposes that you are riding in a controlled fashion over relatively good surfaces. For example, I managed to trash more frames when I weighed in the mid-200s than later when I weighed in the mid-300s, through a combination of highly athletic riding, lots of miles, and inadvisable hijinks. The couple of frame failures I have experienced while weighing above 350 lbs. have been sudden and dramatic. Both occurred while braking hard with a special brake of my own design, though, and I don't believe they would have been caused by the use of any commercially available brake. Highly athletic at 350lbs? |
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