Wheelsets for Heavy Riders
Heavy road bike riders shouldn’t be so hard on themselves. At ROL Wheels, we think more in terms of “big and powerful,” or “clydesdale riders.” We understand choosing a wheel is a long process, and along the way there are reams of opinions in forum posts about the best road bike wheelsets for heavy riders.
We recognize there is much to be debated such as spoke count, rim width, how the wheel is laced, and carbon vs. alloy. Among the opinions, a few things stand out to us and maybe have to you as well.
Most important is that build quality is paramount above all else. A poorly built 36-spoke wheel isn’t going to hold up versus a quality hand built 24-spoke wheel. How the wheel is manufactured is highly regarded as a significant contributor in enduring potholes and contributing to wheel longevity. At ROL we hand build all our wheels here is the U.S. Our wheels aren’t pulled off a factory line and shipped from overseas. They are built and shipped to you.
The second most important factor is piece of mind. We recognize big and powerful riders have greater skepticism about their wheels and likely have had a bad past experience. We expect Clydesdale riders to be tough on wheels and if something does go wrong, Sean Lambert, the founder and CEO of ROL, has an unprecedented record of customer service. Nothing is more frustrating than waiting long periods of time for repair and Sean understands this. If you read over hundreds of our reviews on RoadBikeReview.com you’ll see that Sean puts people first and stands by his customers.
Finally, we understand it means the most to purchase a wheel with a proven track record of performance. ROL’s SLR, Volant R/T and D’Huez 24/28 are the top rated wheelsets on RoadBikeReview.com. Our wheels accommodate riders up to about 250lbs. For riders over 250lbs, we recommend that the riders check out our 32/28 spoke options with the ROL Race SLRand Volant RT for rim brake wheels and our ROL Range Alloy 32 for dic brake wheels. Here are what some folks are saying about out heavy rider wheelsets.
What Our Heavy Riders Say About ROL
I'm a large cyclist 6' 2" and 220 to 235 in weight. I originally ordered the Volants and at first was very pleased with them. They were stiffer and lighter and seemed to get up to speed faster than the stock Open Pro Sports.
I am a heavy rider at 200 lbs. and like to put the power down. I have had them (Race SLR) 11 months and put 2271 miles on them with absolutely NO PROBLEMS.
I am a big guy at 220 lbs. and I crank out some serious wattage. I am one of those guys who ride on "normal gear" and will strip several spokes on a really hard sprint and/or snap top quality chains like there's no tomorrow. These wheels are just as light as the competition but they kick their butts on quality and strength.
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