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#3 : Old ten-speeds for big and tall riders
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August 11th, 2009
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Zinn's Big and Tall Bike Shop
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Zinn Cycles Big and Tall Newsletter
Greetings!
We're glad to present another edition of the Zinn Cycles quarterly Big and Tall Newsletter. I'll be choosing a topic applicable to tall cyclists in each edition, so feel free to suggest topics for future newsletters. This issue talks about old ten speeds for big and tall riders. It's hard for tall riders to find a bike that fits for under $3000. Read on to find out why old tall 10speeds may not be the best option for a tall rider. If you know someone else who may benefit from this newsletter, please use the forward email link at the bottom. Thanks, Lennard Zinn Also, if you are going to be in the Denver area on August 22nd and 23rd, please come and visit our booth at the Rocky Mountain Bicycle Show. It's a great show and we'll have several beautiful custom bikes on display. |
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Old Ten speeds for Big and Tall riders.
Damien asks: "The used market is where many tall riders get their first well-fitting large frame. In the late 70's and early 80's some manufacturers made steel frames as large as 67cm c to c. What are the issues involved in considering a, say, $50 4130 cro-moly boat anchor? Huge frame means huge forces on welds, presumably - is that a danger in these frames? (What was QC like back in the day at the Schwinn Le Tour plant?)"
Lennard Zinn answers:
The late 1970s and early 1980s were indeed the good old days when it came to availability of bikes for tall riders; I was fortunate in that that's when I started racing bikes, and I could find lots of bikes to fit my 6'6" body. However, as Damien suggests, those tall frames were not always the kind of thing that you'd want a 6'7", 220-pound rider to take on hard rides in the mountains. First, it's worth examining why those bikes even existed and why they no longer exist.
Bikes are made because their manufacturers think that they can sell them. And in the late 1970s and early 1980s, tall road bikes with 27-inch frames (or 68.5cm, usually measured center-to-top) at a moderate price point did sell well enough in the USA that a number of manufacturers made them. The reason for this was not necessarily that there was so much more demand for them from tall riders, though. Instead, it was that it was stylish at the time in the inner city to have the tallest bike around. There were lots of not-tall kids riding around New York and Chicago on these bikes with the seatposts shoved all of the way in and the kid rocking on the saddle to reach the pedals with his tiptoes.
Remember also that this was before mountain bikes existed, so the only choice in a decent bike was a "10-speed." Now, anybody looking for a low-end bike generally buys a mountain bike. At the high end, few manufacturers make tall road bikes because sales are paltry relative to mid-sized bikes, and they still have to sell them at the same price. Add to that the high up-front expense of making a mold for a big carbon frame or purchase special large-diameter tubes and different jigs to hold them for big metal frames, neither of which are likely to produce enough sales to amortize the up-front expense, and you can understand why tall riders have a hard time finding road bikes that fit them in the sub-$3,000 price range.
In answer to the original question, this is why you can't expect much in the way of performance or durability if you buy one of those old 27-inch Panasonics, Schwinns, etc. They were never built for hard use, were built with inexpensive tubing in order to sell at economy prices, and are now 30 years old with who knows what kind of abuse from riding and being left out in the weather. They will flex like mad under load from a strong rider, and if used hard, will break with a load snap, or will develop a crack in a high-stress area that will keep growing until you notice it.
It's also a safe bet that a 6'6" or taller rider of over 180 pounds will not be able to take his hands off when riding one of those bikes at over 15mph without it shimmying like crazy, and descending a mountain at high speed will be out of the question for the same reason. It's not worth buying a $50 bike and ending up with expensive medical bills because it shook so badly you couldn't control it and fell at high speed.
Good Used Tall Bikes
Keep in mind that we do accept trade-ins of bikes we've made in the past toward an upgrade to a new bike. We also accept our old bikes on consignment. Consequently, we sometimes have very tall used bikes available. Now is one of those times; we have a mint-condition 1985 custom Zinn lugged steel bike for sale that was built for a 6'5" rider. We also have a large magnesium aero time trial frame that has never been used. So it's always worth dropping us a line at sales@zinncycles.com if you or one of your tall friends is looking for a good, tall bike at a fraction of the cost of a new one.
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 NEW! Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance 3rd ed.
Boulder, CO, USA - July 23, 2009 - The new Zinn & the Art of Road
Bike Maintenance is here! Newly updated to include the latest tech in
cycling, Zinn & the Art of Road Bike Maintenance is the best
organized and illustrated guide to maintaining a bicycle. The book will
be available this July in bookstores, bike shops, and online.
Zinn & the Art of Road Bike Maintenance has become one of the
world's best-selling books on bicycle care. This smartly organized and
clearly illustrated guide-now in 2 colors for easier reference-can make
a mechanic out of anyone. Lennard Zinn's expert advice turns road bike
maintenance, repair, and upgrades into quick work.
With Zinn's book anyone can properly maintain, tune, fix, or upgrade a
bicycle to ensure years of trouble-free riding. Newcomers and
experienced mechanics alike will benefit from hundreds of
illustrations, exploded views of how components go together, and Zinn's
practical, time-saving tips. Zinn's friendly advice is
confidence-inspiring, and his years of experience make tackling even
the most daunting task fun and easy.
Zinn covers all the latest high-tech equipment without neglecting
older, tried and true bike technology.
Buy Now
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For more than a quarter of a
century, we at Zinn Cycles have been working to make cycling more
enjoyable for our customers, and that commitment remains at the heart
of everything we do. We express it by building bikes that fit great,
perform well, and are thoroughly thought-out for their owners' needs.
And it does not stop with the frames; our cranks and our forks are
specifically designed for our customers, and the components we select
and how we set them up are tailored for them as well.
I also created my books and maintenance DVDs out of that same
commitment to empower the reader or watcher to be more comfortable with
their bike, which then attracts us to ride more. We each can only do so
much to save the world; fortunately cycling is something we all share
that is good for the earth as well as for us both in the moment and in
the long term.
Sincerely,
Lennard Zinn
President and Founder
Zinn Cycles |
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