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I'm building a bike for my husband, 6'3" 240 w/o gear, and am not sure which one to get. Heckler, motolite,moment, fxr 2:1.He is band new to the sport and stability and comfort are key. Since I'm the opposite of Clyd I need some advice. Also is a 20mm thru axle needed? I was thinking coil froand rear. Thanks for your help.

 

[Soupboy]

I'm 6'3", 250. There's nothing wrong with the frames you've cited, but I highly recommend considering a full suspension 29" wheeled bike - a Lenz Behemoth (www.lenzsport.com) or Ventana El Capitan (www.ventanausa.com) would fit the bill nicely. Big wheels work great for big guys and since you're starting from scratch you're not limited by trying to transfer parts. I've attached a pic of my Ventana. Love it.

I'd recommend the TA fork as well. For 29ers, White Brothers in the only game in town.

No, you do not need coil dampers. Modern, high volume air dampers work for fellas approaching 300#.

Feel free to email me or PM me for a dealer to work with that can steer you in the right direction.

Very cool present!

Sean

I'm building a bike for my husband, 6'3" 240 w/o gear, and am not sure which one to get. Heckler, motolite,moment, fxr 2:1.He is band new to the sport and stability and comfort are key. Since I'm the opposite of Clyd I need some advice. Also is a 20mm thru axle needed? I was thinking coil froand rear. Thanks for your help.

 

[[email protected]]

Thanks for the info I actually have been looking into the Lenz, asylum and the Ventana but the fork options are so limited. Maverick is questionable for me and so is the White bros. In the past they have just seized. I wanted a thru axle for the fork. I have been looking at the ventana x-5 with quad bearing and heavy duty rear in the XL. Question what size is your 29er? Is your fork a 4" or 5 " model?
It actually is not a present it is a joint project where I will be teaching my husband how to build a bike and hopefully getting an appreciation for the sport I love.

 

[Soupboy]

I spaced on the Asylum - that is a fantastic bike. My El Cap is a 21" with a 24.7" ETT. It has the 4" rockers on it. The 5" rockers with 130mm fork push the BB up another 1.5" or so. Not necessary for me here in MN and far more than sufficient on my rides in CO and UT. The bike is far more capable than I am. My frame came from Larry Mettler at www.mtnhighcyclery.com.

You're right, fork options are limited. I have a Reba and got the WB Fluid TA to replace it. So far I've been very happy with the WB (knocks on wood). My Fluid is actually a custom 115mm travel fork. It provides a little more travel with an A-C similar to my Reba with Ventana +4mm King crown race. WB is very flexible in this respect. I ordered it through Bigwheels in GJ (Mike Curiak) - also a great source for a wheelset if you go the 29er route. It is my first WB. I think the guts are more sophisticated now than the old Englund Air-Cartridge forks of yore. Maverick forks just go too far to the proprietary side of things for me. For clydes on 29ers I think the TA is a must have - I won't go back.

The X5 is a fine bike but I think once you get into XL sizes you should take a solid look at 29er options too. The El Cap comes stock with the quad bearings and HD stays. I had a '02 Turner RFX (fairly comparable to the current X5) prior to the El Cap. The El Cap is capable of everything the RFX was but it just "fits" me better as a taller rider. The lateral stiffness is remarkable on the Ventana frames.

Both the El Cap and Behemoth can be reasonably built in the low 30s. The Leviathan and Asylum can approach the mid to upper 20s. Ventana also has the El Patron - a shorter travel, lighter version of the El Cap. Uses a Saltamontes-style front end vs. the X5.

Thanks for the info I actually have been looking into the Lenz, asylum and the Ventana but the fork options are so limited. Maverick is questionable for me and so is the White bros. In the past they have just seized. I wanted a thru axle for the fork. I have been looking at the ventana x-5 with quad bearing and heavy duty rear in the XL. Question what size is your 29er? Is your fork a 4" or 5 " model?
It actually is not a present it is a joint project where I will be teaching my husband how to build a bike and hopefully getting an appreciation for the sport I love.

 

[pumpkinbiter]

Hi Heather,
You mentioned the new fxr 2:1. I ride one so I thought I would tell you how laterally stiff the rear triangle is. This is especially important for heavier riders because we are able to put so much load on them when climbing and cornering. The bike handles great and (because of it's 2:1 leverage ratio) it's never a problem getting a heavy enough spring or enough compression damping for large riders. Sorry I cant say anything for the other bikes you metnioned. I am sure they are good but I can't speak for them. However I can say that the heckler has a very flexible rear end. I have felt them on friends bikes. They are mostly light riders so it's not such a big deal for them. But a 200+ rider can really feel the flex on that frame. Good luck with your build, hope your husband loves it as much as you!

Jake

 

[PCinSC]

No Fxr 2:1!!!

I'm building a bike for my husband, 6'3" 240 w/o gear, and am not sure which one to get. Heckler, motolite,moment, fxr 2:1.He is band new to the sport and stability and comfort are key. Since I'm the opposite of Clyd I need some advice. Also is a 20mm thru axle needed? I was thinking coil froand rear. Thanks for your help.

There is a 230lb weight limit on the Curnutt shock that comes on the FXR 2:1. I looked into this bike myself, but it's not suitable for a heavy clyde. Possibly with a different shock, but I personally did not want to mess around with trying out different shocks.

Here are some other possiblities:
Ventana X-5
Turner 5-Pack
Ventana El Capitan (if available w/ coil shock)

I hope that helps. Good luck.

Patrick

 

[PCinSC]

It actually is not a present it is a joint project where I will be teaching my husband how to build a bike and hopefully getting an appreciation for the sport I love.

This is awesome. You rock! :thumbsup:

Patrick

 

[pumpkinbiter]

Patrick, that is interesting info. I have never read or heard of that. And I have had extensive contact with foes. Hmm.. I wonder what be the cause of a weight limit?
I'm at 230 and there are 2 springs hevier than the one I am on. And the shock itself has PLENTY compression damping. Have you heard what the reason for a weight limit is??
I am really curious about this.

If that is correct data your right it wouldn't make a good bike for real heavy guys.
Too bad, such a stiff bike.

Thanks for the info!

Jake

 

[sungchang]

I'm building a bike for my husband, 6'3" 240 w/o gear, and am not sure which one to get. Heckler, motolite,moment, fxr 2:1.He is band new to the sport and stability and comfort are key. Since I'm the opposite of Clyd I need some advice. Also is a 20mm thru axle needed? I was thinking coil froand rear. Thanks for your help.

I just built up a Titus MotoLite over the weekend and went for a ride last night. I'm 5'8" at 250 w/o gear and the bike was superb. I was very hesitant to switch from Titus Racer-X, but after Yesterday's ride, I am so glad that I decided to switch over. I was concerned about climbing ability (at my weight I need all the help that I can get), but even at 140mm setting (07 Fox Talas RLC) it climbed great and at 100mm it was that much better climber. As for downhills, with RX, I had to choose my lines very carefully, but with ML it just glided over all the obstacles. The more upright position of ML gave me much more stable, comfortable feeling and it was a pure confidence builder. I would highly recommend a ML to anyone. One of my friend also moved from SC Blur to ML and he is swearing by ML...the best bike ever (pic of my friends' ML...my pics needs to be dl'd).

Although I have not ridden other bikes, I have heard great things on Heckler as well so that might be a good option as well. Good luck.

 

[[email protected]]

Thanks for the info I have a Large grey Motolite waiting at ABington Wheel Wright bike shop for my husband right now. I'm just waiting for the 07 Talas 36 to come in and the build begins. Thanks for all the posts

 

[IAmCosmo]

Hi Heather,
You mentioned the new fxr 2:1. I ride one so I thought I would tell you how laterally stiff the rear triangle is. This is especially important for heavier riders because we are able to put so much load on them when climbing and cornering. The bike handles great and (because of it's 2:1 leverage ratio) it's never a problem getting a heavy enough spring or enough compression damping for large riders. Sorry I cant say anything for the other bikes you metnioned. I am sure they are good but I can't speak for them. However I can say that the heckler has a very flexible rear end. I have felt them on friends bikes. They are mostly light riders so it's not such a big deal for them. But a 200+ rider can really feel the flex on that frame. Good luck with your build, hope your husband loves it as much as you!

Jake

That's music to my ears. I've been eyeing a FXR for a while...