Well, it's not Columbus, but I can answer your question. My regular bike is a Motobecane grand sprint That I bought new in 1981 it's either an 80 or 81 model, vitus 888. At the time, I weighed around 165, maybe just a bit more. The bike rode great, and was quite comfortable, and stiff enough. I raced it at the very lowest level for most of the summer.
I've become a bit... lax ... about exercising, I don't get out nearly enough. And I'm a good deal heavier than I was in High school.(around 240, should be more like 200) The bike still rides nicely, it's still comfortable, I did upgrade the seat and bars, BUT it doesn't seem as stiff as it used to be. Out of the saddle pedaling, either sprinting or on a hill can make the chain rub the derailler on the righthand downstroke. I'm positive this isn't from the metal "getting old" as some shops would have me believe, but it's almost definetly because I'm heavier.
The upside is that I'm slowly getting a better pedaling motion, since I don't like the rubbing noise. Hopefully this summer I'll also have more time to get out riding, and be able to report on what the frame feels like at more like 210 or so. I'm betting it will be like it was 10 years ago.
Steve Birmingham Lowell, Ma USA
Date: Mon, 18 Feb 2008 18:28:09 -0500 From: Bianca Pratorius <biankita@comcast.net> Subject: [CR]Weight ranges and Columbus tubing
Help me out here. If the recommended weight limit for SL and SLX tubing is 154 or 150 lbs. than what if anything different does a 185 pounder experience from someone like me that weighs 155 lbs? I have a bunch of friends that like to compare bike experiences. We frequently ride each other's bikes and comment about ride quality. I had often heard that steel bike tubing is a lot like a spring suspension on a car. The spring was designed to flex and rebound with a particular weight range but could become overloaded if that range is exceeded. A lot of bikes that I describe as stiff are sometimes described as other by heavier riders. Is it their weight that is the most important variable here or is it individual preferences ? Has anyone on the list weighed 150 pounds and later gained 30 pounds and then perhaps lost it? This is the only way we can get a somewhat objective understanding.
Garth Libre in Miami Fl USA