If you’re taller or bigger than the average rider, you ride in all sorts of weather and your bike is always loaded up with lots of gear, or you’re just hard on bike components, you may fit into what the bicycle industry refers to as a “Clydesdale” rider.
For the record, we’re not 100% sure who came up with the term and sometimes we don’t agree with how they categorize a Clydesdale rider (a female cyclist is considered Clydesdale if she’s over 150 pounds? Say what?! Not fair!) BUT according to our research it’s a term that people seek out when they’re looking for a durable, performance-oriented bicycle component, and we just so happen to make some really incredible durable and high-performance wheels. So whether you’re a little huskier than some of your friends or you’re just out hammering on your bike – we’ve got you.
A bicycle wheel can fail for several reasons, but the main way in which a rim fails for a Clydesdale rider is through accelerated wear and tear on the rim and spokes, causing the material of the wheel to fatigue over time and weaken. Through every rotation, the point at which the rim contacts the ground flattens briefly – popping back out into its round shape as soon as it rotates past the ground. The spokes flex as the wheel rotates, causing some fatigue on those as well. Over time, you may see the spokes pull through the weakened material of the rim or you might see some broken spokes at the points of connection on the wheel. We take the wheels’ application, rider weight, and tire size into consideration when building a Clydesdale wheel and do our best to combat the ways in which it typically fails. Regardless of a rider’s weight, all of our wheels are built with spokes tensioned to 120kgf. Proper spoke tension reduces the odds of rim failure. Choosing the proper rim for the width tire you are using also helps to prevent rim failure – not just in the Clydesdale realm of things, but for all wheel builds, FYI!
We combat the issue that some riders see with broken spokes by using a double-butted spoke on our Clydesdale builds. A straight gauge spoke is typically the same thickness in material from the point of contact in a hub flange all the way to the end which rests inside of the rim and is affixed using a spoke nipple. Straight gauge spokes do not flex much, so they fatigue sooner. By using a double-butted spoke, the thickness of the spoke fluctuates to encourage some flex, which prolongs the life of the build. We take care to measure the spokes for each wheel build using our spoke calculator and make sure that the spoke nipple is engaged correctly for each hub and rim combo – using a spoke that is too long or too short can also cause the spoke to fail.
Spoke count is another way in which we combat typical rim failure for Clydesdale riders. The fewer spokes in a wheel mean that there is less material holding it into its circular shape. Sure, it’s lighter, but you sacrifice some of the durability when you go this route. We test our rims on a machine at Velocity USA that we refer to as the “Killdozer” so that we can simulate a larger rider and calculate how many spokes result in a sturdy, quality wheel.
After factoring in a rider's weight and gear, we suggest for individuals between 200 lbs to 229 lbs a front and rear spoke count of 32 each; for individuals between 230 lbs and 259 lbs, a front and rear spoke count of 36 each; for individuals between 260 lbs and 300lbs we recommend a front spoke count of 36 and a rear spoke count of 40.
Other ways in which we accommodate Clydesdale riders include a rim’s shape and design. Our Cliffhanger rim is a great option for Clydesdale riders because it uses reinforced material in the spoke bed, which prohibits spokes from pulling through the material at that spot as the rim fatigues. The Aileron, a disc only option, is also a good rim for Clydesdales because it has a deeper profile which calls for a shorter, thus stronger spoke length. All of our wheels go through an additional step after being built by hand (made to order!) that presses the spokes lightly into the hub flange – this eliminates the need for a break-in period. Heck, most of us are still riding on wheels that haven’t been touched since they’ve been installed on our bikes! Velocity USA wheels are built by hand, trued by hand, and sent to you ready to roll! You really can’t beat that, now can you?
These serve as simple guides for what wheelset will be best to serve you, but please do not hesitate to talk to your local bike shop regarding your new Velocity wheels. We’re here to help and to get you out riding no matter what your size or ability levels may be.
