Day # 68 Too Heavy for Your Bike?

The following are notes from a 62 year old cyclist, Murray Snyder, who went across Canada twice using the TransCanadaHighway.
He was 295 lbs. when he started out, thus referring to himself as a Clydesdale.
I'm 160 so weight is also an issue/problem with me, too.
His equipment, food and water brought the weight of the bike up to about 400 lbs.

"Get a heavy duty rear wheel - My biggest mistake was using the stock wheel that came with my new Cannondale.
(You'd think that they'd use a heavier-than-normal wheel on a jumbo bike - NOPE!)
The time to get the new wheel is before you start. Once on the road it's almost impossible to get what you need.
Now I have a "bomb-proof" wheel - a Mavic A719 with 2.0 spokes laced in a 4 cross pattern. I wanted to get 40 spokes, but could only get a 36.
It cost me $296 (Can) which seems high, but I've paid up to $180 for a wheel that only lasted 2000 km.
I've found that the weak rims tend to crack horizontally from the spoke holes - then the rim starts to flex apart, widening the tire and thus thinning it and exposing it more readily to pinch flats.
I had 20 flats one summer - mostly pinch type.
After changing rims, no more pinch flats...until the rim started to weaken again.
I always carry several extra tubes, tube repair kit, tire boots and at least 1 extra tire.
Clydesdales are very hard on rear tires.
Another wheel-related problem I faced that could have been a non-issue was that the spokes kept loosening off.
They would get so loose that the wheel would warp enough to rub against the chain stay.
I started having broken spokes too.
I had a wheel completely rebuilt and within 100 kms it was warped again.
I would recommend that you use a thread locking fluid to keep them from vibrating loose.
I use "Permatex", but there are others that are just as good..."Loc Tite", I think, is another one.
Be sure to get the medium strength - the strongest stuff will freeze the threads so tight that you won't be able to adjust them.
I put a tiny drop on the spoke threads where they both enter the nipple, and where they exit.
That's probably overkill, but I have no more problems with loose spokes."