New Ride For My Friend..

[ThreeD]

hey... welcome to ECTRR there Smiley!!! (now that it's up and running again  )
Wheels are going to be a bit of an issue, everyone likes different things but honestly, if you are over 200 lbs I wouldn't be looking for a set that light. Sure there are those that will get yrs out of a light set, but then others who wont. And with SS you are putting more pressure on the wheels because you end up "mashing" a lot of the time, kinda pushing the limits of strength on a sure or ultra light set. Going for 2100 grams I think would be a much safer bet. Also you are going to want a wider rim than you will get in the ultra lights. Lower pressures in the tires, with a narrow rim, and a heavier person is going to make the tire bulge more... not a good thing for stability, traction, or the tire it's self.  get at least a 28mm rim over the standard 22-24mm rim would be my suggestion.. There are many out there including my fav's the Velocity Blunts, which are very light in it their class/size. if you really want traction you can get the 35mm wide rims with Salsa's Gordo's or the P-35's. wider rims are MUCH stiffer. I lost spokes on just about every rim I've ever run... the only 2 I could ride out on have been the Blunts and the P-35's.. hell the P-35's I have now I just had a spoke strip out and didn't notice till I was cleaning it... thing rode fine and hardly warped at all.. (though it was a front wheel)

you could go with something like Stan's or American classic's but I'd get the feeling you'd be taking a roll of the dice..  if you want Pre-built I'd think about Mavic's 29er wheels, they are VERY rugged and light... but they are only 24mm wide....

get a tad heavier/stronger rim, tubeless, get reasonably light tubeless ready tires (again not super light for the same basic reasons) and you should be good

anyway... just thoughts...

Great infor there.  I'm going to store that away for when I get ready to build up my SS.  I was going to suggest the Stans Flows but you sound like you have a better understanding than I do.  Thanks for the info.

[Coreman]

Yeah Smiley !!! 

Ya see? There is a wealth on knowledge here to draw from.
The Velocity wheels just might be the right thing for a heavy dude.
Can't wait to see what you'll be getting into.
Stay tuned.

[Coreman]

Hey Smiley!
Are you watching this thread?!?! 

So,
Aluminum might be the way to go.
My take: Get a really good aluminum frame. Maybe a Stumpjumper  .
THen spend the money on great components like : WHEELS!
and brakes, bar, stem, seatpost, seat, pedals, cranks, BB, etc...
Aluminum is strong, stiff, (comes in larger sized tubings  ), and available in many offerings.
They say a stiffer frame is preferred for heavier riders.
With the money you'll save on the frame, you can go hog wild with the components.
(there's nothin like beautiful Ti though  )
JM2C