# any heavy guys out there own a lemond sarthe



## laotsu42 (Feb 21, 2004)

I've been looking at lemonds lately and have found several frames that have peaked my interest but i weigh 210 lbs and i have been told that steel frames are not a good choice for guys like me 

not sure where i stand on this my mtb is steel but is a tough and fast bike , i dig it 

just keep hearing that steel road frames are flexy but i haven't tried a modern steel frame yet so i was wondering if some of the big guys out there might have some feed back on the lemond sarthe ...

the price is good and the frame looks lovely 

but is it a good choice for a big dude who likes to punish himself by climbing and has a problem going slow (doesn't mean I'm fast) 

thanks ...


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## reidcc (Mar 12, 2005)

HI-
I am a clydesdale at 225 lbs. I haven't been able to handle hills well since I got rid of my triple(my Sarthe is a double). I live almost 3 miles all uphill from my city center on some pretty steep climbs. I tried three or four times, and never made it.

I believe the frame handles hammering well, though there is some flex. I probably would have been happy buying the cheaper model Criox de Fer- but I figured if I was going to spend that kind of money- buy something that had stronger wheels, and after reading reviews of wheelsets- the Sarthe's wheels were a lot stronger that the Criox's.

My advice- take one out a ride it. Take other steel frames out and ride them. Specialized still has one steel framed bike at around $1500, Bianchi has one or two, Jamis has a couple(almost bought a Jamis leftover Reynolds framed for $999). Try some hills and see how they handle flex.

My old ride was an older bonded aluminum Trek 1220 triple with RSX components. It rattled all my fillings, and was actually too large for me. After taking a couple years of no riding I wanted back in, but a new ride was in order. My primary concern was Ride Comfort, and then the component/value/looks factor. Weight was not a REAL big deal, as I knew that they would be heavier than most aluminum bikes in that price range anyway.

I fell in love with the ride immediately!!!

Chris


laotsu42 said:


> I've been looking at lemonds lately and have found several frames that have peaked my interest but i weigh 210 lbs and i have been told that steel frames are not a good choice for guys like me
> 
> not sure where i stand on this my mtb is steel but is a tough and fast bike , i dig it
> 
> ...


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## laotsu42 (Feb 21, 2004)

reidcc said:


> HI-
> I am a clydesdale at 225 lbs. I haven't been able to handle hills well since I got rid of my triple(my Sarthe is a double). I live almost 3 miles all uphill from my city center on some pretty steep climbs. I tried three or four times, and never made it.
> 
> I believe the frame handles hammering well, though there is some flex. I probably would have been happy buying the cheaper model Criox de Fer- but I figured if I was going to spend that kind of money- buy something that had stronger wheels, and after reading reviews of wheelsets- the Sarthe's wheels were a lot stronger that the Criox's.
> ...


we carry lemond at the shop i work at but we don't sell steel in our shop much and i haven't been able to demo them at any of the other shops either so i had to check ...is it true that you need one size down that you're used to for a lemond ? just curious ...

thanks for the reply ...

i had been looking at the poprad then i looked up the price for the sarthe and i think i need one  
just wish i didn't have a bontrager crank but sokay i will get a new one soon after


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## leggeca (Jun 24, 2005)

laotsu42 said:


> I've been looking at lemonds lately and have found several frames that have peaked my interest but i weigh 210 lbs and i have been told that steel frames are not a good choice for guys like me
> 
> not sure where i stand on this my mtb is steel but is a tough and fast bike , i dig it
> 
> ...


I weigh 190 and have had my 57 cm Sarthe for about a week. It climbs better than my old Trek 2300 which has an aluminum and carbon for frame materials. It is surprisingly light and so very smooth to ride. The Truvativ GXP bottom bracket claims to be flex free as do the Bontrager Race Lite cranks. I haven't flexed it yet. I haven't done any full out sprints yet, but on climbs it seems to surge forward as if no power is being lost. I bought the triple and have no regrets there. So nice to have a bail out ring for dragging my carcass up steep climbs. I love it, and am very pleased with my choice.


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## laotsu42 (Feb 21, 2004)

*rode the Versailles and fell in love*

i couldn't help it ...i wanted full steel to give my beautiful steel hardtail a mate but i couldn't help it ..... 

just ep"d a Zürich on Friday so it should be here next Friday ... 

had to after i felt the ride of the carbon steel frame ...

but i think i shall get a filmore to give my hardtail a steel mate


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## ssif21 (Sep 23, 2005)

laotsu42 said:


> I've been looking at lemonds lately and have found several frames that have peaked my interest but i weigh 210 lbs and i have been told that steel frames are not a good choice for guys like me


I'd always heard the exact opposite and was afraid of carbon or ti. My weight has gotten as high as 250 and I'm happy as can be with my '99 Zurich (the all steel one). Heck, I've never even had to have the wheels trued. I'm at about 215 now and piling up the miles on it.


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## laotsu42 (Feb 21, 2004)

ssif21 said:


> I'd always heard the exact opposite and was afraid of carbon or ti. My weight has gotten as high as 250 and I'm happy as can be with my '99 Zurich (the all steel one). Heck, I've never even had to have the wheels trued. I'm at about 215 now and piling up the miles on it.



i have faith in the oclv after working in the store around it 

it's good stuff ...

and i like the parts spec on what i got and and the over all performance was very nice on the frame i tested and the 55 fit just right ...never had a road bike fit soo good ...

wish i could get full steel with full ultegra ....*sigh* and the "06 colors aren't that great but i am sure that won't matter after the first ride ...

but hey 

when i start getting my core strength up i will probably top out at around 220 there abouts so i was supprised at the performance of the frame . i was allways told that the carbon steel combo's were flexy but i did several standing efforts and just pushed on the bike i demo'd and had no complaints ...hopefully i will be piling on some miles soon


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## dabishop (Dec 13, 2005)

*Lemond Sarthe*



laotsu42 said:


> I've been looking at lemonds lately and have found several frames that have peaked my interest but i weigh 210 lbs and i have been told that steel frames are not a good choice for guys like me
> 
> not sure where i stand on this my mtb is steel but is a tough and fast bike , i dig it
> 
> ...


Hello,
I have a 2005 Lemond Sarthe that I've modified. One of the main changes where the wheels, I switched to Easton Vista. I am a 205 lb. biker, and the wheels were the only problem I really had. They felt like they were flexing at speeds above 25 mph. Since I changed the wheels my bike is the bomb.


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