Originally Posted by
BIG_BIKE
Thank you so much for your reply. Do you think you would need a special bike if you were upwards of 400 lb.? even 500 lb.? I am going to redefine my audience right away to better to fit these criteria. We considered a recumbent at first, but it seems it has been done. We feel that people will still prefer to ride a traditional bicycle. You mentioned perineum pain... Do you think this could have been solved with a better saddle? -Gabe
Yes, people upwards of 400 and 500 lbs need special bikes. Someone like Shaq who is probably awfully close to 400lbs still needs a special bike because of his 7 foot height. Someont 6 feet and 400 lbs is pretty darn obese and may need something like a step through bike as you mentioned because swinging their leg over the seat is difficult. As for a drop in top tube to make the bike look like a traditional bike, that could be a cool concept for the image conscious I suppose but if I were 500lbs I may not care if my bike was a step through; I probably already know people are going to be looking at me funny just seeing me getting on a bike.
Something else to think about. Downhill MTB's have dropper posts. When you are climbing on a mtb you want your seat up high as it's the best position mechanically to generate power but when descending tough and steep hills, you want your seat low so that you can get your weight back and stay in balance and not go over the bars. A dropper post on a regular bike may be all that someone obese needs to be able to swing the leg over the seat and mount the bike. The issue however, would be having a dropper post durable enough to support that weight. I know presently there is only one on the market that gets good reviews from bigger guys.