Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - New and in need of help :)

first post! well about me is that im 5'7 260. i used to be 300 but after dieting and exercise i lost a bit. i want to get into biking for health and for commuting to work.

i would be using my bike for mainly city/road use. but still wanting to be able to take it to the rough terrain. i would like to use it daily and be able to ride it comfortably for long distances.

i emailed the people at rei and here is what they reccomended

These 2 bikes
http://www.rei.com/online/store/Search?x=22&storeId=8000&page_size=50&stat=7889&query=744742+750095&vcat=REI_SEARCH&y=10&langId=-1

they also said i should get some tires if i wanted to.
http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=2202&parent_category_rn=4500883&vcat=REI_SEARCH

any input would be great. thx for all the help guys and gals.:)

You might also compare these offerings with bikes from Performance and Nashbar. I was 220 when I started actively cycling again and lost 30 pounds. I went from 1 1/2 ' tires down to 1 1/4. Starting at 260 lb you might want a set of 2" wide tires and get thinner tires as you thin. If you are going to do a lot of wet dirt trails then knobby tires work better. Maybe have two sets of tires. A smmoth one for road use and a fatter, rougher one for threading single-track. If you can get a bike at a local bike shop (LBS) that matches something you can get online be willing to pay more for service and face time. If you do not support your LBS, it might not be there when you need it.

If you can get a bike at a local bike shop (LBS) that matches something you can get online be willing to pay more for service and face time. If you do not support your LBS, it might not be there when you need it.

Good point. They can also fit one to your body and needs far more specifically then ordering one online, and may even offer a trial period to test it out first.

I ride entirely on the road, but I got a Hybrid bike because of its size and durability. Perhaps a hybrid would fit your needs?

Air did a good job of synthesizing months of postings on bikes for clydes here:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=228851

One thing I don't remember coming up is,

if you are not experienced in bike fitting and all that
OR
you don't have a bunch of friends with bikes you can try out to get a good sense about sizing and geometry issues,
I would advise going to a LBS.

They will have several different brands and be able to put you on a bike that fits. (And as was said, they will then be there when you need service.) And they'll usually give you a break on stuff you upgrade when you buy and accessories you get when you buy and they will "service" your bike for X period of time for free. Also, you'll find that the margins are pretty close when all is said and done.

If I were you, I would get an MTB and put slicks on it. (Maybe get two sets of wheels. One for off road with fat knobbies and the appropriate tube) and one for commuting with slicks and the such. You can put reflectors on the commuting wheels and all that stuff... Two sets of wheels will make picking the trail over commuting a lot quicker. (If you do this and the rims are different widths -- this will affect breaking so be mindful of this.)

Good luck.

Bianchi Vlope would also be in the running.

Joe

Especially if you are gonna drop that kind of dough on a bike. I could see if you were on a budget and wanted to buy from BikesDirect or something, but for $900 I want full service.

I will throw out a suggestion of looking at cyclocross bikes like the Specialized Tricross.

Especially if you are gonna drop that kind of dough on a bike. I could see if you were on a budget and wanted to buy from BikesDirect or something, but for $900 I want full service.

I will throw out a suggestion of looking at cyclocross bikes like the Specialized Tricross.Michael_Scott, if you can get comfy in the drops, this is great advice!

Cyclocross bikes are like road bikes but built for the dirt. So, they have higher clearance, wider tires, beefier wheels and MTB drivetrain.

I have 5 bikes and my newest one is from REI. I picked up the Safari touring bike around a month ago and love it. REI has one of the best (if not the best) return policy of any store around. I picked it up mainly for commuting since it is a ridgid frame with 26 wheel size with disk brakes. I never thought it would happen but it is quickly competing for #1 Bike with my beloved Cannondale T-700. You can have the bike sent to the store in Santa Rosa for free and they will set it up before you go get it. Take it for a spin and if you don't think you will like it, tell them and they will help make it fit or find you one that will.

As for the LBS, I have found that majority talk big about "fitting" but I have yet to be ever properly fitted other than the stand over test. At the higher end the bike shops, I find harder to have them to take me seriously. The just see me as a fat guy kicking tires. Before I purchased the last bike I went to a couple of the local shops that offer discounts to members of the local club and found I got a whole lot better service and people to listen at REI and Performance.

(edit due to hitting the post button to quickly)

Something overlooked in fitting most clydes to a bike. The average suspension fork is sprung for about a 160lb rider. Many forks have available respringing kits but you will probably need the assistance of the LBS to buy and fit these kits.
I am a light Clyde at 210 to 220 riding weight and I am near or at the top of the air cartridge specs on my Marzocchi Fork. Any larger and I might start thinking about a rigid steel fork.

Go to Walmart.

Don't bother with the professional fitting. One size fits all.

wow thanks for all the advice so fast.

well i know nothing about bike fitting. i dont mind spending the money to buy a quality bike to begin with.

i wasn going to buy a bike online i was just looking through there stuff. i would like to buy a bike from a lbs. i have a friend who works at the rei in the town over and could get me a good discount.

im sorry im a newbie but what is a clyde?

ill look into just getting 2 sets of tires, one for road commuting and 1 for off road.

thx for the help im sure ill be asking alot of questions in the near future :)

wow thanks for all the advice so fast.

well i know nothing about bike fitting. i dont mind spending the money to buy a quality bike to begin with.

i wasn going to buy a bike online i was just looking through there stuff. i would like to buy a bike from a lbs. i have a friend who works at the rei in the town over and could get me a good discount.

im sorry im a newbie but what is a clyde?

ill look into just getting 2 sets of tires, one for road commuting and 1 for off road.

thx for the help im sure ill be asking alot of questions in the near future :)over 200 pounds. It is a loving term.

IMHO, ride a bunch of 'em and buy the one you like. That's what I did on both of my purchases, so far so good :D.

hehe thx for the advice. ill try to see if i can ride them around a bit before i buy one.

who came up with the word clyde? lol i must be really out of touch if its obvious :)

hehe thx for the advice. ill try to see if i can ride them around a bit before i buy one.

who came up with the word clyde? lol i must be really out of touch if its obvious :)

Clyde = Short for Clydesdale (giant horse)

I actually thought about writing more at LBS's in my original post, but choose to keep it short. I don't want to take away anything from themickeyd's experience with REI as I have never been to one, and I can definitely vouch for the dismissive attitude Clyde's tend to get from many LBS's.

I would like to add though that if you look around you just might be able to find a friendly shop that does not care that you are not 2% body fat with a wallet that is spilling over 100's. I have 3 shops in my town and like Goldilocks I found the first too hard (imagine the Xtreme team guys from "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle"), the second too soft (basically an alternative to X-mart whose real money maker is Schwinn exercise equipment) and the last was just right. Nice staff and good wrenches who are nice to just sit around and talk to sometimes.

So there is my plug for the LBS. The reason I go through all this to recommend looking for a LBS is that being new to cycling it is REALLY nice to have a place where you can bring your bike to have adjustments done (which you will need during the first year you have the bike) and any LBS worth their salt will offer free maintenance for the first year.