Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - new member from canada

hello everyone
my name is jeff and i am from prince edward island, canada.
i have been lurking around this forum for a few weeks now and today i am finally
ready to commit to getting healthier. i am 28 and tipping the scales at 305 and am 5'10".
i must say my biggest insperation as of now is " big boy phill" i just read your post
and congrats to you. i can only imagine what it must feel like to lose that much weight. that is a real esteem booster and thats what i needed.

ok so here goes i live in the smallest province of canada and to be honest i could not tell you if there is a bike shop here besides canadian tire or wal-mart . lol ("hasen't been on my to look for list")

so i am askin for some help i am not sure if i will even like biking as of yet so i dont want
to go and spent a lot of cash and store it in a shed for years.i would like to do some flat trail riding first before hitting the streets.
there is plenty of snowmobile trails here and there is one in my back yard, that runs from tip to tip
my questions are what do i need to get set up right and be able to enjoy myself while doing something healthy? is there any other canadians here who can help me out?

well thats all for my first post and i hope to be a part of this thread as much as possible
thanks in advance
jeff

Hey man Welcome! All you really need is a bike with a comfortable seat (which does not mean gel) and a pair of cycling shorts (some might find those optional, but I LOVE mine :D).

Seems like a mountain bike without suspension would serve you well on the snowmobile trails, and the good news is that those are in good supply and for cheap! You can probably look around in the newspaper or on craigslist (do they have craigslist in Canada?), and probably find an old hard-tail cannondale, specialized, trek, GT for around $100.

Good luck man!

hello everyone
my name is jeff and i am from prince edward island, canada.
i have been lurking around this forum for a few weeks now and today i am finally
ready to commit to getting healthier. i am 28 and tipping the scales at 305 and am 5'10".
i must say my biggest insperation as of now is " big boy phill" i just read your post
and congrats to you. i can only imagine what it must feel like to lose that much weight. that is a real esteem booster and thats what i needed.

ok so here goes i live in the smallest province of canada and to be honest i could not tell you if there is a bike shop here besides canadian tire or wal-mart . lol ("hasen't been on my to look for list")

so i am askin for some help i am not sure if i will even like biking as of yet so i dont want
to go and spent a lot of cash and store it in a shed for years.i would like to do some flat trail riding first before hitting the streets.
there is plenty of snowmobile trails here and there is one in my back yard, that runs from tip to tip
my questions are what do i need to get set up right and be able to enjoy myself while doing something healthy? is there any other canadians here who can help me out?

well thats all for my first post and i hope to be a part of this thread as much as possible
thanks in advance
jeff

A quick look on www.yellow.ca under Bicycles and Ch'town shows two, Smoothcycle (http://www.smoothcycle.com/showroom/) and MacQueens (http://www.macqueens.com/shop.html), and one general sports store that may have bicycles along with 65,536 other things. I added web links to the store names above, so you could check them both out. Not sure where you live on the Island, but considering you could bike across the Island in a couple of days, it really doesn't matter. Summerside also has a bike shop, Bikeworks Summerside, no web site but you could call them at 902-436-3512, if that's closer.

If you make the trek to Ch'town check out BOTH shops, they have different brands, so it would be worth visiting both, if one doesn't have something that er turns your crank, the other might. I don't have experience with any of the stores in PEI, so other then providing contact info, can't recommend one over the other.

You have rail to trail bike paths that run the length of the island. There are two good shops in Charlottetown who can certainly help you out.

guys i need some quick advice i have found a bike for really cheap its a "specialzed stumpjumper"
anyone know anything on these bikes should i buy it or not
i can get for 40 today
i need to know by the end of the dat though
thanks
jeff

guys i need some quick advice i have found a bike for really cheap its a "specialzed stumpjumper"
anyone know anything on these bikes should i buy it or not
i can get for 40 today
i need to know by the end of the dat though
thanks
jeff

The Stumpjumper is a decent hardtail (this means no rear suspension, just front shock) mountain bike, Specialized has been making them for something like 20 years, it really depends on how old, and in what condition, a Stumpjumper that is mostly busted up for $40, skip it -- it will cost more to fix then it's worth. One that is older but in ride able condition, sure, if it has disc brakes, skip it, it's probably stolen.

I don't know how the rails to trails are doing these days, but when they first opened it was hellish.
The stones were deep, loose and big. It was not a nice walk and a worst ride, and rails go through the most uninspiring landscapes. I'm afraid that you will not enjoy your ride on these trails, because of the conditions. The roads might be a better idea. What part of the Island do you live on? My Family is from the west isle, near tignish.

Hi canuck_srx!

I don't know where you live on the Island but I have dealt with MacQueen's Bike Shop on Queen St in Charlottetown and have been satisfied.

I've done quite a bit of recreational cycling when I'm on the Island each summer. I've enjoyed cycling the Confederation Trail. I stay in the central part of the Island and have cycled the trail (in sections) between Borden and Elmira and haven't found it difficult and have enjoyed (most of) the scenery. I haven't cycled the Western area of the trail that redorchestra mentioned but that doesn't sound too appealing. :)

Last year I only had my road bike with me so only cycled the roads and enjoyed that as well. I did the NORTH CAPE COASTAL RIDE (http://www.ride-pei.com/) which was windy but fun.

Whether you decide to cycle the trail, or the roads, or both, enjoy it! The Island is a beautiful place to cycle and I've found it to be quite a bike-friendly environment.

Here's a Bike Forums regional thread you can check out. http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=227287

And here are some links that might help you...
http://www.cpei.ca
http://www.cpei.ca/clubs/
http://www.summersidecycling.com/new/
http://www.smoothcycle.com/

thanks guys

i am from the west end of the island not quite as far up as tignish but i grew up in inverness and now live in miscouche.
not many used bikes for sale on the island that i can see so i might bight bite the bullett and spring for a new one .this week will be busy for me as i have to get ready for the snow crab season. so i am not sure as to when i can make it to ch'town and look around has anyone have opinions on a " giant boulder se" smooth cycle has rental bikes for sale for 190 bucks. it might be the one
thanks in advance
jeff