General Cycling Discussion - Bikes that handle heavy people

Okay, I'm overweight; I'm around 350lbs and am able to use those exercise bikes at the gym, so I have the range of motion.

Does anyone know of a good brand of bikes that can handle someone of my weight or higher? I want to get back to riding as it has been a long time.

This one might work for you:
http://www.konaworld.com/bikes/2k7/HOSS/index.html

Drop by Clyde's Forum! We have all this info there. The biggest issue will be the wheels. The frame will handle you fine!

Okay, I'm overweight; I'm around 350lbs and am able to use those exercise bikes at the gym, so I have the range of motion.

Does anyone know of a good brand of bikes that can handle someone of my weight or higher? I want to get back to riding as it has been a long time.

If you can wait until July, Surly LHT complete. It may even have strong enough wheels (which is where you're going to get big issues). (XT hubs, 29'er rims)

You really want a touring or mountain frame - a regular road frame is goign to be too flexy in your weight range.

For that matter, what's your price range?

http://www.worksman.com/rhcruisers.html

http://www.worksman.com/rhcruisers.html

The Worksmans are said to be very tough bikes, if somewhat heavy. Certainly stronger than anything else you will find for $300.

They are very-popular among the gas-engined bicycle people (putting a gas-engine kit on is very hard on a bicycle, even though it only has a top-speed of 30-mph).

I've got an American Classic cruiser on order; there is usually about a 30-day lead time.
~

Tires and wheels take up most of the load. Top quality beach cruisers come with heavy duty wheels and tires. Visit a Trek dealer and look at the beach cruiser models with the three speed Nexus shifters and the seven speed Shimano Shifters. These bikes are built to handle any load on any road.

The only "upgrade" the Trek beach cruisers would need is the seat post and the saddle. The seat post is the traditional "cruiser" style and is more difficult to get (and keep) level than the modern mountain bike seat posts. The saddle is too big for most people (although a 250 pound rider I know says it fits him perfectly).

Most entry level mountain bikes from the best companies (such as Trek, Specialized, and Giant) are also made for heavy duty use. These bikes sell for between $300 to $400, and the only "upgrade" you might need would be a better/wider saddle.

Buy from a good neighborhood dealer with a good service department. All bikes need brake cables and shifter cables adjusted, and wheels trued. A heavy rider may need the wheels trued more often. A good dealer will true the wheels before you get the bike, and then will check them and true the (free of charge) after a few weeks of riding have loosened the spokes.

The key to getting the maximum benefit from cycling is not to take loooong Saturday rides. Try to ride every day, rain or sun, hot or cold, for forty-five minutes to an hour. Ride slowly for ten minutes to warm up, and then ride at a faster rate that keeps you slightly out of breath. Try to stay at that faster rate for thirty to forty minutes. Finish the ride with five minutes of slow riding to let your body cool down.

If you ride 25 days to 30 days a month, just for thirty minutes to an hour, you will see a significant improvement in your fitness and health in just two or three months. But, riding a bike is too easy to depend on it to lose weight. To lose weight, combine the bike riding with a diet that consists of ten or fifteen glasses of water per day, with as much fresh/raw fruit and fresh or steamed vegetables as you want. Don't eat any fried food. Limit meat (other than fish) to four ounces per day. Again, zero fried food.

The combination of riding each day and eliminating all fried foods will enable you to lose eight or ten pounds of weight per month. Stick with it for a year, and next June, there will be a whole new (smaller and fitter) you. Good luck.

This one might work for you:
http://www.konaworld.com/bikes/2k7/HOSS/index.html

Have to agree. About the only bike made by a reputable manufacturer that will take weight. Most other bikes will take your weight and the problem being in your strength ripping the drivetrain to bits and the wheels not taking the strain.

I"m about 365 +/-. I was told about getting a good beach cruiser and getting the rims issue. My budget is about $300 - $400.

I was also told about a good store near where I live - the big guy on Rob & Big, the show on one of those music channels is over 400 and found a good bike there.

I am in that weight zone (again) and ride a Giant Sedona... Bought it when I weighed 365, aqnd lost 65 pounds... over the past few years, I have gained... partly due to sporadic riding.

I have about 3,000 miles on it over a few years, and have had precisely 1 broken spoke and have changed tires.

Otherwise flawless.

I converted it to a rigid fork and clipless last year.

I have completed a couple of metric centuries on it.

Going with a lower model Sedona would probably work too... as would a similar model from a different manufacturer.

Got my bike this past weekend - I rode for about 30mins and my legs are sore. Planning to ride tomorrow and shoot to get three to five days a week riding and slowly move up to everyday and go 30 to 45 mins at a time.

This site is great - thanks for the suggestions and help.

I"m about 365 +/-. I was told about getting a good beach cruiser and getting the rims issue. My budget is about $300 - $400.

I was also told about a good store near where I live - the big guy on Rob & Big, the show on one of those music channels is over 400 and found a good bike there.

Forget the beach cruiser. would probably do best with a mountain bike or a touring bike as others have said. A great touring bike that's out of your price range would be a Cannondale T800. It's a nice stiff frame that made for carrying lots of stuff day in and day out. However it's going to be around $1100.

Your best bet in a mountain bike-like bike would be a Trek SU200 or SU100 (go for the 200). It has smaller 26" wheels which are much stronger than 700C, it doesn't have a suspension fork which, on a cheap bike would be too much like riding a pogo stick anyway, and it's not under built. The Kona Hoss would be another good choice but it's about twice what the SU goes for.

Got my bike this past weekend - I rode for about 30mins and my legs are sore. Planning to ride tomorrow and shoot to get three to five days a week riding and slowly move up to everyday and go 30 to 45 mins at a time.

This site is great - thanks for the suggestions and help.

Congratulations. Try to ride EVERY day...rain or shine. Even a thirty minute ride helps your muscles get used to riding, builds flexibility, and burns some calories. When I started riding everyday, I would block the door with my bike. That forced me to think, when I was going one block to visit a neighbor, or going four blocks to get some mile "why not take the bike?" Over a period of months, those fifteen minute rides and thirty minutes rides add up.

The worse thing to do is to NOT ride for a week, and then try to ride for two or three hours. Folks who do that get sore, get discouraged, and the bike ends up hidden in the back of the garage.

The Worksmans are said to be very tough bikes, if somewhat heavy. Certainly stronger than anything else you will find for $300.

They are very-popular among the gas-engined bicycle people (putting a gas-engine kit on is very hard on a bicycle, even though it only has a top-speed of 30-mph).

I've got an American Classic cruiser on order; there is usually about a 30-day lead time.
~

Yes, NO ONE builds a heavier duty cycle. Most Worksman bi & tri cycles
are rated at 500# limits(!!).

I rode them for 40 yrs on the job and own a Worksman PAV that is great for city use.

Worksman are all about reliablity and durablity NOT speed so if you want to race look
elsewhere.

The key to getting the maximum benefit from cycling is not to take loooong Saturday rides. Try to ride every day, rain or sun, hot or cold, for forty-five minutes to an hour. Ride slowly for ten minutes to warm up, and then ride at a faster rate that keeps you slightly out of breath. Try to stay at that faster rate for thirty to forty minutes. Finish the ride with five minutes of slow riding to let your body cool down.

If you ride 25 days to 30 days a month, just for thirty minutes to an hour, you will see a significant improvement in your fitness and health in just two or three months. But, riding a bike is too easy to depend on it to lose weight. To lose weight, combine the bike riding with a diet that consists of ten or fifteen glasses of water per day, with as much fresh/raw fruit and fresh or steamed vegetables as you want. Don't eat any fried food. Limit meat (other than fish) to four ounces per day. Again, zero fried food.

The combination of riding each day and eliminating all fried foods will enable you to lose eight or ten pounds of weight per month. Stick with it for a year, and next June, there will be a whole new (smaller and fitter) you. Good luck.
Ditto, ditto, and ditto. We have a neighbor that lost about 35 pounds after she stopped drinking beer. She was cute, but now she's smokin'.

I have struggled with my weight since I went back to school. Not only that, my internship was very sedentary.:mad:

That's why I took up cycling again. My diet changed immediately after I started cycling again. And the food that not only gave me good fuel without a crash, and filled me with fiber so I didn't get the munchies later in the day? Cheerios! I'm not kidding.

I'm about 250, but should probably be more like 180 to be at optimum health. I'm also combining the cycling with a better diet, but the exercise piece came first. The logic was that after all that work, I didn't want to waste all that effort by eating something crappy.

I totally gave up soda, too. That includes diet sodas. I become a water drinker, and everything about my health improved. Concentration and energy level for starters. And I don't feel hungry as often.

Good luck. I'm with you in spirit. Just like me, you probably know all this stuff already. It's just putting it into practice that was always the sticking point for me. I just never had enough time between finishing school and working. I just ended up having to make the time.

t

Congratulations. Try to ride EVERY day...rain or shine. Even a thirty minute ride helps your muscles get used to riding, builds flexibility, and burns some calories. When I started riding everyday, I would block the door with my bike. That forced me to think, when I was going one block to visit a neighbor, or going four blocks to get some mile "why not take the bike?" Over a period of months, those fifteen minute rides and thirty minutes rides add up.

The worse thing to do is to NOT ride for a week, and then try to ride for two or three hours. Folks who do that get sore, get discouraged, and the bike ends up hidden in the back of the garage.

Rode 4 miles today and feel fantastic. The bike I bought is a Trek Navigator; nice ride. I've gotten myself to commit to two other people that I'll ride five days a week. My goal is to ride everyday and if able to ride twice a day.