OK so I weigh 466lbs as of this morning. That is down from 488lbs at my heaviest. I could barely walk at all at 488lbs but now I can a little. Also my uncle gave me a Huffy he doesn't use anymore. I rode it to work today about 1/4 mile nothing major.

I really loved riding when I was younger. In high school I use to ride and run all the time even though I weighed 285lbs I was on the cross country team and rode my bike (Then a fuji road bike) everywhere.

I have been walking for a couple months and starting today I am riding again. I noticed that riding to work today was harder on my legs and easier on my back then walking to work has been. When I walk to walk 1/4 mile I have to stop and rest on park benches once or twice with riding I didn't rest at all and it was much easier on my back.

OK so the reason for my posts is I don't want to get a real good bike at this size as I am sure the wear and tear is going to be high. I would like to make the huffy a little more rider friendly so I will ride it more. What can I do?

I am thinking slick tires, A bigger spring seat and some of the little bars that go on the end of the handle bars to give you more hand possition options.

Any other suggestions as far as rims or tires made for really fat people?

Also I know it seems like a waste of money doing anything to a huffy but I think it is the best way to go till I get down another 150lbs or so.

Any and all suggestions would be appreciated

thanks

ride2lose

You are on your way. :)

Make the bike as comfortable as possible, and keep at it.
Ensure the slick tires can handle the load.

Hey ride2lose! Welcome to the forum. I think a good mountain bike with a Brooks Flyer saddle would be just the ticket.

http://www.ukbikestore.co.uk/product_images/Medium/brooks_flyer;Warehouse;Warehouse.jpg

Other people here will have some ideas for your bike. A Huffy is a toy bike for children and not representative of what real cycling is about. Read the posts from our fearless leader Tom Stormcrowe, he's been where you're at and knows what's up.

Again, welcome and please check in often and tell us about your bicycle adventures.

Whoop! Whoop!

OK so I weigh 466lbs as of this morning. That is down from 488lbs at my heaviest. I could barely walk at all at 488lbs but now I can a little. Also my uncle gave me a Huffy he doesn't use anymore. I rode it to work today about 1/4 mile nothing major.

I really loved riding when I was younger. In high school I use to ride and run all the time even though I weighed 285lbs I was on the cross country team and rode my bike (Then a fuji road bike) everywhere.

I have been walking for a couple months and starting today I am riding again. I noticed that riding to work today was harder on my legs and easier on my back then walking to work has been. When I walk to walk 1/4 mile I have to stop and rest on park benches once or twice with riding I didn't rest at all and it was much easier on my back.

OK so the reason for my posts is I don't want to get a real good bike at this size as I am sure the wear and tear is going to be high. I would like to make the huffy a little more rider friendly so I will ride it more. What can I do?

I am thinking slick tires, A bigger spring seat and some of the little bars that go on the end of the handle bars to give you more hand possition options.

Any other suggestions as far as rims or tires made for really fat people?

Also I know it seems like a waste of money doing anything to a huffy but I think it is the best way to go till I get down another 150lbs or so.

Any and all suggestions would be appreciated

thanks

ride2lose

The problem with Huffy is that it's basically a toy pretending to be a bicycle, You will quickly outgrow it, and it will feel like a boat anchor (because it weighs as much as one?), holding you back. This creates another problem, you invested an extra $100 in it, and don't want to lose that investment, so you try and make it work, which is doomed to failure, because it's a toy, not a bicycle.

Your better to toss the Huffy in the recycling bin, and get yourself a real bicycle, from a local bike shop (LBS). Most critical is to make sure that it's the right size frame. Very few frames, can't take a little weight, and the ones that can't, are typically marked for weight limits. Next are wheels, you want a 36 spoke wheel, at the absolute minimum, and it needs to be hand tensioned by an experienced mechanic or preferably wheel builder.

Other options are to see about something in the experienced market, craigs list (CL) often has some deals, if you can get a decent bike for say $200, and get a tune up and the wheels tensioned for another $100, you will be in good shape.

I fully agree with everything that has been stated about your Huffy. The Huffy will only work against you. Visit your local bike shop and get fitted to a bike that you will be comfortable with.

I went this route a couple of years ago at 327 lbs. The first LBS I went to didn't give me the attention I was looking for. It felt as if I was bothering them with my questions. The second LBS I went to was complete opposite and gave me the attention I needed. They showed me several bikes that fit my body and I ended up with a Giant Sedona DX comfort bike at about $330 USD. The Sedona DX has been a great bike and a joy to ride. It has held up to all types of riding styles. I like to ride trails in the woods and I usually ride aggressively. So far I've dropped 57 lbs just by riding. However, I recently realized that I needed to change my eating habits if I really wanted to drop the weight.

Keep up with your program. You're on your way! Good luck!

Best,
Brian

However, I recently realized that I needed to change my eating habits if I really wanted to drop the weight.

LOL! :) Boy have you got that right! It's quite easy to "out eat" any exercise benefit from riding a bike.

Welcome to a new life! I'm further down the road, but I can promise you the rewards make it all worth it. ;)

Agreed, on the bike. Get something that fits you, because if it doesn't fit, you'll hurt more riding. If you hurt more, you'll ride less. ;)

Look at something like the Specialized hardrock Sport. ;) That model has served many of us well. bdinger was also in the size range I started at and you ar now, and his is still going strong. :D

dont let these guys knocking on your bike discourage you from riding. if it is all you can afford or are willing to pay for at this point in time, then ride in confidence.:thumb:

Welcome to the forums, you certainly can ride a bike and will likly find that a shop quality bike will hold up much better and in time will cost you much less money than constantly throwing money into the Huffy. Great deals can be found on craigslist, keep an eye peeled and even call around your local shops for something thats been traded in. I wouldn't bother with any sort of suspension, asides from robbing power from you at your weight (and I mean no offense) you will likly bottom out any stock fork with minor bumps. I would look for a used hard tail mountain bike then buy a solid front fork. The new fork should cost about 15 dollars and the installation will cost about 30 give or take.

In the mean time continue to ride the Huffy. While you do this asses the type of riding you do. Do you spend most your time on or off the road? Where do you want to do most your riding at? What are you long term goals? What is your maximum budget? If money is no concern to you consider a recumbent trike, it will pretty much be a lawn chair with wheels. Don't buy a big poofy seat either, trust us when we say that a harder saddle will be much more comfortable for you once you start logging some miles. Keep us posted, we love to hear about progress.

Bau

I wouldn't bother with any sort of suspension, asides from robbing power from you at your weight (and I mean no offense) you will likly bottom out any stock fork with minor bumps.

true words spoken here. While I was not as big, I was still 375 when I started and I was bottoming out my hybrid fork and seat post. I would be physically drained after each ride, I eventually got a rigid fork and it made all the difference.

Welcome to the forum and I hope you make your goal weight. Persistence is wonderful thing and keep riding what you have until you are ready to move up. Wheels are going to be your biggest concern, make sure they are strong and have lots of spokes. 36 or better.

Good luck and let us here from you from time to time.

While I agree that the Huffy is a poor excuse for a bike it is still an effective weght loss tool as long as it holds together. I started on a Huffy in January and put 600 miles on it before it starting falling apart. I robbed parts from my wife's identical Huffy and have put another 150 miles on it since. About two weeks ago I finally picked up for my first road bike and have put a little over 100 miles on it. In that time I have lost 52 pounds. If you have a Huffy, then ride a Huffy. Don't expect much out of it, but it will do as you continue to lose weight and get in better shape. While there are obviously better bikes, the best bike is the one that you ride.

dont let these guys knocking on your bike discourage you from riding. if it is all you can afford or are willing to pay for at this point in time, then ride in confidence.:thumb:

I agree 100%. However, if one has the means then a better bike would be well worth the investment. I don't agree that a heavy rider has to feel that he/she has to compromise on their equipment just because of their weight. I thought I was too heavy at 327# but my LBS showed me that I had nothing to fear. Well, after reading the other thread in this forum I guess I have zombies and Pauly Shore to fear! ;)

Best,
Brian

dont let these guys knocking on your bike discourage you from riding. if it is all you can afford or are willing to pay for at this point in time, then ride in confidence.:thumb:

No one is discouraging him from riding. We are encouraging him to not sink time and money into polishing a turd.

Well, to bring a little perspective back... saddles and bar ends can easily be transferred from one bike to another... so if he feels those will immediately improve his comfort/enjoyment of cycling, why not go for it?

Do the huffys have weird measurements for their wheel spacing, or will he be able to take a strong sturdy wheel and transfer it to another bike when he's ready for an upgrade?

Narrower spacing because they still use a freewheel rather than a freehub/cassette combination. Think 126 mm spacing. rather than 130 or 135.

I also agree, since he has the Huffy, ride it until the wheels fall off and only make necessary repairs on it while he saves the money for a higher grade bicycle. I suspect he'll be much happier in the long run. :D

Also, nothing more fun than that first ride on his own brand new bike :D

I also agree, since he has the Huffy, ride it until the wheels fall off and only make necessary repairs on it while he saves the money for a higher grade bicycle. I suspect he'll be much happier in the long run. :D

Also, nothing more fun than that first ride on his own brand new bike :D

:thumb: Best answer here by far. The guy doesn't have to go out and spend $800 on a bike right away. As long as the Huffy is safe, it's 1000x better than the bike he was riding a month ago (none). Besides, when he loses a little weight and has a little cash, the Huffy will make him appreciate his new bike even more. He'll go from riding several miles, to being able to comfortably ride 3 or 4 times further.

Good luck. This Clyde section is full of good people. :)

Ride the Huffy for awhile, so that you can get a better idea of what sort of bike you want to go to next. A better bike will, however, increase your mileage and redue the amount of "willpower" you need to exert.
I'm trying to think if there is anything particularly good for a superclyde - Seems like any sort of solidly built bike built for "extreme" use would have the required overbuild - a cyclocross or decent MTB for instance. You're replacing the stress of "riding off of boulders and cliffs" with the stress of "superclyde rider". Then just put in the heavy wheels and have any suspension that might exist tuned for you.

dont let these guys knocking on your bike discourage you from riding. if it is all you can afford or are willing to pay for at this point in time, then ride in confidence.:thumb:

I don't think anyone is discouraging him from riding, it's discouraging him from putting any real money into a bicycle he will outgrow in a few months. If you have $100, it's better to put that into starting a new bike fund, then it is to put it into fixing the Huffy. As for the Huffy, just ride it until it drops, which will be sooner rather then later, then pick up something nice at a bike shop.

Congrats on your first ride...

Keep up the good work, and ride that Huffy until it screams for mercy.

By the time you know you will persist, and want to invest the money, a good well built bike shop quality bike will hold up as long as you will!

The one concern I have is that you say your legs hurt more than when you were walking... Try to ride in a lower gear (if you are on a geared bike) as the strain on your legs should be minimal... I weigh about 370 and it hurts my legs less to ride 10 miles than to walk one mile. Now my sit bones for the first couple of long rides might be a different story, but that isn't my legs. :)

Again, keep up the good work!

I have been rocking a Huffy for a while, finally upgraded. It is worth it but like said above, ride the wheels off, and then buy something better. Don't put money into it, well maybe a tune up if the gears don't work or brakes are less than good!

GOOD LUCK!

John

Congrats! Keep with it. Don't let anyone discourage you from using what you've got.
Once you get into it, you will get the upgrade bug fast, no matter what you're riding. ;)

Tom Stormcrowe: I just looked at your blog videos. Amazing!