Commuting - Bike for 300lbs+

Hey,

It’s a bad way to start, but I am not trolling here. I am looking for actual advice.

I have been living/working/studying in England for the last 8 months. I am from California and I will be returning there at the end of the month. While over here I have not purchased a car, so my travel has been 60% by walking, 40% by buss. This has dramatically increased my physical endurance with all the hills and the fact I live on the 4th floor of a building without a lift or AC.

When I get back to California I am thinking of getting back into cycling to maintain/improve this new endurance. I have not cycled since high school (8 years ago). I stopped cycling in high school because the rear wheels on my mountain bikes kept bending? At the time I weighed over 200lbs. These bikes were always under $200 and purchased from Target or Wal-Mart.

So my question is, are bikes made for people like myself, (I now weigh probably around 300lbs) that can support my weight without having to replace bent rims? Basically, I am looking for something for short trips and going to work. Any recommendations with ball park prices would be appreciated.

I apologize if this has already been addressed but I could not find a similar thread.

Welcome to the forum. I just purchased a Trek 820 this spring for my hilly 20 mile round trip commute. I weigh 210 lbs. and switched to a sturdy Mt. bike because I felt it would handle pot holes, debris etc. that I cannot avoid sometimes in heavy city traffic. I also need the wide range of gearing on a Mt. Bike. I have put about 500 miles on the bike so far and love it, I am slowly adding fenders, rack, lights, etc. to make it a "commuter".

ElDraco-- yes, there are bikes and wheels that will support your weight.

One recommendation I've seen on other forums for heavier people is to use wheels designed for tandem bicycles. Another thing that's been mentioned is that wheels with more spokes work better for heavier riders-- many bikes have 32-spoke wheels but 36-spoke wheels are also commonly available if i'm not mistaken. I'm not sure how many spokes a typical tandem wheel has.

Another thing is that many wheel problems come from spokes being too loose. When spokes are looser, the rider's weight can make several spokes go completely slack at the same time, which can put uneven stress on the rim.

That's about all I know, but there are other people who will hopefully help you more.

Worksman makes a line of very rugged industrial bikes that cam be easily optioned for commuting by specifying fenders, multiple speeds, and so forth.
http://www.worksman.com/rhcruisers.html
I've seen one at my LBS. They would make rugged, dependable transportation for anyone of any size.

Paul

Hey,

It’s a bad way to start, but I am not trolling here. I am looking for actual advice.

I have been living/working/studying in England for the last 8 months. I am from California and I will be returning there at the end of the month. While over here I have not purchased a car, so my travel has been 60% by walking, 40% by buss. This has dramatically increased my physical endurance with all the hills and the fact I live on the 4th floor of a building without a lift or AC.

When I get back to California I am thinking of getting back into cycling to maintain/improve this new endurance. I have not cycled since high school (8 years ago). I stopped cycling in high school because the rear wheels on my mountain bikes kept bending? At the time I weighed over 200lbs. These bikes were always under $200 and purchased from Target or Wal-Mart.

So my question is, are bikes made for people like myself, (I now weigh probably around 300lbs) that can support my weight without having to replace bent rims? Basically, I am looking for something for short trips and going to work. Any recommendations with ball park prices would be appreciated.

I apologize if this has already been addressed but I could not find a similar thread.

This is not a problem, fortunately. Any bike with well-built wheels with 36 spokes or more and rims for either touring or downhill mountain biking. When you get back to CA, go ahead and figure out your budget. Many opinions on what is "best," vary, suggesting that multiple options are adequate for a heavy rider. If I was spending a small sum ($400-500), I'd look at the end of summer specials and fall clearances, where you can get a higher priced bike on a budget. I bought a Jamis Exile, normally around $750 and up, for $499. That was a steel mountain bike, which would be an excellent choice for above 300lbs. Steel flexes more than aluminum in general, and has a superior fatigue life--meaning, it will handle the extra weight more durably over a long period of time. I'm much lighter (150) and I prefer a steel frame. By a long shot, though, fit is absolutely the most important component, and you should try out many different bikes to figure out what your frame size is. Contrary to the racing style of fit, ideal for sub 130 pound people, you will want your handlebars to be level or higher than your saddle, because your torso will put some strain on your wrists. That will alleviate it. That's something you will notice more and more as you put on the miles.

Just to give you an idea of brands, heavier people often get Sunn Rhinos or Rhino Lites, a near indestructible rim. When you start shopping, take a look at mountain bikes, cyclocross bikes, and touring bikes. Many of these kinds of bikes are built to endure far more abuse than you will throw at it. best.

Good advice so far (although the Worksman bike is probably too much).

Generally speaking, I would suggest 36-spokes or even 40-spokes wheels (the latter especially for the rear wheel). But even more important than the number of spokes is how well the wheel is built. Many bikes, and most if not all cheap dept. store bikes, have wheels with spokes that are severely under-tensioned. You are more likely to have wheels that have been adequately re-tensioned if you buy the bike at a dedicated bike shop. Alas, some stores do that all the time, others do that only for expensive bikes, others only do that at the 30-day free tune-up.

On top of that, you need relatively wide tires, but with relatively high pressure. For instance, if you are interested in road riding, whereas a 5' female would ride with 700x23 or 25 tires, you will need 700x37 or 42 tires... and a frame that accept such "large" tires. Same concerns in the 26" field, where you would probably be best with 26 x 2.25 or 2.5" slicks (i.e. smooth-surface tires -- I know more the 700c tires than the 26" tires BTW).

In terms of the bike itself, almost anything would suit, except maybe a racing bike. But it has to be sized appropriately.
- A good touring bike or even a "light touring" bike would actually be a decent road bike at your size, providing it can use wide tires (not all sports touring allow that). If you go that route, make sure you get wide drop bars and have a stem that allows you to place the bars high. Large people don't bend as easily as toothpicks.
- A city bike, hybrid bike, non-suspended road bike, etc. would fit.
- As for a suspended road bike, I don't see a real need for that in urban riding. But if you go that way, make sure the suspension is tuned to your weight.

Find a proper bike shop, and ask if they can build touring-grade wheels. At least 36 butted spokes, a mid-range hub and a good rim.
Get yourself a good-enough std bike, an MTB/hybrid/tourer/road style, whatever your preference. Replace the factory wheels with hand-built ones.
Bikes fail at the wheels, not the frame, so you should be OK with that setup.

I share your experience as I just taco'd a wheel on a wal-mart bike 2 days ago. So, I went and bought a used Specialized RockHopper. Its a good frame, steel, and lots lighter than those wally world bikes. I'll be keeping a close eye on the wheels though, as I am also a 300lb dude. I am probably more like 310. I ride on 1.5" slicks for the road. A mountain bike has lower gearing which helps big guys like us get our asses up the hills.

Get something that has a knurled seat post, if you can. And a good quick-release on it. They tend to slip with us heavy guys.

DO NOT BUY ANOTHER WALLY WORLD BIKE if you can help it. The same thing WILL happen again.

Let me know if you have any other questions about getting started at a heavy weight. I just started cycling 2 or 3 months ago :)

Any good touring bike should work well. My 1984 Specialized Expedition Touring came with 40 spoke wheels & remember, touring frames are designed to carry heavy loads. I am only about 150 lbs but I really notice a difference between steel & aluminum. I prefer steel frames.

try your hand at one of these bad boys

I second the Worksman bikes as bulletproof heavy duty
machines. True, they are not slim & trim with sexy lines as
most bike today but if it's a dependable ride that won't bend
or break on you a Worksman is your bike.

I rode both the Worksman trikes and bikes in the factory
where I worked for 39 yrs. almost everyday and the ONLY
problem we ever had was flats from machine chips. Considering
that these bike worked 24/7/365 on 3 shift that's not bad at
all. But then again they are made for this kind of work.

Will they be a bit more work to ride on the street? Yes, as
they are heavier but I'll trade that any day for the
dependablity they provide as a very fair price for what you
get. So check out the Worksman web site to get a bike built
your way......and deilvered ready to ride to your door!!

Beckman can make wheels with 48 spokes to handle big loads on their touring bikes. This might be helpful.
http://www.coinet.com/~beckman/bikeframes.html

I'm 235 myself and suffered many a broken spoke on cheap wheels. I'll never go cheap again. I've got 36 spoke Mavic open pro rims on my Guru road bike (all steel). So far so good.

How about a tricycle...

http://www.bayviewcycle.com/NewFiles/bike_specs/Trikes_ADULT.html

I actually just built a bike for a 450lbs customer with the following specs:

-19" Schwinn Mesa frame (very heavy tubing, reinforced, straight gauge, butting, all that)
-Deore LX cranks (I would have gone square tapered but the salesman insisted on a splined crank)
-Seatpost is key... you are basically limited to a downhill seatpost. 2 bolts MINIMUM... I have a Thompson that was bent under a 220lbs rider... anyways I think I used a Raceface Diabolus post.
-Headset went to an FSA Pig
-For the fork we went rigid (no suspension fork short of a freeride fork can take that much weight unfortunately, of if it did hold up it will bob too much to be of any use)
-Wheelset we went to a Sun Rynolite XL or something along those lines.
-Race face 4 bolt stem too.
This gives you an idea of what might work for you. The Kona Hoss was designed specifically for big guys, so you might give that a look.

I,too weigh in a little over 300 lbs. I have recently aquired quite a few used bikes the last six monthes,and the one I ride is the cheap trek I bought for my wife. it has real cheap 36 spoke machine built wheels and I was worried about them holding up. the shop tensioned the wheels before we took it home and when we took it in for the free check up.
I dont ride in the woods anymore or do silly stuff like jumping cars and mountains and such,but for the unavoidable potholes and the ever growing curbs near the rail trail,they are holding up really well. I ride 10 miles daily on my commute and currently 14 xtra miles on the rail trail every other day.I also carry groceries home on occasion and have even gone on a short camping tour with all my gear piled on.
I think a key thing for us big riders is maintenance. either learn how to true your wheels yourself or live with having them straigtened evry so often.
of corse the 40 or 48 spoke wheels are a good option ,although they are HEAVY and expensive.I had a set a few years ago before I quite riding and they are in fact virtually bombproof.I was jumping hills in the woods and all kinds of stuff that was steriotypical mountain biker of the mid 90's and I never had them trued or sraightened after the second adjustment.I actually wore out the brakesurface on the rim from use and abuse and the rear was still straight as day one.

oh! the surly instigator is what you need!

I weigh 225 on a good day and i ride an old schwinn road bike converted to a fixed gear. 36 hole surly hub in back and no-name 32 in front. both with cheap 700c rims and armadillo tires. i ride like a lunatic, through potholes, off curbs, down stairs. Whatever is in my way. This bike takes a serious beating. and i've never had a problem. My wheels are even true.

If you want a reliable wheel set that would be bomb proof I would go with 48 spokes on the rear and no less than 40 on the front. The Sun CR18 is a good bang for the buck rim at only $38 each then add straight gauge spokes. Are these wheels heavier than 36 spoke wheels? You bet, but you weigh 300 pounds, I don't think that about 16 ounces (including tires) of extra weight is going to matter. I'm not trying to be insultive, but the percentage of weight gain is less than 1% if you take in your weight and the bikes. Tires you should use wider profile tires nothing smaller than a 700x27 to avoid pinch flats and increase tire wear; ideally you should consider touring tires that are 700x32 and up.

As far as bikes go in general, they do make bikes for your weight, the Schwinn Mesa and touring bikes like the Trek 520 are all good as others have said.

A good LBS should be able to set you up the right way.

SOrry for ressurecting old threads, but as far as the Worksman bikes go, would any special changes need to be made (changing the wheels for example). Im pretty much in the same position, in that, Im roughly about 360, and thinking about taking up riding for a very short commute (well, to start at least), and also excercise. I've been looking at their Urban Assault Vehicle, or one of their other heavy duty cruisers (Doo-Wop, Coney Island), and I was just wondering if they would hold up under my weight. Thanks for any and all help.