Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - What to look for due to my weight :)

(Copied from the general thread)

I'm trying to start a healthier lifestyle with my girlfriend and bicycling came up. My problem starts with my weight - I'm currently around 380 lbs. When looking at various bicycles, I can't find mention of weight limits in most of the stats. The one exception has been the Landrider, which has a special version for "riders over 300lbs". I've read lots of horrible reviews of the Landrider, mainly die to the autoshifting feature.

Am I looking to hard for something I needn't worry about? Between frames and wheels will most of the bikes support my weight?

I don't have a local bike store (Wal-Mart is about the closest that might count) so I don't have any local experts to ask.

Thanks in advance for advice!

A: avoid X-Mart bikes ($ would be better spent towards a better bike)

B: Craig's List used bikes are alot cheaper than new ones...

C: almost any old steel framed MTB (mountain bike) will support you easily... road bike wheels will be your enemy...

D: find a good LBS (local bike shop) they can be your greatest asset...

E: this is all info I have re and re-read on here numerous times... just passing it along!

good luck and get out and ride!

+1 to the above.

In general, if you have no other information a bike shop quality bike is clydesdale friendly especially if it is lower end. The reason is that in general the more you pay, the harder the manufacturers work to make the bike lighter (usually not stronger).

I personally tend to avoid suspension (especially rear suspension) as it robs you of power, and provides no significant benefit on the level of bikes I ride.

36 spoke wheels are your friend... 32 will do fine... if fewer it depends on the specific wheel.

Test ride a few bikes, and see what you like.

oh yeah, I started at 6'6" 300 lbs... on my too small for me Trek 850 mtb...

i curb jumped it and rode it all over town... 1 broken spoke...

the beauty of it was that my first 40lbs went away super fast so my weight wasnt an issue too long...

currently riding a 80s steel framed roadie with 32 spoke wheels no problems so far...

I have a mate who is 250lbs and he rides a mountain bike aggressively. 9 years ago we went for a Giant Boulder as this frame was noted to be strong. The rest of the bike was not but when you get a bike- any bike- talk to the shop owner and get some strong wheels built up. I doubt that the stock wheels supplied would stand up to your weight. I would suggest you talk "Tandem" wheels to him as I also ride a Tandem offroad with an all up weight of 400lbs so I do understand the wheel problem.

On the wheels- make certain that you go to a good wheel builder. I know you don't know if one is any good but the LBS will either have their own builder- or can recommend one. They will probably wince at your weight but a minimum of 36 spokes- and strong rim and a good quality hub such as a Shimano XT will work.

Your weight will also mean strength in the legs. You may not think so but your legs will put a lot of pressure through the Crankset and the chain. Be prepared for a them to wear out quickly and upgrade to LX or XT when they do fail. I am just trying to point out that you could have a bit more expense than you might want initially.

AND- I am not sure where he post's but there is a forum member called "Historian". He started out like you and although it has taken a couple of years- and he is still a bit on the large side- He is now doing extended bike tours and rides that most of us would not contemplate. But I can assure you that you have taken the first step to a healthier life.

I was at your same place (375 lbs.) less than a year ago (October 2008), and I finally sought the help of a LBS. Don't be afraid to go into a couple local shops and talk to them. Find one that has a good attitude and they'll help you a lot. I started with a Trek 7.2FX in March of this year (about 340lbs.) and rode it to work a while, then I stepped up to an Orbea road bike because I am having so much fun and wanted to ride faster and longer distances than my commuter bike would efficiently allow.

My main point is don't be afraid of the bike shops. Many of them will help you and get you on the right bike with the right wheels, and don't be afraid like I was for several months that they'd laugh me out of the shop if I went in looking for a bike. I am now friends with several of the guys at the LBS, and I drop in most Saturdays to hang out for a while. I've learned a ton from them and they've been a huge encouragement to me on my weight loss and cycling journey.

I started out at 335lbs and I bought a treck 1200 aluminum with 36 spoke mavic wheels maid for me by my lbs before I picked it up. I dropped 85lbs and I now ride a specialized roubaix but at 250lbs the rear wheel is custom built because I trashed it twice. Just do it man, let the skinny people say what they will but it is working for a lot of us in here. ECB1

I second the motion, biking is perfect for us bigger guys because running puts a ton of stress on yor legs. It's working for me, try using your bike to replace short trips for groceries or what not, it becomes a great habit to see what you can do without your truck! I've just started biking to the track at our university where I'll walk and run about 12 laps then cycle in to work. It does wonders for an out of shape fireman, it'll work for you too! Dig down and find that warrior spirit, you can do this!

Just so ya'll know (whoops, my Alabama coming out), you guys are great!

I went to Dicks Sporting Goods after work and was poking around their bike section just to see what all they had, and one of the guys there was real helpful & friendly. He even pointed me to a couple of bike shops in the area that I had no idea were even around. One of them is down the street from work, or at least where I work on Fridays. The website for the shop advertises that they carry Trek, so I may take a lead from DoubleTap and start out asking questions about that line, then throw in some tandem-wheel questions and then see where they take me from there.

Seriously though, this time yesterday I had no idea where to even start with my questions. Today, I'm definitely heading in the right direction!

But I'm still gonna call you guys "little" :)

Found a posting by "The Historian"

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=557092

As you can see-He also has a leg problem but it is of his recent bike trip and there are a few pics of him there. Some big guys can do a lot more than I can. He might be worth doing a search on to find his earlier postings and the problems he had.

And on the Tandem wheels- My first wheels were not that expensive (Later ones were) Tandem XT hubs- Rhyno lite wheels and 40 Quality spokes. (Just to give you an idea of what to suggest to a builder). They lasted well and are still in the bike shed as spares.

Just as an "in progress" for anybody else in my situation that's looking around, I found 2 LBS in my general area. I went to the first one and told them "I'm looking for a bike that'll hold 380lbs" along with some of the suggestions that I had found here on the forum. We talked and he suggested upgrading to a downhill gearbox (probably wrong nomenclature on my part), front and back disc brakes, metal pedals, and that they should be able to custom-make some wheels as they've made some for 300lb+ riders before. He through together a ball-park estimate of $1000 which can change/be more precise once we pick out the specific upgrades. All in all, very helpful and came across as knowing what he was talking about.

I went to LBS #2 with the same approach. The guy there mumbled around a bit and suggested a custom wheel, but beyond that I didn't get the same feeling that he knew what he was doing.

I'll be going back to LBS #1 next week and getting down to the particulars of what all I'm going to end up getting. I'll post it back here, hopefully not to find out I'm getting screwed :)

Thanks agian for all the help!

I ended up getting a Felt mountain bike frame with upgraded gears, pedals, etc (all the weight bearing parts connected to my feet!). Disc brakes, so I can stop! They made some custom 40-spoke wheels and put in a thick, thorn-resistant inner-tube.

I've made 2 trips around the neighborhood (about 10 miles total for the 2 trips) to see how my endurance is along with getting used to the bike. The first thing I noticed was how much pressure was on my testicles from the seat. Having not ridden in 25+ years, along with all the body changes that come along with an extra 200 lbs, that part really caught me off guard. I switched out the seat for an "Ergo Ultimate Seat" (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000AO7MKM/ref=oss_T15_product). It's gotten mixed reviews, but I can pedal without pain now. The seat still feels small for my butt, but that I can handle.

I'm not sure if I would have gotten this far wihtout the help you guys have given. I know I've said it before, but thanks!

Congrats on the new bike! Stock saddles are usually just a placeholder anyways. Finding the right saddle is sometimes almost as hard as finding the right bike, fit is everything since it directly affects comfort and allows for much longer enjoyable rides.

Also were gonna need a picture of that sweet new bike!

Your on he correct path, just keep it up! You cannot ride a bike regularly and not loose weight. 7 weeks ago I bought a Trek 7200. The day I brought it home I was over the mechanical limits of the doctors scale I have at home (350+). Within a few days of bringing the bike home I was able to see 348 on the scale. Today I was 315.

I bought the bike on Labor Day and the first day I managed two rides totaling about 14 miles. I get in 70 to 100 miles in per week and spend just about every minute that I'm not on my bike thinking about how soon I'll be able to get back on it.

On Sunday I rode 40 miles and I plan to be 100 pounds lighter next summer than I was this past summer and have set a goal to ride a century before the bike is a year old...

C: almost any old steel framed MTB (mountain bike) will support you easily... road bike wheels will be your enemy...

D

I agree with everything but this. I started riding at over 500LBS on a 700cx28 with no tire problems.
I am currently just transitioning from my hybrid to a road bike with 25s on it and currently weigh 384.
Wheels (spoke count....build etc) will be a concern but don't limit your options to just mountain bikes.

Congratulations on your new bike! I had a neighbor with a Felt and he loved it!

Your first post spoke about getting into a healthier lifestyle with your girlfriend, but there has been no mention of her since then. Is she riding with you, and if she is, how is she progressing?

Your first post spoke about getting into a healthier lifestyle with your girlfriend, but there has been no mention of her since then. Is she riding with you, and if she is, how is she progressing?

She's actually riding more consistently than I am - there's a 0.4 mile loop around her house that is mostly free of traffic that she rides after work, usually going 4-6 laps. I'm trying to join her, but 2 jobs & school have been interfering. I'm making a better effort (starting this evening) to ride with her! Our pace is close to the same, although she pulls ahead up hills while I gain going down them. We're both getting used to everything - physically being back on bikes as well as paying attention to where we're riding. Paying attention is a lot more important than I remember when I was 10 and invulnerable.

She ended up getting a stock Scott Contessa which she seems to enjoy. I've been enjoying watching her ride it as I lag behind :)

@lucid0ne, here's some pics straight from the garage after the above mentioned evening ride!



http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t138/rmaniac/100_0704.jpg
Felt 620

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t138/rmaniac/100_0705.jpg
Straight on in the bike stand. Headlight comes in handy now that it gets dark at 5:00.

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t138/rmaniac/100_0706.jpg
A little bit better view of the seat I had mentioned.

A: avoid X-Mart bikes ($ would be better spent towards a better bike)

B: Craig's List used bikes are alot cheaper than new ones...

C: almost any old steel framed MTB (mountain bike) will support you easily... road bike wheels will be your enemy...

D: find a good LBS (local bike shop) they can be your greatest asset...

E: this is all info I have re and re-read on here numerous times... just passing it along!

good luck and get out and ride!

Great info above and I would add to it by saying that in my experience I found the stock suspension front fork that came with my mountain bike to be way too soft for my weight (350lbs). It completely compressed easily under my weight and was making pedaling harder than it had to be, so I replaced it with a Surly 1x1 solid fork.:thumb:

Also, I changed my stock knobby tires with a set of more hard surface oriented tires. I have only been doing the diet (Choose To Lose Weight-Loss Plan For Men) and exercise for 2 months now and I have already lost over 5 inches on my waist.

Here's a couple of images of my Hardrock.

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h33/Airedale1/clyde1.jpg

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h33/Airedale1/clyde5.jpg

Good Luck!:thumb: