Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - So I'm Not Alone!

Here I thought I would the only 300#er on a mountain bike!

I'm actually about 297# in my "skivies" but when I weigh in @ Weight Watchers in my street clothes, it adds about 6#s.

I took up XC skiing several weeks back as a way to aide weight loss & get back some stamina as well as general fitness.

Now that the snow is melting, I am seriously looking @ getting a full suspension MTB to continue on the numerous back country trails up here near the Canadian border.

The fact that others of my bulk are partaking of the sport is a tremendous boost to my confidence that this is a feasable undertaking.

I have managed to shed just over 18# in the last 2 months. I'm hoping to get near the 200# mark. I'm 5'10" & have a heavy frame so I can carry 200# quite well.

Oh, I forgot, I am 59years old too.

What else did you do to drop the pounds .

have giving up soda pop, pork , beef, and I am biking or running a lot.

What else did you do to drop the pounds .

have giving up soda pop, pork , beef, and I am biking or running a lot.

I'm following a Weight Watchers regimin. I never cared much for soda & only drank it regularly when I ate fast food while working construction. Funny thing is, I never got much over 200# when I was "in the field" working as a commercial glazier. Within 6 months of going to a management position, I went up to 260#.

I try to start every day W/a high protein breakfast that always includes @ least 2 eggs & most of the time 2 slices of bacon. On the days I do not eat bacon, I have a slice of cheese in my scrambled eggs. I still eat real butter too. I eat a light lunch (soup or a sandwich on "lite" bread) followed by a fairly good sized supper. I try to have a huge salad for supper W/either 6-8oz) of grilled chicken or ham 2 X a week.

I try to have broiled fish @ least 1X a week. Other than breakfast, I avoid fried foods. Funny thing is, my wife was not having much success until I got her to go W/the high protien breakfast. We now eat the same things for breakfast & she is now loosing about 2# average a week. I often have 85% lean Hamburger cooked on a George Foreman grill on (lite) sandwich thins W/mustard & onion along W/some oven baked Oreida french fries 1xX a week.

In short, I do not totally avoid many things other than high sugar/fat items (except for my 2 slices of bacon) as well as regular high calorie bread. No cake, candy, soda, pastries, etc. & I try to avoid loading up on a lot of carbs. Adkins diet was a disaster for me. I need to keep some carbs in my diet or my brain doesn't function well. I track everthing I eat & use a lot of WW recipes.

I think a good breakfast gets the "stove" fired up to burn calories. I must say that I am having a harder time loosing the weight than I did just 3 years ago. I was down to 258# (from 306#) in 2007 when circumstances side-tracked me.

I am now making sticking to a healthy diet/excercise a top priority & have set a goal of 1 year W/O missing a WW meeting unless I am traveling. I expect to continue even after that, but the 1 year goal is my short term goal.

Welcome from another newbie! Congrats on the weight loss.

Weight Watchers is definitely the most sensible diet program out there, and if you find a good instructor it's very supportive. My wife is a member and I'll probably join after I get up to 15 miles/day on the bike and still no weight loss. :)

You mention picking up a full suspension mountain bike. I'd recommend you get in and get fitted, and helped with selecting a bike for yourself. Speaking from personal experience, but I'm ~260, and some times depending on gear, power, scale of the road, etc I can get some fork-bob on my Specialized Rockhopper. And that's with just a front fork. With a rear suspension at your weight, I believe I'd end up pedalbobbing it myself again, depending on gear, power, and hills. And the pedalbobbing is usually when you -don't- want it, like wasting extra energy going up a hill, or when you probably should have downshifted but didn't.

It's just a recommendation. If you do, make sure it has lockouts available front and rear, and a full slew of incremental adjustments on the fork/rear shock so that you can properly tune it. Been riding for the last week or two since its started warming up, and I'm already scoping out new shocks. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to help, here or pm, or otherwise.

I'm not stalking you, honest! :D

Best of luck- both my dad and my sister have had great luck with weight watchers. :thumb:

I'm not stalking you, honest! :D

Best of luck- both my dad and my sister have had great luck with weight watchers. :thumb:

Hey, if you are "stalking me" I'm glad because you have been very helpful over on XCskiforums.

You mention picking up a full suspension mountain bike. I'd recommend you get in and get fitted, and helped with selecting a bike for yourself. Speaking from personal experience, but I'm ~260, and some times depending on gear, power, scale of the road, etc I can get some fork-bob on my Specialized Rockhopper. And that's with just a front fork. With a rear suspension at your weight, I believe I'd end up pedalbobbing it myself again, depending on gear, power, and hills. And the pedalbobbing is usually when you -don't- want it, like wasting extra energy going up a hill, or when you probably should have downshifted but didn't.

It's just a recommendation. If you do, make sure it has lockouts available front and rear, and a full slew of incremental adjustments on the fork/rear shock so that you can properly tune it. Been riding for the last week or two since its started warming up, and I'm already scoping out new shocks. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to help, here or pm, or otherwise.

I just finished checking out replacement shocks before I logged on! :D

As far as a fully suspended bike not being adequate for my size/weight? I might sound a bit optimistic to you, but I'm not going to be @ my present weight long. I have modified my diet slightly in the past week & backed off on the excercise (I was overdoing it a bit & my appetite was ravenous) & my weight loss has accelerated. It is just like when I quite smoking. Once I made my mind up, it wasn't all that difficult. One has to really WANT to accomplish something. Once I really WANT to do something, I usually succeed.

I did not have a "weight problem" until I was nearly 40 & changed my vocation to a low activity/high stress job. When I remained active, I had no problem maintaing 195#-205# body weight. If I really get active I get down in the 180# range, but that is a bit too thin for my frame. My Dr. has targeted 210# as a healthy body weight for my wide 5'10" frame. I'm shooting for 205# + - 5# as my goal by 2011.

I am planning on getting an entry level full suspension bike & fully expect to do some suspension upgrades as needed. Comfort while exploring local hual roads, ski trails, abondaned town roads will be the priority. I do not expect to do a lot of really "technical" riding, @ least not @ 1st. I have the option of choosing my terrain to suit the capabilities of myself & the bike I choose & can upgrade both the mechanics/terrain difficulty as it progresses.

I am rapidly learning a lot about these bikes & yes, the "lock out" feature will be on the list as far as upgrades if it is not a feature on the entry level bike I am getting. The bike does feature decent, "entry level" quality name brand components including "adjustable suspension".

Although I have little experience W/bicycles, I have extensive experience @ performance modifications on motorcycles, cars, R/C aircraft, slot cars, you name it. If it has wheels or an engine, I've probably operated it & modified/maintained it. I am now planning on adding MTBs to the list.

As far as paying extra to buy from an LBS? (as others have advised me to do) I would rather save that $$$ by buying direct from an internet supplier & spend that $$$ on tools so that I can learn to do my own work. I look @ $$$ spent on tools & time learning about mechanical things as an investment. I am very picky about who does work on my mechanical toys & have usually found that I am seldom satified W/the caliber of work that I pay $$$ for & usually end up doing it myself.

Besides, the nearest "competant" (maybe) LBS is more than 1 1/2 hours drive away so I really don't look @ that as a viable option. Self reliance is a neccessity. The only "local" LBS close enough for me to consider has not impressed me. While I was purchasing my XC skis & doing business W/them pertaining to my kayaking activities, they have raised the bul$hit meter on more than 1 occasion.

I do not have a lot of $$$$ to spend so getting into an inexpensive entry level bike is the priority & upgrades can/will be added as $$$ permits. I feel it is better to get started than to wait until I can purchase a higher end bike. I have come to the probable end of the XC ski season & must maintain my activity level. Waiting an extra 3-4 months until I can "afford" a more expensive bike is not an option.

Thanks you very much for your input. :thumb:

You mention picking up a full suspension mountain bike. I'd recommend you get in and get fitted, and helped with selecting a bike for yourself. Speaking from personal experience, but I'm ~260, and some times depending on gear, power, scale of the road, etc I can get some fork-bob on my Specialized Rockhopper. And that's with just a front fork. With a rear suspension at your weight, I believe I'd end up pedalbobbing it myself again, depending on gear, power, and hills. And the pedalbobbing is usually when you -don't- want it, like wasting extra energy going up a hill, or when you probably should have downshifted but didn't.

It's just a recommendation. If you do, make sure it has lockouts available front and rear, and a full slew of incremental adjustments on the fork/rear shock so that you can properly tune it. Been riding for the last week or two since its started warming up, and I'm already scoping out new shocks. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to help, here or pm, or otherwise.

No stops, but does have ajustments on the rear for rebound & dampening preload.

It is a KS (KindShock (http://www.kindshock.com.cn/)) brand shock. Appears to be a model KS-291 - - rebound adjust only (well, besides the spring preload):

http://www.kindshock.com.cn/en/manage/images/20097984655.jpg

More info here:

http://www.kindshock.com.cn/en/products.asp?fid=67&fid2=&id=693

I posted this thread for info.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?627739-Can-Anyone-Identify-This-Shock-Absorber

The more I research this bike, the more I think I will go ahead & purchase it when my tax check arrives.

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j31/PowerWagon896/Mountain%20Bike/cadillac-mds24-bike.jpg
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j31/PowerWagon896/Mountain%20Bike/cadillac-mds24-bike1.jpg
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j31/PowerWagon896/Mountain%20Bike/cadillac-mds24-bike2.jpg
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j31/PowerWagon896/Mountain%20Bike/cadillac-mds24-bike4.jpg
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j31/PowerWagon896/Mountain%20Bike/cadillac-mds24-bike5.jpg

I gotta say, that's cool just because of the whole wacky cadillac co-branding thing. Kinda makes you wonder what intern over at GM might have signed off on that. :D

I gotta say, that's cool just because of the whole wacky cadillac co-branding thing. Kinda makes you wonder what intern over at GM might have signed off on that. :D

Well, as a former GM employee that took the buy-out rather than indure the corporate lunacy any longer, it makes me wonder who in the he!! would want to be co-branded W/Cadillac @ this point in time.:lol:

Seriously, I think that if this bike does happen to be a decent quality entry level unit, the Cadillac badging is doing it more harm than good. I find it hard to get past the name W/O suspicion that it is all hype to make a sow's ear look like a silk purse.

I saw a "Yukon Tahoe" MTB advertized somewhere just the other day. :rolleyes:

XCSKIBUM, What skis do you use? I have had a hard time finding waxless skis for people over 200lbs (i.e. appropriate camber, etc.).

Greg

I am using 196cm Rossignol "Glade". Skis

http://www.rossignol.com/US/evo-glade-ar_RH8WF17_product_nordic-men-skis-classic.html

They are a bit wider (61mm) than regular "in track" XC skis. They are an entry level ski, no metal edges. Great little ski though, no complaints other than a bit of a tendency to side slip on crusted snow.

I'm upgrading to 196cm Rossignol BC65 back country skis next fall for on trail work W/a set of 189cm Rossignol BC90s W/3-pin bindings & BC-X11 boots for serious off-track skiing.

http://www.rossignol.com/US/bc-65-positrack_RH8WS04_product_nordic-men-skis-classic.html

http://www.rossignol.com/US/bc-90-positrack_Q9435_product_nordic-men-skis-classic.html

That is not a bad looking bike, but like someone else, the cadillac name doesn't help it. One thing about bikes is all of the components are upgradeable!

That is not a bad looking bike, but like someone else, the cadillac name doesn't help it. One thing about bikes is all of the components are upgradeable!


The bike is scheduled for delivery today.

I'm already working on upgrading to a Fox RP2 rear shock & an OE (new) take off Rockshox Recon 351 u-turn fork.