Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Lost 63 pounds and want to get a bike

Last August, my ignored type 2 diabetes caught up with me. After a night in the emergency room for high blood sugar and screwed up electrolytes, I decided it was time to finally take care of my health. I was sent home on insulin at 335 pounds (497 blood glucose 13/A1C). Now 6 months later I'm now 272 with normal blood sugar (5.6 A1C) and no more insulin. On 1500 calories a day I'm still losing about 2.5 pounds a week and I feel terrific. A month ago, I started to ride 30 minutes a day on my recumbent exercise bike. I would love to get a real bike for my 58th birthday next month to ride around the streets and paths of my little NJ town. I don't plan on climbing mountains or racing down the highway (at least not right now.) Any recommendations for a sturdy bike that would carry my weight? I would like a comfortable bike (I have back issues) with an upright position. Some good gearing wouldn't hurt to take me up the occasional hill or incline. Any suggestions would be appreciated. BTW, I've enjoyed reading your stories. They're very inspiring and I want to join my brother Clydesdales on the road.

Take care.

Bob
Harrington Park, NJ

Great weight loss. How low do you want to go?

Hi 10 Wheels...

I would love to get down to 225 or below. I jokingly tell people 185 and they think I'm crazy. Maybe so. I've never been this "thin" in about 30 years. It was a real milestone just to get under 300. Shooting to get into the 250-260 range by my birthday on March 28th. Reading about everyone's biking experiences just makes me even more eager to actually get out there and bike. Getting tired of the view of my basement on my exercise bike. I've wasted too much time on the couch. Time to enjoy life.

I am stuck at 215 lbs. Would like to see 175 lbs someday.
I ride road bikes, so will let others help you on a bike choice.

Most of us with back problems prefer the forward lean of a road bike.

Depending on your distance goal, you could look at the hybirds. You could check into electra, townies, since they have that flatfoot technology, combined with an upright position. I use my wife's, when she is not looking. I changed my mtb to an upright position, and really enjoy it for the most part.

So the questions might be:
What type of riding, road, or dirt
What type of Distance:

Since a road ride over 25 miles, would rule out a townie.

Hi Timmythology! I'd be riding on paved roads or paths. No real long distances planned or speedy riding. Just a leisurely hour or two tooling around the surrounding towns.

But doesn't leaning forward put a lot of pressure on your hands?

I just picked up an old rigid forked Mountain Bike for my in town travels. I ordered a set of combo road/offroad tires and a brooks saddle, kind of making my own personal Hybrid bike.

Congrats on removing your cranium from your sphincter and getting your health under control!
I had a recent BG scare myself, and decided to do the same!

Congratulations!

I'm not very experienced, but I can tell you that I love my Jamis Coda Sport. It's a steel frame "flat bar road bike." It seems to handle well under my 280 pounds.

But doesn't leaning forward put a lot of pressure on your hands?

If you have a proper fit, there's not as much pressure on your hands as it may look.

Good for you. Too many idiots like myself don't take diabetes seriously until it's too late. Now I call myself a "born again diabetic." BTW, you can read my story at bornagaindiabetic.com (http://bornagaindiabetic.com). A hybrid bike sounds like a good idea. I have some good LBS's in my area. I'll have to start shopping around and see what they have.

The Jamis looks like a nifty bike. I never heard of that brand, but then I don't know much about bikes. Thanks for the suggestion

Guess I should open my mind up a bit about a forward leaning bike vs. a comfort bike.

Welcome prompterbob I had an A1c of 12.4 so I know where you've been. Last test 4.8 only taking minimum dose of Metformin now. As far as bikes I'd recomend you look at a Trek Fx series. I bought a Trek 7300 and don't care for the front suspension. Make sure they measure you for any bike. Don't trust a salesman that says you need a certain size frame by just looking at you. Another suggestion is working on your core strength. The stronger your core the more comfortable you'll be on a bike. I was amazed at what 2 months of pilates has done for me.

Guess I should open my mind up a bit about a forward leaning bike vs. a comfort bike.
Get out to your LBS and test ride everything that strikes your fancy. Try some hybrids, some "relaxed fit" road bikes, some flat-bar road bikes. You'll figure out what you like. Enjoy!

Great A1c Jethro... Right now the only med I take is Onglyza. I hope to get off of that after my next endocrinologist visit in April. I'll check out the Trek Fx. How do they measure your sit bones?

Hi John. As soon as the weather get's a bit better here in NJ I'll definitely go my LBS for some test rides. Just hate dealing with salesmen.

Hi Prompterbob, when you get a bike, let me know, and we'll arrange a ride. I've not been riding in NJ in a while.

Great weight loss Bob, keep it up.

As far as the bike thing goes, I would suggest a couple of things,

1.) familiarize yourself with the different groupsets and whether a triple crankset or a double would suit your needs best.
There are lots of resources on the web as well as here on the forums. This is just one : http://www.chainreaction.com/triples.htm Given the content of your original post I suspect that a triple crankset might be something to look at.

2.) get a sense of the tire options available, width, ride characteristics etc. and what the pros and cons of each might be given your circumstances. This has more information than you will probably ever need, but, it's worth a visit.
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tires.html

As others have suggested, get thee to the LBS and take as many test spins as you can handle.

Good Luck :)

Hi Neil. A ride sounds like fun. I visited your blog and you also have a very inspiring story. I had no idea there was such a great community of big guys and gals who love to bike. Good stuff. Keep up the good work. We'll both be down to 200 in no time.

Hi Seve... Thanks for the encouragement. Like any new passion, I have a lot to learn. I don't know much about bikes. I always had one as a kid growing up in The Bronx. We just hopped on and rode and patched up the occasional flat. Thanks for the links. They'll help with my education.

Great A1c Jethro... Right now the only med I take is Onglyza. I hope to get off of that after my next endocrinologist visit in April. I'll check out the Trek Fx. How do they measure your sit bones?

The Way I measured mine was I took a sheet of cardboard. Put it on a hard surface. Sat down hard. Measured between centers of indentations. This may very well cause another war, but just buy a Brooks B17 Saddle and join the cult.

And the split in that saddle, narrow as it is in my mind, is what does the trick? Wow... I've always thought the bigger the the seat...the bigger the saddle. I'll check it out.

The Jamis looks like a nifty bike. I never heard of that brand, but then I don't know much about bikes. Thanks for the suggestion

I never heard of that brand before I started riding either! It was actually recommended by a friend of mine to at least try. Here's a few brands I test rode:

Jamis (which I bought because I liked it the best--my preference after riding.)
Scott
Trek
Specialized
Raleigh
Cannondale
Marin

There's a lot more out there too! Seems like I find a new brand almost every day (exaggeration--sort of....) when I'm looking at what my wife refers to as "bike porn" online.

Hey, what can I say, I like to learn as much as I can about the stuff that interests me!!!1


This may very well cause another war, but just buy a Brooks B17 Saddle and join the cult

I'm fighting for Jethro56's army on this one! I just put a B17 Imperial (with the hole in the seat to help prevent numbness) and I love it! It'll be fabulous when it's broken in!

Looks like I have a lot of homework to do...but it will be a lot ofun to learn. What do you mean about breaking in the saddle?

Brooks B17 is a leather saddle. It doesn't have a plastic shell underneath the leather. What I've been told happens is that over time the leather conforms to your sit bones. I just put one on my Trek 7300 Wednesday. So time will tell.

Looks like I have a lot of homework to do...but it will be a lot ofun to learn. What do you mean about breaking in the saddle?

The Brooks saddle is a very thing, saddle grade leather. It will conform to you.

One thing I learned is that a soft saddle is actually less comfortable after about 20 minutes for me. It creates added pressure by "pushing back" on your bottom. Plus, most gels don't allow your skin to breath.

I still have to figure out exactly what a "sit bone" is... TG for Google!

First of all, congrats on the weight loss. It isn't easy, usually not fun, but defiantly worth it. If you find an "exercise" you have fun doing the weight will come off.

I also recommend the Jamis line. There is a lot of bang for your buck. I started with the Coda Sport and it was great. I recently picked up the Ventura Sport, a last year left over, for $395.00. I'm riding for charities and health and these bike fit the bill.

Continued success.

Good job on improving your health!

Have you considered recumbents? There are a number of 2 and 3 wheeled options out there and they take a lot of the aches and pains out of the back, hands and posterior. They are a bit of a different animal, and harder to test-ride one, but worth considering.

Welcome to the fray, prompterbob. Congrats on the weight loss and best wishes for continued success in reigning in those health issues. I figure I was lucky I didn't become diabetic, or even pre-diabetic, given my old weight and my family history. I feel like I got myself turned around just in time.

Anway, I just wanted to say we're happy to have you here, and don't be shy about posting. And when you get the new bike, pics are mandatory. ;)

I was leery of forward leaning road bikes too - until I rode a few. I find they're actually more comfortable for my back. There is a reason that "most" people riding centuries and other long rides do them on road bikes and not hybrids. Hybrids are great for around town rides and shorter rides but road bikes are actually more comfortable than hybrids when you start riding longer distances. Same is true for motorcycles, btw. Cruisers may look more comfortable, but in reality, a slight forward lean is better for your back, particularly on longer rides. I would suggest looking at comfort/plush/sport/whatever label the manufacturer puts on theirs road bikes rather than race bikes though (sport touring motorcycle vs. SS) My favorite for that style is the Cannondale Synapse (CAAD is the race geometry), but the Specialized Roubaix and Fuji Z series are great too - there are others, but those are the ones I rode.

Sounds counterintuitive, but many good things are. Looking forward to testing one.

Thanks for the encouragement. Yes, it's definitely worth the effort. My new way of life has become routine now, so it's not so hard. I'm really motivated. I'm hoping getting active on a bike will help keep my motivation up and give me the necessary exercise. I will check out the Jamis line of bikes. They look pretty cool for the $$.

Yes, I love the idea of a recumbent. I have a LBS that sells Sun bikes. Hopefully they also sell the Sun recumbents, which seem to be more reasonably priced. Anything that will prevent a numb butt and numb hands is a good thing. Don't know if I'd ever opt for a recumbent trike. I think I'd feel foolish on one, although I know a lot of people love them.

Thanks Craig... Diabetes creeps up on you and the sad part is a lot of people are diabetic and don't know it. Fortunately, tests show my pancreas is still making lots of insulin. With Type 2, being overweight causes insulin resistance. Losing weight can reverse or lessen the resistance, so I think that's why my numbers have drastically improved.

I can't wait to post a pic of my new bike. I'm off from work for two weeks beginning March 7th, so I'll probably pick one up that week.

Thanks for the great advice. Looking forward to test riding some road bikes very soon. I've heard good things about Specialized. And congrats on your weight loss... 80 pounds is quite an achievement. Glad so many of us are moving in the right direction.

There seems to be several models of the B17 at different price points. Are the more expensive ones better?

Congratulations on the weight loss as well as getting your sugars under control..........way to go!
You've gotten some great replies to your questions - and I'm certainly not an expert, but the advice to try as many bikes as you can is good... I was in a similar situation a few years ago and ended up with a Trek hybrid........I KNOW that bike adjustment is critical on a road bike with the dropped/curled bars....and I wanted to ride one, but two bad shoulders prevent it no matter how much I wanted to ride one. Try a bunch before you buy - and in regard to the seat, Brooks is certainly popular but I'm a "non-lycra" casual rider and I tried a bunch of different seats and ended up with a Respiro model from REI. I did a charity ride last summer - around 50 miles or so - and my bum was so sore afterwards it was unbelievable. The "boys" actually were numb/asleep - not a good feeling. The Respiro or similar models have a cut out in the center which REALLY helps down there.........the nice thing about REI is that if you don't like the seat you buy after a ride or two, you can return it for a different model. Anyway - congratulations and best wishes!!!

Hi Ron. Thanks for the encouraging words. I'm so lucky I found this forum. Everyone has been terrific with offering a pat on the back with some advice. Numb butt and numb hands are two things I'm worried about. Hopefully, with a well fitted bike, saddle and bars, that won't be a problem. I'll be out shopping for my bike in about a week so I'll be sure to let everyone know how I did.

A couple of things to keep in mind when it comes to your hands and butt...

First, in my experience it's very difficult to completely avoid numbness in the hands all the time. Those who manage to do so 100% are lucky, IMO. There are things you can do to minimize it, and deal with it, but if you expect to completely eliminate it while maintaining one single hand position on your bars, I think you'll be disappointed. Working on your core muscles will help, as a stronger core will keep you from putting so much weight on your hands. Saddle tilt helps as well. The other thing to do is change hand positions frequently, something that drop-style (road) bars are especially good for. For flat bars, you can get bar-end extensions that will add a little variety. And if push comes to shove, there's the time-honored technique of occasionally letting go of the bar (one hand at a time until you're experienced ;)) and shaking your hands out to get all the feeling back.

Second, give your first saddle a decent shot at making you happy. Butts completely unaccustomed to riding will find all but the biggest, squishiest saddle uncomfortable and even painful (and those super plush, initially comfortable saddles will become your enemy in time). The tissues under the sit bones will be traumatized your first few times out (in fact, I tell new cycling friends that the only thing more uncomfortable to your butt than a first ride is a second ride), and it'll be tender. But it toughens up in short order. So don't think that first or second time out is giving you an accurate idea of how you'll like that saddle long-term.

Thanks Craig... and my sit bones thank you too!

As it just so happens my "new" Hybrid is finished tonight! UPS showed up with my new tires and a new Brooks B17.


I'll add a post in this section to show it off!

Edit: a standard B17 can be found new online for around $100 + shipping. Don't get confused by the fancy colors and copper rivets and such just a honey or black one will do just fine.

My only other Brooks is a "Professional" model that has been with me for 15 years and is on it's third bike.... I bought it used....

The very best advice I had was to try different bikes, same bike size in a different make will feel different. If you are like me, you end up having more than one bike for different types of rides. For example, I have a hybrid for around town and nasty weather riding which I started riding on and then I have a relaxed geometry road bike for training/nice weather, which I bought once I started to go faster and longer.

Secondly, start of small and increment slowly on base miles. It does take some time to build up your core and legs, which exponentially affect your "sit-bones."

Good luck, you are definitely on your way to achieving your goals.

After a few weeks of research and obsessing which bike to get I said "enough already I just want to start riding." So, after work I visited my LBS (Westwood Cycles in Westwood, NJ). After checking out a Specialized (not sure which model) and a Giant Sedona I decided on a Jamis Explorer 2.0. Got a sub $400 deal on it. The bike is built like a tank (in a good way) and easily supports my 268 pounds. Feels very sturdy. 36 spokes. Very comfortable stock seat. It probably doesn't have the greatest components, but for my leisurely rides on the local bike paths, I'm very happy with the fit and feel.

The only big negative so far are the small plastic pedals. My size 12's easily slip off. I'm going to swap them out for something longer and stronger on Monday.

BTW, I love using the free Run Keeper iPhone app and its companion website http://runkeeper.com. The app tracks your ride and gives you voice prompts every 5 minutes (or more) with your speed and distance. When you're done with your ride it uploads everything to the website and even posts a Google Map of your trek. Very neat.

I want to thank everyone for their encouragement and great advice.

Forgive the lousy iPhone picture.

http://playfoursquare.s3.amazonaws.com/pix/EBAKDBPZXDJYKWEL1F0RKIBYFQR1PB1XZVPJLDXVBOFJOSHP.jpg

Congrats, Bob. Ride the daylights out of it! :)

Glad you got the bike. How far are you able to go? You look like your really enjoying yourself.

Thanks Craig. It was so much fun to get back on a bike. I felt like I was 10 years old again. Can't wait until tomorrow's little ride. I'm starting off duplicating what I've been doing on my stationary bike for the past two months... 30 minutes at a time and about 5 miles. Hopefully I'll build from there. And I'm pleasantly surprised that I'm not the least bit sore from the stock saddle. I have to learn how to make better use of my gears. The very low gears seem almost useless. Just feels like my pedals are spinning freely.

I still have to figure out exactly what a "sit bone" is... TG for Google!


They are the ischium of your pelvis. Push in on your butt, right above your sciattic gap at the top of your back of your legs (Where your butt meets the legs, and feel those hard bones? Those are your sit bones.

Who knew I had sit bones? Thanks for the anatomy lesson, Tom.