jamisjoplin

sjt...another athena here, this place is definitely the boy's locker room though! heh.

I was a rower in college and put on some muscle pounds; I was a real "Athena" at about 175 when competing. Ah those were the days! Then grew up, got a desk job and had a kid...and here I am between 230-240 at 6'.

Bring on the hills!

ETA - Sorry, I ride a 2009 Jamis Coda and haven't made any mods to it yet,

atreides9

Hey folks,

I'm 6'0 and about 230. I'm a cycling Clydesdale for sure. Thing is; I ride alot and I still am not losing weight, I guess I gotta change my eating habits and stop drinking beer. Todays is humpday and I've already rode about 70 miles this week. Last week I almost rode a 150 miles. I commute and run errands ( I don't own a car) on my Giant MTB. I guess I gotta try harder.

TTom0814

haha wow i didnt even know there was a name for this

i used to be about 270LBS and i ride to loose weight but i also enjoy it greatly im currently 220 and going down still! im about 5'8 or so

and i never even thougth of getting any special kind of bike i ride a bianchi

JakeB1992

Hello!

Been monitoring and even posted once...but now need to really introduce myself...

6'4", 230 lbs 51. Long time runner (not serious, but enough to know which specific shoe works for my pronation), moved from running to rowing to save wear & tear on my knees, and now, to ensure exercise, make it more interesting, and after consulting w/this group, my LBS, and friends, just purchased a 61cm Specialized Secteur Sport.

Plan is to use it to commute to work a couple of days a week (28 mile round trip). Did a test run on a Cannodale CAAD6 last weekend and all went well--just over 50 minutes there & just over 60 minutes back...certain "parts" were rather tender on the return trip...as expected.

Have purchased baggy bike shorts w/inserts, light (fron & rear), pedals w/clips & shoes to go with, emergency bike bag w/requisite items, & I have a Bell helmet..plan on getting a specific mirror recommended by a friend--one that attaches to the helmet.

Will post a picture as soon as I can...

As I plan to ride to work where I'll have access to shower facilities, I need (would like some advice from the group please!):

- Rear rack--think I need something substantial as I will need to carry laptop and assorted gear...
- Panniers--for laptop and change of clothing (shirt, tie, dress slacks) to include shoes...
- Jacket--if possible, would like something to wear to protect my incredibly pale skin from the sun and from the rain--from April - November, afternoon showers are very common.

Would appreciate advice and/or redirect to post(s) that speak to the logistics of the commute, for example, Can one use the same riding gear to go home in at the end of the day? Is it better to "pre-stage" and bring work clothing in a day in advance (in the car)?

Thanks!--JakeB

ssmiker

290 lbs I ride a 2007 Norco Carrera. I bought it in May 08 and I have over 10,000 Km on it. Except for the rear wheel and the bottom bracket I have had no problems with it at all other than the usual tire/chain/cassette replacements.

https://www.bikepedia.com/QuickBike/B...rera&Type=bike

Reggieb

Jamis - I rowed in college as well. I picked up some pounds in grad school, and now find myself seated well in the Clydesdale category, but I was there to start with. Want to get in to the lower end of the category, but I am naturally a big dude. 6' 230ish right now. Just got back in to riding. I live in Athens, GA, it's all hills all the time here. Ride the Silver Comet in Atlanta when I can. Just updated my ride, too. Walked in to a local shop, and the owner was selling my dream bike for an absolute steal. It's a 2009 Cannondale SuperSix Hi-Mod. I put some Topolinos on it, to support my girth.

rumrunn6

5' 11 3/4" barefoot & 222 lbs last Friday with gym clothes; sweat towel and MP3 player ...
this is what I rode Saturday hahahaha

tsievert

I finally got a road bike. 2010 Cannondale Synapse 5. 6'4" 295lbs. I love it. I used to average 10 mph up my go to hill and today I averaged 15 mph. This is going to be a good summer.

For some reason I can't make the picture show up. Click on the link to see my new ride.

Coopers_Dad

Hi everyone here are my numbers.

Height: 6' 4"
Weight: 278 down from 302 in January.

Bike: 2010 Trek Madone 4.5


My goals are to drop another 20-25 lbs this summer and ride my bike 1000KM this year.

My personal challenge is to finish the 100K "Big Move" ride to cure cancer this September and to raise as much money as I can for the charity.

Simon

10 Wheels

Good work.
Keep riding and when you reach 65 y/o you will also be 2 inches shorter.

ChrisA

Hi all,

Chris from MA (east of Worcester) here. At 6'5" and nearly 250 lbs (down from my peak of over 260 this winter), I guess I qualify as a "Clydesdale". I'm 36 now, and until last week, I hadn't ridden since I was about 21 or so (and even then was around 200). I've lost some lbs over the winter at the gym, but now that the nicer weather has hit, I've decided to finally take the plunge and try some bicycle commuting. I found a course which works well for me - 16 mi round-trip, about 50% on back roads and 50% on gentle hiking trails through the woods. The result is a pleasant and safe ride, with minimal traffic and a few challenging hills.

Thanks in part to input from BF threads, I decided that a hybrid was a good starting point for me, and I picked up a 25" 2010 Trek 7.3. For the money, I couldn't be happier. When I bought it, I picked up Trek panniers, rack and trunk, as well as a bottle cage and pump, along with accessories (helmet, shorts, gloves, etc). After a test commute, I immediately visited my LBS and invested in a Specialized gel saddle, which is much better for me than the stock saddle. Down the road I'll do something about the pedals and grips, but for now, I have something I can enjoy getting back into shape with.

If I meet my goals over the next season or 2, I'll consider saving up for a true road bike, but I have a feeling that I'll still hold on to my hybrid for a long time to come. There's just something incredible about riding to work through the woods.... I never would have thought that commuting could be so pleasant!

I'm glad to see that there are so many other full-sized folks here! I'll get to know y'all better as I catch up on the 80+ pages of this thread

The bike during a rest break on my commute home this week:

Giant 1

I use the same seat and love it. I tried 47,000 seats (lie) and this one 155mm works great for my 270 lbs. I ride 5000 miles a year and my but is still sensitive to hard seats

Big Bad John

6'4" 325 lbs. Ex-collegiate wrestler. Aiming to get down to 250. Rode a heavily modified Sun EZ Sport CX, but just upgraded to a Tour Easy Expedition Model. Working on getting longer cranks, stronger wheelset, better brakes...but hey, y'all already know the drill! BBJ

Mattys

Hi Grp. Matt here 45, 240lbs. Hoping to get down to 200 for a 1/2 marathon in the fall. I incorporated cycling into my cross training 2 years ago. Found the use of frozen peas on the knees and Ibuprofin not needed. Fell in love with cycling..started commuting to work last year. January, I moved further from work. 36 mile round trip, which made commuting questionable

Currently I'm riding a Giant Mtn bike. I installed 1.5 slicks on it to reduce the rolling resistance. need all the help I can get. I plan on riding the full trip but today I drove 1/2 way and then biked the other 1/2, giving me 18 miles round trip. Hoping to build that up to a full communte, Home to Work. Will need a newer/ lighter bike for that. Currently looking at a few but I'm still lost on the bike choice.

Moskau

Well, after meeting my boyfriend a year and a half ago I managed to get myself back into the Athena category.

I'm 5'9" and this morning I weighed in at 221. I've never been over 220 before. What's worse, I feel so unfit compared to the bundle of energy I had become. I've recently lost 6 lbs nonetheless from being my absolute biggest so it's a good start.

I already have a Trek 6000 mountain bike that I love to ride and this morning I bought two Trek FX bikes. Me and my boyfriend are going to start riding together and hope to do trips in the countryside. I'm planning to participate in the 2 week bike-to-work competition starting next week.

Happy biking!

Jcpilot

39 yrs old 260lbs 5'11" and searching for my first road bike. I have a herniated disc in my lower back and hate the mountain bike I have now. My hands go numb. My wife and I are looking at two bikes so we can exercise together. Looking at Giant Defy 2 or 1, Cannondale Synapse 5 or 6, Trek 2.1 and Specialized Secteur Elite. So far I liked the Secteur the best.

ccd1977

360lb, 6'2" uberclyde in the house. Trying to get back riding but cannot find a road bike review for my large frame. I do like aggressive and fast.

Neil_B

At 360 you are probably not the heaviest here. But even without that distinction, you are welcome.

brandon41094

Try to lean towards the "Performance" Side of road bikes if your going towards them, more relaxed geometry, with all the benefits of a road bike. I use the Scott Cr1 for endurance training, and a Specialized Allez for Racing (Both have mixed Shimano components)

And you got some smarts with the slicks on the mountain bike! I changed my mountain bike to slicks before I hit the road scene, best thing I ever did in terms of commuting to school. Speed is greatly improved

Good luck with getting a bike!

Froggy

I'm 52 yo, 260 pounds and I have a few suggestions: First, I had the numb hands issue, too, when I first started to ride. It does go away (mostly) after you acclimate to riding, but it takes time (it was about a year for me). I still get numb hands now and then, but not like it was when I first started. Second, carbon, carbon, carbon. I originally didn't believe in carbon frame bikes, I thought it was all hype until I test rode a number of different frames on rough roads. I'm a believer, now, and I wouldn't ride on anything else. Carbon makes a huge difference. Yeah, it's more expensive, but IMHO it's worth every penny. Finally, a recumbent cycle is the most direct way to relieve riding stress on your hands and back - I have both a recumbent and an regular upright frame. I can't speak to your herniated disk (ouch!), but for me, the recumbent is by far the more comfortable ride for long distances. The main drawback to a recumbent is climbing hills since you can't stand on your pedals, but you more than make up for that on the flats. Bents are effortlessly fast on the flats.

digitalsolo

I'm still hovering around the same weight I was a year ago, when I first posted here. However, I've another 1" on my waist since my last post. I'm still working toward getting my overall weight down another 15 lbs or so; I'm a big guy, so 205 lbs on my frame is pretty fit.

The wife and I spent enough time sharing the one bike I built last year, that I decided to build up another frame, which should be done in the next couple weeks. Full suspension K2 setup, that I customized with modern discs and a 1x9 setup. Hopefully the limited gearing will help keep me pressing hard when we ride. We generally do 15-20 miles per ride, though we are hoping to hit some half-century stuff the beginning of this summer, and maybe move up from there.

Giant 1

I too ride a giant with 1.75 marathon tires if you bike is relativeley new it will have suspension compresion lockouts set them to the max and run a lot of air in your suspension. I'm 270 and my daily ride is about 40 miles My 2007 Giant Trance 1 has 9000 miles on it and is still going strong

bigclydesdale

This is so cool! I am new to this site, as of today.

I am Big Clyde, weigh 298 this morning and am 6'4. I ride a Scott communiter bike for my heavy frame. I tend to ride 13 miles on a normal route, but frequently do races up to 35 miles. May do the 66-mile El Tour de Tucson in 11/10.

I don't know if this goes against some protocol, but I'd love any of you to drop by my blog on my weight loss and cycling journey: www.clydesdaleproject.blogspot.com or e-mail me at bigclydesdale@gmail.com.

tuna

Hey all, my name is Tom but most folks call me Tuna. I'm 38 years old, 6'2" tall and currently over 380 lbs. I've always been a "chunky" guy, including the heydays of high school when I played water polo, swam competitively, and was an active road cyclist. Back then I hovered just under the 200 lbs mark, but after high school I stopped swimming, water polo, and cycling but kept the appetite.

Now I'm back on my bike for a multitude of reasons. First reason is my health: the weight is a large factor in a lot of my health problems, including hypertension. Second: I miss the sport! I had a lot of fun in my youthful days with my friends on bikes, cruising around, and seeing who could beat me down hills (they always beat me up them though...) My best friend, who's new to the sport, started riding this year pretty seriously and his determination and commitment has inspired me to do the same. I'd love to do swimming also, but economically I can't afford membership to somewhere with a lap pool.

I do still own three road bikes, but I don't ride them due to my weight. About five years ago I bought a mountain bike to ride until I could shave the pounds off to feel comfortable on the road bikes again. The mountain bike is a 1997 Klein Pulse Pro that I bought off of eBay.



My pride and joy, and my motivation to lose the weight so I can ride it again, is my 1989 Klein Quantum. The summer before my senior year of high school I got a summer job at the LBS as a mechanic and new bike assembler. I had a fun time there and again saved my pennies to build my dream bike, an '89 Klein Quantum. I wanted something beefy that wasn't going to flex. I wanted to put Dura-Ace on it, but being a high school student meant that the new Ultegra 600 was on the menu for me.



Anyways, I'm going to be stopping in here regularly and be hitting the road with my Pulse regularly. Thanks to everyone who posts here in the Clydesdales/Athenas forum. It's good to know that I'm not the only one going through this.

Tuna

hercules411

My wife and her Trek WSD 7200 and me on my late 70s Schwinn continental are adding more miles each night to our riding. I'm 6'1" and 222 lbs. Trying to get down to 199 by the end of summer.