Evil Mastermind

Just checking in at the 50% mark. So far I've dropped 31lbs since June and am cruising right along to my goal. Now that the weather is cooling off from laser-hot crazy temps I'm looking forward to stepping up my cycling miles.

This forum has been a great help for inspiration and information, thank you everyone for your contributions.

Here's my Cannondale Bad Boy

Strat_Toter

Hello everyone...noob here...havent ridden in years hoping to change that soon!

I am 5'11" 265....used to play ice hockey, football etc...got too lazy and fat due to many injuries/arthritis...
I found this forum searching for a good starter bike...hope to make new friends and learn something too!

Anyone have any good AFFORDABLE choices re: bikes and gear? TIA!


J.R.

AllieBaba

I'm right around 250 and I ride a standard-issue high timber women's Schwinn and i haven't had a flat since I started riding last spring. I ride over asphalt, some gravel, some grass....maybe you just need a different type of bike?

starkmojo

while I would love another bike, that isn't going to happen. Right now I am at 301, so I have a goodly sack of potatoes on you weight-wise. At 240 I rarely got flats unless I was under inflated or hit some glass ( or once when I wore through a tire somehow.. Probably mileage and some high speed descents on hundred degree days.) I figure if it takes a few tubes to get to the weight I want, so be it. I'll just start carrying a spare tube.

ok I should edit this to be honest. I have a Mona I could ride, but on pavement it's about as much fun as driving your granddaddy Oldsmobile. I like it off road, dirt roads etc but I just don't push myself on it the way I do a road bike (33 miles today). It needs a tune up badly so in the garage it sits, likely till spring mud season. It's a good bike for hauling the kids around and all but I need the rush of a road bike to get sweaty.

Pilotac

I started my weight loss odyssey at almost 500lbs. I had an old Schwinn mountain bike. Somehow it took me down to 300 lbs. I did have the occasional problems, flat tires, broken spokes...but the only major thing I had to do was replace the rear wheel. I recently bought a used Specialized Cross Trail Elite. In the first few weeks, I had to replace several spokes and eventually all the spokes on the rear wheel. Problem was, the rim was too wimpy for even my svelte 300 lb frame. It was recommended I replace the rear rim with a 36 spoke wheel vs. the 32 spoke one that came on the bike. I bought a $50 36-spoke replacement rim, and had it tuned professionally. Since then I have had no problems. The wheel stayed true and the bike runs like a top. I was told that when you broke more than one spoke it was time either to replace them all or replace the rim. I would suggest try a new rim.

Hope this helps

greg

Sneakysnake

I suppose I had better join in in this thread since I'm new to the forum. I clock in at 6'4" and 295. I am currently riding a 1989 Schwinn steel-framed LeTour. I am pretty sure that it is durable enough to handle the amount force that I out to it since I push quite hard. Looking to drop some pounds and climb hills better.

JackieO

6' 220# modified Civia Bryant belt w/ 15,000 self-propelled miles in 2 years. Here's a picture looking toward my old home (Washington, DC) from my new home (Cascais, Portugal). The riding is great here in Iberia, come check it out!

Doohickie

A couple of pics from last night's ride. The first is the community college downtown (along the river); the second is the county courthouse.

Chugosh

Gotta share briefly, guys.
Last year I weighed 375#.
I weighed in at the beginning of the month at 275#.

Woo Hoo to say the least, and I'm still going.

Esteban58

Awesome...

Podagrower

Well, it's time to check in here. 6'2, 292 lbs. I have chronic tendinitis in my Achilles tendon, along with a huge bone spur, so walking for exercise is out-and I hate it anyway. So after 20 years, I have picked up a bike again. This time, a Trek 7100 hybrid. What an improvement over the steel dinosaur I rode as a teen. I've had it about a month, put on over 100 miles so far. Hopefully I can lose weight over the holidays.

kinetic

After several fits, starts, some progress but more lost progress I am giving this another go- with one major change. Goal setting. I've been really bad about setting goals- either hard to quantify ones or unrealistic goals. This time around I am basing my goals off of events and days ridden, no more 1lb a week or xx miles a week.

Right now my goal is to continue with a minmum of two standard rides (1-2 hours) and one long ride (2hrs+) a week. I also have charity rides set, so 12/9 is a tour for kids, probably about 45mi. My goal is to be ready for the C group, maybe even the B. The BIG goal is the Bike MS Citrus ride here in FL. 4/20-4/21, 75mi each day, plus I want to raise $1k. Until the Citrus ride I am looking at progressively more challenging group rides and putting them on the calendar.

I believe better fitness and more weight loss will come along with the preparation and training for the rides as opposed to just worrying about the scale telling me I am meeting my goals. I still want to get from this 265lb to 175lb, but I am going to try and eat right and definitely train for group rides to get there. It's the eating right that is the challenge, as all of you can sympathize with. Any threads you know of for help with a diet plan and tips to sticking with it are greatly appreciated.

Anyhow, off for a couple of zone 3 hours

dpicare26

New to the forums, A Clydesdale @ 6'4", 215lbs. 24 y/o now and am the same exact weight I was when i graduated HS! Ran T&F through HS and College and continue to play soccer (which I've played since i was 4-5). Decided being forced to run daily for ~8 years of T&F was well enough, so took a break from running and got into cycling and don't think I'm turning back. Have been riding mtb's for ~3 years and roadie for ~2.

Ride a '11 Specialized Allez Triple, 61cm.

Doohickie

From today's ride:




Diet-wise... I've stalled out. I'm not stressing about it. The first weekend in November, I traveled to Houston to meet my brother (and some friends) who came down from Buffalo for the Bills-Texans game. I decided to suspend the diet and just have fun. I naturally gained a bunch of weight. I've managed to lose most of it again, but here's Thanksgiving with Christmas just around the corner. If I can simply hold where I am now, I figure I can get serious again after the holidays.

Esteban58

I think this time of year is particularly tough... I've stalled out too - but if I get through the holidays at break even, I'll be pretty happy.

Doohickie

It's kind of a perfect storm in my case... along with the early November party-fest followed by the holidays, there's also work which was been stressful and busy and I've had to travel, which takes away from my cycling time. Seems to be settling down somewhat, but I think it may be after the holidays before things really return to normal. Whatever that is.

TomvanHalen

This is a pretty unique forum, good to see stuff like this exists! I definitely fit the bill, I have a weird build. I'm 6ft and ~240lb but don't really look it. While I'm steadily building legs like a track sprinter and have resting heart rate of <60, I'm having the biggest issues getting rid of the fat on my top half! Very frustrating, when I'm the fittest I've been in some time.

I'm new to road cycling; used to do a fair bit of mountain biking years back but my beloved mtb was stolen a few months ago so I replaced it with this lovely specimen and joined my university cycling club. Finding it lots of fun, but climbing's a *****. I worry a bit about the 20 spoke wheels, but they seem to be doing alright!

99Klein 

That Klein is a thing of beauty!

jsigone

my super6-five that was stripped of everything but the cranks and saddle...love this thing

super6 by jsigone, on Flickr

Chugosh

So I am now at 261# as of the first of the month.
There is hope!

st3venb

I don't think I replied to this thread; but I will now.

My name is Steve, I live over here in Mesa, Az... where it's currently mid 70s outside... *neener neener* to all you folks dealing with snow.

Back story on me: I used to race BMX back in the day... I was pretty good, and got up to 16 expert and rode in quite a few nationals... placing on the podium a few times. I eventually stopped doing BMX when my friends moved on to road bikes and I just couldn't keep up with them. So, I joined the football team for my HS; and my weight stayed in around 240lbs for the remainder of my HS years... During that time I powerlifted and became a very large (muscular) person... I was consuming a ton of calories to sustain my growth and strength... when I graduated, well... I just kept on eating.

This lead to me being a 22 year old man weighing in at 450+lbs... I dieted at the time, and lost almost 170lbs... down to 280... From there I stalled out, literally stalled I could not lose weight for months on end... and eventually I gave up. Being with my girlfriend (now wife)... who liked eating just as much as I did... I ballooned up again to over 350lbs... I might have even hit 400lbs again... (I didn't weigh myself, cause I didn't want to know.). My gf/wife moved to Idaho after 5 years of our relationship to finish her degree in performing arts... during this time, I ate so much and had so many problems... For her it was an awakening... she started exercising, running, and went from 220lbs down to her current weight of 150lbs... She now runs marathons and puts in 30-40 miles a week running... it's insane the shift that happened in her... For me, I started going to Overeaters Anonymous; and learned for the first time that I wasn't the only one that never felt full when eating.

Fast forward to today... I'm 313lbs this morning, down from 327lbs last week. I'm riding 130+ miles a week; and I'm cross training with a trainer twice a week for an hour. I've completed a few large'ish rides, and I love going out and playing fast with the lances in our local bike group. I'm following a pretty strict diet that's been laid out for me by a nutritionist that's working with my trainer... I have to follow a strict plan, because if not my eating spirals out of control and I put on weight faster than I could ever hope to lose it. My goals with my trainer are overal health, strength and performance... and to get my weight down into the 215s, 210s... The wife and I are planning on entering a sprint triathlon this summer, and I have a few other goals that I will meet next year.

Anyway, that's me in a very quick nutshell... I often write more about myself on my blog in my signature... as well as review components that support my larger body on my road bike. I love this little section of the forum!

doubledown7d

Way to go st3venb! I love hearing stories like that. Gives me hope. I'm 6'3" between 360-370lbs right now and looking to buy my first road bike since I was a teen and would ride miles and miles every day. Went from 360 to 279 last year between August and the end of the year doing a restrictive caloric/low carb diet. I was not exercising at the time. An injury this year caused me to be more sedintary than usual and the food habits came back with a vengence. But the only way you can be knocked out is to never get back in the ring, so here we go again.
Have recently started back on my diet and feeling that will to make a change again. Selling some old toys and hope to have @$1200 within a week or two to put into my new ride. Really looking at the Felt Z85 and Specialized Sectour pretty hard. I know I'll get some laughs and jeers from people who see the fat guy on the bike, but I'm looking to get the last laugh.

st3venb

If you go with the Z85, look at the wheels first, and the saddle second... I was having major issues with my rear wheel running out of true within a week... (after 100+ miles). And the stock saddle on the z85 is a bit narrow; I replaced mine with a wider specialized bg romin or whatever.

And -- I don't know, but I don't have anyone yelling at me, or jeering me or laughing at me when I'm out riding. I imagine they probably do when my back is turned, but life is short you can't worry about what everyone says or does behind your back.

get it done.

Doohickie

Did our Country Path Ramble this weekend (it's an informal annual ride with a few friends). This year's ride was 48 miles, the majority of which was on stone/gravel farm roads. Someone got a decent pic of me during the ride



My steed, on top of the (local) world



Fellow Clyde Yo Spiff taking better pictures than I do (in the red and black)



and during the ride



And one pic of most of the group

Doohickie

My Christmas present this year was rebuilt wheels for my Raleigh DL-1. They came in yesterday and I put 30 miles on the DL-1 today. Awesomeness.