dagray

I wish you the best as I am 6' 3" and now 372 fully clothed (I was 396 naked) since I started riding, walking, watching my diet (yes I do cheat some and have pizza with the family once in a while), and cutting down my insulin since insulin is an inhibitor to weight loss.

Don't rule out a road bike either as my old Centurion is a good ride.

You will want to make sure the bike fits or that you will be able to make it fit as fit is very important when riding.

ch3sterton

Well I decided that I was going to rule out the road bikes for now because I live in an area where the only road I would be able to ride on is a very busy highway of sorts....and while I see people riding their bikes on that road all the time I am not comfortable with it. Plenty of trails to find tho when it comes to the mountain bike.

As for calories I have been doing a lot of reading including the Ride yourself Lean book and I'm finding that a lot of the advice is to not necessarily count calories as it is to eat more real foods, and portion control......I think I'm going to do that for a little while see how it works. I'm going to try semi-Paleo.

xtoefield

I would stay away from Trek hybrids as without a custom rear wheel, those thing are disastrous for that much weight on it. I am 300+ myself, and live in a highly populated city, with some ****ty streets so maybe with a different riding style the rear wheel will last lol. my hybrid is an aluminum bike with a good amount of wight behind it (23-26lbs.). Fit in a bike no matter what your commute is. I would also suggest adding a bike rack to take your riding to some sanctioned trails/paths where you can blast away until you're tired. Happy riding .

ch3sterton

I'm considering not snagging the old bike under the house because after looking at it, it really seems like it would take some work to get it ride worthy again. Now I understand that you "get what you pay for" is especially true for bikes, but I found this on Amazon and it really has me intrigued. A 24 inch mens Huffy bike! it has a hardtail (as I have been told is a must) and as a added bonus, unlike a lot of the other hardtail bikes I am finding this bike actually just has a solid front fork and not any of those weird suspension things. The kicker is that it is $99....but that sad as it may be...is the sort of thing I can actually afford right now.

at 6 foot 3 (or 2 I cannot remember lol) is this bike big enough? anything you see that I should be concerned about?

Thanks!

https://www.amazon.com/Huffy-Bicycle-...6733732&sr=1-3

Wilfred Laurier

24 inch in that case refers to the wheel size

that is a childs bike
not a mens bike
except for very short men

also
stay away from huffy
as the components
especially the wheels
will be of the cheapest most feeble sort
usually cheap steel rims and a freewheel hub
which will absolutely not hold up under a clyde

and I am not some bike snob who turns up his nose
at any box store or mass marketed bike
but being a big guy
means you need quality in some areas
especially wheels
and those bikes just wont have it

edit

if your budget is in the neighborhood of 100 dollars
that is just fine
but you need to be looking at used bikes
there is no 100 dollar new bike
that will be adequate

edit ii

the other problem with many
or most
box store bikes
like huffy
is that they only come on one size for any given model
and that size will not fit properly for a person over 6 feet

ch3sterton

Well that is disappointing...and even a bit misleading in my opinion....are inch sizes always in reference to the tire size? I have been reading that as a taller guy I would want 24-26 inch bike.....but apparently places like Amazon and such don't really do anything to differentiate between the tire size and actual bike size? lol, thanks for catching me on this tho!

I keep perusing craigslist and cannot find a darn thing, but you suddenly reminded me that in the city nearby there is a place called "trader ricks" which is a big trading center that has been around for like 30 or 40 years..they buy used and new stuff and sell it...pretty much a huge yard sale..I have never been there before but I just shot them a message about possible bikes. Wish me luck!

Wilfred Laurier

box store bikes
like huffy
next
newer mongooses
murray
etc
generally only come on one frame size
so if there is a size listed
it is almost definitely the wheel size

ch3sterton

Opinion on this?

https://burlington.craigslist.org/bik/4583198597.html

dagray

Check with your local bike store for their used selection. The store closest to me has used bikes where kids have outgrown their older bikes, or where an adult wanted to upgrade to a different bike.

My son was able to get a nice mountain bike for about $300.00 that was used, but in great condition (he is now about 5' 6"...I know shorter than us). They might have an older bike in your size.

Also remember that previous year models sitting on their floor can be had at discounted prices as the floor space is valuable realestate to them.

kaisersling

Bike - GIANT 24 speed

Might be Worth a look.

ch3sterton

Thanks! I shot them a message to see how big the bike actually is.

Edit: wow, looks like these bikes are usually pretty expensive at a first glance as well!! now I'm freaking excited especially since they live not even 30 minutes from me.

ch3sterton

guy emailed me back already and said that he is 6 foot 1 inch himself and that it fits perfect! freaking awesome!

kaisersling

Excellent... Now just have your scam alert set on high if he starts asking you to do weird things with the payment, like putting in a Kenyan escrow account

ch3sterton

lol, the only thing that sucks tho is that I will not have the money to buy this bike until next week. (crosses fingers that he is willing to hold it)

kaisersling

Time to dig through the couch cushions

ch3sterton

SNAP DRAGONS! he's going to hold it for me! *does a little dance*

kaisersling

Nice!

jeff556

I say go for it! That would be $50 well spent and an easy way to start riding. Once you get started you'll learn a little bit about the type of rider you are. I started riding on a MTB as well but eventually figured out I like riding on the local trails so I bought a hybrid, followed by a roadie.

The most important thing is to get out there and ride!

ch3sterton

I'm just so excited to be getting that Giant bike this Thursday! ugg the anticipation sucks! lol.

LongT

Don't let your excitement rush you into a decision. Make sure that it fits you! A real quick check is to sit on the bike with the heel of whatever shoe you plan to ride on the pedal. Your leg should be relatively straight. Not locked at the knee but almost straight.

Bill

Solare

I would suggest getting a bike computer. I got a garmin 500 with cadence, speed, and heart rate monitor (on this site) used. I am looking forward to using it once I recover from my accident. It has many features that you can track and graph.

But either way get out and cycle on a regular basis.

Wilfred Laurier

good advice

i will add
you can adjust the height of the seat to accomplish this
straight leg with heel on pedal
position
but
make sure the seatpost is not out too far
ie
the seatpost must be in past the junction of seat and top tubes of the frame
and not out past the minimum insertion line on the seat post

Wilfred Laurier

i have an android smartphone
and i downloaded the free version of strava
which tracks route speed and distance

my free version of strava does not track cadence
which I never really thought i needed
but i can see why people would want it

Solare

I used map mybride and it kills the cell battery within an hour. That was part of the reason that I wanted a bike com puter. And to be one of the cool kids also. Hahahahahaha

Wilfred Laurier

I have done 6 and 7 hour rides
with my basic smartphone running strava
and battery was at about 30% at the end