2manybikes

That's a good thing, there may be one near him. The smaller diameter wheels are a little stronger.

bassjones

Closest by how much? If 10-20 miles, no big deal. If it's 100 miles to the closest LBS then it's a big deal. Do NOT skip the fit! Just stick to your guns and get what you want.

joshuat80

I found another one about the same distance away, He is opened tomorrow and i am going to talk to him.. and his shop is listed as one of Americas best bike shop of 2013 and 2014 from National Bicycle Dealers Association ... so we will see how it goes...

Judi

I think you're right, the wheel is more likely to have problems than the frame. But if you keep your tires properly inflated and just ride on paved surfaces until you've lost some of the weight, you can keep your wheels going. I know you said trails are what you're most interested in, but that might be why it's hard to stay within your budget for the bike, because it has to be built a lot stronger to go off road.

You'll be taking your bike back to your LBS from time to time for repairs, so it's best to buy from a place where you're comfortable.

rick458

Exercise is very good for weightloss, but do not discount changing the way you eat.
Find a good calorie counter like my fitness pal, plug in your numbers, and it will direct you to a sustainable daily caloric intake.
The first 10-15 lbs will fall off, the rest will go slower, but proper diet and esp the bike riding, will help you feel better.
Another big plus for bike riding is it is very easy on joints, unlike running or jogging.
Good luck, I started on a Trek Hardrock 29er disc, but I keep the suspension locked because I mainly ride on the road, or very flat trails and mups.
Good luck, set yourself up for success.
I was at 320, now at 258, and riding a roadie.

FlatSix911

Take a look online ... no tax and free shipping
You if like, have your LBS do the assembly and fitting.

SHIMANO SORA / Claris 24Spd Cyclocross Commuter Disc Brake 2014 Gravity Liberty $499
Save up to 60% off new Flat Bar Road Bikes - Gravity Liberty FB | Save up to 60% off new road bikes

bassjones

Bikes Direct bikes are fine for riders who know their fit dimensions so they can be sure to order the right size and can put it together and adjust everything to work properly. I do wish people would stop recommending them for new riders though. He hasn't any idea what size he needs and likely lacks the tools and knowledge to complete assembly and setup.

FlatSix911

Please read the entire post ... the 58cm should fit the new guy fine.
"You if like, have your LBS do the assembly and fitting".

[HR][/HR][TABLE="width: 375, align: left"]
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[TD="width: 100"]Size

XSmall
Small
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XLarge
[/TD]
[TD="width: 90"]cm

42 cm
46 cm
50 cm
54 cm
58 cm
[/TD]
[TD="width: 185"]Typical Rider

4' 11 up to 5' 2"
5' 3" up to 5' 7"
5' 7" up to 5' 10"
5' 10" up to 6'
6' 0" up to 6' 7" [/TD]
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wvridgerider

You are on the right track, LBS, 36 spoke wheels and no suspension. Start easy, slowly build miles and take as much advice as you can from the LBS. Learn how to spin the pedals and not crank on them. Get a cyclo computer that has a cadence function so you can learn what 90 RPM feels like so you do not crank the pedals. After you ride for a while, like a year or so, then you you will really learn what type of cycling you want to do. Rail trails are great for getting started. Good luck.

wvridgerider

So I looked at where you live. Flat is the word. If there are gravel roads I would lean towards a 29er mountain bike and stay off of the main roads until you get a good feel for riding.

wvridgerider

I would recommend a Surly Karate Monkey but that is just my opinion.

joshuat80

The new Bike shop guy I talked too Recommended a Bianchi C-Sport with a Hydroformed Alum Frame... It looks like I will be going that route... Still talking about tires but he did say the rim suggestions may be thinner and less spokes (bigger gauge) than i originally wanted but he is going for a deeper higher Quality rim and where i can get high pressure on them... 95 - 105 ish PSI... and be able to stay well within budget...

wvridgerider

Long Haul Trucker | Bikes | Surly Bikes

How about this just have him switch to flat bars

wvridgerider

Or add these bars to it
Handlebar | Parts and Accessories | Surly Bikes

It would be a nice ride

300# Gorilla

6'4" 270# My solution is the Surly Cross Check (Straggler would work too), Nashbar Vuelta Corsa HD Road Wheelset, 622x50 Big Apples, 1x9 mega range.

Mithrandir

Stay away from suspension. All suspension.

I would recommend a touring bike frame. Surly LHT has been very good to me at 400+.

32mm tires work fine for a fat person. I rode 42mm before that.

Steel frame, no aluminum, no carbon. Steel fork. Avoid cantilever brakes, they simply have never worked for me. My next roadie will use discs. If you can, look into 203mm or 180mm rotors. The bigger the rotor, the more stopping power there is. They also absorb more heat. There are also "heat shedding" discs on the market now, designed to absorb more heat. Look into hydraulics too for more stopping power.

Wheels will be your biggest problem. Get a strong rim, strong spokes, and strong hub, and have a good bike shop build them by hand. 32 spoke minimum for both front and rear, 36 is better. 40 may be overkill, but a safer way to go if the wheelbuilder isn't that good. Tandem rims are best, double walled. I love the Mavic A719's. Might want something else for disc brakes though. Hubs, can't go wrong with a Shimano XT hub.

I prefer road bikes over hybrid bikes. The handlebars offer more positions and form options; most people start with hybrids and eventually go road, wondering why they bothered with a hybrid. I say skip the step.

Gearing will have a huge effect on your enjoyment. Us big guys need lower gears and more gear options. Go for a hybrid/touring triple crank, 26/36/48 or similar. On the back, 12-30 is nice for flat terrain, but if you need something for hills, do 11-34 or 11-36.

Good luck, this sport is awesome, you're going to love it.

Mithrandir

I disagree! I got 10,000 miles out of my Brooks B-17 before I broke a saddle rail. It wasn't the leather that failed, it was the steel! This saddle is the most comfortable thing I've ever ridden.

Mithrandir

He's probably just scared about what you can do to the wheel. Most shops don't have experience with clydes our size and want to take extra precautions. This is a good thing. Don't cheap out on the wheels. They will break first at our weight, and the wrong kind of failure at the wrong time can kill, maim, or otherwise seriously injure us. A good wheel will be expensive, but a hospital bill for injury (or heart attack in case you decide not to ride!) will cost more. Trust me, it's worth it.

bigdo13

DO YOU WANNA RIDE OR WHAT?

wtf do you care what people say or how you look on the bike man? Come on, just get out there... get out there on whatever you can.. be it a fat boy bike or a cyclocross, whatever... just get out there. You think you look fat on your bike, you likely do, so what? How are you gonna change that? Not by being a self-conscious wreck.. trust me..

and another thing, people are just people, some are ******** and some aren't. I seriously doubt someone is gonna heckle you for being on the bike and being a big guy, but even if they do, what are you gonna do? Quit?

Just get out there... trust me.. you'll be addicted in a week, no matter what you're riding....

a proper bike fit is a good idea, solid idea in getting one, but at the end of the day you're gonna have a lot of bikes in your time where you won't have a bike fit and you're just gonna get your frame size and get out there and wing it...

it's an adventure... go for it...

DWhitworth

X2 MILLION on getting out there and riding and who cares what you look like. I get a lot of looks while riding my local MUP (where I log most of my miles). Oddly enough, it is generally from people I rarely see on said trail, even though I ride it almost every day of the week (when weather allows) and ones I don't see more than once even when I do the trail twice at a time - e.g. they are just idiots.

As far as the bike and the wheels....I have a really good LBS, but despite their best efforts they just don't know anything about building a wheel for someone my/our size (I am 6'6" - 375lbs). They have made me a pair and they do work but also do break spokes occasionally. My front wheel from this set popped a spoke just the other day. The wheels are tough enough that you can finish the ride and just get it fixed with no drama.

Conversely, I ponied up the money for a rear wheel from Rich Lesnik/Hands on Wheels in about May of last year. He won't use the term "bomb proof" but I have put 2500 miles on it without a broken spoke or even a creak.

I don't think that being able to build a good wheel means that you can build a good uber-clyde wheel. You might get away with some mistakes in tension for even a 250lb guy that you can't do for a guy our size. I don't fault my LBS for this, they really have no reason to spend the time to get trained on, or experienced at building the specialty wheel I need.

My last opinion - if you have the money, get a road type bike and don't waste money on the hybrid, you will likely want to upgrade quickly.

That said, the bike you can get now and start riding tomorrow is the best one, period. Deal with the problems as they arise. Even with the above mentioned wheel issues, I started riding two years ago on a $400 Schwinn Hybrid/Upright comfort bike and put in several hundred miles before having trouble with the stock wheels. Several hundred more on the "bad" set they built, which never left me stranded.

Get. Out. And. Ride!



DaveW

joshuat80

I had thought that I updated this post already, But I have Purchased the Bike.... It is a 2015 Bianchi C-sport 3... Here is me and my bike...https://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...0&d=1421528598

I Purchased a set of tires for it that are dbl walled and are holding up quite well..I have right at 100 Miles now on the bike with 21.3 miles being my top ride just yesterday.

BigMo59

That's a fine looking bike! Just remember, your doing this for you and your health. Don't worry about what someone thinks. I had to get over that myself. Just ride and have fun!!

Null66

Damn FINE ride!

LongT

21.3 miles already! Good going!!

Bill

Mithrandir

I ride a bike that has a decal on it which says "Fatties Fit Fine". It's a Surly thing. It means that fat tires fit on the bike. But I've always worn that as a badge of honor as well; fat people fit on the bike just fine too. I'm not proud of being fat. If anyone calls me fat, well they're an ***hole. But I'm still fat and they're still right, so I just ignore it and keep in mind that one day I won't be fat, but they'll always be an ***hole.

Just ride the bike dude. I gave up caring what people thought of me years ago. I proudly wear spandex even into a grocery store to go shopping during a ride.