atomship47

i believe i've read about this before in another thread....but i have a few questions;

clyde - 5'10" 400#....exercise is a matter of life or death for this person...diabetes, family history of heart problems, etc.

i'm thinking cycling could be a labor of love for this person. something he'll look forward to doing everyday.

soooo, the well worn question; what are some options this person should look to? he's looked at comfort/mtb bikes, but they're just not comfortable. i've sent him links to special saddles as an option. i'm thinking i should steer him towards bents. probably even a trike.

i know many clydes are able to get fitted with a road or hybrid that is comfortable for them and they love to ride. i'm thinking this person needs a few thousand miles on his legs before he's ready for that style of cycling.

can you share some personal or 2nd hand experiences and/or give me some sound advice to pass along?

lowbike

Hello:
look at a Rans V2 with a 48 spoke rear HD wheel and 36 spoke front 20" with Specialized Armadillo 26x1.75 rear tire and Conti 20" Top touring front tire.

PuttPutt

You might want look at Lightfoot: https://www.lightfootcycles.com/big_tall.htm

sch

It is a VERY rare bent that will handle 400#. I don't think anything Rans
makes will do it. Lightfoot has some provisos on their web site that suggest
400# is marginal. Any suitable bike will have to have a SWB, really heavy
duty frame and wide tires so CLWB and LWB are out. DF bikes are more
realistic from a weight handling capacity or cargo trikes which in them
selves weigh upwards of 100#.

Opedaler

" DF bikes are more
realistic from a weight handling capacity"

Probably true, but most of the heavier people that I know won't go near an upright. Comfort? appearances? don't know but I do know that activity level is a MUST for losing weight and getting healthy. See if some dealer (or company) won't take the chance of backing a bike with the understanding that photos will be taken and can be used by the dealer/company for advertising when the individual loses his weight......which he will if he remains faithful.

Doug5150

Not to be rude or anything--but a "clyde" is usually something over 200 lbs. 400 lbs is something else entirely. You're not likely to walk into any bike shop and find a bike built for a single 400-lb rider.

I would second the lightfootcycles recommendation, that's the only place I know of that builds for very heavy riders, but it isn't going to be an inexpensive route.
------
I think that recumbents are better for everyone--but especially for overweight people, for two reasons.
....First is that the saddles used on upright bikes tend to be tiny, and the pain they cause rises quickly the heavier the rider is. Padded shorts won't help much, but then again, nobody makes them anywhere near that big anyway.
....Second is the fact that upright bicycles make people lean over forward, and there's not really anyplace that makes clothes for fat people that fit properly in this position. Their shirts slide upwards and their pants fall down while riding, which is embarassing enough to keep them from riding at all. On a recumbent this is not a problem, because they are sitting in a seat, sitting on the shirt and pants, so the clothes stay where they should.

Once he gets down to ~300 lbs, he can start looking at other "regular" 2-wheel recumbents, which would be considerably more agile than a large trike. There's upright bikes would hold a rider that heavy too of course, but at that point he's still going to have the clothing problem. This depends somewhat on how tall the person is, but the largest cycling clothing commonly sold in the US seems to drop off at around 225 lbs.

Recumbents are generally much more comfortable to ride anyway, if the rider is fat or not.
Many recumbent riders are still perfectly capable of riding uprights--we just don't want to anymore.
~

atomship47

i couldn't find a forum titled "cycling for the morbidly obese"

aikigreg

may want to look at some trikes - greenspeed probably. Less need to balance weight, and the person can simply stop and relax on the bike when they run out of breath.

Also, is this personal medically cleared for biking? At that weight, walking may be the best option.

Opedaler

aikigreg makes some valid points.....he should be medically cleared. I will stand by the assumption that activity must be increased gradually and continually to reap benefits. There will be risk in activity but there is also a risk of doing nothing as you have already alluded to.

Aikigreg also mentions Greenspeed a good suggestion as they make "custom" trikes. Probably not cheap but then what is a life worth. Again, talk to a dealer and if your friend takes before and after pics and meets his obligations of losing weight possibly some kind of "deal" could be worked out that could offset some of the risk and cost. Good luck and don't give up.

Artkansas 

Another thing to consider with something like a Greenspeed trike is that getting on and off may be seriously inconvenient if not almost impossible because they are so low. And it may not be large enough for them, but you will have to fill out the form to know for sure.

Perhaps something like the EZ 3 trike should be considered.

Zonker

Does it have to be a recumbent? The Mazama from Co-Motion is purpose-built for larger people. I (a Clyde myself at 229...down from 244) have a tandem from them, they know a thing or two about weight bearing.

https://www.co-motion.com/mazama.html

Gerdz

Check out Worksman which makes industrial bikes. The PAV-3 3spd has a capacity of 550lbs and looks to be easy to get into and out of.

https://worksmancycles.com/shopsite_s...html/pav3.html

Mike.

Doug5150

Well nuts, I forgot about that one totally. It certainly sweeps the price criteria, doesn't it?

It's not hardly a "performance" trike, but someone that heavy isn't likely to be real interested in carving and drifting much anyway.
~

BlazingPedals

I don't normally recommend Worksman, but they might be a good option in this case. They are strong and the seat is at a good height. EZ-3 is another possibility. Most other trikes are going to be low and hard for a 400-pounder to get in and out of. Also, whether tadpole or delta, someone that heavy might be rubbing body parts against the wheels. I would also consider an EZ-1, if you can get one to fit (x-seam might be a little too much for one at that height and weight.) Heavy, steel, and with small wheels. The seat might need to be rebuilt to handle the weight, but the rest of the bike would probably take the abuse. I would at least contact EasyRacers and ask them.

Opedaler

Hey, never heard of them but it kinda looks like something that my 78 year young mother is looking for. Heavy looking.....I wonder if they are hard to propel.

aikigreg

Yes, I was on a ride in Ohio with a couple guys who were 400+ EASY, so they trike seems to work well for them. Of course, one had an electric assist because he couldn't haul himself up the hills, but that may or may not be necessary for your "friend."

atomship47

thanks for the help everyone!

i never questioned if he was medically cleared. he's wondering about how to make his bike more comfortable, so i guess i just assumed so. his actual weight is around 380.

it doesn't have to be a recumbent. i'm just trying to give him ideas or alternatives so that he can find something healthy that he'll love to to do. i think a trike may be his best bet.

blknwhtfoto

I wonder why there aren't many bikes made for people who are simply big. Not fat, but big. I am 6'5 and while I could lose a few pounds(after a nasty winter of staring at my bike then window, then bike again) but I am not fat by any means. I've come back down to my normal weight after being restricted to crutches/wheelchair due to a rugby injury/knee surgery and a lot of that is due to my recumbent(doc won't let me play rugby anymore. lame). But if I had been in my chair/on crutches for another 6 months I probably would have been up to 325'ish.

It seems to me that the bicycle industry could benefit greatly from making bikes that suit bigger(both fat and big people). The fat people might be able to become a bit healthier and the bigger people could have a bike to ride. My brother is 6'8 and can't find a DF roadie that fits for the life of him. If he were a beanstock 6'8 maybe, but he sits at 290 and he is cut(very in shape).
What to do, what to do.

Gerdz

Preach! I'm 6'7, 280 and have a heck of a time finding anything that fits. I've got my BikeE RX which fits pretty decent so I've been sinking cash into it, rejuvenating it somewhat. It's tough finding anything that works for me.

bsut

Regarding tall: My 16yo son is 6'7" (200cm) tall with size 17 shoes, skinny like a beanstalk. For a reasonable budget we found him an off-the-shelf regular production 66cm diamond frame, the Soma Smoothie ES, for his intended purpose of long distance touring.

Big bikes aren't common for the same reason big everything-else is uncommon: he's way off the economically attractive hump of the demographic curve. Big bike clothes are available ready-made (check the clyde forum) but hard to find and expensive.

GreenGrasshoppr

Holland has a lot of very tall people... and it's a bike-friendly country. Maybe it's a good place to start looking?

Doug5150

You might check out the Cycle Genius Raven and Falcon (the same frame and fork is used for both models)--the frames are long, the weight isn't horrible and they don't cost much, $1100-$1300. I am 6'2", I run clipless pedals (so the balls of my feet are on the pedals, not the arches) and there's still 3" of space I could scoot the seat backwards. With the seat all the way back, I can't even keep my feet on the pedals all the way around the crank revolution.
~

warrenbowman

I just got an EZ-3 USX for my dad. He's not as big as your friend, but he's pretty big. I tried the trike on for myself, and it seems *very* sturdy. Not as quick or nimble as a greenspeed, but very user-friendly.

https://www.sunbicycles.com/sun/recum...USX/ez3USX.htm

Tourezrick

I ride both a Tour Easy EX and a Sun Tad, am 6 feet and am down to 265 thanks to a wonderful diabetic medicine called Byetta. The Sun Tad is rated at 300 with the stock (inexpensive) wheels, which are the weak link on any bike for a large person. My first move was to upgrade to Velocity Aeroheat wheels. My Sun Tad is for sale at $1000, cash - I have about $1700 in it. I'm located just South of Chicago, have pics available as well as a vid. E-mail at Tourezrick@yahoo.com

atomship47

i'll pass the message along.......my inlaws are in o.p.