BeachBum840

Greetings all!

I'm a large Athena(420ish at the moment) looking to take up biking now that the weather here in Ohio is starting to get nice. I've always had an interested in biking as I love the outdoors. Problem is my size.... I've dropped about 30 pounds since January by just modifying my diet but I'm looking for more. I thought biking would be a great way to start getting a workout in that would also be lower impact.

I'm a bit overwhelmed and intimidated to actually going into a local bike shop. There seems to be so many different options as far as bike types, seating positions, and everything else. I'm just looking for some advise before I move forward.

So that brings me to the question.. what should I be looking for in a bike that would be capable of supporting my current weight? Right now I'm mainly planning on staying on paved/crushed gravel bike paths until I drop more weight. It would also be nice to have something that's not super heavy. My apartment is on the second floor which means I will have to carry it up and down the stairs everyday.

I've looked at maybe a townie with the upright seating postion and flat foot technology until I drop more weight and get more comfortable. Is this a viable options? I'm open to any suggestions. I'm desperate to drop the weight and could really use the help. Thanks!

americanrecluse

Welcome! I think the Townie probably is a good choice for you. There is/was a lady on this forum who started on one and if I remember her posts correctly, she was about your size when she started. I started at 250lbs and when I first got my Trek FX 7.3 I sometimes wished I'd gotten the Townie. I'm happy with my bike now that I'm starting to get used to riding it, but there's something to be said for that upright seating position and having your feet flat on the ground.

anyroad

Without going off on a tangent. The townie is a nice sturdy bike and would probably serve you very well for a long time but as most who reply to this thread will tell you that it's very important to go to your local bike shop and try out some different bikes and see what really feels good to you.

I also love to ride and bought a Giant Anyroad 1 last year which has served me very well so far. My wife bought the Liv version of the road bike and loves it. Just make sure you take your time and try out several different bikes to find the one that fits your best.

In regards to your weight loss awesome job getting off to a fantastic start. I too have struggled with weight loss most of my life having been in the 400 range before and now down in the lower portion of the 300s working towards a goal of 250. I found that diet mod was good but things really didn't take off for me until I bought a food scale and truly honestly started tracking everything I put in my mouth.
We can exercise all day long but if we put the calories right back in and more then we will not see the results we want. I have been doing weight watchers online with my wife for almost a year and it has worked really well for us. I do not believe it's necessary to pay for a tool to lose weight but I do really like their app. My Fitness Pal (MFP) also has a very good app and community something to check out if you already have not.

Best of luck to you in your journey for a new bike and new life!!!

oddjob2

Buy a used steel framed mtb with a rigid fork and ride it for a 1-2 years.
Then reward yourself with a new bike.

Replace the knobbies with some smooth tread road tires for more comfort and speed.

Better than the 820 below.
Trek 920 Singletrack hybrid Bike

Trek 830 MTB

Specialized Rock Hopper

Zoxe

First, welcome to C&A!

There are MANY ways you could approach this. Oddjob2's advice of finding a good, used mountain bike and installing slicks is good advice. There's a shop near me that has a well stocked used rack.

The Townie is a great bike, and should serve you well. Mrs. Zoxe had one for a few seasons as part of our journey.

The important thing here is to remember: there's no 'wrong' way to do this. You need to pick a bike that you're going to be excited about riding. It may be cheaper to pick up a used bike on craigslist, but if the 'used' bike doesn't thrill you, it's going to sit more.

When we got started, we simply hopped on the walmart bikes we had in the garage (technically, mine was from K-mart, hers was from Toys-r-Us) from our college years. Tires were dry rotted, but they held air. Our first ride was a 1mi lap around our subdivision and we thought we were simply going to die. But we kept at it, extended our range each ride, and after several rides we decided that if we were still riding in a month (which happened to coincide with our wedding anniversary) then we'd go to the big scary bike shop and pick something out. That was in 2008, and we are still riding.

A few last notes:
- Don't let the bike shop intimidate you. The good ones won't cop an attitude with you. When I've gone shopping, I've sometimes printed what I wanted from the vendor's web page and this makes the conversation a lot easier.
- Find a local charity ride and sign up. Our first season we rode a charity ride in my hometown. It was 17 miles and literally starting from zero it was a huge motivator.
- Write back! We want to see your bike pics, ride reports, and overall progress.

// Zoxe

BeachBum840

Thanks for the information everyone! I was thinking about going the route of getting a used bike but worried since weight is a big factor for me right now. Hard to imagine two wheels would be able to handle all my weight. lol For now I've been walking but I'm really itching to get on a bike. My main area of concern is tires. Am I going to need some type of reinforced rim or tire to compensate for the pressure? Thanks for all the support. I've had nothing but positive response. It's refreshing.

Zoxe

No, not special tires. I would ride whatever comes on your bike until they wont hold air. There are commuter tires with anti-puncture liners, but that's more about where you ride than what you weigh.

Rims and spokes are usually the bigger problem. The reason a used MTB is recommended is because the wheels are stronger. If you are buying from a shop, make sure they properly true and tension your spokes, and do the followup visit if it is part of the deal.

Otherwise, add a good tire pump to your shopping list. You will want to run the tires at their max rated psi.

SammyJ 

All good information, with a little grace, you can find a good MTB.

Bottom line is RIDE. 1/2 mile, 1/10, just ride!

ColaJacket

You've gotten some good information so far.

The Townie would be a good bike if you want a position where the pedals are more forward. They won't be as far forward as on a MTB or Hybrid. Any of the 3 would be good for you. It just depends upon which one feels best when you road test them.

As others have said, there is a lady that come on here occasionally that had a custom townie type bike made, and she uses it to run errands and commute to work.

But a townie will probably be a little heavier than a MTB or Hybrid. Because you want to ride on crushed gravel, you probably don't want to get a road bike with drop bars, yet.

The big thing you have to worry about is the wheels. The rims and spokes will be the weak link. But there are wheels out there that will support you. Tandem bikes need very sturdy wheels. But I'd be content to ride the wheels you get, unless the LBS is willing to work a deal with heavier duty wheels without charging full price for them.

Also, if you get a MTB, you'll want to get one that either has a lockout on the front suspension or no front suspension. And you'll probably want to get a "Hardtail", which is a MTB without a rear suspension. Often they don't work well for Clydes/Athenas, because they go all the way down and don't really offer any "suspension". But the good news is that getting a MTB without suspension should be less expensive than getting one with suspension(s).

The important 2 things about getting a bike are:
1. Fit. If you're not comfortable on the bike you're not going to ride it. Buying a bike you're not going to ride is not a good deal no matter how much it costs.
2. Excitement. If 2 (or more) bikes feel about the same in fit, then get the one that will make you want to ride it. Whether that is your favorite color, some feature of it, or something else. If one excites you more than the other, then you'll probably ride it more than the other one.

And as others have said, get out there and ride. When I got back to riding last April, doing a mile just about wiped me out. But I cycled 3-5 times a week, and by the end of May, I was able to go on a Beginner Ride (through Performance Bikes). And by the end of the summer I was able to do 30+ mile rides (a Metric Half Century to celebrate my age before my birthday).

Good Luck!

GH

VCSL2015

If your desperate to lose the weight -in your own words- don't worry about the bike weight. It will get lighter over time no matter how heavy it is. When lifting your bike is easy, do it a couple more times until your tired. First rule of bike riding for me was. HTFU. (harden the f* up. ) I don't have to congratulate you on your new life style change and recent weight loss because everyone else will in this thread. Do your best, then a little more. Ride your bike, and eat clean. Usually, what we think is healthy eating is not. Google "clean eating".

knitguy

"Clean eating" is, in my opinion, a very poorly defined term. From what I can tell it would be pretty easy to gain weight and/or become otherwise unhealthy by "eating clean" in the same way that it's easy to gain weight despite cooking everything from scratch, being vegan or vegetarian, eating "whole foods", eating "only things your grandmother would recognize" (though I do like that logic to an extent - there are plenty of tasty healthy dishes my grandmother wouldn't recognize if only because of location and to an extent economic class issues), etc.

This isn't to say that I think eating healthy foods (again, how do we define "healthy") is a bad thing. I cook the 90% of my meals from scratch (though I rarely go so far as to make my own chicken/vegetable/beef stock), don't use a lot of fat when I cook for the most part, I don't like most fast food, and enjoy using ingredients that I grow in my garden. I just think that "eating clean" is a very wishy washy concept that doesn't actually given much concrete information nor does it predict that one will become healthier.

/thread jack

BeachBum840

Thank you all for the advice! This weekend I've spent hunting for a bike but haven't found anything yet. In the meantime I continue to walk about 4 miles a day and eat mostly "clean" as they call it.

dagray

even at 420 make sure you give yourself treats once in a while. Sometimes having that chocolate bar or ice cream cone can stop cravings and binge eating. Get the bike you want to ride and will continue to want to ride. Get overbuilt wheels as the wheels are going to be your main issue (heck I am down from 400 and now around 360 and wheels are still an issue.... I have found 32 spoke wheels front and back to be the sweet spot for me, but you might need 36 spoke count wheels). Once you get the bike set a weekly riding goal (make it small at first and increase it as your fitness increases; currently my goal is 30 miles a week, and sometimes I hit it, and sometimes I don't, but I did get over 1000 miles last year on a bicycle).

Most of all have fun.

cyclist2000

Welcome and enjoy the ride.

salreus

My wife and I both live in Columbus. Good to see someone else interested. Paradise Garage is a great place to check out if you are interested. Also, if you need some trail ideas, I can give you a few. Just let me know.

RubeRad

If you're looking at craigslist, post some links you're interested to, and we are always happy to look at bikes and give opinions!