Paulbahr

Hi everyone. I've searched for this topic but couldn't find anything; please forgive me if it's been posted before.

I've recently had weight loss surgery so I'm on the track to be losing weight and getting to a healthier place. Due to my weight, I haven't ridden a bicycle in nearly two decades. I'd like to remedy that but I'm still pretty heavy (384 lbs).

I've checked out a couple of local bike shops in my area and have gotten conflicting answers. Two shops steered me to the Trek Verve 2 and the other one to a Specialized Roll (??). Two shops said I should upgrade the wheels to those configured for a tandem bicycle while the remaining said I only needed to keep the wheels trued up well.

What do you all recommend? I'm favoring upgrading the wheels, but if it's not needed, I'd rather not spend the $2-300 it would take.

MRT2

How rapidly are you losing weight? If you can get down to under 300 lbs, you can probably get by with the stock wheels.

veganbikes

I would also check in the Clydes/Athenas sub forum here. They would have tons of info.

Certainly for someone bigger with more weight under their belt a good set of handbuilt double wall 36 spoke wheels with quality hubs and good strong spokes (Sapim Strong, DT Swiss Alpine-III...) and good rims (Velocity Atlas, NoBS or Dyads come to mind) will be a great help. A lot of companies have gone the machine built lower spoke count wheels which just aren't as strong and especially in the lower end hybrid category you will find a lot of single wall stuff which just won't quite hold up as well.

I probably would avoid most any Trek. The Roll Comp is decent and the Hydraulic brakes are handy as are the wider tires but the suspension seat posts don't hold up well (even under lighter riders) and aluminum doesn't quite have the most comfortable of rides. It is getting better but will never surpass steel for its comfort, durability and repairability.

One style of bike you might want to look at more if you are mostly on road or aren't doing serious MTB work would be Touring bikes. They are designed to carry extra weight and generally are nice and stout. Plus it has room for racks and fenders and usually a decently wide tire. Also the bike and its components are generally more likely to last longer with less fiddling around with them which is always good. Surly makes some great bikes in that category that are worth checking out and you could easily switch to a non-drop bar and have tons of styles from just a flat or riser bar to bars with lots of hand positions or something swept back.

Good luck with your weight loss, never give up!!! Cycling is probably the greatest tool to good health because not only are you getting into shape but you can also get to another destination while doing so and it is a great stress reliever (at least for me)

This dude is super inspirational and someone I think about frequently when I am down in the dumps about losing weight: Instead Of Surgery, Man Pedals Off The Pounds : NPR
Breaking the Cycle

FBinNY 

I take a different approach, and suggest that you don't invest in a good bike yet.

Instead buy a decent condition used mtn bike without suspension. You don't want anything fancy, just id good riding condition. Set it up with smooth tread road tires in a 2" or 2.1" width, so you have decent protection for the wheels and comfort for yourself. I'm suggesting a real mtn bike, not some department store look alike. This is important because only a bike built for rough service offroad, will have the reserve of strength to be adequate to your needs on pavement.

Then seek out relatively level places to ride because hills can be very demoralizing at your weight.

Your goal should be to use this as an interim bike, hopefully holding up until you're under 300#s (or lower), and ready to give serious though to how and where you plan to ride, and what you want in a bike.

TaintedRide

Keep up the great work! Riding bikes is a great way to lose weight since you can get out and enjoy the fresh air and scenery instead of sitting on a treadmill watching TV.

I would also recommend a used mountain bike with no suspension. Most quality 26" rigid mtn bikes should do. If you need some brands I would try Trek, GT, Diamondback on craigslist. These are in no particular order of course but will provide you with good quality.

Keep us posted with what you choose!

thomas1212

If I were you, I would not upgrade the wheels, instead I would find a better bike.

coominya

I second this. Just buy a thrasher, it will just as much fun and you can learn mechanics on it without worrying about botching up a good bike.

Maelochs

I have to second the "cheap first bike" idea.

If you buy a hybrid or such now, likely in a year you will want something different. Plus hybrids aren't really meant to take abuse; they are not built strong because they are designed to be ridden slowly, for comfort, over moderate trails and on roads.

A good rigid MTB with a flat bar would be most comfortable and most durable and fun to ride .... you might find yourself still taking it out for as spin years from now when you are down to 185 or 205.

Also those bikes are built for 200-pounders to do jumps, so you won't stress the wheels or frame just riding around.

Buy a decent but not really expensive rigid MTB and if you like riding it will always be relevant, even after you buy your next bike ... and the one after that ....

corrado33

Congrats on making a change and starting on your weight loss journey!

There are two schools of thought here.

1. Buy a new bike like you posted above and upgrade the wheels. And again, it does depend on how quickly you're losing weight. If you'll be close to 300 soon, then you may not need to upgrade the wheels, but even if you do, you just end up with super strong wheels that will likely never break. This would certainly give you the incentive to keep riding considering new bikes are decently expensive.

2. Buy a used 80s or 90s mountain bike off of craigslist with no suspension. These bikes are built to take abuse and even if you break it, so what! You'll likely find one for ~100-$200 in perfectly ridable condition. This is the better option if you aren't sure if you'll stick with biking. The forums here can definitely help you decide what size bike you need, just start a thread asking for help finding a used bike and list your local craigslist and your height.

The reason we suggest no suspension is because of this. The suspension on bikes in that price range is garbage, and we're not saying that because we're snobs. It's honestly true. First off, it's built for someone much lighter than you, so you likely won't get any benefit from it and secondly, they break very often and just make the bike heavier and harder to ride.

Anyway, here's the link to the clydesdale/athena forum. The lovely people over there would LOVE to help you find a bike that's right before you as most of them have made the same decision as you have.

Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Bike Forums

Maelochs

Yeah, major props to anybody willing to start that journey (speaking as one who has been on it but traveling in circles for too long now.) I have nothing but respect for people willing to grab a difficult life and wrestle it around to what they want it to be.

10 Wheels

Hey Paul

I would start with a used bike with 36 spoke wheel. Find a bike shop that can keep the wheels adjusted.

Once you get in shape then look for a better bike to add riding miles and weight loss.

Limit your rides to 5 miles until your rear end gets use to the saddle.

Happy Safe Miles to you.

blue192

I would also recommend a decent pair of walking shoes and start walking a bit to get used to exercise. You might not be able to bike far at first being 384 lbs. Cycling is fun and but might become frustrating if you cannot travel far. Or maybe split walking/biking if further weight loss is your goal.

travbikeman

I was not far off from your weight, actually really close when I started back into biking. I started with my Specialized Crosstrail. Both the bike's you listed should be good. I can see why the wheels on the Trek should potentially be upgraded for your weight. But the Specialized roll with the wheels being 27.5 inch and the beefier tires should be fine. I've found the bigger the tire, the better the wheel can handle clydesdales.

Nearly a year ago I followed my son through some rocks near a rail trail. Well I screwed up the rear 32 spoke 700C wheel. But had I not done this, the wheel would have most likely lasted me just fine. I ended up just getting some 36 spoke mountain bike Weinman wheels and had the LBS tension the spokes. All in all, had I paid full price, it would have been under $100. The wheels are good and haven't had issues with needing to be trued since. My point being, your not that bad of clyde to really require $300 wheels if you cannot afford them.

I suggest using the wheels whatever bike you get first. If they keep breaking spokes, then replace them. Otherwise, save your money. Remember, your on a journey to lose weight. Hopefully all goes well and you will be alot lighter at the end of the year or next year, whatever your goals are.

Good Luck!


**Should also have asked how tall are you? 384 pounds can be different to a person well over 6 feet tall as compared to those well under 6 feet. So make sure what bike you choose really fits well.

OK, JUST NOTICED THE OP POSTED 4 DAYS AGO AND HAS NOT RESPONDED TO ANYONE......I need to check dates for those 1 post posters before chiming in from now on.

Jarrett2

You are getting a lot of info coming at you right now. I'm sure its confusing. It was for me as well.

I was 405 lbs 4 years ago and actually started riding when I weighed around 380lbs as well. I'm at 143 lbs down and still dropping at this point. It's been a great learning experience and I'm hoping I can pass on some of that info to you so you don't make the mistakes I did along the way.

Weight loss is all about what you put (or don't put) in your mouth. Exercise is only a side benefit to that. So don't think of cycling as the magic bullet that will cause weight loss. It's all about the food intake.

That said, cycling is fantastic for building and maintaining cardiovascular health. Which as you probably know is the behind the leading health issues these days. So while your new diet will help you drop weight, cycling can also drastically improve your health in the process. A solid diet and a little cycling has worked magic for a lot of big folks in this forum, myself included.

Next thing to know, most folks that work in bike shops have no idea what the reality of cycling is like for people above 300 lbs. or even say 275 lbs. When you walk in they panic and say that you have to buy a tank if you want to ride a bicycle, but its not true.

Many places will try to get you on a mountain bike right off the bat. They feel that is the safest bet and that is fine if you plan to be riding on dirt trails 80% of the time or more, but most folks don't do that right off the bat. At 380lbs, I was scared to even ride the bike around the parking lot of the bike store, much less venture off into some mountain bike trail. So if you aren't going to ride primarily on the mountain bike trail and will be riding on paved trails and roads, get a bike meant for that.

The suggestion of the Specialized Roll is a good one. It's similar to the bike I started with 4 years ago. It's a very comfortable, upright geometry and it has smaller wheels than most street bikes these days. Smaller wheels means added strength given the same number of spokes. It's a perfect bike to start off on and get your confidence up. If you have a local bike trail, this would be a good place to start back. Or just a quiet neighborhood to do a few laps around the block.

My suggestion would be to leave it stock and see how it works for you. It's only the rear wheel that will have an issue if one arises, but I had no wheel issues with the similar bike at similar weights. If the rear wheel does give you problems down the road, have that replaced if it happens. It's not like it explodes or anything. It just starts to rub on the rear brake or possibly break a single spoke out of many. You might not even notice it happen on the ride. The bike store will usually replace a spoke or two for free before starting to push the replacement wheel angle anyway.

One other thing, and this is quite variable from person to person. When I got on the bike, I got hooked. I wanted to ride more and more and faster and faster. It wasn't too long after buying that first bike that I felt limited by it and was ready for a more performance spec'ed bike. If you feel that might be you as well, don't invest too much on the first bike as you might be back at the bike store looking for something "faster" pretty quick. But if that doesn't apply to you, this bike will something you can use long term.

Good luck, hope this helps, its a fun journey.

blue192

Whilst I am thinking of it I watched a video from Trek stating that their "shift" line of bicycles were designed for 350 lbs. They are not sold in Canada anymore but might still be available in USA.