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Fat dude who went to his lbs for the first time ever - just 1 question

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Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) Looking to lose that spare tire? Ideal weight 200+? Frustrated being a large cyclist in a sport geared for the ultra-light? Learn about the bikes and parts that can take the abuse of a heavier cyclist, how to keep your body going while losing the weight, and get support from others who've been successful.

Fat dude who went to his lbs for the first time ever - just 1 question

Old 08-03-17, 07:25 PM
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Fat dude who went to his lbs for the first time ever - just 1 question

Hi!

I'm just coming back to bikes - I haven't ridden one for 25 years. In the interim since then, my weight got up to ~415, but I've cut it down to ~360 now and I'm looking at getting a new bike. It seems dumb not to since I live in a tiny little city with bike lanes everywhere that people only rarely use and most of my trips are ~1-2 miles each way.

Anyway, having put it off for a few weeks now because I was self conscious/kind of embarrassed and anxious about it, I walked up to my LBS today. Everyone there was really nice and kinda blew it off when I would be self deprecating about it. (One guy said it hurt his soul that I hadn't ridden a bike in 25 years) - so after talking for a while, they recommended me this Felt Verza Path 60 (which I can't link because I don't have 10 posts.)

I rode it around the block once (very shakily, bikes are scary) and it felt ok besides probably needing to raise the seat a little and needing to build confidence on a bike again. My question is, should I try to get heavier duty wheels for it? They quoted me an extra $200 if I wanted to have the wheels swapped for an extra sturdy mountain bike set. Is that worth it or will the ones on there be fine?
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Old 08-03-17, 07:38 PM
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I would consider the MTB wheelset as long as they are a higher spoke count and decent quality hubs. Even if they are new, they may be machine built and need some tensioning/adjustment after you break them in. I can't speak to your specific weight, but I did have a low end Fuji MTB with no-name wheels when I was about 270-280 and I did break a spoke after not much riding. The rim was fine after a new spoke, but I have since switched over to nicer wheels on all of my bikes because I am a clyde and also because I am hard on wheels (I ride gravel and am getting into MTB). Others may say ride these wheels until you have problems, but myself I prefer to have some beefy rims. I have been happy with Sun rims with various Shimano hubs (I have Deore, Tiagra and ones that just say Shimano).

Beyond that, I hope you enjoy riding your new bike! If you get the app Strava, there is a Bikeforums Clydesdales and Athena Group that has some nice folks from this forum. Some of them are my Strava friends and they are very encouraging with giving kudos for my rides.

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Old 08-03-17, 07:39 PM
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Verza Path 60 - Felt Bicycles

Is this the bike?

It comes with 32 hole rims with 45mm tires. That may be plenty for riding around on streets and paths.
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Old 08-03-17, 10:14 PM
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Originally Posted by brianmcg123
Is this the bike?

It comes with 32 hole rims with 45mm tires. That may be plenty for riding around on streets and paths.

Yes! That's the one. Maybe I'll give it a shot and see how they ride, I don't know.

When I get it (probably in the next week I guess) I'll definitely join the Strava group.

Thanks for the kind words/help everyone.
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Old 08-03-17, 10:21 PM
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I rode my stock wheels for 4500 miles before the back on failed. I am not quite as heavy as you, but I am a big guy too.
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Old 08-03-17, 11:34 PM
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Originally Posted by ier
Yes! That's the one. Maybe I'll give it a shot and see how they ride, I don't know.

When I get it (probably in the next week I guess) I'll definitely join the Strava group.

Thanks for the kind words/help everyone.

The Felt website says that the wheels are single wall.


If they quoted you $200 for a sturdy rear wheel, that is half that bikes asking price.


If I was you, I would consider getting something like the Giant Roam 3, where it's wheels may be strong enough to support your weight without too much drama.
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Old 08-04-17, 12:26 AM
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Originally Posted by ColonelSanders
The Felt website says that the wheels are single wall.


If they quoted you $200 for a sturdy rear wheel, that is half that bikes asking price.


If I was you, I would consider getting something like the Giant Roam 3 where it's wheels may be strong enough to support your weight without too much drama.
Sorry, that was for a new set of wheels, not just one.
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Old 08-04-17, 12:44 AM
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Originally Posted by ier
Sorry, that was for a new set of wheels, not just one.
Okay that is a bit better, but it is still 50% of the retail price of the bike.


Maybe the double wall rims on the Giant wouldn't hold your weight either after a while, but I think there is a good chance it will.
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Old 08-04-17, 02:17 AM
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A couple of things. The photo I saw is without shocks. I've heard that heavier riders often do better without shocks, so that is a good thing.

As far as the wheels. Ask the shop if they're giving you a discount for the trade-in of the new-pull wheels. I.E. Would it be the same $200 if you wait a few months and buy the wheels later? If it is, then I'd ride the wheels that come with the bike until they give you problems, then replace.
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Old 08-04-17, 06:04 AM
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I would try it with stock wheels. It's really only the rear that's a concern and a stronger, higher spoke count rear wheel won't cost any more later if you need it. Put Strava on your phone. It's easy and fun and you can use it for walking as well.
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Old 08-04-17, 08:03 AM
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I'll second the votes to try with the stock wheels - and also the call to maybe look at a couple other bikes. I know that it's intimidating to go into a bike shop when you're our size, but the good shops will take good care of you. If there's another shop to try, it's worth a comparison to see some other choices. Giant makes a great bike that can handle some abuse.

I'm 360 and am on the stock wheels of my Trek FX2. I did break a spoke on the rear wheel, but that was also after I was forced off a path and jumped down a steep curb - they do fine on the road, just don't jump them .
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Old 08-04-17, 09:58 AM
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If they won't take the wheels the bike comes with as a trade toward the stronger wheels, I'd take the $200 extra and look for a $600 bike ($400+$200) that comes with stronger wheels. You'd likely get a better bike as well.
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Old 08-04-17, 10:11 AM
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Originally Posted by katsup
If they won't take the wheels the bike comes with as a trade toward the stronger wheels, I'd take the $200 extra and look for a $600 bike ($400+$200) that comes with stronger wheels. You'd likely get a better bike as well.
+1 a $200 wheel upgrade on a $400 bike doesn't make sense to me. If you have the dough to spend, consider an upgrade, though in your shoes, I'd take the bike as is, and use the dough to cover necessary accessories, or save it toward future needs.

Some time down the road, you'll need to replace the wheels, and the money would be better spent with a local builder with a reputation for building durable wheels for heavier riders. I say this because OEM wheel quality and durability isn't all that great at any price level. Higher end OEM wheels are more focused on salable properties like lighter weight or cool factor, ie. fewer spokes. Neither of these serve your needs.

I even wonder if the $200 spent for heavier duty wheels will buy that much more life expectancy unless the shop was hand building wheels specific to your needs.
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Old 08-04-17, 10:29 AM
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honestly any bike you get will need a wheel upgrade. Pending the style bike you get, the easier some are to get than others.

These seem to be super popular on here for road bikes, they used to come with less flashy sticker though but nice price....but they won't really fit on that felt because it's only 7 speed and the cassette hub may be different.

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Old 08-04-17, 01:13 PM
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Thanks for your comments/recommendations everyone!

My budget for the bike is ~$700 so I just figured the Felt with new wheels was good enough and within budget, didn't really think to shop around. There's another bike shop that's only 10-15 minutes away that's a Giant and Trek dealer, so maybe I'll pop in there next week before I make any real decisions.
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Old 08-04-17, 01:21 PM
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Originally Posted by ier
Thanks for your comments/recommendations everyone!

My budget for the bike is ~$700 so I just figured the Felt with new wheels was good enough and within budget, didn't really think to shop around. There's another bike shop that's only 10-15 minutes away that's a Giant and Trek dealer, so maybe I'll pop in there next week before I make any real decisions.
Definitely check the other shop - if for no other reason than one of the other bikes might just feel better to you than the Felt did. I fully expected to buy a Giant Escape 2, because on paper it's very equivalent to the Trek FX2, and slightly less expensive - but the Trek fit me better.
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Old 08-04-17, 04:00 PM
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You would be better off taking your stock wheels to a competent wheel builder (not every LBS has one) and having them properly trued and tensioned. Uneven or inadequate tension is a spoke killer.

The high volume tires help protect the rims from uneven forces and pinch flats so you are good there. Ride the OEM wheels until there is a problem such as multiple spoke breaks or frequently coming out of true.

If the time comes where you need to upgrade the wheels, don't feel that because you have an entry level bike you have to put entry level wheels on it. Get wheels that you will be happy with and they may outlast the bike, which is no big deal because you can move them to your next bike and put the new OEM wheels on your old bike if you want.

As mentioned, if you aren't particular about everything matching perfectly, you can get a 36-spoke, double-walled, heavy duty hub rear wheel as that is where you will usually have problems. The rear wheel takes more abuse for several reasons: it carries the more weight than the front wheel, it has to withstand drive forces and it is asymetrically dished to accommodate the drive train. I've had some really cheap front wheels that held up fine while the rear wheel from the same set had problems.

There are things you can do to help increase the life of your wheels. Don't hop curbs, slam through potholes or over obstacles. Keep your tires properly inflated. Learn to ride lightly on rough surfaces (lift some of your weight off the saddle and ride with your knees bent to absorb some of the shock).
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Old 08-04-17, 05:19 PM
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I started riding my Giant escape 2 at 315 lbs. During the summer I broke 3 spokes on the rear wheel (32 spoke count). My local lbs change that wheel for a 36 spoke wheel made for tandem bikes and I haven't broke a spoke since.
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Old 08-07-17, 06:40 AM
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Originally Posted by ier
Thanks for your comments/recommendations everyone!

My budget for the bike is ~$700 so I just figured the Felt with new wheels was good enough and within budget, didn't really think to shop around. There's another bike shop that's only 10-15 minutes away that's a Giant and Trek dealer, so maybe I'll pop in there next week before I make any real decisions.
You can get a Specialized Diverge for close to $700. They have wide tires and thick rims if that is the type of bike you like. I have one and I love it. I weighed 330 and now I'm like 300. No problems.
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Old 08-07-17, 06:45 AM
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Originally Posted by Aahzz
Definitely check the other shop - if for no other reason than one of the other bikes might just feel better to you than the Felt did. I fully expected to buy a Giant Escape 2, because on paper it's very equivalent to the Trek FX2, and slightly less expensive - but the Trek fit me better.
That Giant Escape 2 looks pretty good for that price!
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Old 08-08-17, 02:30 PM
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Hi everyone,

Update, the 2nd bike shop recommended me a trek verve 2 but replacing the seatpost for one without any sort of suspension. I think I'm going to go pick it up later this week - it seemed a lot nicer than the felt and more comfortable (and with better wheels to start)

Is there any glaring reason why I shouldn't go for it?
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Old 08-08-17, 02:35 PM
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Originally Posted by ier
Yes! That's the one. Maybe I'll give it a shot and see how they ride, I don't know.

When I get it (probably in the next week I guess) I'll definitely join the Strava group.

Thanks for the kind words/help everyone.
I think they're probably on the borderline, but I think you should give it a shot.

Ride easy, that means don't plow into pot holes or curbs.

If they fail, then you know you have to build a stronger wheel than what you had.


I
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Old 08-08-17, 03:20 PM
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Originally Posted by ier
Hi everyone,

Update, the 2nd bike shop recommended me a trek verve 2 but replacing the seatpost for one without any sort of suspension. I think I'm going to go pick it up later this week - it seemed a lot nicer than the felt and more comfortable (and with better wheels to start)

Is there any glaring reason why I shouldn't go for it?
Sounds like a good recommendation to me.
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Old 08-09-17, 07:16 AM
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Originally Posted by myosmith
there are things you can do to help increase the life of your wheels. Don't hop curbs, slam through potholes or over obstacles. Keep your tires properly inflated. Learn to ride lightly on rough surfaces (lift some of your weight off the saddle and ride with your knees bent to absorb some of the shock).
+1
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Old 08-10-17, 02:09 PM
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I did it! I bought a Verve 3 with some upgrades. Should be in next week, can't wait.
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