danielC.5592

Hi all,

This is a great thread to share story.
My height is 5.7 n 216lbs, I plan to lose weight by cycling and recently I bought a 53cm bianchi pista. Is that suitable for me, I'm not good in bicycle but I hope you guys can help. Thanks

ChuckD6421 

Hi danielC, I'll say right up front that, no, I don't think that's a good bike for you if your goal is to be willing to ride multiple times a week. I predict you'll find this too uncomfortable and you'll grow discouraged. Bianchi make great bikes and have for a longtime, no question. And based on some brief Googling it appears the Pista is a great bike. But not for you, I fear. I say keep it as something to shoot for, but for a daily rider you really should be looking for something more tame.

Also, I hope it's tabletop flat where you'll ride otherwise you'll wish you had more than one gear!
Let us know how it works out. Others can provide better guidance for an appropriate bike.

troglobyker

6'2 hovering in the 260-270 range down from 315ish a year ago never was a fan of weighing myself. have lost most of the weight from walking and biking everywhere.

mcrow

Welcome!

I'm roughly the same height and weight as you. I'm not sure the Pista is going to be a good fit, I know it wouldn't work for me but ride it and see if it works. Seems like it would be too forward leaning for my style but it might work for you.

I went with a more MTB/Comfort bike hybrid angle. I have a Raleigh Talus MTB and just picked up a Motobecane Jubilee Trail. The Jubilee is not quite a MTB but not really a hybrid either and has some feature of a comfort bike. So, it will ride more upright but is adjustable to ride the way you want. Has bigger tires (1.9") but slightly smaller than a lot of MTB tires and less aggressive tread. Has basic suspension forks for smoothing out smaller bumps. Also built like a tank so I can't break it too easily. I have a tendencey to want to jump curbs and things like that so I don't trust myself with roadies yet.

danielC.5592

Hi there, I tried my pista and I find it not so difficult to ride. The frame is nice just something the day is killing me. Btw,thanks for your comment.

danielC.5592

Hi there,

Thanks for your comment, this coming weekendi will join a group for cycling on a highway to a rural area. I can really fully test my pista there. Tq

troglobyker

the troglobykes
Raleigh Rapide the first rusty troglobyke(stolen...)

bought this old sears bike next

and this is the new troglobyke an old centurion le mans rs

mgar2112

Hi Everyone,
Long time lurker and BIG 48 y.o. Clyde. Decided to finally join after picking up a used bike today to augment walking at the local park. I have been obese since high school and reached 399 (I'm 6'2") in April of '13. Was diagnosed with DM type 2 two months later and started to make lifestyle changes with diet and walking. Now down to 365 and decided, based on what i've read here that bicycling could be an option for someone of my size. Thanks to the info on this forum and some research, I found a great deal on a '94 or '95 Trek 850. Needs new tires but otherwise seems to be in good shape, except for needing new tires and maybe a once over from my LBS.

I’m not a very patient person but I know that I didn’t get this way over night so it’s going to be a long journey. But I MUST do this!

jeichelberg87

54 yr old...down to 254 from 267 in just over a month since picking up my 2013 Raleigh Revenio...looking to complete my first century this year.

orguasch

a very good attitude

harris032486

Hello. I was wondering two things..

1. Im 6'3" 350 solid.. What would be a good bike for me, and where do I shop?

2. I drive a New Cascadia with a Flatbed Conestoga. I thought about strapping my future bike down somehow.. if i can successfully, D.O.T will never see it there, it will stay dry, and it wont be in the way.

Im trying to mix a hard days work in flatbed and cycling when im sitting still. It should be a good combo... and ideas? Thanks!

orguasch

a hybrid bike with 700 x 28 size of the bike tire

Ito

Hi all! I'm a formerly huge guy, now a big guy cycling to keep it going. I love it.

35 years old. A little over a year ago I was 490lbs. Now I'm 256 and been riding all summer. My first ride was 5 miles, and this week after a 25 mile ride on a Schwinn Link (cheapo Walmart special), I made the upgrade to a Trek 7.5FX. My weight goal is 200, and I'd like to be doing 50 mile rides regularly.

mgar2112

Truly impressive and inspirational!

FLEXjs

Weighed in at 272 lbs at my Powerlifting Competition last weekend.

Set a new record for my class/division with a 575 lb squat:

Mtldealer

I just found this forum... I'm so happy to see that I'm not alone. I'm getting back into cycling after a long time. I'm 6'2" and 290# - Usually when I'm out I only see tiny guys cycling and then I feel like a freak. My smaller friends argue over a couple hundred grams on there bike. I tell them I can just hold off on lunch and make a bigger dent in weight that way.

heymatthew

I'm just a hair over 6' and currently weigh 228 (down from 243 a couple of months ago) with a goal of 190 by next summer at the latest. I recently picked up a little SS/FG from my local Craigslist and have been trying to ride at least a couple days a week. In fact, my wife and I made a pact to ride bikes at least one day a week for 100% of our commuting. We did it last Saturday for everything except dinner because we don't have lights and it got too dark. I should have lights this weekend though so we're looking forward to one day this weekend being 100% bike commuting.

I've enjoyed reading some of the stories here. It's tough being a bigger guy in the bike culture as I feel I'm often surrounded by people who judge me based on the amount of weight around my midsection. Maybe that's just me being paranoid and self-conscious.

Anyway... Here's the new ride. If I reach my goal by next summer, I'm going to upgrade to something a little better. But for now, this one gets me around and looking forward to a better bike gives me motivation.

bikertron

About two years ago, I weighed in at 225 @ 6'3''. I got a DUI and assault charge for running over a crackhead who ran across 4 lanes of traffic in the dark. Needless to say, I lost my license. From January through May (in suburban Denver) I had to use my bike or walk everywhere. I went from 225 down to 173. Some of this was probably due to stress though. I was looking at some prison time but my lawyer got me a good deal :-). I Have since gotten my car back and have returned to my rightful weight of 225. 173 was nice though :-)

However, being a Clydesdale is not so bad. I may be big, but I haven't found a riding buddy to keep up with me, especially on the climb! If you're local and you have the same issue, maybe you should PM me. I road single track and road but prefer the dirt these days.

My bikes: 2004 Specialized Allez Pro, 2014 Trek Remedy 8, 1987 Miyata

livendive

Another new Clyde here and have been for about 10 years, but put on an extra 25 lbs over the last two years while doing grad school at night in addition to a full time job (think 16 hours a day at a computer plus a couple more hours commuting in a car). I'm just shy of 6' and got up to 241. Now back down to 220 and done with school in a week...soo close to finishing at the same weight I started. My goal weight is 190.

Bad hips, bad neck, running was killing me. Dusted off my old mountain bike two months ago and put some road tires on it and have had fun doing 15-20 mile rides most of the weekends since, and 10ish mile rides in the evenings when I get home from work. Last night I bought a 2011 Specialized Roubaix Elite SL2 Apex with only 126 miles on it (basically brand new) and am excited to get working on longer distances. It sounds like at my weight I'm should expect to send my 23c's to an early grave and will want to get at least 25's after they're gone? The bike is all stock, as described here.

bikertron

When i was down to 180lbs i was breaking spokes constantly on my rear rim (Mavic Open Pro). Your wheels are probably fine, however they probably have anodized aluminum spokes which can suck in my opinion.

You have a couple of options, and the cheapest would be: Ride it and see what happens. Some of the higher end wheels are strong and some are built for those twiggy people. Chances are it will be fine. A lot if it has to do with who built your wheel and if they put even spoke tension the whole way around.

Second cheapest: Have it re-spoked with quality stainless spokes in heavier gauge.

Last resort: Get a heavier duty rear wheel with higher spoke count.

The big thing is making sure the wheel has perfectly even spoke tension. If you break one and replace it, chances are the mechanic will not tension a single replacement spoke appropriately and it will just break again a few miles down the road. Also a different spoke may break that was over stressed when you broke the first one. If you find yourself having spoke issues, just do yourself the favor and replace them all at the same time with quality spokes. Wobbling your way home sucks and you can bend your rim permanently ruining it. Fixing one spoke at a time can be like chasing your tail.

This has just been my experience with dealing with broken spokes on a routine basis. I've had this issue with multiple bikes, but other bikes have been fine out off the shelf.

I've been riding (and abusing) the Mavic CXP-22 for a while now on an Ultegra hub with stainless spokes (can't remember the gauge). I think its a fantastic wheel for the money. Its a workhorse of a wheel, good and stiff for climbing and fast acceleration, a little on the heavy side though (but so am I, currently at 225, occasionally carrying 60+lbs on my back). I think they came out with some sweet new paint jobs too that would look great on your ride. (Mine is just plain jane aluminum though :-/)


The folks on here say good things and I think its the wheel for you should you need to go that route .
https://www.bikeforums.net/bicycle-me...-opinions.html

What kind of wheel does it come with?

ChuckD6421 

Similar weight here, 6'1", 6 years ago was 268, now down to 220. A year ago I rewarded myself for my efforts with a 2013 Trek Domane 5.2. Now with a couple thousand miles on it I couldn't be happier with a bike (unless it was a 6 series, I guess). Most of my rides are pretty good road conditions but haven't been afraid of dirt stretches of a few miles, some pretty sketchy. 24 spokes on the rear, 18 radial on the front.

The only upgrades are a Selle SMP Pro saddle (high praise) and Veloflex Master 25 tires. No broken spokes and the Veloflex are the closest thing I've found to sew-ups. So go with a wider tire as soon as possible and run the rear at 120psi and the front at 100psi. You'll love them.

Biker68

I am new to biking and to the forum. I discovered the forum a few weeks ago, and it has already been very helpful. Being a big guy all my life (6'3" and 370), I definitely fall into the Clydesdale category. I have wanted to get into biking for a while now, but could not find anything at the local stores that I thought would support my weight. After looking at a couple posts here, I found an old GT Tequesta on craigslist and could not be happier. My guess is that my "new" bike is from the mid to late 90's, the purple and black color along with the orange decals sort of give the age away. I have it in the shop now getting an adjustable stem and new handle bars. The original stem was 5 inches long and the handle bars too low to make it comfortable riding for any distance. I rode it every day I had it before it went into the shop, and I can't wait to get it back and start riding again. I am hoping to lose weight and get in better cardiovascular shape. I also want to ride in the neighborhood and local bike paths with my wife and kids.
I told my wife when I bought the bike, I need to stop thinking about having an active lifestyle and start living an active lifestyle!

trailrnr

5'9 and 205+/- currently (haven't been on a scale in a couple of weeks) at age 60. Always, and I mean since the age of 25, have been thinking about losing weight. Call me a yo-yo. The shoe fits. Then again, I have never eaten anything accidentally, except the odd bug that flew in my mouth during a ride.

I have ridden nearly my whole life. Currently, I ride about 100 miles a week, which seems okay for the 8 months when the ground isn't covered in snow. Although I also run a little (used to be my prime until the 4th meniscus repair), swim, snowshoe, x/c ski, and lift, riding is my current athletic passion.

When I got my Trek Madone 5.2SL in 2007, it really rejuvenated my riding. Last year I added a Rocky Mountain 29er to the stable and am giving this whole mountain biking thing a go. Did my first mountain bike race last year, and am hoping by some miracle to become good at it, or at least intermediate. This year, I added a Ridley CX also, and have been riding gravel roads. Am thinking of dabbling in the cross scene this fall.

Riding keeps me young, as I feel like that 10 year old bombing around the streets of my small town until having to rush home to dinner.

trailrnr

5'9 and 205+/- currently (haven't been on a scale in a couple of weeks) at age 60. Always, and I mean since the age of 25, have been thinking about losing weight. Call me a yo-yo. The shoe fits. Then again, I have never eaten anything accidentally, except the odd bug that flew in my mouth during a ride.

I have ridden nearly my whole life. Currently, I ride about 100 miles a week, which seems okay for the 8 months when the ground isn't covered in snow. Although I also run a little (used to be my prime until the 4th meniscus repair), swim, snowshoe, x/c ski, and lift, riding is my current athletic passion.

When I got my Trek Madone 5.2SL in 2007, it really rejuvenated my riding. Last year I added a Rocky Mountain 29er to the stable and am giving this whole mountain biking thing a go. Did my first mountain bike race last year, and am hoping by some miracle to become good at it, or at least intermediate. This year, I added a Ridley CX also, and have been riding gravel roads. Am thinking of dabbling in the cross scene this fall.

Riding keeps me young, as I feel like that 10 year old bombing around the streets of my small town until having to rush home to dinner.

SimmIsengard

New Clyde here, I havent bought a bike yet but I am not looking to spend much to start with. I'm 5'9 and slightly north of 300 right now and this is the heaviest I have ever been and i'm tired of it. I tried walking and running but its just too tough on the knees and ankles so biking is the next best thing. I am still unsure of what to get to start off with. I didnt want to spend a ton of money so dept store bikes are whats catching my eye. Any suggestions?