Ha The other nice part of this region is you can hit numerous wineries, with free samples. Probably not the best thing to do if you are riding a bicycle up and down the mountain

Welcome. I graduated from high school in 1957. Somehow I still think of myself like this:



Enjoy the group. A good bunch of folks.

Hi, I am so happy I found this forum!

I want to start ridding becasue I want to loose weight, I am closing on 32 in a couple days and want to change my lifestyle.

While in HS I played just about everysport and was lean, married life got to me and I weigh 260 lbs now @ a short 5'6".

I am looking to buy a bike in the next week so I can start riding. I would start riding to school and then possibly start trail ridding. Any suggestions on bikes?

These are my options so far:
Cannondale F2 disk
Scott Sportster P4
& Scott Aspect 55.

I have been lurking on this forum for a week or so. I must say I am truly inspired by some of the stories I have read. As for me, I find myself at age 44 weighing 256.6, 5'10". The sad thing is that only five years ago I was 178, riding 150-160 miles a week and racing, albeit just at a Cat 5 level. Well life happened, I was in a job with extensive travel and expense accounts, and the pounds kept adding up while my exercise level diminished to almost nothing.

The good news is I no longer travel, am only 4 miles from my job, and have begun commuting by bike to work each day. In addition I squeeze in at least a 30 minute ride during lunch whenever possible. On the weekends my goal is 20 mile fitness rides. Between diet and exercise I hope to lose 2-3 pounds a week until I return to my goal weight of 175-180. I did this once before- going from 270 to 175 in eight months and maintained that weight for two years before sliding back into bad habits. I just purchased a Cannondale BadBoy Street that will be my commuting bike. I'll let you know how I like it. Kudos to all of you who are out there either staying fit at whatever weight you like, or making the effort to get back to a weight you want.

didnt even know what this section was about, i guess i'm a clydesdale too!!

well, so the story goes...i was a sophomore in highschool, 6'2" and 302 lbs. i decided, at 16, to change up my life, so by graduation i was 202 lbs lots of bmx, less soda, the normal routine.

now i'm 21, an inch taller, and hover right around 205lbs. i've got a huge frame so my doc says to stay there, i've got about 10-15 lbs of extra skin too i guess. i maintain by riding about 15 miles a day, usually about 25 if i ride into school...eating as healthy as i can for a college kid (and drinking healthy, no beer!). after i lost all my weight i still had 26" thighs to deal with because of cycling!! haha, it's worth it. i get to have my belly chopped off next summer, so i'm very excited to get as fit as i can before the surgery.

just wanted to say that i was reading through and good luck to everyone loosing weight! i remember working up my stamina mile by mile, soon you'll go on your nightly ride and be going to other towns! it's slow, but very fun to get your distance up, and the rewards are very nice as well.

Wishing you positive outcomes with next week's procedure.
Keep on pedaling.

I'm pretty new to BF....I've been browsing and posting (occasionally) for a few months. I'm definitely a Clydesdale. Currently 42 years old, 5'10", 220. Down from 250. I don't really have a set goal for weight, but I'd like to get to 205-210 (my fighting weight back in my 20's when I was a gym rat). I started riding in April after 15 years off. What a blast!! I'm having a great time. I've logged 1100 miles on my road bike this season. My goal is 2000 before I hang it up for winter. My style of riding is pretty much a "masher". I ride as big a gear as fast as I can for 20-30 miles about 4 times a week. I sprinkle in a few cardio workouts at the gym. I used to run and pump a lot of iron, but I've never lost weight so quickly as I have cycling. I have two main concerns right now: 1) when should I buy new suits; and 2) how much weight will I gain back over the winter? Anyhow....this is a great forum. I've been inspired (and motivated) by all the success stories. I've found this to be a wonderfully supportive community. Glad to be aboard.

I am truly surprised at how quick this biking trims off the pounds, and inches. I haven't been in a 40 waist for years, now need a belt to keep the forty's from creeping to my knees I suppose that since none of my back road routes are flat, lots of long gradual grades I gotta scale, helps with enhancing the exercise value of my rides which now average 12km (7.5 miles). EDIT: Should mention I am logging approx 15 miles/day now. Not bad for a Mountain bike with 26" nobby tires

I just bought a suit for my daughters wedding 6 weeks ago (wedding is Sept 13), and had the 40 waist let out. Best find a belt

Hey everyone, I have posted in the Clydes forum before but not in this thread.
I've been riding for about 5 months now but only seriously for about 3. Today I did my first 20 mile ride and I weighed myself and I'm down to 249 from 265!
My goal is to get down to 210 by December.
Usually I ride between 5 and 10 miles a night depending on what time I start and what the weather is like outside, but after riding the 20 today I'm SORE, I definitely need to get some padded short. My local LBS is having a big sale to celebrate getting a new manager so I'm going to pick up some padded shorts for me and a set of fenders for the wife.

Hello, My name is Hotwheels and I.......I am a Clydesdale. You've got a great thing going here. Look, I know I need to drop some Lbs/ Kgs but my approach to this is less quantatative approach and more of a Lebensphilosophie. The approach I am crafting is one of finding the purpose/utility/ joy of cycling and walking and eating healthy and continuing to integrate these practices with all of my life. It's hard but I find that it is working well. I wish all the best in their endeavors.

Over 225, and 5'11". So I definitely am in the Athena class.
It's difficult to exercise due to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, but it is doable. Having my bike on a trainer for those off days really helps keep me in the game, because more than two days off the bike, and I start getting weak and the muscles get creaky again.
Was a bit too skinny all my life and didn't have a weight problem until about 15 years ago, and the weight has been sneaking up on me. I just want to be strong enough to ride a bike a few hours at a time so I can tour, some day.

Hey there. Like WPeabody, I was skinny all the way through college, so it's weird to be overweight. I'm 38 now, 5'10" tall and holding around 208lbs, though I guess I don't look like it. I didn't realize that being over 200lbs was any sort of anything in regards to riding a bicycle...I just ride my old (1988-ish) Cannondale MTB and never had a problem with it. Cheers, everyone!

At 6' and 260 pounds, I guess I'm in the Clydesdale "Budweiser class." Haven't seen too many people topping even 250.

I've been commuting to work since June. I lost about 15 pounds immediately but plateaued out quickly and then started to gain weight! I guess my legs are bulking up faster than the "fuel supply" is being used up.

I'm riding a Giant Cadex carbon fiber/aluminum lugged mountain bike converted to an urban assault bike. My commute is 100% downhill in the AM and 101% uphill in the afternoon so low gearing is definitely my friend. I'm not breaking any speed records but I'm riding 60-100 miles per week and I don't ever plan to stop. Seeing my uphill speeds go from 5 to 13 mph and level sprints go from 18 to 28 mph is truly a 90-day miracle for me.

My company is relocating in a couple years and I actually hope they move a little farther from my home so I can ride more.

Looks like I have everybody beat-5'6" and 260. I'm fat! But I just bought myself a Specialized Rockhopper Comp because I want to lose weight and attend the prison guard academy. I was in the Army for 8 years and spent 3 of those on the Army Boxing Team at the 180 LHW division. When I got out, it just all went to hell.

The Rockhopper doesn't seem to mind me riding it-the wheels haven't folded over yet, but the sprocket does creak.. It's a trusty steed.

Folks use those Spec mtn bikes for touring with loads up to 50 pounds. Your measly 260 won't begin to bother it.

I think that I have most everyone beat here, I am 6'1" and tip the scale at 317 lbs.

I can also say that due to my size and get a lot of comments from my club members that they can not believe how strong I can ride. Especially on the downhills!! Just dont grade my performance on the inclines and we will be ok. So as far at fat on this thread right now, I will take that award with honor!!!
I have been riding again for 3 years and have logged a little over 10,000 miles and next week I will be doing my 4th century ride of the year. I should be able to count one of them as double , it is the quad city bike club's TOMRV and it is a 2 day ride with a total of 200 miles and more than 10,000 feet of climbing!!

So for all my other clydes out there keep at it, and wear you spandex with pride!!! RIDE ON

Just an anecdotal note: I don't believe I've ever used that gear! Is your house on a horrible hill?

I'll be 34 in November, 6'0". 315lbs... I ride trackbikes and fixed gear in the city and occasionally out on a bike route/path. I have degenerative disk disorder with 3 herniated disks and horrible sciatic pain sometimes lasting for months at a time. When I'm on my bike, I feel no pain or discomfort. Dismounting is a different story some days LOL. I ride these:

I turn 35 in May. I am 6'2" 320# (down from 388#). I am engaged to woman several years younger than me in teriffic shape (5'4" 130#), so I want to make sure she isn't the only one who looks awesome next september when we walk down the aisle. I've been competing in 5k, 10k and even a half marathon as a (fairly quick) walker, but I want a way to mix up my training with less impact on feet and knees. The less it hurts, the longer I can work out. I also play hockey weekly, so my cardio isn't terrible.

My concern is that I'm on a budget. Originally, I planned on picking up a cheap bike to beat on for a while until after the wedding, but I don't want to go the $100 big box store route, only to see it not hold up to my weight for long. My fiance and I are getting ourselves bikes as our big christmas presents (along with Sony PSPs), so I'm now looking at a budget of around $300. I've heard about the Kona Hoss, but that's the limit to my research thus far (and it sounds like financially it's out of reach). I want something that will hold my weight, a seat that doesnt kill my big butt, and can serve as a bike that I can ride a few miles to work say once a week or so in the spring.

I grew up on a bike as we lived in a semi-rural area, and until I turned 16 it was the only way to get anywhere. But that's the beginning and end of my biking experience.

6'4" 225. I have a large frame so I can carry it pretty well. Back in my intense running days I got as low as 180 - stayed at 185 for a long time. All I heard was, "are you sick?" Ran 3 marathons in 2007 and decided my 50 year old body didn't want to take the pounding anymore. Sat out from any kind of exercise for about 4 months, tried a bit of running, then went and bought a 'fitness' bike - a Giant FCR3. I was hooked. In July my wife upgraded me to a Fuji Roubaix - nice road bike for a newbie - and I love it. I was 230 when I started riding - down to 225 now. Commuting to work 10 miles each way 3 or so times per week. Carry a heavy backpack so I usually ride the Giant - but often (including in about 15 minutes today) ride the Fuji and pray that the 24 spoke rear wheel doesn't disintegrate on the 2 steep hills I have to climb. Biking is cool......I can blast out and sprint at a fast (for me!) 33 MPH - or I can putz along in a low gear. I try to average 16 MPH on my rides and the real joy is that, unlike running, when I really get tired I can coast a while.
This forum is great and the Clydesdale/Athena section is inspiring. God Bless all.

Yes Cyclingfatty I do live around some really big hills, not sure why I left it in that strange gear combo. Apparently you have to change what you eat ....and.... bike a lot to get off the Clydesdale section, still 260lb. But I can ride 25-30 miles with my skiny friends at 18 to 23 mph (not on the Klein in the photo but on the new road bike).

I'm 6'-1, 290, but stocky, i carry it well. I rode in my first official half-century saturday, finished all 50 miles on a fixed gear schwinn i built up from a frame. My legs were fine throughout, but man o man did my crotch take a beating...I think some of it can be attributed to the less-than-20 miles Forte Pro Carbon SLX saddle I put on 3 days before, but I enjoyed the ride a lot, and I want to be able to ride a century in October...anyone have saddle suggestions for 280+?

So we're called Clydesdales. I'm 6'5" and weigh a trim 210 lbs. I've never been a fast rider but have terrific endurance at the low end. Disadvantage is that I am very hard on wheels. My old Nishiki's Chrome Moly frame has served me well but I'm on my third set of wheels. Somebody else in this thread mentionned a back problem and that cycling felt terrific. Amen to that. Bulged disc problem at the S1 location and I feel better on the bike than anywhere else.

Thewalrus has the plan. 5' 11" and currently hovering around 230 down from 250 or so before I started riding. I keep a closer eye on what I eat and try to put in around 150 miles a week. although I've lost a lot of fat, I gained a lot of muscle in my legs. Seems like there was an offset early on, but I can only lose more if I ride more.

I have lost from 300 lbs down to 208 lbs so far. It took me about 1-1/2 to get this far. I have a 1976 Schwinn Superior that I haven't ridden in 15 years. I also have a Schwinn Aluminum Comp 21 speed 18" bike that I can ride much easier for now. It hard to ride after so long and I have to force myself to get some riding time in.



This is my favorite bike.