downtube42

I'm down to 191 but can't seem to budge from there - I want another 10 pounds. I know it's psychological not physical; as soon as I dipped below 200 my motivation began to wane.

The doughnuts and pop are no threat, as I've beaten them into submission. Portion sizes and late night snacks are my nemesis.

OwnRules

Hi all, nOOb here.

Involved in competitive sports all my life until a broken shoulder took me out from raquetball about four years ago -- tried walking but found it really boring after the second cycle of repeated songs on my 2GB Ipod,. I am currently 53 y.o., stand 6'3" my weight went up to 235lbs from an almost life-long range of 200/210lbs. Sedentary life/weight gain didn't sit well w/me, specially my back which was finally diagnosed with spondylolisthesis IInd degree after many years of aches and pains. That was this past November and have been in therapy and rehab since.

Found the bike again after a fifteen year layoff and after four months back in the saddle, I am simply loving it. It has the right amount of competitiveness -- which, frankly, I need if I am going to stay active -- and, obviously, the fitness benefits are great. Down to 215lbs as we speak and my goal is to eventually settle at about 200, which my neurosurgeon says will be great for my troubled back.

Ride an '09 Jamis Citizen 2 presently, but the good folks at the hybrid forum have helped me design my next bike, which will be a modified Jamis Allegro 3X.

All in all, things are going very well for me at the moment, more so considering where I was back less than a year ago. Must say I love both riding and all the encouragement/positive reinforcement/information I find in this forum.

So thanks for having me and happy trails to all.

Joltman

35 year old 187cm tall Aussie Clyde. My highest weight was 122 KG mid last year. I copped Glandular fever not long after recording my top weight and dropped to 112KG over the 5 or so weeks i was out of action. During the course of the Glandular fever my Doctor and I had what one might call a sobering chat about what the future might hold for me should I continue with my pre glandular fever life style.

I wasn't so keen on the forecast and right there and then it was clear I needed to get my crap together and sort me out.

I don't smoke or drink and don't mess with any drugs. For me the two contributing factors for my weight were diet and exercise. In my case these two factors are very much within the realms of control with some self discipline. My weight slowly crept up to 117.5KG at around March 2009 while i was working out how I'd tackle the two contributing factors.

I've got my diet under control thanks to the info contained in two awesome books by Australias CSIRO. While I don't stick strictly to the diets outlined in these books, the principles promoted form the framework of my diet and thinking on evaluating foods for consumption.

Many options were considered for exercise. The one option that stood out was getting back on the bicycle. Something I had not done since highschool ( nearly 17 years ). I used to ride the 8KM home school home round trip most school days. So with a primed bank account it was off to the LBS to purchase a bike.

I ended up buying a second hand 2007 Iron Horse Warrior 6.0 full suspension mountain bike. This suited my intended riding reasonably well. That being some cycleway and some off road, pretty much what my bike did back in highschool just with fancier bits like disc brakes and suspension. Had I known what I now know about the sort of riding I do most, maybe I wouldn't have bought such a beast. I've pretty much clocked up all my riding on the cycleways.

Fast forward to September 2009, I've clocked up just over 1000KM on the bike and lost almost 10KG. I'm vastly fitter than I was just 6 months ago. When I started on the bike a 6KM ride was pretty much the end of me. These days I'm pushing 66KM rides with plenty of enthusiasm to go further. I'd really like to clock up a 75KM then possibly a 100KM ride. Im not sure if I'll be doing a 100KM ride on the Iron Horse.

I'm also entered in the 2009 MS Sydney to the Gong bike ride. I'm doing the 58KM ride from Engadine on the southern fringe of Sydney to North Wollongong ( not far from home ). This isn't something I saw myself doing this time last year when I was still pretty shaken up from the Glandular fever.

My target weight is ~87KG. The next goal in my sights is to be sub 100KG around xmas time. I'm in with a chance and even if i only get close I'll be stoked.



If I could workout how to attach and image I'd include the BF gratuitous in-front-of-the-garage-door bicycle shot of my trusty steed.

vikingchief36

Hi, I'm luke and I am a new user to this forum. But I have visited it countless times for information. Seeing this thread made me want to finally join.

I'm 18yo. 220 lbs down from 236 about 2 weeks ago and 6'2". I ride a 1984 puch "fixie" recently converted.

I converted my bike after my rear wheel was destroyed because i downshifted (long story) haha. I scraped the wheels (they were cheap) and bought new vuelta zerolite track comp 700c wheels. the bike looks small(54-58) but it fits me well (should be riding 61). I noticed just tonight that the fixed gear 47,16 ratio does better on hills than when i was riding it as a 10spd.

Contemplating the upcoming hill i thought i was going to have to get off and walk it, but i've never taken that hill better.

My goal is to ride everyday for the rest of my life.
Bike ride a day will keep the doctor away?

shrinkboy

i'm new to this forum-just got back into cycling this earlier this year. i raced USCF through much of the 80s, but quit in 89 when family and work commitments just wouldn't allow for hours in the saddle. I'm 6'3" and back when racing weighed right around 190. in late 89, i got into masters swimming, and i'm still at it, 20 years on. swimming, particularly freestyle sprints (my events), is a muscle intensive sport. i swim 4-5 days a week and do 2 serious weight workouts per week. i now weight 220, and am very fit, but swim workouts are rarely, if ever, the multi-hour exercise of cycling.

i've begun putting in a couple or three 30-90 minute rides per week, along with my swimming and weights. i do that on a Vista Carrerra 7 NOS frame i found this summer on C'list, which i had built up as a single speed, 42x16 gear.

i guess i'm a clydsedale, but i feel pretty good on a bike. here's a link to my vista:https://www.facebook.com/reqs.php#/al...1&id=671730814, and below is me in my racing days, a criterium from downtown Dallas in 1985, when we were the warmup act for the mighty 7-11's and Davis Phinney

bikedragon13

I want to start riding bicycles again. Dr wants me to. I have lost 32 pounds and I am at 322pounds right now. i used to ride bikes as a kid and young adult, but over time I have stopped. I need to know if anyone knows of any bikes that can hold my weight. Trying to get back in shape and shed loads of pounds.

If anyone can give me information on this I would be greatful!

cyclist2000

I'm 230 lbs, 6'-3", I have 7 bikes, steel, alum, carbon. no problems with any if them due to my weight

weeks52806

Yeah but there is HUGE difference between 230 and 320 I would know, as I am stuck at 320.

bikedragon13:

I would stay away from full carbon, at your size and this is why, Alum Steel and Titanium will crack under stress, CARBON WILL SHATTER!!!.

I have had very good luck with Cannondale's and the Scattante brand sold by performance bike. A carbon fork will be OK as not a lot of weight is on the front wheel.
Speaking of wheels, that is where you might run into issues the same as I do, if you can ride hard you will destroy rear wheels. your best bet is to get some mavic aksiums, or ksyrium equipes and get mavic's MP3 extended warranty, then they will fix them for 2 years if you tear them up. I would not go any higher in the model line. Also I just got a new set of vuelta corsa HD from Nashbar for $120 that are rated for us strong guys, and cheaper than the mavics too.

OK, enough talk for now but if you have any questions please email me directly, I know what works and don't at that weight since I have been stuck there for 3+ years. But I did get down from 380# Also I ride about 4000 miles a year.

Weeks1@mchsi.com

arguablysane1

Hey, just wanted to introduce myself. I'm 6'2" and 340. I've been wanting to ride for a while now, so I finally bought my first bike a few weeks ago. I'm riding a Mercier Kilo from Bikesdirect. I know it's not the greatest bike but considering my college student budget it's a pretty good value. Anyway, thanks for having this great forum and all the wonderful knowledge. I've been researching and researching for the past few months on this website and it has been a big help.

Drew.Wilkinson

Just scored a road bike so hopefully I will get it all cleaned, lubed, and put back together soon. Im 6'2" 255, and just scored a 1992 trek 1200. Hope to get it all lubed up and on the road soon. Anyone ridin around the clarksville TN area, let me know, havent rode the mountain bike in a while.

psalm

Well this is my very fist post on this forum, so I though this would be the best place to do it.

6' 295, riding for not only health but conditioning reasons. I've had two surgeries in the past year and could not do anything physical, doctors orders. So now that I am cleared for more strenuous activity I've started jogging, and riding.

Ride a Trek 3900 mountain bike completely set up for the mountain, but ride it on the streets. Up to a couple of weeks ago I was perfectly happy with it. That is until I rode my brothers Specialized road bike. So now I'm in the market for a road bike, or at least a hybrid.

I'd like to stick with Trek, so I'm saving my penny's and considering either a 7.1 FX hybrid, or a 1.1 road bike. Considering the hybrid is cheaper, and I will have saved enough for that sooner the the 1.1, I'll probably get the FX.

Also basically wanted to say hi.

rjc100

Hello from a Newbe to this great forum:
I'm 51 yrs young, 6' and 250. I've been riding a couple years now and put on over 3000 miles last year, and got down to 210 lbs. But lack of riding due to work and travel, as well as eating like I was still riding, I am now back to 250. I still keep up on the weekly club rides, but it is not as much fun with the extra weight.
I enjoy road riding and very happy with my Lemond Croix DeFer.

The daylight for road time is winding down in Michigan now so I have just started Spinning when I cannot ride, and look to be back to at least 210 by the time spring time hits again in April. I have set my sights on my first Tri in July as a goal to get thru the Michigan Winter.

BayAreaBiker08

I myself am either a clydesdale or a hogsquasher (obese biker),176 cm 106 kg currently, 118 kg at my heaviest in 1998. I have been biking for 20 years and considerable distances, most notably the 100-km ride from Moffett Field, where I work, to Hollister. I have also biked to San Francisco, about 70 km away, 22 times, also to Oakland, Half Moon Bay, Sausalito, and Santa Cruz. I am on my 21st bike, three fell apart from heavy use, the others got stolen, also heavily used. I ride about 5000 km/year, which is about 100 times what the average American does. Europeans bike considerable more.

Panic!

Well I'm a couple ticks under 200 now, but back in June I was about 225. I'm looking for about 185, so I've got about 10 more pounds to go. I've got a Panic that I ride mostly on the road. I don't do road bikes because if I see somewhere interesting off road, I'm there. This bike has held up really well, I've only broken a spoke and slightly bent the rim. A few bucks at the local bike shop and I was good as new.

ocho

Interesting to find a forum for 200 lb+ riders.

I've ridden bikes on and off over the years and I have to say for pretty much all of them I've been over 200 lbs. According to my doctor my weight is okay for my frame but I think I can still lose a few pounds. I'm 6'1" and 230-235 depending. I am 55 yrs old. I will be going back to the gym now that the weather is cooling, transitioning to being more wet and my riding days are fewer. I started working out regularly just over 4 yrs ago and have been pretty keen at it since.

Four years ago I worked out 5 days a week, losing 42 lbs in the process. At that time it put me at 202-204 lbs for any given week. Dropped several inches from my waist but I shifted focus to strength training and put inches back on - my chest size increased, waist got bigger in different places, arms and legs too. Weight went to 230 ish which is where I'm at now. I think I can lose 10 lbs easily but my point is i'll always be over 200 and don't mind it. I have been over 200 lbs since 19 yrs old.

I ride cause I just love it. I got back into mountain biking tis past summer and its addicting. I like to ride roads though for the soothing effect and I find its helpful in reducing stress. I do ride with a heart monitor to make sure I keep my heart rate where I want it to be so you could say I ride for me and fun first and fitness second.

I'm going to wander through the other posts here and see what sorts of things are discussed. What I ride is in my signature so I won't repeat it here. I am currently shopping for a single speed which lead me to BF in the first place. Also hankering for a Ti road bike but that will be spring 2010 or later. Thanks for listening.

sanchrog

I am 6ft 2in , was 244 lbs. when I started riding the 5th of aug and lost 14 lbs in led than 2 weeks now I am 225lbs aiming for 200lbs. I never owened or ridden a bike I started going to a local flea market and have ten bikes all very low price. Last one is a Carbon Specialized Epic, I can't nail the exact year 92 or earlier. The components don' match what i found on the interent, also a Tarek 720 multitrack 1996, 1994 cannondale r-300. Holding up under my lbs so far.

aude_sapere

All this time and I had no idea there was a completely different class for the 200+ club! I'll be 30 in Dec. and unlike a lot of you, I'm short, 5'7" and 245 lbs. Still a Clydesdale? When I started riding 6 months ago I was 280 lbs. I generally work out 5-6 days a week. I'm an ex bodybuilder and have a bigger body frame anyway so skinny was never an option for me. I never thought I'd be riding exclusively, but all it took was borrowing my mother-in-law's bike to ride back and forth from band practice. The first week was pure f*ing hell because she had an 80 lb motorized bike that didn't motor. 15 miles a day and the weight started coming off, then it got stolen, and someone gave me my '65 Dunelt 3 speed and I put roughly 1000 miles on it till I recently bought my daily rider, a vintage french(?) 10 speed. Nobody can ID the frame, but it's light and I ride the hell out of it. I haven't broken or bent anything on it, it's got Suntour gears and shifters and Jap wheels. I'm looking to replace the tires, any problems with 700cx23 tires for big guys? I'd like to get a set of blue tires, any recommendations?

FunkyStickman

200+ is a clydesdale, even if that's your normal weight. One of the guys I work with is fit as a fiddle, but he's 6'3" and weighs 220, he's just a big guy. He rides about 100 miles a week on a "pixie carbon fairy bike." I'm 35, am 5'11" and am finally down to around 190. But I spent years over 220, and I still have a gut to get rid of.

doughboy707

Hello, I'm 6'2" 237#. I have lost 25 pounds since the beginning of the year. I ride about 150 miles a week and have been working on my climbing this summer.

bladeswitcher

OK, this forum (and this thread specifically) has inspired me. Here goes . . .

I'm a 49-year-old male who is two weeks away from the half-century mark. I'm 5' 11" and currently weigh about 255 -- the heaviest I've ever been. I SHOULD weigh about 185-190. Thirty years ago, when I was a regular rider, I weighed 150-165 and was too skinny.

I've loved bicycles all my life, but unfortunately haven't seemed to love bicycling nearly as much as the bikes themselves. I'm hoping to change that. With my blood pressure and weight both at unacceptable levels I need to get out there and start peddling.

I worked at a neighborhood bicycle shop as a teenager (the long-closed "Bicycle Center" in University City, Missouri). I started as one of the kids who worked down in the basement, rebuilding wheels after school every day. Later I worked on the sales floor and wrote up repairs. Spent a fair amount of time assembling bikes, too. I've loved wrenching on bikes ever since. I was into singlespeeds and, occasionally, fixed gears long before it was cool. Currently, I own a Rivendell Atlantis and an old Schwinn bomber (with alloy rims, Nitto bars and stem and a Brooks saddle). I'm building up a singlespeed on a Raleigh International frame.

I grew up in St. Louis and used to ride there. I never was that into long rides though. 15 to 20 miles was about tops for me even when I was a kid. It wasn't so much that I couldn't do it, I just got bored. Years ago, I rode a few times on AYH-sponsored rides, but mostly was a solo rider. For the past 25 years, I've lived in Jefferson City, MO, a state capital city of about 40,000 people. Jeff City is what turned me off from cycling for a lot of years. It's just so dang hilly here! Consequently, I got fat and lazy. Again, time to change that. This isn't the first time I've been inspired to ride again (thus the five-year-old Atlantis), so it's hard to say with any certainty that I'll be successful this time either.

My goal is to ride to work on a regular basis. It's only about 3 miles but there are a couple of huge hills on the route. I've done it a few times and it's not too bad, but I end up sweaty and there's no shower at work. The main problem (besides an irrational fear of hills) is that I'm lazy. I'm also a big sissy when it comes to heat and summers in mid-Missouri are brutal. Consequently, the only times I ever really think about riding are spring and fall.

I do have an alternative to the hilly course around here. The Katy Trail is right across the river -- 225 miles of dead flat former railroad track. I ride there from time to time, but it's kind of boring and really dusty. A few years ago I had a fixed gear Peugeot and enjoyed doing the Katy Trail on that. Just start peddling and go! I figure my International will see most of its use on the trail . . . or maybe riding to the bar and back.

Anyway, that's my story. Bottom line. I need to get off my butt and go ride. I have made a few baby steps lately -- albeit pretty late in the season here. I rode 10 miles on the Katy Trail a couple of weeks ago and rode into work once. This morning I went for an in-town ride. I rode for a little over an hour -- probably 8 miles or so. Stopped three times to rest briefly. Tried to stay on fairly level ground but that's impossible in this town. Pedaled every hill, though spent a lot of time in the granny gears. Generally kept my cadence up, though. Good ride.

Oh, one more thing: the name . . . I chose "Bladeswitcher" when I was active on a knife collector forum a few years ago and have used it ever since for lack of anything more original. It doesn't really mean anything. I'm also active on some gun boards with the same name.

jjmctag

Hi fellow Clydesdale's and Athena's

I am 63 years old, 5' 81/2" and top out at 238. I am riding a new bike, 2009 Specialized Tri-Cross and I love it. It seems to be holding up pretty good. After being away 42 years I got back into bicycling about a year ago on my Dr.'s suggestion to loose weight and that it would help to build up the leg muscles and take the pressure off of my severe arthritic knees. I borrowed a friends extra bike and it didn't take long for me to remember just how much I enjoyed bicycling and have been riding as much as possible ever sense. Returned the borrowed bike this fall and went and purchased my new bike. My goal is to loose some weight, get some fitness back and ride in my states MS 150. I would like to also try a little touring in the future.

John

JohnX

you da man! nice 36 spoke wheels-have you had any trouble out of them? i was recommended to get 40spoke wheels at 300 lbs. but i never could find any. i hope to get rid of a lot of my belly and be down to where you are soon.

delyosius

Hello All, I made a seperate post to track my weight and status but I should post here as well.

25 Years old 6'0 and 320 last week. Currently standing at 310. Goal is around 265 in 2 months.

I just purchased a Masi Alare 2009.

Will update with a photo soon. So far the wheels are holding up well with 32 spokes. My LBS offered to custom build some wheels for me for $150 if these don't hold my weight.

mike5673

Not sure if this is the right place, ex athlete who just gave up on himself years ago, 5'9" 330 lbs. I want / need to get back into biking and am looking for a reasonable priced commuter. Can I even really think about riding now, or do I need to come down (ignore other obvious health issues) just so a bike will not crimp : )

This is a sincere question, I'd hate to start looking if I need to lose 50 lbs first, you know?

Redskin8006

This is the right place. Go for it!!! Don't worry about crimping a bike. Browse the Clydesdale/Athena forum for posts on bike recommendations. You don't need to spend a lot of money. If you find a bike that looks promising, post the specs here. Chances are that someone has experience with it and can provide good info. Wheels are really important for big guys. You'll find lots of advice on wheels here also. Good luck, Mike!!