phatkat

i might be over qualified for this forum im 380 pounds im wanting to get back into riding to loose wieght. I have arthritis in my knees so im thinking that bike riding would be a low impact exercise. ? AM I to big and if not what mountain bike would you reccomend.

badgermac

Hey Phat. YOu'll find that many others out here started riding at a weight higher than yours. The experts (not me) will chime in better in terms of bikes, but the "house" bike for this forum has been the SPecialized Hardrock Sport, but there are many other good bikes. Wheels are key - sturdy sturdy sturdy!

lil brown bat

1. That weight per se doesn't make you "too big"; however, whether bicycling (or any other exercise) is appropriate for you personally is something you should probably talk to your doctor before you get started. There are plenty of people who've been through this forum who started in your range, but each individual case is different.

2. If you're not cycling now, how do you know you need a mountain bike? Answer: you don't. Hang back, read up, learn about what a heavy cyclist needs in a bike, read some recommendations from people in your size range, and choose accordingly.

tomdaniels

The number one issue is wheels for us heavier folks. I'm 350 and have ridden when I was your weight. Read the FAQs and ask where you want to ride. I would recommend a bike that you find comfortable with a thoroughly built up wheel on the rear. Many of us started with comfort or mountain bikes, but there is no reason to do so. Find a good bike shop and talk to an adult staff person (the kids are often not that helpful for us). Try some bikes and see what feels good. If a shop ignores you or tries to peg you as only a Mountain bike person, find another or talk to another staff member.

Find a bike that you find fun to ride!

Wogster

The typical bike frame can hold an amazing amount of weight, after all it's essentially 2 triangles connected together the exception is racing bikes which are made as light as possible (often out of pure unobtainium). Mountain bikes overwhelmingly use aluminum frames, which requires big beefy looking tubes, but they really are not stronger then a typical steel road bike frame. Steel is stronger then aluminum, and bicycles tend to use the minimalist approach to materials, within reason.

Now, where do you want to ride, and how much do you want to ride, these are the key questions. If your planning on riding mostly on roads and streets, then you don't want a mountain bike. Big knobby tires make a lot of noise, that wup wup noise is your pedaling energy turned into sound, it's not uncommon for riders who move to smoother tires to be able to run a couple of gears higher because they are not losing energy to the tires. The other power thief is suspension, and it does so 2 ways, first it adds a couple of pounds to the bike, not such a big deal at 380, but when your climbing hills, that 2lbs is going to feel like 20. Second, as you pedal, your suspension moves up and down a little, that movement is pedaling energy, moving the suspension, this is more of a concern for rear suspension, then front but is still and issue.

Mountain bikes have the lowest gearing, but that means your more likely to run out of top end, especially going down hill. I have mountain bike gearing on my bike, and I haven't used the granny ring in over a year, and I rarely use the middle ring. If your not sure what kind of bike to buy, go with a hybrid, they are the jack of all trades master of none of the bicycle world, BUT in a year or so, and down a few pounds, you can decide if you want to go road or mountain.

Jynx

A couple of points.

- You are not to big.
- Cycling is a great sport and hopefully you will enjoy it but make sure you like it before dropping some money on it. Try a crappy old bike you may have in the garage or borrow a friends or family memebers. Just try to ride around the block or around town a little and see if it is something you would want to further persue. Cycling is a great low impact exercise that you can make as easy or hard as you want it to be.
- If you decide on getting a bike the most common bike recomended is the Specialized Hardrock Sport. Seen here:


You can put on some smooth tread tires and ride in town or on some trails. If you decide you want to stick to the local bike paths and roads look into something like the Trek FX series. Here is the Trek 7.3FX:

ajbeck21

I Started About 3 Months Ago At A Weight Of 380. I Purchased A Specialized Expedition Sport. I Ride 20-40 Miles Per Week With No Break Downs. Now I'm Down To 300 Lbs!!!! Get A Bike Get On And Stick It Out Its Painful At First But It Only Gets Easier And More Fun

Mazama

Nope, there are bikes available for you. I am 340# and I have been riding at or near this weight for about 2.5 years now with only a few minor bike issues.

MENEGRANDE

Hey Phat,

I was in the same boat as you, actually started at 389 about 4 weeks ago, bought a Cannondale Adventure 5 at my LBS, it's pretty damn comfortable. I ride about 10 miles a day, so far I have lost 21 lbs-

Make sure you take the bike back to the LBS for an adjustment after 30 days of use--

bcc

I started at 380 about 5 weeks ago too. You're definitely not too big to get cycling. I won't repeat the sound advice of others, but welcome aboard

breadbin

fair play to ya for thinking about the cycling. has it been long since you've ridden a bike? its a great way to get out and meet people and see the country etc etc but also to get fit and healthy if its been awhile since you were on one it could be an idea to try out the local gym first and see how your knees hold up before jumping into buying a new bike. the hardrock seems the bike of choice for clydes though if you're looking.

kenseth03

Just remember, don't get frustrated, it will be hard at first and you may want to give up and say its just to hard, however as I am just starting to learn, it does get easier and then the fun begins. So stick it out and in a few months you'll really start seeing the benefits.

Wogster

I gotta +1 this as well.

First ride may only be 40' but it doesn't take long before the typical road rider is looking at a mile, then 2 miles, 10 miles, and before ya know it, we see that post, that your hybrid just isn't comfortable at rides over 40 miles. Then before too much longer, your getting the metric century certificate, and then the imperial century certificate, and then you add a touring bike to the herd, so you can do that 400 miles in 7 days trip.

What is the name for a group of bicycles? I think herd works nicely, especially around here

Tom Stormcrowe

Your stable seems to be the most common, followed by your 2 wheeled harem. (At least to my wife, she calls my bikes my "other women. )

I think, though, that a stable might be most appropriate here

Wogster

Hey as long as the other woman isn't some twenty something blonde with big ..... I think your okay, with the wife.

I do need to add to my stable though, something more roadish would fit right about now....

bcc

wheels?
I'm having that problem too - I could do with something a bit offroadier - my day off ride on wednesday was fun but hard work and skittish. My legs still ache - my commute today felt like I was adding aches on aches

I like 'stable' - not so sure the wife will though!

Little Darwin

I am 374, have cycled on a mountain oriented comfort bike, and currently a touring bike. I was down to just under 300 before I laxed and spent more time on the forums than on the bike...

Either a mountain bike or a touring bike with good wheels will do the job...

And yes, cycling will be a good exercise for you even with arthritis as long as you remember to keep your cadence up. High cadence will remove the strain from your knees. The rule of thuimb I follow if cycling is starting to strain the knees is to shift down to a gear that feels just a touch too easy, then shift down one more.

Sitting on a saddle will make you a little tender for a while, but you will toughen up pretty quickly.

Enjoy the ride.

Wogster

Well, I discovered a new shop locally, they take old clunker bikes (80% are steel framed roadies), clean them up, tune them up, and resell them, nice thing is, you can buy one of there bikes for around $50, and rent their shop space and tools for $6/hr and buy some used (or even new) parts from them as well, so it wouldn't be hard to get a decent bike for around $100 or so.... I gotta get something for the little misses ( Athena ) first, I need to start her off slow though (I want an inexpensive one, in case she doesn't get addicted (here's hoping)). Wondering if a road bike wouldn't be best, get the bars tops up nice and high, then as she improves, she can start using the drops, and we can lower the bars as she gets better at it. Looking at most of the bikes they had there, most really don't need much work, wheels trued, new rubber, some adjustments, and a good cleaning. I think most of them are bikes that sat in garages for a few, okay maybe more then a few years.....

phatkat

I want to thank all of you for your advise it looks like I have alot of research to do before i decide on what kind of bike but you all are making it alot easyer. THANKS