Advice on a purchase (I know it has been asked many times before)
 

Hello:
I am looking for advice on a bike purchase. I am a very large old may: 240 pounds. I started at 390 pounds a couple of years ago. I mostly changed my eating habits and started riding my old Huffy Cruiser. The Cruiser, I brought back 1979. I was then a seven speed. I have had to replace almost everything except the frame and fork. That’s O.K. because I did it all myself and found most everything at swap meets. The bike is a ten speed (52/40 in front and 14-28 in rear). I have been content to ride this heavy bike for about 25 to 35 miles per week regularly.

The other day, my son, following my example, brought a Trek MTB. I rode it and the difference was an eye opening experience. It was so smooth and effortless. I am now considering getting a new bike. I have been looking at hybrids and what some people call commuter bikes. I do not think I could ride a road bike without damage to it. Any large person with experience and advice would be appreciated, Thanks.

I'm 6'4 and 250 down from 330. Rode a Surly Cross Check at about 300 with no problems (nice lbs made open pros), rode a mid-80 Specialized Allez at 270 with no problems, at 250 ride a very cool carbon road bike with no probems with campy wheels with disturbingly few spokes, a saddle with carbon rails etc etc...

Wheels are kind of important but other than that (and even then ride the included wheels til they break) but other than that don't limit yourself. Your current weight makes almost everything available to you.

240 is not heavy enough to worry about damaging a road bike. At your weight the frame and fork on most road bikes will be fine. However, the wheels are another story and depending on your riding style they should be the item that you worry about.

A road bike at your weight may need more maintence and retruing of the wheels than someone that weighs 150. Not a real reason to not get one if that's what you want.

Trek states the weight limit at 300 pounds for its hybrid and mountain bikes and at 275 pounds for its drop bar road bikes. A lot of companies don't seem to have any limits publicly posted. http://www.trekbikes.com/faq/questio...questionid=104

There are a lot of great choices available for you.

I've put tons of miles on my bike at 240... I even have about 1,000 miles on low spoke count wheels that most people will gasp and tell you to avoid. So don't sweat it too much. Having said that, how old is old? You may prefer a more upright bike, like a flat bar cyclocross bike or something. Of course, there's a super old dude in my area that I see riding up a nasty hill almost every day. His feet are barely moving, his bike is going fast enough to stay upright, I think, but there he is on a road bike getting a nice workout.

So don't be gun-shy about your weight and go try out a few different styles of bike to see what's best for you.

You're only 240. I ride old steel road bikes circa 1985 and 1991 and they work just fine. I'm 280 lbs and ride hard. But I put on 700x28c and 700x32c tires on my bikes and not the super skinny 23c tires. No real problems so far, but then again, I do build my own wheels so that might make a difference. I think you're open to just about any type of bike at your weight. The only real issue might be that you've lost all this weight and cycling probably helps you keep losing weight or at least not gaining it back. But if you go with a much easier bike to ride, there won't be as much effort. I personally switched back to a SS/Fixie for my 18 mile/day commute because it was flat and my road bike is so smooth and fast, I think I only pedal like 1/3rd the time and coast the rest to stay within the 15mph speed limit on that trail.