BowTiesAreCool

Hi everyone,

First post here on the clydes forum, looking for opinions and to pick brains, my wife also wants me to stop driving her nuts from talking about bike research. My doctor wants me to lose some weight and because of minor knee issues, caused by weight and bad shoes/insoles, something low impact..thus cycling. I'm 6'2" almost 350 pounds, 30 inch inseam. I live in the Santa Cruz Mountains in California, so there are a lot of LBS in the area. I live less than a half mile from one of the state parks here and want to do both road and lite off-road trail riding. I also plan to add a trailer (probably a Burley Bee) for sometimes towing my almost 3 year old daughter.

From reading mostly here, my choices would be a hardtail MTB or hybrid. Also, I may need to have a tire set with better than 32 spokes, but 32 is the minimum. I would prefer a 29er or 700c (big guy, big bike...right?) for the wheel/tires and trying to keep to $650 for the bike at the most.

My LBS carry the following brands Trek, Specialized, Giant, Kona, Raleigh, Diamondback, Electra, Fuji, Cannondale...to name some. They also carry hardcore brands like the local Santa Cruz brand bikes.

Had a chance yesterday to hit a few shops. Went to Trek first thinking a 8.1 DS or 7.2 FX because of the solid fork. The owner there steered me towards a Trek Shift 3 (link below), but they only had a smaller frame on the floor, with a 21" in the back that they would be building over the weekend. It's a 26" wheel and a "comfort" bike but looks to be built a bit like a tank, tires are Bontrager H5 Hard-Case Ultimate, 26x2.0". They would swap out the seat post shock for a solid post. They have a spring sale and the bike would be $599. He said he was confident it would be the best bike for me and what I want to do with it. The front fork has a lockout, like each LBS I went to, he steered me away from the solid forks and towards ones with lockout forks because the "entry level" components were "not that good" and would lead toward "issues" in the future. I admit the bike looked solid, more so than the 8.3 DS and 7.2 FX they had (at least in the wheels/tires). When I go back I plan to see if they have a Trek Marlin 29er to ride.

Trek Shift 3
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes...omfort/shift_3

Trek Marlin 29er
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes...r_sport/marlin

The two local Trek shops are the same dealer with two locations. They offer lifetime tune-ups for the life of your bike.

The next place I went was a Giant dealer to see what they would steer me towards. The guy there first showed me a Giant Sedona DX.....a 26" wheel "comfort" bike. I then tried a 29er that for the feel. The Sedona was okay, but the components were a bit junky (grip shifters etc..). The 29er seemed awkward (probably seat height) Both bikes were XL/21" and standing the boys were resting on the bar.... They had a Revel and Escape they would be building soon and would call me to try when they had them ready.

The last shop was a Specialized dealer. The guy there steered toward the Hardrock Sport Disc 29er ($700). As the last two places told me I'm a in-between size for a 19" and 21" frame. I tried two bikes there, a 19" inch Sport Disc 29er, which has lockouts on the fork and the entry Hardrock 29er which was a 21" with no lockouts. The 19" seemed comfortable enough and the 21" seemed like the nose was diving, leaning me forward. With no lockout I probably had the front forks compressing. He said they would be building a 21" of the Sport Disc over the weekend and call me to try it.

Specialized Hardrock Sport Disc 29er
https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bik...rtdisc29#specs

So anyway, sorry for the long-winded post. Would anyone have a opinion or experience with the Shift 3, Marlin, or Hardrock?
Suggestions on another bike to try? help....!

jsigone

for 29ers, I don't go by stand over because its just the nature of the design for it to be close. You're not going to be standing over the bike more then you are riding it. So pick the size by how it feels. I'm the same height as you and can ride Med, Large and XL frames. But the top tubes are around 24-25". Adjust the stem to fit between each frame. I'd recommend a large/19" 29er bike then fine tune from there. You CAN get away with the 21" but the Effective top tube is probably 1/2" longer then a 19" frame, so you're gonna need a shorter 80-90mm stem (100mm is pretty standard for stock bikes) and zero offset seat post.

The spesh hard rock is a solid beginner bike. (I have a 2010 singlespeed model I beat the ish out of and have a carbon fork too) The frame is worthy of future upgrades too. You will want to swap the wheels out later but decent wheels will run $300+ so keep that in mind.

Shakeyone

Ill chime in since you mentioned it though you didnt like it. I had a 1999 Giant Sedona (no-dx) so solid cro-mo fork and that thing was a beast. I agree grip shift blows the big one especially sweaty hands no gloves. That said I had 15K miles on it most of which were ridden between 360-300 pound. In that time I only broke one spoke, had to true the rear wheel once, and 2 sets of tires. I had it till this spring when I finally toasted the BB, front and rear hub bearing riding it top tube deep though a flood washout. Fix would cost more then I wanted to put in it so retired it. Its not top of the line but will treat you good.

Watch out for low end suspension forks the lock out may break and you will probably want as much power going to the wheels as you can get, not compressing the fork.

Just my 2 cents, good luck on your search I know how frustrating it is, I am currently researching my N+1

Cfiber

Hey there BowTie,

I'm just gonna give you my straight up opinion....

350 is a bunch. Therefore, I think it would be to your best advantage to invest in a really nice steel mtb frame, and just build up from there, unless you can locate a used one in your size that's already to go.

https://store.somafab.com/mtbframes.html
https://store.somafam.com/mtbforks.html

Alternatively, you could just buy an inexpensive steel mtb that has a rigid fork, that can use a little imagination in order to trick it out, to suit your own personal tastes. MTBikes like the Schwinn Frontier, the Jamis Trail XR, and the KHS Alite 40, are all inexpensive mtbikes with rigid forks. You have the dealers swap out the standard tires for some slicks, when you purchase the bike. You can gradually upgrade your components as they eventually wear and need replacement.

Either way, you'll end up with a steel framed bike that can be very forgiving about the loads under which it's subjected. Steel usually lasts for a very long time and many cyclists enjoy the feel of steel whenever riding.

I would strenuously suggest that you find a bicycle co-op in your area, so that they can assist you some of your future bicycle needs. If you decide to build up your own bike, they can assist you. If you decide to perform upgrades on an inexpensive steel mtb, they can assist you.

If you should decide to search for a used bicycle, they can assist you with that to some degree, as well.

Good Luck!

jsigone

29er steel rigid forks cost $45-100. I have a Voodoo that was nice then I got a Niner carbon to replace it for the longer rides I was doing. It was great for the sub 2 hr stuff but I ride on allot of chunky stuff and needed the front to be more mute.

c_m_shooter

I vote for the Hardrock upgraded to a rigid fork. You are getting pretty close to the price range of a nice Surly Ogre though....

bassjones

Try out the Cannondale Bad Boy 9 (solid, traditional fork). I rode a bunch of hybrids looking for an N+1 and it was by far my favorite. The Kona steel bikes are great too. I really would not recommend a suspension fork at your weight, lockout or not. I'm taller than you, and a bit heavier and I ride a racing roadie, but I probably wouldn't recommend that route. A touring bike, yes, but they're likely out of your price range. Any solid fork hybrid will probably work.

Erwin8r

Third vote for a Hardrock 29er and a steel rigid front fork (based on your needs as stated). And i'd opt for the smaller of two option frames (19"). That's a heck of a bike--check out Jsigone's with a Niner fork when you get a chance. Solid looking bike that is a heck of a lot fun.

I am also fond of steel, and if you could spare the additional $$, the Surly Ogre or other premium built-up steel framed mtb's would be a nice option too. Good luck and have fun!

bassjones

Ogre is $1400(ish) MSRP... That's double his price range. The Ogre is a sweet bike though.

vesteroid

I would suggest at 6'2" an inseam of 30 inches is short for your height. Bike fit is going to be around reach vs stack for you. I would look for a bike sized for your legs and use stems to get your torso length. I dont know MTB but I would question if a 29er has a place with your personal geometry.

digibud

Agreed to stay away from shock forks. +1 to keeping in mind you can swap out the stem and fit a larger or smaller frame if you are in between. If you get a smaller frame with a longer stem you will be hunched over more. A larger frame with a shorter stem will leave you more upright which is typically a bit easier for a heavy person starting out. Shocks don't typically do much for roads, even dirt roads. If you are going to land hard and do real mtn biking then a shock is a huge help but if your off road is really just trail riding then a shock isn't really going to be of much use. But if you can really lock it out and it's dependable...tough call. Above all, be sure it fits well and you're comfortable on it, although it will take time for that to fully develop. If you get a good sense of fit...don't discount the possibility of a used bike.

indyfabz

+1. I am 6' 2" with about a 33" inseam, which is on the shorter side for someone my height. 30" is really short. Definitely fit the legs first and then work on the reach.

cyccommute 

The bike for you depends on what you want to do with it. If you want to ride off-road, the Hardrock would be an good choice. But if you aren't planning on riding off-road, look to a more road type bike. Try to avoid bikes with shocks because, frankly, cheap shocks aren't made for your weight. I weigh less than you do and they aren't made for my weight either. They are essentially pogo sticks unless you get into the $300 to $700 range for the shock! At the very least you want a shock that has a lock out and is air sprung. Those aren't cheap.

For a more 'road' style hybrid, I'd suggest the Trek 7.1 FX. It should be up to the task. Giant, Specialized, Cannondale, etc all have equivalent bikes.

If you can step up in price, I'd suggest a Surly Long Haul Trucker (aka LHT) Complete. It's not as inexpensive as the Trek (about twice the price) but the LHT is a touring bike that is purpose built for carrying heavy touring loads. It should be up to the task for a big, heavy, strong rider. It won't be a zippy bike but, since you're a newbie, you probably don't want 'zippy' anyway. It will be at least as zippy as a Hardrock.

Do you wear a fez now? Fezes are cool.

steve2k

johde

I was just getting ready to type almost the exact same thing from a different perspective. I'm 6'3", 322lbs down from close to 350lbs recently. I just got done doing my own search for a new bike although my budget was a little smaller than yours. Like cyccommute said, the first thing you need to decide is what you want the bike to do. Almost without fail, every LBS steered me towards a comfort bikes first. Instead of the Shift, the trek dealer at first pointed me towards the Verve. A very similar bike to the Shift except 700c tires instead of 26". The Specialized dealer kept wanting to show me the low entry step through bikes. It wasn't until I really explained what I thought I wanted to do and convinced them I was serious, I got recommendations I thought made sense.

I ended up ordering the Trek 7.2fx 20". They're supposed to call me either today or tomorrow for pickup and fitting. There were a couple of features of the 7.2 that me research and this forum convinced me were worth the extra money of the 7.1fx. In short, better aluminum, and cassette style freehub instead of freewheel.