Hello, i am trying to loose weight for a personal goal of 100off and i decided to park my car and ride a bike everywhere. i asked on yahoo answers about some walmart bikes and got flamed hard for it so i figured id come somewhere i can actually learn. what i did learn from that, though, was what im looking for is probably a hybrid bike. i want to be able to ride it to the local woods and go through the trails, they are super simple walking trails nothing special. i was looking at this Walmart: 29" Iron Horse Men's Sinister 6.1 Mountain Bike but like i said, flamed. so i started to look at schwin (the only other place i know). im 6'3 290lbs right now but my goal is 220. anything you could tell me would help. oh and there are no bike stores near me, there was 1 and it closed. thank you!!

You need to ride the bikes available to you and pick the one that best fit. Chain stores typically sell less expensive lower quality and heavy stuff. As you move up in price the bikes typically get lighter and have more durable and better components. You want a bike that you enjoy riding, so you ride it often. For commuting and mild trails, the hybrid is ideal.

My spouse was set on a target or walmart bike until I convinced here to take a test ride on a $700 700c hybrid that has a light weight frame, disc brakes, and 27 speeds. She was amazed just how much easier and enjoyable the ride was.

You can lose weight on any bike, but as with any exercise regiment, if you don't enjoy it you won't stick to it.

What is your budget? + you could always order a bike online if there are no local bike shops

Welcome!

You can also feel free to post in the Clydesdale and Athena forums for great help with us larger riders.

I weigh over 300 pounds, so even though your experiences may differ, what I will suggest will potentially do well for you.

#1 Don't buy that bike....

I am not against Walmart bikes for those who have no way to afford better, but even if you buy from there, do NOT buy a bike with full suspension... and I actually suggest avoiding bikes with even suspension forks. The reasons are:

1) Cheap bikes have cheap suspension. You will bottom it out or break it.
2) They don't absorb shocks as much as they absorb energy.

I currently ride a 2011 Trek 7.3 FX that I bought used about a year and a half ago for $200 and along with the beefier wheels I bought, it has lasted me well, with most of my riding being on gravel.

I would suggest looking for used bikes if you are on a limited budget. I see you have 2 posts, if your other is in the C&A forum, I suspect that is the better place to hold this discussion.

You will potentially have to look for a while to find a used bike sized right for you, but it is probably the best use of money.

If you must buy from a big box store, I would definitely look for a different bike than the one you posted here.

You beat me to telling him all this!

Just to add, you can find used bikes in this price range of around $250 that would last you much longer than this Iron Horse. If you really would like a new bike, I suggest bikesdirect for that price range. They would have better bikes than Wal Mart.

I too am a big guy, still a bit over 300 pounds. This Iron Horse would not hold me. If Wal Mart brands are what you want, do not get a suspension bike from them. Get a non suspension bike.

But I too highly suggest being able to ride and test the bike before buying it. Where buying used makes sense since others will most likely let you test ride the bikes.

If I were You If you go Bikes Direct and are not already a skilled bike mechanic (which I doubt given taste in Wally*World bikes)

take the Box to a Bike Shop and pay their Fee to have someone skilled, assemble it and do the Initial tune up ..

those services are of course Included, if You Bought a Bike they sold.

my budget is 500 or less shipping and all

Trek 7.3 FX - Village Cycle Center - Chicago's Best Bike Shop i found this, decent? my budget is about 500

I would obviously consider it, since it is basically what I ride, only newer... and I think they moved to the lighter "gold" frame, instead of the "silver" that I believe mine has.

My guess is that at 6' 3" an XL frame would be in the right range for you (I am 6' and ride a Large). Go give it a test ride, and see what you think. It may feel a bit too "aggressive" at first since you haven't done any riding for a while... but as you get used to it, you will grow into it. This doesn't mean that if it feels completely wrong that you should stay with it... Just that if it feels close, except the handlebar is a bit low, then I would suggest dealing with it until you build up your flexibility and core.

If you can get to other shops that carry other manufacturers' bikes, they will have similar bikes to choose from... along with other hybrids (just as Trek has).

By the way, don't totally discount bikes with front shocks if the bike feels better to you overall, but I would personally lean heavily toward rigid forks, or suspension forks that have lockouts.

Very decent, however... it's a 2012 model and seems to be all sold out...

But you understood what kind of bike you should be looking for. That's good

I did just notice that the bike you linked to is an old model (thus the lower prices than the current model) and that they are sold out of all sizes.

For the bikes in the FX line that they have in stock in your probable size (22.5"), the 2015 7.2 FX is probably the one that will fit within your budget.

A couple of the key differences are:

It will be slightly heavier than a 7.3. This will be noticeable mostly when you pick the bike up... and a slight hinderence to acceleration and hill climbing. But, if you lose 5 pounds, it will help you more than riding a bike that is a pound or two lighter...

The tires are 35 mm wide instead of 32 mm wide... This could actually be better for you, since you could ride with the slightly wider more comfortable tires until you lose weight, then go with narrower tires if you want.

I have ridden tires from 28 mm to 40 mm wide, and they have all worked well for me on a variety of surfaces. The 28s I definitely feel more road buzz, and they seem to be slightly more efficient, but over-all, I like my FX with any tire width that fits.

Almost any bike shop bike in your price range will be durable enough to handle your weight, and the riding you expect to do (based on my understanding of your anticipated riding).

Good luck!

That changes things, You can get decent bikes from bike shops in the $300 to $500 price range. Not sure if you have a Performance Bikes in your area, but they do offer alot of bikes in this range. They offer a lot of services and will let you test ride the bike. You would be a lot happier riding those than the Iron Horse.

That Trek, to me seems like a good bike as well!

My 2 pennies!

ditto what everyone has said. You can pick a sweet hybrid for 500 clams....a decent one for 250.00 and spend the extra on building up the wheel set. Us Clydes can be hard on the average wheel.

What area are you in? That could make a huge difference in recommendations.

B including your area, you might get help in assembly, and much better ideas from us.