So I have a friend who is pushing the mid 300's weight wise and he wants to get into biking. I am helping him choose a bike and would like the help of the hive mind that is pointy3.
I was at first thinking that he should get an old steel road bike and just fix it up, but honestly, I don't know if he'd be able to get into the riding position comfortably. I was thinking a flat bar road bike might be good. That's what I used when I started riding when I weighed like 380.
Any ideas? His budget is around $800.
derrickito
Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 12:26 am
now with 50 percent more EVILJoined: 22 Jul 2005Posts: 10566
put money into wheels id say, less on the bike and more into the wheels. at that size you're going to be putting some stress on regular 32 spoked wheels. id see about getting into the larger spoke count wheels for more strength.
im 200 and ive done my share of damage to 32 spoke count wheels. with bags and panniers full ive torn up some cheap entry level wheels pretty good. started running 36's on my bikes as overkill just to be safe.
ragnar
Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 12:27 am
Joined: 09 Jan 2009Posts: 76Location: Ravenna
Yeah. I told him to expect to go through the stock wheels pretty quickly, and then expect to drop a couple hundred dollars on some nice ones.
snyd3282
Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 12:41 am
could suck the fun out of a blowjobJoined: 23 Jul 2007Posts: 588Location: Ballard / Fremont
This is a bit over the $800 budget, and you can probably find an '08 model a little cheaper, but this is one of the few bikes I've been able to find so far that is marketed as a Clydesdale bike and I'm seriously considering it as one of my bike purchases for this year after snapping the chainstays on two other frames in the past few months.
http://konaworld.com/09_hoss_u.cfm
I've also had people suggest that I go with a simple hardtail mountain bike.
I'll second Derrick's wheel suggestion. I have destroyed at least three wheelsets.
As someone with a serious beer gut, or is that a french fry gut(?), being in the lower drops can be a little uncomfortable at times, but the upper bars are just fine.
lantius
Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 1:30 am
1337Joined: 22 Jul 2005Posts: 6705Location: right over
that's big, but i've seen bigger. how tall is he?
rigid steel 26" mtb has it's merits. easily adjustable, 26" wheels are easier to build stronger, and the bikes are usually overengineered for abuse.
if it's for non-mountain use, i'd stay away from something like the hoss - too many geometry compromises, and on the road a big suspension fork is nothing but expense, weight and annoyance.
i've seen other sites selling the worksman cruiser as a bike suited for ~350lbs, and i'd believe it. not fast but it's the sort of bike that won't let you down.
ragnar
Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 1:32 am
Joined: 09 Jan 2009Posts: 76Location: Ravenna
He's 5'9". I have a feeling though that the weight is just going to melt off after he starts riding. I'm going to drag him out riding with me a couple times a week, and it'd be nice if he was on something that could actually be fairly quick and last him for a while.
lantius
Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 1:35 am
1337Joined: 22 Jul 2005Posts: 6705Location: right over
i'd contend the opposite's the way to go: run what ya brung, and then when he starts getting a better sense of riding and the ability to roll on a decent bike without breaking it, then it's time to lay out the big bucks for the investment bike. if the dude is 5'9" and 350, he's not going to be quick on any bike - better that the bike be durable and comfortable.
ragnar
Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 1:38 am
Joined: 09 Jan 2009Posts: 76Location: Ravenna
Good point. The problem is he doesn't have a bike now.
Eric_s
Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 11:18 am
Joined: 07 Mar 2007Posts: 1691Location: the dirty south
one of my really fat co workers in seattle got a wal-mart cruiser bike. the thing weighed a ton, and he had to get one of those seats with no nose, but he rode the thing every day until he destroyed it, and then he got a more upright bike.
basically, just get him any bike he'll ride, 26" wheels a plus, and then once he's closer to being able to go the distance (like shane lees) he can get a bike which works better.
rigid steel 26" mtb has it's merits. easily adjustable, 26" wheels are easier to build stronger, and the bikes are usually overengineered for abuse.
If it's a disc model, it's also easy to swap to 700C wheels. If he has .83's taste in tires, a skinnier 29er wheel would be fine; it's also possible to build a 700C rim onto a MTB disc hub. It's even possible to switch to drop bars. The angles would always be a little bit slack, but whatever.
Come to think of it, if the high bottom bracket and shallow angles bothered him, swapping to a road or cyclocross disc fork would totally fix that.
If you go that route and need a road disc fork (with 1" steer tube) later, I have one.
I think high, flat bars might be a good place to start until your friend has less gut in the way of riding in more aggressive positions, and less weight to make those positions destroy his back. So a good one could be an excellent bike to grow (or shrink?) with him as his needs change.
_________________ If good cycling technique is poetry in motion, mine's a dirty limerick.
it never happenedJoined: 13 Mar 2008Posts: 1142Location: Wallenfjord
eric_s has it right
buy some cheapo piece of shit 26" wallmart bike and ride it until it dies or he can't stand it anymore
I started on a 7sp target cruiser (because I was living in the burbs and had really no fucking clue) and it got me strong fast. Cruisy bikes are easier to get used to while one is figuring out how to ride in traffic. Head-down road biking is uncomfortable and intimidating to the neophyte - hopping on one is more likely to scare him off. I feel like I'm pretty good at biking, but I still wipeout occasionally on my roadbike. As a neophyte on my cruiser I do not remember ever wiping out. A crash on a roadbike would really hurt a big fella. Plus el cheapo mtn/cruiser is unlikely to get stolen.
I moved to the city, rode my crappy bike to college until I realized there was something much better out there, bought a POS roadbike off (now absent) Ray, found out I was a lot faster than I thought. Got hooked bigtime on road biking.
Been upgrading bikes, learning how to work on them ever since.
When I decided to get rid of the original cruiser I GAVE it away on Craigslist.
There's moreathese than you can shake a stick at on CL and they're cheap.
By the time your buddy knows that he actually wants to ride he'll have lost enough weight or whatever that he'll be close enough to his eventual permanent size that he'll be able to fit a nice roadbike better
Seriously
If your buddy is a fatass he's used to feeling uncomfortable with his appearance, and riding a dorky bike wont be any new burden.
By the time he's fit enough to actually get any advantage out of a roadbike, he'll be that much stronger for it
If he decides he's too lazy to ride/not committed enough to lose the weight then he's out that much less.
dont even think about getting him into clipless pedals
fatasian
Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 7:23 pm
dick wang's fatherJoined: 26 Aug 2008Posts: 1707Location: devenshire
Eric_s wrote:
one of my really fat co workers in seattle got a wal-mart cruiser bike. the thing weighed a ton, and he had to get one of those seats with no nose, but he rode the thing every day until he destroyed it, and then he got a more upright bike.
basically, just get him any bike he'll ride, 26" wheels a plus, and then once he's closer to being able to go the distance (like shane lees) he can get a bike which works better.
+2
I started with a Wal-Mart Especiale > Giant Cypress SX > Bridgestone RB-1
Not one has cost more than $500.
Eric_s
Posted: Sun Feb 15, 2009 10:28 am
Joined: 07 Mar 2007Posts: 1691Location: the dirty south
I started out with a bottom end giant OCR3 I bought off a friend, yano with the adjustable stem. It worked pretty OK to start with, but then I was never over 250, and my commute was only 2 miles.
One of my road bikes is on loan to a friend who's at the beginning of a pretty similar process. She says she's having a ton more fun with it than with her previous bike, a Giant Cypress.
If your friend can get a hold of a decent quality flat bar road bike or hybrid, I could see those being good options. But cheap bikes aren't just heavier, they also break more, are less efficient, and I don't think they're usually as much fun to ride. Most of the brands only do flat-bar and hybrid bikes at the low end of their price range, with inferior frames and sometimes funky geometries. I think that if you want to get someone into cycling, they're more likely to enjoy it on a better bike. If your friend is having fun, he's a lot more likely to stick with it, I think. I worked my way through a couple of crappy bikes before my first good one too, but given your friend's budget, that seems unnecessary.
Does your friend want to get into cycling in an athletic way, or as a way to commute, etc? For me, at least, utility bikes are bikes that I can leave locked outside and it won't ruin my week to lose. In which case your friend's budget is way high. :) Unless he's rich.
EDIT: Specialized does a flat-bar road bike just over your friend's price that has carbon in the right bits to make up for being an aluminum bike.
Last edited by AndrewW on Sun Feb 15, 2009 11:38 am; edited 1 time in total _________________ If good cycling technique is poetry in motion, mine's a dirty limerick.
Joined: 31 Jul 2007Posts: 3092Location: Pos, aya, por la Corona-Alta-Madera y que no.
I would have to go with the mountain bike suggestion, maybe an old rigid Rockhopper. A sturdy old steel mountain bike with cantilevers and rigid fork can be slowly upgraded in components as a transition in to a Long Haul Trucker or Crosscheck. The wheels can stay as a non-upgrade option as they'll be taking on some wear.
You can jam on some tires like these. Nice smooth tires to prevent losing valuable energy. I picked up a 100psi rated version of those tires so you could make a semi road mountain bike with something similar.
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ragnar
Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 8:25 pm
Joined: 09 Jan 2009Posts: 76Location: Ravenna
Thanks for the advice. I'll pass it along.
joeball
Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 8:52 pm
Joined: 24 Jul 2005Posts: 6037Location: Ether
If your friend wants to read about another heavy rider he could check out this.
Dropped from 575 to 3 and change, and continues to drop. Started on a Trek 7.3 Hybrid, and then bought a Surly Long Haul Trucker. Bicycling changed his life. Actually, he's the reason I started bicycling, strangely enough.
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GingerMac
Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 9:14 am
Joined: 05 Dec 2008Posts: 167Location: Ravenna
Yeah, I gotta second all the arguments for starting out on a cheap bike and working his way up from there.
I started out with a Giant something or other. Really, my main concern was the squishyness of the seat. If he's that big, HIS ASS WILL HURT. Make sure the seat is comfy and that the bike functions well, so that it's fun to ride.
Also, a whole lot of mechanical problems on a really cheap bike will just be an obstacle. Craigslist is a great option, but make sure he gets something that's in good condition.
But seriously, it's a great idea. I started out on the cheesy commuter hybrid, rode it 12 miles a day to school in Chicago, and lost about 40 lbs without even thinking about it.
btm
Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 10:05 am
Joined: 02 Jul 2008Posts: 493Location: Rural Maine
GingerMac wrote:
I started out with a Giant something or other. Really, my main concern was the squishyness of the seat. If he's that big, HIS ASS WILL HURT. Make sure the seat is comfy and that the bike functions well, so that it's fun to ride.
Not everyone can just throw themselves into a new activity with complete disregard for personal discomfort - worrying too much about personal comfort is how people get fat in the first place. So becoming un-fat involves changing one's mindset. In which case, it is helpful to take small steps, rather than just throwing yourself into a world of pain and soreness.
Squishy "gell" seats are cheap ($30), and will decrease the possibility of the guy actually get sores on his ass.
A proper hard saddle is expensive ($100) and it won't be comfortable until he's built up some muscle tone in his ass.
Squishy "gell" seats are cheap ($30), and will decrease the possibility of the guy actually get sores on his ass.
A proper hard saddle is expensive ($100) and it won't be comfortable until he's built up some muscle tone in his ass.
I've never had a saddle give me sores. So to a certain extent, I'm talking out of my skinny, sore-less ass. However, the chamois in cycling shorts is there to prevent saddle sores. It's not a cushion. Cycling shorts also have a wonderful ability to fit under a pair of real pants, so nobody has to know you're wearing them.
There are also creams and things...
_________________ If good cycling technique is poetry in motion, mine's a dirty limerick.
Joined: 31 Jul 2007Posts: 3092Location: Pos, aya, por la Corona-Alta-Madera y que no.
Squishy saddles are annoying and rub against things because they're so big.
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langston
Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 11:42 am
Joined: 25 Jul 2005Posts: 5547Location: Columbia City
AndrewW wrote:
I've never had a saddle give me sores. There are also creams and things...
With thick muscular legs and a regular diet of 100+ mile weeks I have had my share of sores. There are few things more disgusting or painfull than ass-acne. I find ass-sores have less to do with saddle choice than bodilly cleanliness (exfoliation is key) and washing your kit often enough.
Also; SHANE LEES!
btm
Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 11:47 am
Joined: 02 Jul 2008Posts: 493Location: Rural Maine
GingerMac wrote:
worrying too much about personal comfort is how people get fat in the first place. So becoming un-fat involves changing one's mindset.
It's more of a matter of putting the fork down. Not ever having been a fatty, I'm 110% convinced the problem is getting off the couch in the first place, not "it will be personally uncomfortable if I do get off the couch". Much research has gone into this point of view.
GingerMac wrote:
Squishy "gell" seats are cheap ($30), and will decrease the possibility of the guy actually get sores on his ass.
Hype. People buy gel seats because they feel soft when they poke them and think "oh, this must be comfortable because it's soft!" Yet they're not soft after riding them for two minutes. Which is usually how long people who buy gel seats ride a bike anyways, so I suppose it works out.
ok, so when i started riding, i didn't know anything about bike shorts or shammy butter. I may have had a few traumatic experiences with an old garage-sale bike that had a spring-loaded saddle on it.
Either way, find the guy something he likes and get him riding!
joeball
Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 11:59 am
Joined: 24 Jul 2005Posts: 6037Location: Ether
We need more shammybuttr discusion. This picture made me wanna ralph.
jimmythefly
Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 7:40 pm
Joined: 10 Jan 2007Posts: 1491
I second the rigid MTB suggestion.
Go to the bike swap and help him pick out an old full-rigid 26" wheeled MTB. Tall stem/riser bars will go a long ways to comfort (less weight on the hands and less belly hanging down). The swap will have a bunch of bars, and probably a bunch of pavement-style 26" tires.
Wider tires might be key to helping avoid pinch flats, and will be more comfortable, too. An older steel "hybrid" style bike could be a good choice if the 700c wheels look to be in good shape. Often these bikes will also fit wider rubber, and can later be fit with drop bars/levers to become sort of a touring-ish style road bike.
Either should have nice low gears and a body position suited to starting cycling at a heavier weight.
.
pete jr
Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 8:13 pm
Joined: 13 Dec 2005Posts: 1930Location: balls deepx
joeball wrote:
We need more shammybuttr discusion. This picture made me wanna ralph.
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