I am looking for a bicycle which is built (or capable of) to take the weight of an obese person looking to take up low (joint) impact exercise to facilitate weight loss and increase general fitness levels.
My main concern/fear is that there is no pnuematic tyre which will not look flat, or immediately explode once I sit on the bike lol.
Any manufacturer recommendations you could make who may build such a suitable bike would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks very much for any advice and/or info you may be able to provide.
caligula, I hope i've not osted a reply twice , my connection went down when sending before.
All I had said was that we would need to know you're weight and height before anybody could recommend something specific. There are tyres and wheels that can withstand pretty substantial forces quite comfortably (a tandem wheel takes the weight of two adults with their luggage).
One thing is for certain, cycling would be one of the very best and most enjoyable ways to get fit.
Thankyou very much for the reply and encouragement r.e. bike riding being one of the best exercises.
I am 6' and weigh around 28 stone.
I have looked all over the web and have found a couple of other people (one weighing 350 lb and one weighing 430 lb) who have both taken up bike riding, unfortunately they do not state which bike they purchased, how well it has stood up to their weight, if the tyres are flat as soon as they sit on it or whether they had to remortgage their house to afford said bikes.
I would be looking to spend preferably around £200, although I understand that a better built bike may cost more and therefore I think I can just about strecth to £400 plus £50 or so for the lights and helmet etc?
anyway thanks for replying and I hope the above details can shed some light on the situation to enable a suitable bike to be recommended, if at all possible.
There is an extra fat tyre on sale now that looks rather good. Tyre doc may know which it is. It is used on beach cycling machines to get across sand and things and it might be good for you. Trouble is then you might need a heavier bike.
Presumably you are trying to shed a bit of strength in favour of more stamina, which you lack. Uncalled for personal comments apart, a normal wheel/tyre should be ok for you, shouldn't it?
Perhaps mountain bike on the road WOULD be a good idea for YOU as they are built to withstand a great deal of heavy use..
Everybody condemns such use but it may be right for you until you have lost 8-9 stone of the unwanted meat..
Well done Caligula for making such a decision - you will NOT regret it I promise you. I'm 52 and have been back in the saddle since July. I took the decision for two reasons 1. I wanted to get back ino cycling basically for my own pleasure and enjoyment.
2. I bought my 22 yr old daughter a bike in the hope she would join me occasionally and lose a little weight ( she needs to lose around 2 stones ) She used to come to the gym with me but lost interest and stopped going.
She has taken to cycling like a duck to water and really enjoys it. We ride around ten miles every evening after work and on days off and at weekends we now manage some respectable ( for her ) distances of 30 -40 miles I can't give you any specific advice as to choice of machine I.E. would you intend to do any 'off road' riding ? or just general road riding ? The type of cycling you willdo most of will dictate your choice really
Gar and Roadrunner have each given you some excellent pointers to bear in mind. Anyway, I wish you every sucess and STICK AT IT !!! All the best
Thankyou so much for all the replies, advice and encouragement, it was a nice surprise as I was half expecting a stream of derogatory personal insults, as is the lot of the overweight in our society.
I went to a local bike shop today and bought a bike under advice from the owner (although he seemed a little unhelpful) anyway due to embarassment etc etc once I had taken the plunge and entered the shop I had to leave with a bike lol.
I bought the GT avalanche 3.0, he said it should be fine and that I should have no worries regarding the frame strength as all bikes have good solid frames nowadays (I will just be riding on the road, at least initially until I have lost some weight and gained some confidence that the bike wont disintegrate as soon as it sees a pebble lol)
I mentioned the trek bruiser1 to him (saw on internet last night and billed as being able to stand upto anything) and he said the tyres are a little wider and therefore may have spread the load, as it where, a little better, but £400 would be too much at this moment just before christmas.
Although its a bit of a false economy, I reckon its better to stand a £200 bike getting damaged while I get into the swing of things and maybe then upgrade to a better bike later on?
anyway, to repeat, thanks for the advice and encouragement, I will be coming back on this board as it is a nice friendly place, cheers.
I'm going for a ride tonight, (less people about to stare, point and take the micturate as they see me riding along lol)
I would agree with the MTB route with heavier duty tyres to start with. I work with a bloke who is 25st and bought a secondhand carrera Fury for £200. The seller really needed a downhill bike so he got it with 2.3" tyres and it holds his weight more than ok- think of the loads this is over-engineered for while someone hammers it cross country and you should feel safe on it! Well done on the first step- the hardest part of any journey, and good luck. P.S.- my colleague unfortunately has no willpower( or even desire to get fit and shed some of his weight...), and it is basically used for his 1/4mile each way commute....(he has 2 dughters under 3) Aged 31, smokes 40 a day, plus occasional binge drinking plus dope and recreational drugs- Still thinks he is 17 and indestructable (doesn't matter what constructive criticism and encouragement to get out and use it the rest of us give- None of us know what's round the corner but he is fooling himself and we think he does know it..)
Caligula - Don't keep is all in suspenders! how did you get on?
I think I speak for everybody when I say that you shouldn't go mad or have high expectations right at the start.
You will see people bombing along on bikes but it's not until you actually try it that you realise how much effort it actually takes even to mainatin say 12mph but the main point is that it's worth it.
You'll be amazed how much it changes your outlook on life (and your waist size) if you stick with it and it'll raise your self esteem quite a bit too. I certainly wouldn't worry about anybody laughing at you. They laugh at all of us cyclists but we tend to get the last laugh. Cycling is categorically proven to increase life expectancy by a significant degree and at £200 you've probably just made the best investment you will ever make.
