Bike for a larger person

[teigyr]

I have a friend who has battled with depression and weight gain for a long time. He loses weight then gets depressed and gains it back. For the longest time I've promoted the virtues of exercise; it would help with the weight loss AND I think it would make him feel better. He has some self-esteem problems. When we've gone for a walk, he gets winded really easily because he has never really exercised.

DH and I have offered to go riding with him or go hiking or whatever it takes. My friend thought all our activity was so great but not for him.

So today he e-mails me and at the end, asked me if they made bikes for larger people. Wow! After how many years this is such a good thing!

So, do they? He's taller than me and I am 5'11". I don't know his weight but his waist (jeans tag) say 46. I think. I try not to pry that way but saw it once. He is larger, he has trouble sitting in small chairs and stuff.

Does anyone have any experience with this? I've seen larger riders on bikes...I know he feels nervous and thinks the tires should be huge to support his weight. So maybe mtn bike? Any recommendations? I think budget would be a consideration too.

Thank you all I'm just really excited for him! He lives RIGHT on a bike trail and this would get him out of the house and do all sorts of great things. I bet he'd make new friends too! He needs positive people around him, people who could get him enthused about this stuff. Besides me, that is.

[divingbiker]

He might want to check out the Clydesdales forum at bikeforums.net. From the little bit of reading I've done there, they seem like a friendly, supportive bunch (not like some other parts of BF) and there are lots of threads about bikes that work for bigger folks, wheels that are strong enough, saddles, etc.

[lauraelmore1033]

He might want to check out the Clydesdales forum at bikeforums.net. From the little bit of reading I've done there, they seem like a friendly, supportive bunch (not like some other parts of BF) and there are lots of threads about bikes that work for bigger folks, wheels that are strong enough, saddles, etc.

What a great link! Thanks for posting that.

[Kris]

He might like the book Heft on Wheels.

[Tuckervill]

My husband is 6'7" and weighs 280 (but has been as high as 305). He wears 44-46" pants depending on the brand. He has a 19" Raliegh Mojave 2.0 with a longer stem and seat post. He also has a 27" Miyata road bike from the '80s that has an extra long seat post, too. (They're measured differently, of course, since they're different types of bikes.)

The Raleigh is really too small for him, but the Miyata fits him nicely. Prior to the other day, he hadn't had any trouble with his spokes. BUuuut, he took the Raleigh to the beach in October and rode along the bike path. When he got home he never cleaned it up--when he finally took a look the poor thing was rusted over from the salt! So, we cleaned it up and lubed it up...but the spokes were weakened and 3 of them popped at once the other day. The spokes did not look rusty to me, even after they popped, but the salt in combo with the weight can be the only explanation. (My hubby is not as in to cycling as I am, as you can tell.)

Your friend is probably not over 6'4". A person who is that tall would be able to ride the largest bike in almost any line. You should tell him that he's lucky because men can drop weight like mad when they take up cycling--unlike we women who have to work at it. lol.

I second the recommendation for the clydesdales forum. They are a nice bunch of folks.

Karen

[teigyr]

Thank you

I will check out the Clydesdale forum today. He is SO out of his element that I'm not even sure he'd know what to ask. I think it's difficult to come out and say to the public (well, the forum) the things that he says to me, also. He had this preconceived notion of cycling that I think is busted now, which is good.

This is such a great step and yes, he will/would lose weight fast. Honestly last time we walked it was less than a mile and he had to stop to rest.

Thank you for all the great ideas!

[lauraelmore1033]

I was pretty durn close to 300 pounds when I started riding on my GI Joe's diamondback hybrid bike. It was good for about 300 miles before I started breaking spokes and I replaced the rear wheel with a bontrager mountain bike racing wheel ($80-100). I've put in 1300 miles on it (and also switched to a road bike as I've gotten smaller) and it has served my purposes quite well. Your friend might weigh more than that since he is taller than me, but if he's in the neighborhood of 300-350 pounds, I'd say any hybrid bike with a sturdy rear wheel should do the trick for him as a start. Even if he's heavier than that, I'd say there are still plenty of options. Seattle Bike and Ski (just off the B.G. trail near Bothell landing) is the shop that set me up with my trusty rear wheel, and they didn't seem to think it unreasonable that a person my size would be on a bike. Maybe a starting point for info?

also, I ride with a supportive group of people who often have rides on the B.G/Samm (among other places) and we would love to have him join us.http://www.bikesclub.org/ If he looks under Ride Changes, ride leader Bill Lutterloh has a ride coming up this next monday.