Bike for a larger person

[rivergrl]

I bought a Sedona but the Cypress (the model names may be different now) but the Cypress has thinner tires so it rides a bit more like a road bike, you can get a little more speed up on the Cypress but the Sedona I have is great. I still ride my Sedona when I ride with someone who doesn't have a road bike. It's just a great riding bike and comfortable for long Saturday rides.

[rivergrl]

Here is the link to the bikes on the Giant web site.
http://www.giant-bicycle.com/en-US/bikes/lifestyle/

I highly recommend the Cypress or the Sedona for your friend. My LBS was fantastic and they deal with just about every brand and they recommended the Giant for getting into the biking thing. The LBS recommended I start with this type bike because they are easy on the knees and are easy to ride. I started with this bike and I was hooked. I rode it for a year before buying a Giant road bike. I couldn't bear to part with the Sedona so I kept it and I ride it more casually. I also bought a trainer and put the Sedona on there. It works great for rainy days!

Good bikes aren't cheap but if you really want to stick with something like cycling then spend the money to get a good bike. It will last longer and be easier to ride. In the end it will be well worth the money.

[East Hill]

teigyr, have you talked to your friend yet? Have him look at this link:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=320748

I know we can tell your friend all day about the benefits of riding a bike, but this is a great story. We can't all hope to achieve this, but we can all aim for that same goal--to help ourselves get more fit, and to help beat diabetes.

East Hill

[Trek420]

Kona has a line of bikes for the larger rider:

http://www.konaworld.com/bikes/2k7/H...UXE/index.html

Good luck to your friend

[teigyr]

Thank you. I love the link with the cyclist and I will definitely share that with him. It's difficult because I've always been active so it's easy to say "oh, you just get on a bike" but for someone who's never exercised, it's not so easy as that. I mean it IS easy but mentally it can be challenging.

Thanks for the info on Kona too! Between the Kona and the Giant, maybe he can find something. He is an artist so sometimes funds are low but I bet maybe we can look for something used.

[pooks]

Also, you might want to do a little scouting ahead of time and talk to some shops and see which ones might be most able to help a large rider. If you do a little groundwork it may save him some stress when he actually gets ready to look.

[KnottedYet]

I was at my LBS this morning and talked to one of the shop guys about bikes for a larger rider. (it wasn't one of my favorite shop guys, but that's ok)

He thought the Kona Smoke would probably be a good bike to start with. Steel frame that can take a lot and flex when needed, no suspension to waste energy or bottom-out, large smooth tires, sturdy wheels. Oh, and it comes with fenders which is nice to have around here. $350. Right now they have only one, a size 22 inch, and it's not built up yet. But they can help figure out size and order/hold one for your friend. http://www.konaworld.com/bikes/2k7/SMOKE/index.html

They've been selling bikes at a phenomenal rate with the good weather, so it can be tough to get what you want immediately.

Oh, and they had a 50 cm Surly Cross Check out on the floor... purty!

www.recycledcycles.com