Too Fat to Ride??? (Gear shifting problem)

[pardes]

In answer to your question, of course you are not too fat to ride! Your spunk shows that to be true that you ARE JUST RIGHT to ride and as you ride you'll get righter and righter.

I dropped 25 pounds in about six weeks when I started riding this past summer. And believe me, I didn't go many miles (I couldn't) and I didn't do hills (I couldn't). I just pedaled for the sheer joy of it at the speed that felt good and when you become happier and more content and stop worrying about things, the weight falls off. Of course it didn't hurt that the temperatures were very high and I sweat buckets and buckets from unfamiliar exertion.

So hang in there and love that belly. It's part of you so it's about loving YOU. I loved my belly but I'm glad to see that it went somewhere else and doesn't live here any longer. Hey, wait a minute.....did my belly move into your house?

[fastdogs]

of course you're not too fat to ride a bike. I started out riding on a folding bike with 20" wheels. I always imagined I looked sort of like one of those circus bears on a tiny bike.
I still rode, and kinda learned to to not worry about how I must look riding my bike, I was just having too much fun.
I would probably have a problem with shifters in that position. I have a handlebar bag that faces toward me- it's small, only big enough for a cell phone and a can of pepper spray. I still hit that thing getting on and off. Maybe the bike shop could move the shifters?
vickie

[Aggie_Ama]

Given the wide variety of shapes and sizes I see on bikes I would say no your body should not keep you from riding. I think re-routing to bar end shifters might help and might not be too expensive of a change. I would discuss it with your LBS.

[emily_in_nc]

And there are always recumbent bicycles if you're really uncomfortable and can't find a good position on an upright.

But no, you're certainly not too big to ride! Good for you for getting out there - stick with it!

[redrhodie]

I agree with Mimi. It's an issue with your bike, not your body. You will be more motivated to ride if you're comfortable, and bikes have come a long way since the 1980s. I think you should go to your lbs and look at bikes. It will be easy to find one where the shifters don't hit your belly. I know buying a new bike is expensive, but you should be comfortable. You won't want to ride if your bike is giving you bruises! That's not good!

If a new bike is out of the question, look into having the shifters moved. Still, I think you should test ride some other bikes, just to see what has happened since the 1980s.

[lauraelmore1033]

If they make a bike that can hold a 500 pound rider, I'd say it is not really possible to be too fat to ride.
I'm a similar size and stature and my belly also knocks my bento box askew. I don't think I'd want to deal with shifters on the tube rather than the handlebars, though. You are totally worth a new (or new to you)bike that is better suited to your body!

[RoadRaven]

... you ARE JUST RIGHT to ride and as you ride you'll get righter and righter.

This has got to be one of the absolute best things I have read for a long long time
Well said, Pardes
Wish I'd written it for Planet...

[AutumnBreez]

I agree with the others, really, one is never too big to ride a bike. You always have the option of looking at used bikes, often they are not really all that used, people get things with intention to ride or they buy a bike to find they want a different one than the one they just bought. Craigslist may be an option. If you go check out a bike shop and they help you recognize the right bike and size, and if you can't afford their price, go to craigs list with the brand and model and do a search on Craigslist. You may find a real gem just waiting for you. Meanwhile keep riding while you look for that bike. Your height is not going to change, but your body will! That new bike will be a great motivator, while you look and once you get it. Take care.

[Zen]

keep it and have the shop switch out the shifters to bar-end shifters

[OakLeaf]

The way I understood her post, she has bar-end shifters.

With an older bike, brifters might not be available for a 6-7 speed cassette not sure - the whole brifter thing happened when I was on hiatus .

And as someone else has pointed out, leaning all the way to reach down tube shifters might be an issue, too.

Maybe flat bars and grip shifters would be the simplest option.

[xeney]

I read it as stem shifters, like this:



Are those the kind of shifters you have? Bikes don't come with those anymore, so any new bike would solve your problem, and your bike could be altered to move those. Bar ends are a good idea.

[PscyclePath]

Your derailleurs won't actually shift gears unless the drive train is in motion... e.g., unless you're actually pedaling along. Since it sounds like you have friction shifters, just put the levers back where they used to be, and take off again. Everything will work out fine.

Several mentioned bar-end shifters. I didn't think I'd like these, but after riding with them for a couple of months, I love 'em. You get the same utility of friction shifters with an indexed feel, and you can always reset them to work on friction if something goes wrong out on the road somewhere.

And, there's no such thing as being too big too ride, if you get a bike with the appropraite frame size, saddle height, and reach measurements. So go ride, and with a little time and diligence, the rider will shrink.

One of the strongest riders I know will certainly fool ya... She's a big gal, but when she throws down the hammer, you have to hang on with teeth, toenails, and everything else to keep up with her. So don't be dismayed or fooled by body dimensions. It's the engine inside that really counts.