too fat to bicycle? 300 lbs?!

[tctrek]

Calico and Woo - Welcome to TE! Hang in there and don't give up. And whatever you do, make sure it is fun! If you make it too much like work, it makes it easier to give up. So most of all enjoy yourself and your freedom on your bike!

[Biciclista]

Calico and Woo, welcome to TE

Woo, you have discovered the secret. JUST KEEP GOING.
and if you look for used bikes, you can get more bang for the bucks so to speak. Where are you? (stone??!)

[kitten]

I only started riding last year again, and I feel like I've regained my wings. Please stick with it. As you tone the pain will fade, and you'll find what works best for you. Funny story, (well maybe not), on one of my first rides out I was passed by a car with a bunch of teenagers and one of the girls yelled out,"wheres the seat"? I immediately put the mothers curse on her of course, and almost gave up on riding. I didn't though, because that feeling of freedom was more important than the opinion of some kid who will now go on to have a kid just like herself (ha!) Pain comes in all forms, it's just a matter of getting over, around, or through it. Obviously, your on the right path. BTW, I'm 230 from a high of 260. There's lots of us out there.

[derailed]

I respect your fortitude, and welcome back to the road!

My partner is a Clydesdale ( larger fellow ) for whom I needed to get a bicycle. I chose a Giant Rincon ( brand ) and swapped out the flat bar for BMX bars. We are still working on getting a seat which suits him, but the BMX bars being rather tall helped him quite a bit.
I chose this particular Giant because
low top bar - easy to straddle
sturdy frame
durable wheels
common sizes for components
"gripshift", which I consider to be a great way to learn gearing and shifting for the concerned novice
very forgiving gearing
No shocks or difficult-to-maintain parts
It happened to be inexpensive ( used ), but once I saw it I knew that that was the model/type I preferred for him.

There is always hope, and there will always be 100 people who admire and respect you for getting out and riding for every idiot with a mouth.
I wish you every joy on the road, and look forward to hearing about your new bike, your rides, and your experiences.

[nancielle]

Welcome to both calico & woo.

Doing a quick google search provided this info
http://www.supersizedcycles.com/bicycle_home

They're located in Vermont. Perhaps some possibilities there?

[zeWoo]

Thanks everybody... I'm still here, reading and when I settle on my first big bike purchase, (ya know something without a banana seat and painted in a sunshine theme.. that was my favorite)... hopefully in the next couple of weeks I'll make a decision, I'll check back in. I check Craigslist everyday, but I honestly don't know what I'm doing and I am one to be easily fleeced and Craigslist bikeland looks like a fleecers playground.

I actually have checked out the supersized bikes site... I think it's a great idea and resource, but you also pay for the reinforced everything, as you should-- I'm hoping that I'm not that deep into the woods, and there is something in regular inventories that will work for me-- I've actually been on the plus side of 300 and have lost 60+ lbs, from my top weight and supersizedbikes would have been my only solution a few years back... really, just cut out all soda and juices and it just fell off, that was five years ago... so now I'm ready to complete the task -- I'm going to see what there is around here, what the LBS has to say -- and if I can't be helped there, then I'll have to go with another strategy...


Thanks... I'm watching and reading everyday...

Ciao for now...

[sundial]

zeWoo, you might want to consider a cyclocross bike with 36 spoke rims. Cross bikes are pretty versatile and durable and lighter than mountain bikes.