Obese Rider, need help!

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ivorygorgon: It looks like the Globe has only three gears and uses grip shifters and 1 should be the lowest gear.

sophiejo: In addition to the sizing that others have mention, I had two additional thoughts.

First, is the geometry of the bike. In addition to fitness, the geometry matters a lot. Some bikes, like cruisers, are almost designed to go slow. The Globe Carmel is compared in some fora to the Electra Townie, with more a cruiser geometry. Is your husband's bike also a Globe or does he have a different bike altogether?

My second thought was about the fact the the Globe Carmel has front suspension and a seat post with suspension. Those may simply have too much give for you and, therefore, the energy you try to put on the pedals gets dissipated by bouncing on the bike. I think you can make the suspension in the front tighter, with less give or none. In the same line of thought, if you use mountain bike shoes, you might be more comfortable. Bike shoes have a stiff sole, allowing more efficient pedaling.

Welcome to the sisterhood of cycling.

Here is the link to the Globe Carmel 4 specs, for those who have not seen/found it: http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/...jsp?spid=45662