Can a Fat Lady Ride

[DirtDiva]

And now I'm about the same as Tlkiwi about 57kg and about 5'3".

Hey! We're the same height too!

[allabouteva]

Hey! We're the same height too!

And we're practically neighbours (on this side of the globe)!!!

[HipGnosis6]

I'm loving this thread, so supportive and encouraging!

Of course fat ladies can ride. A lot of us have given our statistics, I'll chime in. I weigh 245 lbs and stand 6' tall, and I am a lousy rider - but I do it anyways, because it's the first time exercise has been fun, ever. And I used to excercise a lot - I trained to box for two years. In that time, I ran 6-8 miles a day and spent an additional 2-3 hours a day in the gym, and every minute of it was torture. My lowest weight was 180.

I bought a bike with the intent of commuting to and from work, a 7 mile round trip. I got pretty good at it, even though coming home was mostly uphill. And then I went back to school, and my commute went from 7 miles round trip to nearly 60, and I don't get home until very late. I leave the bike at home for that, but I still try to ride a bit every weekend. It's a joy to do - and I've enjoyed it so much that I think my silly boyfriend might even join me!

[stella]

Wow, once again I need to say how supportive everyone on this forum is. I belong to the bicycling.com forum, and went over there for a few minutes today. (It's been ages since I lurked over there, ever since I found you guys!) I didn't realize how much testosterone is flowing over there. Everyone seems to be in perfect shape and aren't tolerant of anyone who isn't! I remember posting a couple of questions and was totally bashed. Now I've found my niche with TE, and can ask any question I want and I get a myriad of answers! OMG, I can't even imagine this topic over there. Thanks!

Now for the hard part. 5'4" 165 lbs. I managed to put on 20# in the last year, not sure how, but I refuse to buy larger clothes, so I'm in impossibly tight 12s. My 10s are just glaring at me when I open the closet. I'm in good shape, I dance, teach dance and ride my bike, but that's the story of my life. I'm in better shape than my friends, but I'm also heavier. I have this one teeny tiny friend I work with, she couldn't even get through 10 minutes of a FIRM workout. Where is the justice? Oh, and she drinks regular soda and eats candy. sigh. I don't ever remember drinking a regular soda...

Well, I'm just glad to have found this forum, as bike riding is somewhat foreign in my small town. It's great to kick around stuff with others going through the same thing!

hey, we are built about the same! I am 5'3 and 155lbs! I put on 20lbs in the past 2 years of school and am now trying to just get in shape. If I lose the weight, bonus! I just want energy again.

I second your impressions about bikeforum.com. There is a lot of postering going on over there. the women's forum in there is good, but--overall...I like how this forum is supportive across the board.

I also wanted to let the woman know who started this thread: keep it up! cycling is fun and we are all shapes and sizes! I am so glad to hear that you want to do something healthy for yourself! You are an inspiration to me!

[bentforlife]

You are starting down the best road to better health and a longer life.

As someone who is an insulin dependent diabetic and a registered nurse, I applaud you!! I lost about 90 pounds several years back but still need to drop about 30 pounds. I've recently had knee surgery and have the bike on a trainer but hope to get it on the road soon. My orthopedist, who is also a good friend, has restricted me to 3 miles walking, 3 days a week. This is due to the placement of the meniscus damage. He and my daughters and husband have been my biggest encouragers to get on the bike and ride. I ride a Rans Stratus recumbent. At 5'7" and 176lbs, I get some funny stares on the road. Before the surgery, I was riding and passed this one guy on an upright that was all decked out in team jerseys, expensive bike, etc. About 5 minutes later he's passing me, huffing and puffing, determined not to let this fat old woman pass him again. I think my laughter shamed him into pushing too hard. Another 10 minutes and he's by the side of the road, still huffing and puffing, as I wave and go my merry way. It really felt good.

Keep on biking. You are doing a great thing for yourself and your family will eventually see it.

Donna

[kiwi in oz]

Okay, I have a question then... I am about 90kg (about 195 pounds I believe?). I am new to this and have been riding a mountain bike for about 3 months. I've dropped a dress size and am riding about 120km (74 miles - go the conversion website I found!!) a week and loving it. A friend and I have set ourselves a goal of riding a 180km race togather in November - 1/2 each. She has just bought herself a road bike and is off racing around her town, whereas I am petrified of going into a bike shop and asking for a road bike. I promised her I would do it this morning - but here I am on my computer - just too scared in case they laugh at me or tell me to lose more weight first etc.

So, are heavier people riding road bikes? Can I? Every shop here seems to be staffed by skinny men - and I can't believe I've let it scare me this much! So I am counting on you guys to sort me out here before I put myself through the trauma of the lbs - and be honest!

Thanks wonderful women,

x

[Duck on Wheels]

So, are heavier people riding road bikes? Can I? Every shop here seems to be staffed by skinny men - and I can't believe I've let it scare me this much! So I am counting on you guys to sort me out here before I put myself through the trauma of the lbs - and be honest!x

I weigh 87k and my sister was shocked to see that I did NOT get a road bike for my year here! My sister, some ks less but also 8" shorter, not only has a road bike, she has a custom built beeeauty of a bike! I think there are pictures of her and a whole bunch of other TE gals, in many shapes and sizes, posted in the California section of the forum. Just look for ride reports with pictures. For instance here: http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...?t=6348&page=2
and on the next page of that thread.
These gals, skinny and round alike, all ride road bikes ... AND get respect from their local bike shops! If you see anybody smirking, then walk out'a there and find a bike shop prepared to take you seriously. My guess is that you're not going to see any smirks in the first place. Although the quality of service varies from shop to shop (some just don't seem to be knowledgeable about fitting a bike), I have always been treated with respect and taken seriously as a biker.

[latelatebloomer]

Dear Kiwi in Oz,

Yesyesyesyesyes!

signed, BWOARB*

*another big woman on a road bike

[kiwi in oz]

Yes! I freakin' did it!

Just after I finished the earlier post, my partner called from his work and asked if I had been to the bike shop yet. He pushed me to go right there and then - so I did. I walked in all flustered and perspiring, and stuttered my way to explaining that I wanted a road bike. And the guy serving me said ''cool''. No drama, nothing. So, a couple of hours later I have returned home with my first ever road bike - a pale lavendar Sarah Ulmer bike, and I can't wait to get my new shoes on and start riding. I am soo, soo excited - and I think even writing down my fears and panic in this forum helped so much.

I ended up leaving the bike shop laughing - apparently no staff member had ever had anyone in a state of panic like me before, and they all ended up getting involved in my purchase in one way or another. Yay!

happy cycling!

Anna

[Duck on Wheels]

YAYYYY! Way to go Kiwi! And way to go bike shop! Now we're all waiting for ride reports and bike pictures.

[bikerz]

Hey Anna - that's excellent! I can totally relate to your panic - that's exactly how I felt when I went to get my bike. And the big deal was all in my head!

Happy trails! (Oh, and 120 km/week - wow, that's a lot of cycling on a mountain bike - just wait ' til you get some time on those new skinny tires of yours!)

[DirtDiva]

I'm guessing it's this one. Enjoy the new wheels.

[kiwi in oz]

I'm guessing it's this one. Enjoy the new wheels.

:-) Yep, that's the one. Have been for two baby rides so far today - no pedal dramas, so I'm happy. Now I have to start preparing for Taupo. Yay home :-)

[donnambr]

Well, I think this is as good a place as any to introduce myself. Being 5' 8" and I think about 195 lbs, I can relate to a lot of these stories. I've just returned to cycling after about a 7 year hiatus. I can't quite figure out why I stopped. I moved to Oregon from the flat Midwest and I remember hating the hills. I hated riding in urban traffic. I hated having to take extra care of a derailler. I began to avoid my bike. So then last year I had this health problem that forced me to have to take high doses of prednisone for 4 months and I gained 40 lbs and developed lots of icky corticosteriod side effects. I think it finally got out of my system completely because that's when I started losing weight. I lost enough to be able to ride an aluminum frame and so I bought a Breezer 8 speed a month ago.

How is riding now? The hub gear makes me willing to deal with the frequent stops & starts of my urban commute and there is very little maintenance to be done for it. I'm taking hills one yard at a time. Sometimes I have to get off the bike and walk it. That's ok. While I am very knowledgable of the rules of the road and follow them, I manage to annoy most of the inner-Eastside Portland bike hipsters because I'm slow and that just ruins their lives. Tough. They annoy me when the pass me on the right without warning, never think to signal turns, and don't even slow down for a stop sign or red light.

Every day my 3.5 mi commute to work becomes easier and takes less time. My muscles seem to remember cycling and are shaping up fairly quickly, considering 7 years of neglect. I've lost 5 lbs in the last month I've been riding. I have tons of energy. Now if only the rain holds off for the Pretty Dress Ride tomorrow, I'll be truly content.

[mmelindas]

Hi Bamabike girl! I am just like you only heavier (300 lbs or a little lighter) and a real beginner in biking! See my blog:

http://losing-half-of-myself.blogspot.com/

Yes you can do it and don't let anybody stop you from biking, no matter how much they try. It will save your life. I am on my journey, temporarily sidelined but I am going to keep on going.

YOU GO GIRL, keep on riding!!