Am i to big for a bike?

chetrogers

I weigh 350 pounds and was wanting to get a bike to ride on pavement.I would not jump it or do anything crazy with it.Can anyone suggest a bike ..If any.thanks for your time

Martystan

There really shouldn't be any limit as to weight, size, height or whatever because we're all different and we all need different set ups with our bikes. Depending on how tall you are (you didn't mention your height) I would recommend a mountain bike that has good quality componentry, the correct frame size (ask your bike shop assistant), and away you go.


Enjoy your recreational riding.

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Marty

ireman_1

Hey there chet. I am 6'3" and at 270lbs currently (been as heavy as 310 when I moved here and didn't hardly ride for two years). If it's something to ride around town then try to find the best frame and crankset you can afford. Try to get a bike with LX cranks (at least) XT preferably or some bikes have decent truvativ cranks. You really want ISIS or shimano's octalink bottom brackets, for strength. Don't worry about rear suspension right now. A good seat should be fine for you currently. Suspension forks are going to have tons of sag at your current weight (been there man, trust me it ain't pretty). Try to get decent wheels. Sun/Ringle' Rhino lite are great wheels for us clydesdales and they are cheap. Almost all of the name brand frames you look at will be capable of handling what you are looking for, the components may not be, but the frame will. Look at Giants, Kona, Iron Horse, Haro. Those all make inexpensive bikes worthy of an upgrade or two down the line if you choose to or need to. There are certainly more expensive choices, but they may not be what you want right now. You can educate yourself about the basics of them at the companies websites and go to a LBS armed with plenty of questions and ideas. If you need more info don't hesitate to PM me. Take care.

K.

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Disciples Of Dirt

troyq

The above posts are all good suggestions...

You dont mention how much you are willing to spend but I would suggest getting a set of wheels (for a mtb?) made up with good quality rims (like sun rhynos mentioned above) as the build quality of wheels on a new (factory) bike is generally less than average. Tell us your budget and we can suggest something affordable...

Troy.

chetrogers

I wish it could be under 500 dollars for a complete bike...

jtfleming

My children all have Raleigh M40 coming in at around 350...front suspension but not rear, and pretty well made. I have actually enjoyed riding them around the neighborhood to try them out myself, as the gearing is pretty comfortable. The M60 is the next stage up, and I think it comes in between 500-600 but I am not sure on that. A friend of mine puts thousands of miles on his M60 and really loves it. The gearing will be "out of shape friendly" too.

Gazoo

I'd also suggest swapping out the knobbies and going to a higher pressure smooth, road style tire on your MTB. The knobbies that will probably come stock have a much higher rolling resistance you just don't need on pavement.

have fun shopping and riding good luck!!!

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DaSquirm

Well, I have a question of a similar nature. I have a Murray Mountain Bike. Ya know, a simple bike you can get from Wal-Mart. I don't remember what I weighed last time I was able to safely ride it, but it was during my high school years. I currently weigh 265lbs. I am 5' 7". I had gotten up to 316lbs, but I've been working hard to lose weight and now I want to supplement it with bike riding. I just don't know how much more I need to drop before I can use it to help with my weight loss.

chetrogers

I wrote huffy about there bikes and they sent me something back saying they dont recomend anyone over 220 riding there bikes..IM sure the murry would be close to the same

rek

Wheels are what take the brunt of the force when heaver riders cycle. If you ask the people at the bike store to supply a strong rim laced with 36 spokes (instead of the somewhat-standard 32), you'll find them more durable, and less likely to get out of true.

As Troy mentioned before, the quality of the wheel build itself is just as significant as the quality of the bits used to make them.

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Peter
Cannondale Synapse Carbon Scalpel Cyclocross Ultra

vlad

Maybe a Worksman Industrial bike?.

http://www.cyclingforums.com/t39840.html

DaSquirm

Here's a little update. When I posted this message a couple months ago, I was 265. I'm now down to 227lbs. I think I'm small enough to ride that Murrey now huh?

bone

DaSquirm, . Congratulations, keep it up!
Bone

Jaguar27

That's fantastic!!

Now I know nothing about Mountain Bikes, and not much about any other kinda bike, but I'll tell you this...

I'm an ex-Soccer Player, I'm 47 now, and injured my Back in back in '91, so I had to quit soccer, in fact, when I injured my Back I couldn't even walk!!

I started riding about 6 months ago with some Friends, we went for fun along the Beach Road...12 miles at first...I borrowed a Bike...

Then, I bought a cheap Diamondback Bike...as I got fitter I rode further, pushing it harder and harder...then I broke the Crank Bearing, replaced it...then bought a nice Road Bike...

But the Point is this, I believe it's better to buy ANY cheap Bike as soon as possible and just RIDE!!!

If something breaks, replace it!! Just get out and Ride...

Since new years Day (Just under a week) I've ridden 126 miles on my Road Bike...

My Diamondback is collecting dust....but the $250 I spent, plus the $125 to replace the bottom bracket and a tune-up at my LBS has totally changed my life...I'm less stressed out, I feel MUCH better in every way....and thanks to this Board and talking to experienced Riders I've learned quite a bit about which Bike is for ME!! I've since then splashed out on a felt Road Bike and all the gear...and I absolutely love riding...

The thing to do is just buy a Bike that feels right, a Helmet, and off you go...

If it breaks, so what?? I'm sure Riding will transform your life as it has mine...

If you live in SoCal you can borrow my Diamondback for as long as you like, as long as you ride it....