Biking

lissac53

I have been searching everywhere online to find out if bikes have weight limits with no luck. I'm a beginner and on a tight budget so I'm looking at low end bikes. Can anyone help?. I thought biking would be a fun way to mix up my workouts. Thank you

dcshima

@lissac53 would HIGHLY suggest trying a play it again sports or craiglist to get a mid range used bike, it makes the world of difference. I have older 1990s Trek hybrid road / mountain bike that I rode last summer in our local paved parks at 280 lbs same height as you without any issues. I like the hybrid style because I can do some of the easier / medium mountain bike trails, but also do not need to mash like you would with a straight up mountain bike on paved hills. I built up endurance quickly and was doing 25 miles without any issues (learn how to use the gears!). If you have flat land you could also get a old school cruiser "fixie" (single gear), but you may need to steal it from a hipster. Looking forward to getting back out there and currently investigating getting used higher end road bike for hitting 80 lbs lost (currently 66 lbs down).

Friendly word of advise you cannot out run bad nutrition, I have lost most of my weight in the kitchen as they say measuring / weighing / planning / sticking to the plan my eating. I exercised some, but getting more hard core about strength training now that I have WAAAY more energy. As your food diary is private I may be preaching to the choir!

Friend me if you would like.

dollydiva2

My only advice would be to look for an aluminium frame as opposed to steel as they tend to be lighter and if you can get front fork suspension rather than fixed, it's a more comfortable ride.
I got my current mountain bike from ebay for a steal, I do also have a road bike but I prefer to ride the mountain bike as it's lighter and faster than my low end road bike.

ntnunk

Rider weight only becomes an issue at fairly extreme weights or if you're looking at higher-end carbon fiber road bikes and, even more critical, carbon fiber wheels. Given that you're on a tight budget, I'd guess that to not be relevant here.

What kind of riding would you be or would you like to do? Bike paths? Gravel roads? Regular roads? That will go a long way toward determining what type of bike you need. A hardtail mountain bike (front suspension, rigid rear) or what's known as a hybrid are usually good "general purpose" choices, by which I mean they'd perform reasonably well on most surfaces and situations.

I'd peruse Craig's List in your local area and also look at the local bike shops. Many of them have decent used bikes. For any potentials you find on Craig's List, don't be afraid to have the seller meet you at a bike shop and have the mechanic look the bike over before you buy. Also, if you have Performance Bike in your area they usually have decent hybrids for well below $500.

My last piece of advice is to avoid low-end Wal-mart/Target type bikes at all cost, especially if you're heavier. The components on those bikes are always sub-par and that's compounded by the fact that they are usually assembled by people that know nothing about building bikes. That can lead to catastrophic failures while you are riding. I've seen it happen more than once.

Good luck in your search!

lissac53

dcshima wrote: »

@lissac53 would HIGHLY suggest trying a play it again sports or craiglist to get a mid range used bike, it makes the world of difference. I have older 1990s Trek hybrid road / mountain bike that I rode last summer in our local paved parks at 280 lbs same height as you without any issues. I like the hybrid style because I can do some of the easier / medium mountain bike trails, but also do not need to mash like you would with a straight up mountain bike on paved hills. I built up endurance quickly and was doing 25 miles without any issues (learn how to use the gears!). If you have flat land you could also get a old school cruiser "fixie" (single gear), but you may need to steal it from a hipster. Looking forward to getting back out there and currently investigating getting used higher end road bike for hitting 80 lbs lost (currently 66 lbs down).

Friendly word of advise you cannot out run bad nutrition, I have lost most of my weight in the kitchen as they say measuring / weighing / planning / sticking to the plan my eating. I exercised some, but getting more hard core about strength training now that I have WAAAY more energy. As your food diary is private I may be preaching to the choir!

Friend me if you would like.

I have been searching craiglist for a while with no luck! The hardest thing is I am on a tight budget right now.

I did send you a short message and friend request.

lissac53

dollydiva2 wrote: »

My only advice would be to look for an aluminium frame as opposed to steel as they tend to be lighter and if you can get front fork suspension rather than fixed, it's a more comfortable ride.
I got my current mountain bike from ebay for a steal, I do also have a road bike but I prefer to ride the mountain bike as it's lighter and faster than my low end road bike.

I am leaning towards a mountain bike because most of the riding will be done and my local walking (paved) trail.