Bike recommendations for big guy

nasr25

Hello I want to start biking i was gonna originally wait until i was a bit light but i really want to start getting in some exercise and walking is awesome but i want something that would provide more calorie burn. I am 270 lbs and would like a bike that i can ride in the city i doubt i would do much off road since there aren't many options close by. I would like to mention that i do have experience riding bikes when i was much lighter. I am on a budget so anything affordable would be nice. I know its a lot to ask and still want it affordable but whatever you guys can think of would be greatly appreciated.

yirara

Hmm.. I would go to a really good bike shop and get advice there. Most bikes are only approved to 110kg, partially to 130, that's including clothes, shoes, and other things you carry with you. Thus you would likely be too heavy. Whatever you chose, I would certainly get a bike without any shock absorbers on fork and saddle as those are really not build for your weight and will likely die first, especially if you're not looking for a more expensive bike. See it this way, a shock absorber that does what it's supposed to do cost at least 350 Euro. If you buy a bike for 500 euro then you can't expect good parts.

nasr25

i do have a bike shop near be but unfortunately they are closed for the foreseeable future.

Onedaywriter

I like the bike shop idea if you can afford a local shop’s recommendation. I bought a road bike at 275 lbs that was “rated” for 225. The shop owner swapped out the tires for something more heavy duty- said I’d get tons of flats with ordinary tires.
I had no problems whatsoever and I love the bike.

For city riding at your weight you want a “hybrid” or a hard tail mountain bike.

Another solution is the used market. Craigslist has some great deals. Bikes are something people upgrade and change styles (eg mountain to road) so you might find something good. If you go that way take it for a test ride and be sure everything words and you hear no rattles, squeaks etc.

mjbnj0001

A good local bike shop is the best best for professional advice. I came back into cycling in 2018 after decades away, and twice the guy I used to be. Literally. I'm bigger than you now, and I was bigger at the start. So, a capable bike was called for, one to replace my old trusty, idled Fuji Touring bike. Through shop trials and fittings, I settled on a 2018 Trek X-Caliber 9, due to frame and features. It's a 29er hardtail. My riding profile was to be both on and off-road, on and off-pavement, but not really rigorous trail shredding, technicals, etc. (and it has been: 50/50 on/off road, 80/20 paved/unpaved). I made several adjustments for customization: saddle replacement (I got something a bit more padded as my "initial" saddle, as the old bike's classic touring saddle, as I got heavier over the years, got more and more the feeling of sitting on a flagpole. My thought was as I lose weight, I'd replace the softer saddle, as it isn't best for longer distances); bigger tires that were appropriate to my riding profile (most-surfaces Schwalbe Big Apple 29x2.35 to replace the stock knobbies - they've been good everywhere except deep mud, snow/ice and deep/loose sand [I live near the Jersey Shore]); Ergon bar-end grips, which also relieved some of the wrist tension I had. I considered special wheels (more spokes), but so far, the stock have been good. I don't regret my decision, it's been a great bike, but 2 months after my purchase, Trek unveiled their gravel lines, and perhaps I might have made a different decision. Now, about 70 lbs and a couple of thousand miles later, I'm really happy with my purchase. By the way, and relevant to this being on MFP, there's a saying, "you can't outride a bad diet." Your food intake (quality and quantity) will impact your weight loss experience. At first, a mile or two was a long ride. That soon passed. I'm much better for having taken up riding again. Sorry to ramble on, but you can see I'm enthusiastic about this topic and hope you do well. After your bike, your next purchase issues will be your "kit" (cycling wear). That will be another discussion thread, LOL.

Picture is at the Lehigh Trail, near Flagler Beach, FL. Another thing: I've hauled my bike from the FL Keys to Ontario in my various travels since buying it. It's a great way to explore the world.

pourmonsoleil

Depending on how much you are willing to spend, you can get a custom made steel or titanium bike that is strong enough to support your weight but a sweet ride. You can set it up as you want it. This is my custom Gunnar Fastlane set up to my specs with mechanical disc brakes (easier maintenance than hydraulics.

I have a carbon road bike that is lighter but love this one just as much. It rides smoothly and can easily handle dirt or gravel if needed.

youngmomtaz

Yeah, go to a shop. They will have some recommendations. But your best bet is to try them out. When I bought mine, I went in had a few recommended to me but ultimately chose something different. They lent me a helmet, and since the area the shop was in was accessible by bike I took a few out for a spin. I am a 5’7” woman so had my choice between smaller sizes and larger frames. I choose what felt best to me. I have used it casually(10-20miles a week) in the summers for 10-12years. I am planning on using it more this year as soon as the snow is gone.

lorrpb

In WA bike shops are classified as an essential service. Even if yours is not open, it probably will be within a month or two. Definitely you need to get an idea of what the options are for your ht and wt. Even though a lighter bike might “seem ok”, extra Wright could put stresses on the frame such that it would fail at an unforeseen moment. Have fun when you do get one!

xX_PhoenixRising_Xx

I bought a bike earlier this year to commute to and from work. I'm female and not too far off your weight right now. I also hadn't ridden since I was much lighter, however I went into several shops and my weight wasn't even an issue.

I bought a 29" hard tail "commuter" bike, it's very similar to a mountain bike and can go off road, but it has a wider seat on it. Medium frame for my height. I'm in New Zealand and bought an NZ brand, but I happened to get a good deal on it. I was riding up to 80km per week until lockdown happened.

The bike I wound up buying was the one that I researched and found online, but I didn't mention it at all in the shop. Just talked to them a bit to see what they would recommend, and it was the same bike. This was in the second shop, the first was honestly useless. Not because of my weight specifically, but because they tried to sell me an electric bike (assuming I wasn't fit), and when that didn't work, they wanted to sell me a classic women's bike with no gears and a basket. Ugh.

I love the bike that I bought though, and weight is honestly not a problem.

NorthCascades

Almost any bike will work for you. The frame is two triangles which are amazingly strong. There are 800 gram frames ridden by 300 pound people.

Disc brakes are a good idea if you can make it work. Rim brakes are really good, but discs are better, and you plus the bike plus water and etc will be 300 pounds.

The one place you're going to run into problems is in the wheels, especially the rear.

You'd be better off getting a cheap bike that fits you well, and spending the bulk of your budget with a good, local wheel builder. You'll get something strong enough to last you.

I ride thousands of miles per year and just have a thing for bikes. I'm not just speaking to my own experience, this is pretty much a consensus - about almost any bike being strong enough, but Clydesdales having wheel problems.

Bruceapple

Look for a touring, gravel, or crossover bike. Those are made for more weight. Count spokes you will need 32 or more. The less count , you will be ending up bending / warping the back wheel. Don't discount old steel frames, just count spokes. The narrow seats are not bad. You will get used to them and are important for long rides. Buy bike shorts with padding and use butt butter cream. Recommend drop bar handle bars (old 10 speed). Gives more places to put your hands on long rides.

mjbnj0001

xX_PhoenixRising_Xx wrote: »

... the first was honestly useless. Not because of my weight specifically, but because they tried to sell me an electric bike (assuming I wasn't fit), and when that didn't work, they wanted to sell me a classic women's bike with no gears and a basket. Ugh.

I love the bike that I bought though, and weight is honestly not a problem.

I'm male, 65yo and it's my pic in the wiki when you look up "super clydesdale," LOL. I had some similar experiences in shops. We have a very good family-owned shop that we had used for our own bikes years ago, and for the kids' bikes at various times and more recently with getting our daughter set for local triathalons and my wife onto a new hybrid (I "saw the light" about riding when I finally retired after being influenced by them). They are primarily a Trek dealer, but carry multiple lines. For due diligence, I did scout around at a few other shops before going back to my preferred one. Got the same type of disregard from the staff as you in the other shops (reactions to me generally were, "he's old, fat, out of shape and not ever going to be a dedicated rider" in demeanor and recommendations). My own shop tried (with admittedly good intentions) to gently steer me into a less ambitious bike, a hybrid with a step-thru frame, but once I made my decision on the X-Caliber [pic above], they worked hard to get me set properly and have been great in subsequent things. Shops are variable. A good one is like a good tailor (I am of the generation that wore suits to work every day) - invaluable. Having them know you is generally the best thing.

*Oh, in my first post, that was supposed to read, "a good shop ... is the best bet" not "best best"

nasr25

Thank you all for you recommendations I really appreciate you all taking the time to reply. I am gonna try visiting my local shops when they open up but in the meantime i do have a old bike laying around that i might try. Its a Raleigh bike (not the good kind) but it does have front and rear shocks that might pose an issue. I know this is probably a silly idea but i might find some online plans and build my own frame. I am a woodworker and i know how to weld and I've built more complicated stuff. But from what I am reading online it seems that building your own would cost more then buying.

ritzvin

I agree with going to a well-respected bike shop. Some place familiar with doing custom work. Quite a few modifications may need to be made. For one, the default wheels on most bikes won't withstand much weight (heavier riders I know have had to switch those out for ones with a lot more spokes).

NorthCascades

nasr25 wrote: »

Thank you all for you recommendations I really appreciate you all taking the time to reply. I am gonna try visiting my local shops when they open up but in the meantime i do have a old bike laying around that i might try. Its a Raleigh bike (not the good kind) but it does have front and rear shocks that might pose an issue. I know this is probably a silly idea but i might find some online plans and build my own frame. I am a woodworker and i know how to weld and I've built more complicated stuff. But from what I am reading online it seems that building your own would cost more then buying.

You'd be well severed to ride as many frames as possible before building one, or seeing a fitter. There are a lot of choices to be made wrt the size of each tube, and the angles of the seat post and fork.

The main reason it's more expensive to build a bike up is because companies like Trek etc buy hundreds of thousands of component packages and get better pricing. With that in mind, you can save some $$ by buying a used bike, stripping it of components, using them in the one you're building, and then selling the frame that's left. People do that.

This project sounds like a great learning experience. 👍

mjbnj0001

nasr25 wrote: »

Thank you all for you recommendations I really appreciate you all taking the time to reply. I am gonna try visiting my local shops when they open up but in the meantime i do have a old bike laying around that i might try. Its a Raleigh bike (not the good kind) but it does have front and rear shocks that might pose an issue. I know this is probably a silly idea but i might find some online plans and build my own frame. I am a woodworker and i know how to weld and I've built more complicated stuff. But from what I am reading online it seems that building your own would cost more then buying.

In my previous postings, I didn't recommend zizebikes, a brand specifically for big folks. Since you're sub-300lbs, there are more mainline commercial brands you can go to. I was a potential zizebike target, but elected the Trek, for which I'm pushing the envelope. On bikes of a certain quality, it isn't the frame that is the more likely failure point, but spokes/wheels, which is why you got custom wheel recommendations in this discussion (and one reason why I changed out to softer-riding nearly-plus-sized tires). With bikes of lesser quality, anything goes; welds and tube strength and such can be of any variable quality. Supposedly, every bike carries a consumer info weight range recommendation by type of riding. I stretched my bike's envelope by presuming I'm not doing jumps and other trail-shredding, technical, ambitious stuff. Remember basic physics, "force = mass x acceleration," so, by not doing those sorts of things, the overall force I'm putting on my bike, even though I'm heavy, isn't necessarily as much as a medium weight guy jumping or other things. A couple of thousand miles in, so far, so good for me. Since you're on a budget, you might seek gently used bikes of a higher quality that wouldn't be as expensive as new. Be careful there, though, as stolen bikes litter the used-bikes-for-sale websites.

yirara

So why not try to find some fun with your old bike, lose a bit of weight and then go to a proper shop once it's open again? The choice of bikes will be a lot bigger then

NorthCascades

mjbnj0001 wrote: »

nasr25 wrote: »

Thank you all for you recommendations I really appreciate you all taking the time to reply. I am gonna try visiting my local shops when they open up but in the meantime i do have a old bike laying around that i might try. Its a Raleigh bike (not the good kind) but it does have front and rear shocks that might pose an issue. I know this is probably a silly idea but i might find some online plans and build my own frame. I am a woodworker and i know how to weld and I've built more complicated stuff. But from what I am reading online it seems that building your own would cost more then buying.

In my previous postings, I didn't recommend zizebikes, a brand specifically for big folks. Since you're sub-300lbs, there are more mainline commercial brands you can go to. I was a potential zizebike target, but elected the Trek, for which I'm pushing the envelope. On bikes of a certain quality, it isn't the frame that is the more likely failure point, but spokes/wheels, which is why you got custom wheel recommendations in this discussion (and one reason why I changed out to softer-riding nearly-plus-sized tires). With bikes of lesser quality, anything goes; welds and tube strength and such can be of any variable quality. Supposedly, every bike carries a consumer info weight range recommendation by type of riding. I stretched my bike's envelope by presuming I'm not doing jumps and other trail-shredding, technical, ambitious stuff. Remember basic physics, "force = mass x acceleration," so, by not doing those sorts of things, the overall force I'm putting on my bike, even though I'm heavy, isn't necessarily as much as a medium weight guy jumping or other things. A couple of thousand miles in, so far, so good for me. Since you're on a budget, you might seek gently used bikes of a higher quality that wouldn't be as expensive as new. Be careful there, though, as stolen bikes litter the used-bikes-for-sale websites.

For what it's worth, Cervelos have no weight limit. They're not on a budget bikes, and road bikes typically see much lower peak forces than mountain bikes. But, like you said, it's going to be the wheels if there's any trouble.

The rule of thumb I've heard is if you pop one spoke, get it fixed (or do it yourself), if you pop another one, start looking for a new wheel. Another rule of thumb is heavy folk want 32+ spokes on the rear wheel. Wheel building and trueing are good skills for heavy cyclists to have. A spoke wrench is cheap and small, and good to have when you meet "the" pothole.

mjbnj0001

NorthCascades wrote: »

For what it's worth, Cervelos have no weight limit.

Interesting, thanks. I thought the weight thing was some sort of a consumer protection act requirement. good to know it's not.