Bike recommendations that won't break the bank

Hit up your local bike store. Don’t try to buy a bike from a big retailer, you won’t get a customized fitting for you.

Walmart has low quality bicycles and no customer service. And Amazon may have more of a selection but returns are much more difficult. You may not like the feel or fit of a bike purchased online.

I bought my bike from my LBS and it came with a lifetime tuneup. Sort of cool. YMMV.

Oh.. 300lbs is a hefty weight for a bike! Most bikes in Europe at least have a max carrying weight including lock, clothes, and other stuff of 120kg - 264lbs. Look up some brands, check the max weight they can carry safely. I would avoid a bike with suspensions as those are really not made for really heavy people and might be the first thing to break. Also, if cost is your primary concert: suspension that actually does something on fork or saddle costs a lot. cheap suspension will just make you move up or down and eat up a lot of energy from your pedaling. I also suggest a bike with a somewhat sporty sitting position. If you sit a bit more bend over then your arms and legs carry some of your weight. If you sit upright though then your spine and bum carries all your weight.

I'm over 300lbs at this moment, and I've lost a bunch of weight. Cycling - with dietary moderation - has been vital to this progress. My family bought me a decent bike, Trek X-Caliber, for a retirement/Christmas gift December 2017. "Go ride," they said, "it'll be good for you." It has been.

Now, as to advice. First off, as a few folks have mentioned, go to a decent bike shop that you feel you can trust and have a relationship with. They can guide you but you might need to help them do so. My shop, which I've been using for over 20yrs (for my previous bikes [my "past bike life" 25+ yrs ago] and the kids), frankly tried to steer me into a less-capable bike because, let's face it, I was not looking like a prospect to become the avid cyclist that I am. Once over that hurdle, I made a few mods to the stock bike. Mostly improved, bigger, most-surfaces tires (rather than thinner knobbies), a saddle suitable to my bulk, the slightly old-fashioned bar ends and ergonomic grips for my hands, etc., a few other tweaks.

Tires and wheels (esp. with more spokes) are a good investment for the heavy rider. Every reputable bike sold in the USA has a "fitness for use" statement which describes their weight-carrying capacity versus the expected type of use. I am over the limit for my bike - now, and certainly when I started - but, consider: cross-country bikes are expected to be doing jumps and other things which I am not doing. Force = mass * acceleration, and by not jumping, I'm not accelerating as much and the force I put on the bike is less, and this strategy has so far worked out quite well.

Good luck on your quest!

BruinsGal_91 wrote: »

tbilly20 wrote: »

@NorthCascades - Very true on the imbalance of supply and demand at bike shops this year and last year. Certain models have been pushed out until mid-2022 already. Now is the time to go! My oldest daughter is right on the edge of moving up to her next size (16 inch), so I bought her one today. It will be hard to find in a month.

OP - consider a bike like the Trek Verve. Good starting pricepoint. Rigid fork and sturdy build for weight. Nice, wider tires and discs are big pluses for the city. This bike would be a good place to start. You also can’t go wrong with the Trek Marlin or FX series.

I love my Trek Verve. I've got the 2 disk lowstep.

Wow, that looks cool!
I think for TO the horizontal bar one would be better compared to the low step. Low step bikes tend to be a bit less strong, which makes sense as the horizontal bar is part of what keeps the two parts of the bike together. But TO needs to fit a bike properly anyway to make sure it's perfect for him. Everyone is different: some of us are giants when sitting, but not so tall when standing, and the other way around. I have ape arms and prefer longer bikes with a small overall frame (Put me on a Specialized bike, and I sit upright like on a Holland granny bike)

yirara wrote: »

BruinsGal_91 wrote: »

tbilly20 wrote: »

@NorthCascades - Very true on the imbalance of supply and demand at bike shops this year and last year. Certain models have been pushed out until mid-2022 already. Now is the time to go! My oldest daughter is right on the edge of moving up to her next size (16 inch), so I bought her one today. It will be hard to find in a month.

OP - consider a bike like the Trek Verve. Good starting pricepoint. Rigid fork and sturdy build for weight. Nice, wider tires and discs are big pluses for the city. This bike would be a good place to start. You also can’t go wrong with the Trek Marlin or FX series.

I love my Trek Verve. I've got the 2 disk lowstep.


Wow, that looks cool!
I think for TO the horizontal bar one would be better compared to the low step. Low step bikes tend to be a bit less strong, which makes sense as the horizontal bar is part of what keeps the two parts of the bike together. But TO needs to fit a bike properly anyway to make sure it's perfect for him. Everyone is different: some of us are giants when sitting, but not so tall when standing, and the other way around. I have ape arms and prefer longer bikes with a small overall frame (Put me on a Specialized bike, and I sit upright like on a Holland granny bike)

I get so many compliments on it. I think it's the eye-popping color that makes it stand out. I agree that a horizontal bar would probably be better for the OP. My husband rides the Trek Verve with the horizontal bar and it's perfect for him. I prefer the step-through style because I'm short with short legs and find the step-through easier to manage.

Until I started cycling I thought there were basically two choices at various price points....10 speed road bike vs mountain/trail bike.

Was I wrong! Super important to know where you plan to do most your cycling (the surface). Your height, weight and state of your joints (bad back etc.) are factors that any decent bike shop can help you with. Most box store employees, won't think to ask those types of questions.

Some of the chain sport stores (where they kind of sell everything from hockey sticks, baseball equip, jerseys, shoes) can be a great place to find a moderately priced bikes in particular if they have a bike service shop. My nephew works in one of these stores and needed to apprentice for nearly a half a year before they let him even talk to clients about bikes, never mind work on them to get them set up.