Bike Buying advice on limited budget for larger person

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Beginner113

New Member
Hi everyone,

New to here and trying to help my mum!

She's about 5ft 6 and weighing about 24 stone. She has some problems which has caused her to put on weight, but she wants to start cycling to lose weight and get fit.

We don't have much money to be buying £300+ bikes, is there anyone who could advise on what bike to get so she can be comfortable and just do some road riding to help her get fit and lose some weight.

Any help would be much appreciated!

Thanks in advance.
 

vickster

Legendary Member
Something like a second hand hybrid with suspension perhaps. Maybe look for a lower step through women’s style

A bike like this would be good, medium would be the right size for 5’6 too
https://www.cyclerepublic.com/carrera-crossfire-2-womens-hybrid-bike-2020.html
 
OP
OP
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Beginner113

New Member
Thank you! She doesn't mind if it's men's or women's, main thing is that its able to hold her and give her the confidence.

We are trying to get something around £200 as much as possible
 

vickster

Legendary Member
Thank you! She doesn't mind if it's men's or women's, main thing is that its able to hold her and give her the confidence.

We are trying to get something around £200 as much as possible
You could look at the cheaper mountain bikes at Decathlon but for warranty/liability reasons they state a weight limit of around 105-110kg plus the weight of the bike (24 stone is more like 150kg). The frame would likely be ok but wheels on cheap bikes can be made of cheese and may need regular maintenance or replacing

Otherwise a second hand bike would be cheaper but hard to come by right now due to Covid lockdown
Could consider a used exercise bike even to start off weight loss and fitness programme. York ones are solid machines
 
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mustang1

Guru
Location
London, UK
I got a Carrera Purva from Halfords for £180 a couple of years ago. They do not sell that particular model now but something similar is an Axle:
https://www.halfords.com/bikes/hybr...id-bike---blue---16in-18in-frames-593498.html

£250. I'm not sure if that might be something you guys could consider? IDK if there is a weight limit but I've carried 130kg (inc bike weight) on an off road track and it seemed fine (and still is). I'm not sure if I done the correct thing or indeed if there is any weight limit. Also around similar price are disk brake versions too (but I prefer either rim brakes or higher-end disks, I'm not a fan of lower end disk brakes).
 
Standard weight limit for bikes seem to be around 300lbs. The weak point is the wheels, esp if you hit a bump without warning.
Hybrid ladies style should be fine. The front suspension will reduce peak loading on bumps. Ladies MTB is similar at this price with fatter tyres which also absorb peak loads.
At this price point there is not a huge difference between models, the frames all come from the same factories and the parts may vary a little in grade. The biggest difference will be due to the check given by the bike shop. A good shop will check the wheel build and fine tune any spokes. This will increase the strength and reliability of the wheel far more than any fancy components.
Look at the quality of brakes. A decent brand disk brake can be a good stopper wet or dry.
 

DCLane

Found in the Yorkshire hills ...
The Elephant bike above is good.

If you want new then Halfords have the Carrera range that is good value and OK for larger people. At £250 there is this women's hybrid: https://www.halfords.com/bikes/hybr...id-bike---blue---16in-18in-frames-593498.html
 

AuroraSaab

Veteran
I would definitely go used if you can. Cycling when you are overweight and unfit can be a challenge to start with (I am quite overweight and a bit unfit) and I would hate your mum to spend £200 plus on a bike that she finds too strenuous to use. I'm sure she knows that losing weight is 90% diet - biking will improve her fitness for sure but will not lead to huge weight loss in terms of calories burnt, unless she is doing loads of miles.

I got a mountain bike for £30 on eBay, and though it did need a new deraileur, I fixed it with advice from here and You Tube. I would check out eBay, Gumtree , Sphock etc and see if there is anything suitable locally or look at small local bike shops.

If you see anything on eBay etc, folks on here will be happy to advise on whether it's a decent bike or not.
 
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SkipdiverJohn

Deplorable Brexiteer
Location
London
I got a mountain bike for £30 on eBay, and though it did need a new derailleur

Exactly this. Old school MTB, with 26" wheels and a womens frame in a manageable size. Ideally an 18-speeder with a triple front crankset. A 24 stone unfit rider needs a strong frame, strong wheels, and low gearing. That way they won't break the bike, and they will be able to pedal it rather than getting off and pushing it.
 
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