BIke weight limit

[swampyseifer]

hey all...

my first post (well after my hello post!)..and I'm not sure I'm in the correct forum but this is to do with health and the bike...so I opted for the bike (as its more of a question about bikes than my health)!

So, now I've confused you completely I can get down to it.

Basically I'm looking to buy a bike....and no its not one of those "I want a bike, which one should I get...no I wont give you any info at all" questions.

I am quite a big guy, 6'2...nearly 21stone (I was 25 stone but I've already lost nearly 4.5stone in the last year!)

I've been looking at bikes in online stores (dare I say it, Halfords). For a lot of their bikes, they say that theyve "stress tested" it to upto 120kg...well I'm more in the region of 130kg.

I also read several threads on forums about people having their bike wheels "crumple" or bend out of shape because of the strain of the weight on the spokes.

So really I guess the question is whether that really could happen? Do I need to aim for a more "meatier" bike like a solid moutnain bike then maybe a hybrid? Should I look for bikes with extra wheel spokes, I mean I may sound daft to ask but is that the solution to holding my weight? More spokes? or is it thicker spokes? Should I avoid frames made of light materials?

As I say, I'm not really looking for specific bikes at the moment I'm more just trying to get a feel for what I should be considering when looking at my options.

Thanks!

 

[Cubist]

There are a lot of guys on the forum who will tell you that they have ridden bikes at far greater weights than your svelt 130kg.

Without putting too fine a point on it, you are not going to notice the difference between a 6kg bike and a 10kg one until you have lost a few more kg yourself. That said, you can now happily buy a reasonable entry level hybrid or roadbike if you want to, knowing that it will withstand your weight as long as you don't bunny hop every kerb you come to. The extra 10kg won't trouble it, and you can reward yourself by buying a new lightweight bike when you reach the weight and fitness levels where you will really be able to appreciate it.

Don't think you have to ride a clunker just because you're a big guy!

 

[swampyseifer]

I've been called plenty of weight-related descriptive terms before, but never svelt!

Thanks for the info tho, I just guess I'm used to not trusting plastic garden furniture and the like...so a skinny bike that weighs less than one of my legs seems like the wrong decision!

 

[Piemaster]

Gaz of this forum may be along in a bit. But meanwhile go and have a read of his inspirational blog

I'm sure he can reassure you on your query.

 

[swampyseifer]

Gaz of this forum may be along in a bit. But meanwhile go and have a read of his inspirational blog

I'm sure he can reassure you on your query.

Wow...I was tearing up reading the about page! An absolutely stunning display of will power and determination!

 

[snailracer]

Another consideration: for heavyweights, skinny tyres will need to be pumped up hard and often to avoid pinch punctures and rim damage. Unless you enjoy pumping up tyres before every ride, choose a bike that can take wide tyres.

Another consideration is riding position: heavyweights often have large bellies which makes it uncomfortable to ride a bike with the bent-forward position commonly found on road bikes, so-called fast hybrids and some types of mountain bike. If you go on long rides, this quickly becomes annoying. For short blasts, it's not really a problem.

Then there is braking: road drop-bar bikes are notorious for not being that good at stopping, even for average weight riders. Other types of bike have better brakes and bigger tyres which result in better stopping.

To what extent these and other considerations apply depends on why you want to cycle (commute, shopping, exercise, etc.) and the condition of the roads you plan to ride on.

 

[swampyseifer]

Another consideration: for heavyweights, skinny tyres will need to be pumped up hard and often to avoid pinch punctures and rim damage. Unless you enjoy pumping up tyres before every ride, choose a bike that can take wide tyres.

Another consideration is riding position: heavyweights often have large bellies which makes it uncomfortable to ride a bike with the bent-forward position commonly found on road bikes, so-called fast hybrids and some types of mountain bike. If you go on long rides, this quickly becomes annoying. For short blasts, it's not really a problem.

Then there is braking: road drop-bar bikes are notorious for not being that good at stopping, even for average weight riders. Other types of bike have better brakes and bigger tyres which result in better stopping.

To what extent these and other considerations apply depends on why you want to cycle (commute, shopping, exercise, etc.) and the condition of the roads you plan to ride on.

Thanks snailracer...thats some useful stuff for me to be thinking about!

I guess I would mainly be using the bike offroad, nothing serious (like weaving through forest trails!) but it would be across fields and grassy areas. Also I live right on a canal towpath (well maintained), so probably plenty of that as well.

I certainly wouldnt commute on it as I travel from Bucks to London by train...and hell to the no would I even consider from the mainline station across to my office! Its dangerous enough being a pedestrian most of the time.

The reason is weightloss but also I think just poodling about exploring whats not accessible by car!

 

[the snail]

I guess I would mainly be using the bike offroad, nothing serious (like weaving through forest trails!) but it would be across fields and grassy areas. Also I live right on a canal towpath (well maintained), so probably plenty of that as well.

A basic mountain bike would be good for that sort of riding - the knobbly tyres will give good grip on grass/mud/loose gravel, and fat tyres will give good comfort and support your weight well. If you find you're doing more road riding you can swap the tyres for something more suitable. I would go for a non-suspension bike to avoid unnecessary weight.

 

[snailracer]

^^^
+1

I second that suggestion, now the OP has indicated what his routes are like.

I also recommend deleting the suspension forks, but for different reasons - they are set up for average-weight people, so a heavyweight will tend to pitch about excessively. Plus, they require more maintenance.

And, might I say, what an excellent username/avatar pic you have.

 

[Ajax_Gaz]

When i started cycling i was well over 18 stone and went for a hardtail (front sus) so i could have the option of taking it down the trails as well when time allowed. In the end i've used it far more for commuting down roads/woodland paths etc and with the only addition some continental city tyres it's been brilliant.

I think if i didn't have the thoughts about taking it down some of south wales famous off road places, i would have just got a hybrid or not bothered with the front suspension.

Goes down to what you want to use if for again really. Try a few out and see how you get on.

 

[MrJamie]

First time poster, long time lurker here Quite a few similarities forced me to post I'm 6'1 lost a fair amount of weight too and when i started cycling regularly about 18 months ago i was around 20 stone and like you I also live in Milton Keynes.

About a year ago i upgraded my 90's MTB to a hybrid, mainly because as the mileage went up so did the number of components failing on me and cost of keeping it running, trying to grind up a hill the rear axle sheared underneath the cassette (not sure if it was metal fatigue or 20+ stone out of the saddle or both). I dont think your weight would be a problem either as ive done about 1500 miles on mine carrying an extra few kg of stuff and if you get a bike you enjoy riding youre much more likely to burn off those calories

Im very glad i bought the hybrid with front suspension (a 2010 Giant Roam 2), it might not be the best or fastest bike in the world but its reliable and I genuinely enjoy going out on it and exploring (which encourages me to exercise). I also considered a mountain bike and a road bike, but the hybrid really is a very good all-rounder, it feels fast enough for riding out on roads and pot-holed country lanes and rugged enough for muddy trails through the woods (Brickhills/Aspley) and those gravelley parkland paths around MK. I really like the front suspension, its easy on the wrists, good for potholes/trails and its got a lockout so i can lock it for bigger hills/roads, i dont mind if im a teeny bit less efficient when im training to burn energy (cals) not to enter races.

Probably the worst part of cycling in MK imho is that the grid roads (dual carriageways etc) are kinda scarey and drivers hate you for using them, and a lot of the redway cyclepaths are so littered with broken glass that youll risk frequent flats (would be worse if i had high psi road tyres). The number of times ive gone out cycling for a few hours round the country lanes and then got a flat on the 2 miles of redway back home is crazy, switched to marathon+ tyres now.

I dont know what youre looking to spend but Wiggle have the 2011 version of my bike on sale at the moment too at what i think is a great price: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/giant-roam-2-2011/

 

[swampyseifer]

First time poster, long time lurker here Quite a few similarities forced me to post I'm 6'1 lost a fair amount of weight too and when i started cycling regularly about 18 months ago i was around 20 stone and like you I also live in Milton Keynes.

About a year ago i upgraded my 90's MTB to a hybrid, mainly because as the mileage went up so did the number of components failing on me and cost of keeping it running, trying to grind up a hill the rear axle sheared underneath the cassette (not sure if it was metal fatigue or 20+ stone out of the saddle or both). I dont think your weight would be a problem either as ive done about 1500 miles on mine carrying an extra few kg of stuff and if you get a bike you enjoy riding youre much more likely to burn off those calories

Im very glad i bought the hybrid with front suspension (a 2010 Giant Roam 2), it might not be the best or fastest bike in the world but its reliable and I genuinely enjoy going out on it and exploring (which encourages me to exercise). I also considered a mountain bike and a road bike, but the hybrid really is a very good all-rounder, it feels fast enough for riding out on roads and pot-holed country lanes and rugged enough for muddy trails through the woods (Brickhills/Aspley) and those gravelley parkland paths around MK. I really like the front suspension, its easy on the wrists, good for potholes/trails and its got a lockout so i can lock it for bigger hills/roads, i dont mind if im a teeny bit less efficient when im training to burn energy (cals) not to enter races.

Probably the worst part of cycling in MK imho is that the grid roads (dual carriageways etc) are kinda scarey and drivers hate you for using them, and a lot of the redway cyclepaths are so littered with broken glass that youll risk frequent flats (would be worse if i had high psi road tyres). The number of times ive gone out cycling for a few hours round the country lanes and then got a flat on the 2 miles of redway back home is crazy, switched to marathon+ tyres now.

I dont know what youre looking to spend but Wiggle have the 2011 version of my bike on sale at the moment too at what i think is a great price: http://www.wiggle.co...nt-roam-2-2011/

It does sound like a similar position!

Yeah the redways are on the one had a great way to get about by bike or foot, but indeed they are also littered with rubbish and are frequented by the less friendly types I find!

I wouldnt dare ride my bike on the roads...all those cars whizzing past at upto 70! Sometimes I get worried when I'm in my car, nevermind being on a bike!

As for what I'm looking to spend...I would love to be able to spend as little as possible...but I get the idea that I would just be setting myself up for more cost in the future if I buy a cheapo bike (Halfords, £79 MTB!) I dont have a great amount of money atm, considering the time of year(!), but I have recently put a load of stuff on ebay so I'm hoping I can make a good few hundred on there, plus the hundred or so I've put aside this year...and whatever I can scrape from my bank after next pay day.

I would think that paying around the £300 mark is the best I'll do, and I know on top of that I'll need to buy some extras.....helmet, mud guards, repair kit etc (not that I really know what I need...which will be another post when the time comes!)

But I still dont really know what to get...I'm having conflicting opinions from different websites and even on here. Some are saying a hybrid would do me fine, some are saying a MTB would suit me better. I would say I could jut go to a LBS and try some out but I'm somewhat nervous of that as I cant ride...so I dont know what my seated position should be, I dont know whether a bike feels "heavy" or not, what I should be looking for when trying it on for size or anything...I certainly cant take up an offer to pedal up and down outside the shop or anything to test it either!

 

[WychwoodTrev]

I started off on a Giant Yukon hardtail mtb but as soon as I got down to 17 stone got a road bike. Get a decent bike like Giant, Trek, Kona, Specialized and you will have no problems.
Good luck

 

[Piemaster]

Halfords do actually sell some decent bikes. Their assembly and servicing may be a different matter however. The Carrera Subway is a pretty good all-rounder and the one on a ship I worked on put up with a variety of abuse and body sizes/weights from the crew. Only comment is if it comes with a suspension seatpost get them to change it to a solid one. The suspension one makes it feel like its broken and the seat is about to fall off, I'm no lightweight either and it will probably just bottom out anyway. They are quite often discounted too.
I've no personal experience of them but Corratec look to be ok for the money. Rack and mudguards can add to initial purchase price. Downside is mail order.

Or bike shop. You can go and ask questions, try they out, maybe get a deal for mudguards/rack. Maybe try a couple of places to make sure they selling you what you need, rather than what they have in stock.

 

[WychwoodTrev]

If you are interested I could pop my Giant Yukon mtb in the boot and pop over to you on a sat or sunday for you to have a go and learn to ride, I can help the best I can up to you mate I am about the same height as you so my bike should fit you. Just so you know the bike is not for sale