Hello from a large rider in Birmingham

[Maverick Goose]

and from Dorset.

 

[Bryony]

 

[aBear87]

Hi Andy and thats also a +1 on the bar ends from me and also maybe some gel grips ! these did the trick for my team rider ( thats the other half) who could not go more than about 2 miles before her hands did the same.Now the questions you may have noted that anything you ask is usualy answered so again that should not cause problems,motivation well all I will say is I used to be a 22 st. 10lbs chain smokeing slob (yes I now call my former self a fat slob) who was killing himself ! developed sleep apneoa because of it and was advised by the hospital to start somekind of exercise or die !!! so considered jogging no bl**dy fear running is for total emergencies only,swimming when yer that fat you just don't look good in budgie smugglers lol, so along can a bicycle a cheap and cheerful pre owned (thats posh for second hand) mtb and well now 14st ish sold car cycle everywhere and bu**er me loving every second of it,so get on that bike and ride ! Oh and also don't worry yourself if after a little while you start to want nice shiny new bits and bobs for you stead and ones bank balance starts to dip a little fear not this is quite normal for cyclist's to do this lol.

Ha yeh I've spent most the die looking at things I can get to improve the bike I've got at the mo.

It has front suspension which will be working against me and 700c x45 tyres which I think could be abit narrower.

 

[Donger]

It has ...700c x45 tyres which I think could be abit narrower.

Whoa there! Did you say "x45"? That's very wide. I'm guessing you were worried about them taking your weight. After a few blowouts and a couple of broken spokes, I've been running on a combination of "Alpine 3" triple-butted spokes on my rear wheel and "Slime" self-healing inner tubes. This is a bomb-proof combination that has served me well for years, and if you follow suit you could probably drop to a 700x32 or x35 tyre straight away. You will be amazed how much faster (and therefore furthe) you can go on a slimmer tyre.

 

[aBear87]

Whoa there! Did you say "x45"? That's very wide. I'm guessing you were worried about them taking your weight. After a few blowouts and a couple of broken spokes, I've been running on a combination of "Alpine 3" triple-butted spokes on my rear wheel and "Slime" self-healing inner tubes. This is a bomb-proof combination that has served me well for years, and if you follow suit you could probably drop to a 700x32 or x35 tyre straight away. You will be amazed how much faster (and therefore furthe) you can go on a slimmer tyre.

Well I basically inherited the bike from a mate last year.

Initially I was worried about getting thinner tyres but the more I read around here I think I'll be ok with them. I'm not sure on the wheels. They are Alexrims CT700 "double wall" 622x18.

 

[Donger]

Well I basically inherited the bike from a mate last year.

Initially I was worried about getting thinner tyres but the more I read around here I think I'll be ok with them. I'm not sure on the wheels. They are Alexrims CT700 "double wall" 622x18.

I'm no expert on rims, so I won't bulls**t you. But if there's one really important thing I've learned over the years, it is to trust my local bike shop man, who happens to be a genius wheel builder (free plug for Striking Bikes in Gloucester, in my case). The rear wheel is the one that really counts, as it takes more weight. If you have that wheel re-laced with the thickest spokes you can get, you won't go wrong.The last major repair I needed was to replace a broken rear hub. One of the eyes on the hub actually broke instead of the spoke that went into it! "Alpine 3"s are that strong. As to tyres, at 20st, I currently use x32s with (as I said) "Slime" tubes and I swear by them. Purists might say they slow you down due to the very slight extra weight, but that only really comes into play if you are on a racing bike with little skinny tyres.
My only problem with Slime tubes came when I over-inflated one in my living room and exploded it ..... Green slime everywhere. Like the library scene in "Ghost Busters" when the ectoplasm went everywhere! Mrs Donger was remarkably understanding, but we're still finding green splashes on the underside of our furniture 2 years on!

 

[Ern1e]

Tell me about it

I was getting overweight before I started riding, just didn't realise how much until 6 months later and all my clothes didn't fit anymore!

I now have the reverse problem clothes are now way to big lol I never had to wear a belt pants always seemed to be tight enough by themselves,not sure which I have spent most on over the last couple of years new clothes or stuff for the bike uhm most likely the bike lol.

 

[PlymSlimCyclist]

I now have the reverse problem clothes are now way to big lol I never had to wear a belt pants always seemed to be tight enough by themselves,not sure which I have spent most on over the last couple of years new clothes or stuff for the bike uhm most likely the bike lol.

I second the money on the bike.

First 11 months on my Apollo FS26 was replacing axles (1 wheel which was my own fault for dismounting in a stupid manner - outside the shop no less!), tyres and tubes, but then upgraded to a Merida Matts 20-MD which died this Jan (bloody BMW drivers) at a youthful 9 months old, it saw 1200 miles, now enter my Merida Matts 40-D which is a youthful month old tomorrow.

However, over the past 2 years, I've spent more on my bike, keep being told to buy new clothes by my LBS, boss, colleagues and my family, but the bike comes first (well my work clothes somewhere in between my budget).

Bike clothes, I buy matalan/tesco stuff which is cheap and cheerful, if it gets ruined, not a lot of money lost. But, every time you pull your trouser waist together, feel proud of what you've accomplished

Sorry, a ramble while people walking into my office haha!

 

[LimeBurn]

Hi, to add my 2 penneth I was not as heavy as you (i was just short of 19 stone) when I took up cycling again but did suffer the hand pain you talk about on my mountain bike and ergo grips solved it for me I bought the ones with the bar end built into them too so I had a choice of hand positions but the real difference was that the palm rests on the flatter part of the grip (being ergonomic) rather than between the section between thumb and forefinger. Keep it up it'll get better.

 

[damiengreathouse]

Hello,
I also just started riding to to gaining a ton of weight. After waking up and realizing that my whole body hurt from doing nothing I figured it was time for me to find something active I could do and not be able to make excuses to myself not to do it. I decided on getting a bike and commuting to work(turns out at first it was harder then I thought). I also have the hand pain, I am riding a flat bar mountain bike, I found nice gloves fixed some of the pain and re-positioning my hands regularly also helps, I am also looking at getting a set of ergo grips to see if they help at all.

 

[aBear87]

Thanks,

Went out and did 13miles today ! felt really good, planned a route before hand did it and carried on some more.

Looking at a rigid fork but some of them look thin, has me worried about snapping it. Am i being too cautious ?

I'm very careful when im out, don't drop down any kerbs, avoid pot holes, only ride on cycle paths, road or pavement through parks etc.

 

[damiengreathouse]

I would think a rigid ford would be more durable for on road riding. When I was shopping for my bike one of the requirements I had was for a front fork lockout, this allowed me to ride a bit more efficiently on the road but when I go off road I can engage the front suspension. I am currently riding a 2014 Raleigh Talus 29 and I also wanted something more durable because I am at about 19 stones.

 

[LimeBurn]

I'm sure you'd be ok with a rigid fork - but do you really need one?? Maybe ride as you are until youre hooked as then you'll want to buy a new bike (read as "a new bike for every eventuality") anyway.

 

[aBear87]

I'm sure you'd be ok with a rigid fork - but do you really need one?? Maybe ride as you are until youre hooked as then you'll want to buy a new bike (read as "a new bike for every eventuality") anyway.

If i had the money i would already have a new bike !

I just wanted to adjust the bike i had, its abit cheaper that way and i dont really have the money for a new bike at the moment.

 

[LimeBurn]

Just because we dont have the money right now doesn't mean we won't be buying a bike in the future. What I'm saying is save the cash for the rigid fork (unless your existing fork is seriously knckered as is) as it won't make that much difference to your riding. Big blokes like us can make much more difference losing weight than shaving a few hundred grams from our bikes, which you will do while riding anyway. Just enjoy it.