Recommendations for Very Overweight Beginner

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Breeder

New Member
I want to buy a bicycle to try and lose weight. Problem is I'm very overweight (25 stones).

I am looking at riding on roads so I do not think a mountain bike is suitable. Problem is all the entry level road bikes I've looked at have a weight limit of around 250 pounds.

Can you please make some suggestions?
 

Big T

Guru
Location
Nottingham
Something that is designed to carry the extra weight of luggage may be suitable, so a touring or trekking bike. A touring bike is similar to a road bike but has a beefier frame, heavier built wheels and wider tyres.

https://www.cyclist.co.uk/buying-guides/4377/best-touring-bikes

Something like a Dawes Galaxy or a Ridgeback Voyage should be OK. I’m 18st and I tour on a Dawes Super Galaxy with 50lbs of luggage with no problems.

Look at the wheels of a prospective bike -you need 36 spokes and wider rims (at least 19mm) with tyres of at least 32mm to support your weight.
 
There is no particular reason to go for a drop bar bike. Most hybrid bikes have a weight limit of 300-350 lbs. Suspension forks perform an important function which is to protect the bike from peak loading when you hit a pothole. Without suspension, fatter tyres will perform this function.
Hybrid bikes are usually more cost effective than less common styles such as touring, gravel, cyclo cross etc.
Get the right accessories for the season, ie mudguards, spare inner and repair kit, water bottle, saddlebag, gloves and helmet if required.
 
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silva

Über Member
Location
Belgium
I'd sequence things at their time.
First food, limit it to no sugar, makes things much easier.
Second, walking and home trainer whatever you prefer at the moment.
Third, on top of above, do some muscles training. Couple halters, whatever weight you can lift 50 times, and gradually build up weight staying at the 50 times. If you start find it hard to do so, drop halter weight and increase 50 to 60 and so further until building up halter weight feels ok.
Sleep enough.
If you experience that you hold out these trainings for longer times, then start cycling.
Consider it all freebie, don't try following a plan that makes you feel guilty if you skip.
If it becomes a struggle to start exercise, skip the particular one, chose another, or even skip a day, the next day will feel much easier.
Don't make it a mission to some imaginary picture.
The goal is you feeling better and have energy.
The rest, just comes with it.
 

straas

Matt
Location
Manchester
A mountain bike is fine for roads and would be a good starting point. I'd go for a front suspension bike where you are able to manually lock out the suspension.

Limit yourself to short rides and build up. Ideally you make contact with the saddle with your sit bones, any flesh between the saddle and sit bones will get pinched, so it's likely to be a bit uncomfortable to start with.
 

CanucksTraveller

Macho Business Donkey Wrestler
Location
Hertfordshire
With the exception of weights, I agree with Silva's thrust generally, I'd do some walking first and address diet, and build up to 3 to 5 miles walking a day, that'll all bring a good amount of weight off in say, 4 to 6 months. I'd expect to lose 3 to 4 stone in that time with decent enough diet. Then I'd add in cycling as an alternative to walking especially if you have time for an occasional longer ride.

If you're time poor like me, I don't find cycling for (say) 1 hour a day does me many favours in terms of weight loss, it's almost too easy. Walking swiftly for a few miles, bearing your whole body weight, that brings me more weight loss benefit.

Cycling is awesome particularly if you can incorporate it into commuting, that's free exercise, and a weekend long ride is a super boost. But as a daily 60 minute workout for weight loss? There are better, faster ways to lose more weight.
 

Lovacott

Über Member
I want to buy a bicycle to try and lose weight. Problem is I'm very overweight (25 stones).
I am looking at riding on roads so I do not think a mountain bike is suitable. Problem is all the entry level road bikes I've looked at have a weight limit of around 250 pounds.
Can you please make some suggestions?

Road bikes are built to be lightweight with a more aerodynamic riding position which would be of no advantage to you.

A hard tail mountain bike would be ideal for road use. You won't exactly whizz along at hyper speed but it would be a perfect way to gain fitness.

I ride one myself (commute to work).

Try to get some hills into your rides and push yourself to get up them as far as you can each time (you will start out by walking a lot of them).

It won't happen overnight, but after a few months of regular riding, you should start to see the pounds dropping off and your endurance increasing.

(You will hurt like hell after your first ride though.)
 

Cycleops

Legendary Member
Location
Accra, Ghana
A mountain bike would provide a good starting point, especially if you wanted to move on to a road bike later with some weight loss. Doesn’t have to be new, an older non suspension or hard tail bike with a change to slick tyres is a good choice.
As others have said you need to address your diet as cycling alone won’t help you loose.
Good luck and let us know how you get on.
 

Gravity Aided

Legendary Member
Location
Land of Lincoln
I would suggest an older mountain bike as well. Welded frames, thicker steel, wider tires with more spokes. They can roll right along. I have been at 25 stone and more. I can say that a hybrid bicycle will not collapse under you, and I have ridden a Bianchi steel road bike as well at around that weight, as well as a tourer. But an old rigid frame mountain bike is most likely to be reasonable in cost, well made, and capable of dealing with whatever you throw at it. You can, if need be, put narrower tires with higher pressure on an MTB, and it will roll right along.
 
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