Me and another guy want to buy bikes to ride. I weigh 370 pounds and my friend weighs 410 pounds. Do they make road bikes for this kind of weight?
Best Bikes for fat guys
- Thread starter bicycledick
- Start date
bicycledick said:
Yes. You may want to consider a touring bike- longer wheelbase, heavier frame, lower gearing....
Hybrids have a more upright position, straight handlebars instead of drop handles - and may be a little easier to get started on. Look for a bike that feels comfortable to you. If its not comfortable- you're not going to ride.
Suggest you go and talk to a reputable bike store.
bicycledick said:
You'd be amazed how strong bikes really are, but I would agree with the previous poster that you should talk to a reputable bike shop, preferably two or three of them, to gauge their advice.
As someone who stacked on a load of weight following a serious illness I know the dilemma you're in but it is chicken and egg . . . get back on the bike, lose the weight but don't want to risk snapping the frame of your pride and joy . . . I got up to 290lbs and hated just riding my mountain bike so I risked my Bianchi carbon framed, Ksyrium Elite wheeled road bike and haven't looked back.
Get the advice, get fitted for a bike you'll love, then get out there and enjoy riding it . . . it's what it's all about.
Enjoy ! ! !
Regardless of the bike you choose, you should plan to replace the rear wheel (in particular) with one that would otherwise be used on a TANDEM bike ... so, you may want a 'custom' wheel which has 40 spokes (maybe, 48) & 622-20/-22 rims.bicycledick said:
If there is a bike shop near you that sells Tandems, ask them how much a 40-spoke rear wheel will cost ...
While it seems that most Tandems are "custom" builds, the shop might have a suitable (again, 40-or-more spokes) wheelset from a Trek Tandem (for example ... I don't know what type of wheels the Trek Tandem has when it comes from the factory) which was removed from the new bike because the buyer wanted fancier wheels.
You can always check eBay for Tandem wheels, too ...
Tandem wheels generally have 140mm-or-more spacing. Preferably, you want a wheel that can be re-spaced to 135mm OR you want to be able to respace the frame to 140mm/whatever.
The suggestion of a Hybrid is a good choice -- Hybrids generally have 36 spoke wheels, but that probably isn't enough to ensure a relatively low maintenance configuration.
Having said all of that, I would be inclined toward buying a RALEIGH XXIX ...
It is classified as a 29er ...
IMO, a 29er is a glorified Hybrid which can accept larger tires (e.g., 700x58 vs. 700x42 on a Hybrid). But, because a 29er is a glorified Hybrid, they usually have 32-spoke wheels.
The RALEIGH XXIX is made with a steel frame ... it comes as EITHER a Single Speed with a solid fork OR as a bike which has multiple gears & I think a suspension fork.
You probably don't want a suspension fork on a Hybrid, and you won't need one for the 29er unless you are planning on going off-road.
A bike with an alloy frame should be strong enough, but you cannot change the rear dropout spacing on an alloy frame; so, that is one reason I think you should consider the Raleigh XXIX or another 29er-or-Hybrid with a steel frame.
I would get the Single Speed version of the Raleigh + the derailleur hanger and then add the derailleurs & crankset of my choice.
Also, I don't think the geared version of the Raleigh has an eccentric Bottom Bracket -- the eccentric BB that is on the SS version is a potential plus if you ever decide to use it as a Single Speed (in the future?) OR if you decide to sell the frame/bike because the next person may want that feature ... OR, on the other hand, the eccentric BB could be considered a nuisance because it adds a small amount of weight AND is something that can require maintenance (but, it shouldn't need your attention if you never adjust it).
Heck, depending on where you are planning on riding, you may want to use the Raleigh XXIX as just a Single Speed -- start with the initial gearing which comes on the bike which is actually designed for "climbing" ... change the rear cog and/or chainring when you think you both want to ride a little faster ... and, add more/full gearing later.
I think the Single Speed Raleigh XXIX retails for about $600, and the geared version costs about $1100. Hopefully, those prices are discounted by a two-or-three hundred since we are past mid-Summer ... I would have bought a SS version if the shop had been willing to sell it for about $400 a couple of years ago (it was late August & I was quoted the retail price) ... the owner wasn't available, and a potential impulse purchase was lost!
The Raleigh's steel frame can be respaced to 140mm (once the common spacing on a Tandem, but I don't know what the common rear spacing is, now) if the tandem rear wheel you find can't be respaced ...
It may actually be cheaper to have the frame respaced & the rear dropouts realigned than to have the rear wheel respaced & redished. BOTH respacing the frame & aligning the dropouts AND working on the wheel can be considered DIY projects, but it is probably something you want the shop to do if you have limited former experience working on bikes (ask them if they have respaced a frame before ... hopefully, they will say they have done it many times) ... it should NOT be expensive.
Although the particular Raleigh is MY choice, it doesn't have to be yours. Again, I think that the main thing that you probably want to have are the 40-spoke rear wheels ... and, a steel frame (because you can't respace an alloy frame).
The parts (i.e., specifically, the wheels) you don't use which are removed from the Raleigh-or-any-other-bike can be resold on eBay ...
obviously bikes withstand lots of weight, the reason manufacturers avoid posting a weight limit for the rider might be to avoid legal problems in the rare case where the bike will fail, they have the right to do that because a fracture on the frame and fork could be cause by a variety of factors and not just to the rider's weight, there are, however, framesets and components and wheelsets which are stronger than others, so you need to look for them,
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