My sister wants to join me in biking. She is, shall we say, a hefty gal. Weighing in at probably 280lbs. (she would never tell me) I'm looking to buy her a bike for her birthday so she can start shedding those pounds but I have no idea what kind of bike to get her. As a motivation she has actually signed up with me to do a 300 mile ride in September so I have between now and then to get her in shape. Please help. I need the bike to be strong enough for her weight now but still lite enough that she can crank out the 300 miles (over 3 days) in september. Presumably she will weigh considerably less by the time the race rolls around.
Need a new bike for a heavier rider
- Thread starter Rhino40
- Start date
You will want to get her to go with an aluminum frame. 280 lbs is getting a little heavy for CF. Also for her weight you will definitely want her to get fitted at a reputable LBS. A proper fitting will take 2 - 3 hours and will cost in the neighborhood of $100, but many LBSs will throw the fitting in for free if you purchase the bike from them. At 280 lbs, your sister will need touring wheels to start. These will be fairly substantial wheels with a high spoke count, 36 - 40 per wheel. When she has trimmed down some, she can swap to lighter wheels with a lower spoke count, so you will want a bike frame that will accommodate both wider and thinner wheels. Otherwise, everthing else will be the same for the average bicycle purchase.
Good advice on the aluminum for her. I have absolutely no affiliation with them but Bikesdirect.com has some dirt cheap bikes. They are brand new, require little setup and will get her going. My last three bikes were from there including a Le Champion in 06, Le Champion CF in 10, and one of their MTB hardtails in 2010 as well.
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