"Big" Problem

[HoustonAE2]

Hey guys, I am looking for some advice from people who know bikes. I am a big guy, not too fat but just a healthy "corn fed" boy. I am 6'5 and weigh in at about 295. Now I am dieting and attending spinning classes to get my weight down, but I do not see myself getting below 265. I am a former offensive lineman and played football in college. Now that you have a mental picture of me, hopefully a positive one, here is my question. Is there a bike that can withstand my girth? I owned a mtb in the past and loved riding trails, but I kept bending various parts and finally I bend the crap out of the frame jumping a root. I actually landed wrong and hit pretty hard. I looked at all the bikes and their parts and the manufactures are going for the strongest and lightest. Can anyone help? When I was young and riding my bmx bike with friends, I ended up with a steel frame bike (an old frame) and rebuilt the bike with new components. That worked great but it weighed a TON. Now I do not mind a heavy bike, one of the benefits of being so big is that I am strong as well.

Thanks for the help

[Pman]

Weighing in at about 170 I can't really help you much. A good place to look for information realting to you is at bikeforums.net. They have a "Clydesdales" section that has folks with your situation and how they approach cycling. Check it out:

http://www.bikeforums.net/forumdisplay.php?f=248

[FishrCutB8]

You can get modern steel frames that are light and strong...or, go with titanium, if you're made of money. The firststep is to get to a local bike shop, get fitted and take test rides. A reputable LBS will take all of your concerns into consideration when making recommendations.

And welcome aboard!!!!

[Flee]

I second steel. Not sure about Ti. Don't know enough about it's ability to handle a big person.

If you have a ton of money. You should opt for a custom built frame. Any off the shelf manufacturer will not be built to accomidate your size or proportions. Well, maybe someone who makes a stock 23" frame would be close.

And inquire about warrenty on frames. You can find some manufacturers....even small builders who might give you a liftime warrenty. I think you can build up a durable hard tail in or around 28lbs.

Good luck.

[HoustonAE2]

I checked my local bike stores and found a good one. The sales rep was very helpful and took the time to fit me with a couple of bikes. I am going to spinning classes to loose weight and get in shape, my reward for when I hit my goal and maintain it is buying a bike. He suggested a steel frame but suggested the added weight would be a problem, what do ya'll think? I'm not made of money but do understand the importance of a good solid frame with good components.

Does anyone know of a good website for locating local trails around the country? I live in Houston, Texas.

Thanks for the help ya'll

[Kaiser]

Welcome HoustonAE2!

Please don't take this the wrong way, but it's something that almost every rider hears when they are looking to get lighter rigs (even me at 175 lbs): it's easier and cheaper and healthier to strip the weight off of you than the rig. Given that you are a tall guy, you're going to want a durable bike anyway. In my mind, the tradeoff for a pound or two in terms of durability is not worth it. I have the same issue with my road riding. I want to buy a lighter, more expensive road bike. But spending $4K on a bike that will save me 2 lbs is not a very efficient solution... it would be smarter for me to get to my optimal riding weight of 165 first, spend a season there, and then consider a lighter rig. In other words, I need to go where the biggest marginal returns are first... for me that is my own body.

The difference between a good steel frame and a lightweight carbon one, for instance, is likely to be less than 3-5 lbs at most on a mtb. Given your riding history, wouldn't you want to go for durability first?

[Pman]

Kaiser put it very well. The difference in weight of the frames is not something you would even notice. If you also make a comparison between steel and aluminum frames the steel will be a bit heavier, but the ride quality of steel is much better.

[RobLL]

Houston - I understand that the typical bike is rated for only about 175 lbs. This is a little publicized fact/factoid if true. I have seen it a few times in the last few years. You might want to contact manufacturers and see if they make 'semi-specialty' bikes.

[Flee]

I have a buddy who rides a 22" Surly Karate Monkey. He's 6'5" and 245lbs give or take. The frame is 4130 chromoly steel. It uses the newer 29" wheel format. They are not the lightest frames, but they are considered durable.

I have a 20" Karate Monkey setup with a rigid fork and in a single speed format. It weighs 24.5 lbs. If you need/want a suspension fork and gears, with the larger frame I think you could come in near 28lbs like I mentioned previously.

I know TMBRA (Texas Mountain Bike Racing Association) has a race in houston ever year. So you got some trails near you. I have always heard that they are relatively flat. So you might consider the Single Speed options to further emphasize durability. No derailures to fail on you.

Visit Surly's web site and have a look.

If you could provide a budget, I might be able to list a few more options. Kona makes some very durable bikes and they have some steel options. Rocky Mountain used to make the Hammer and the Blizzard which were both steel frames. Their are others manufacturers but I can't think of them currently.

Good luck. And it sounds like you have a good game plan. You can use the time you are dropping weight to research your bike purchase. You will feel much better about your purchase when you take your time and do your research.

[HoustonAE2]

All I know is what the local bike shop guy told me, with that said I am looking at spending around $700 on my bike. This is why I am not buying one until I hit my goal of 260-270 lbs. I loved my old bike, but went cheap and only spent about $200 and regret it. I am looking into steel frames now, again the bike dude indicated it would be about 10 lbs heavier. What does that mean in reality, I do not know but I figure that I would get use to it after a while. I have considered just getting an aluminum frame with a lifetime warranty and trading it out when it bends. Although this will be a pain in the rump, it might be the way to go.

I am hating that bike companies are using the more durable metals for make lighter frames and not taking into account people who are not stereotypical cyclists. I am also running in to problems with shoes. I wear a size 13.5 to 14 sneaker and am hoping that the pair of Shimano MT-20's will fit. I ordered a size 48.

[RobLL]

Originally Posted by HoustonAE2

.... I have considered just getting an aluminum frame with a lifetime warranty and trading it out when it bends. ..........

check the warrantee, it may have a weight limit in the fine print

[Pman]

Well in light of the new information you provided, bending parts on a $200 bike may have nothing to do with your size. The components on bikes like that are the bottom of the line. I had a Huffy years ago that I bent all kinds of parts on. The advice for the $700 range sounds like it is in the range of a bike that has much better components than what you are used to. Plus you get a warranty to boot!

I gotta warn you, aluminum frames can be very harsh to ride. Aluminum frames do not give very much so you feel everything. It sounds strange, but steel frames are nicer because they have more give than aluminum frames. It took me a while to understand that, but it is true.

[HoustonAE2]

Originally Posted by RobLL

check the warrantee, it may have a weight limit in the fine print

Good point, thanks

[HoustonAE2]

Originally Posted by Pman

I gotta warn you, aluminum frames can be very harsh to ride. Aluminum frames do not give very much so you feel everything. It sounds strange, but steel frames are nicer because they have more give than aluminum frames. It took me a while to understand that, but it is true.

Sounds like one of those things that is too weird not to be true. I just want a bike that will not break under my size. I know three things:

1) I am a big boy and while I might loose 30lbs, I will still weigh 260 or so.
2) Bikes are not made for guys of my size
3) I want a bike to enjoy, thrash as much as possible and wont cost more than my first car.

[HoustonAE2]

I was looking through my records and the bike I did own was a Motobecane full suspension. I paid $495 for it. What does that mean to you guys. Now I killed this bike by trying to jump a bunch of roots and landing wrong on one of them, and you can imagine I ate a lot of dirt that day. I have been reading about steel frame bikes and looked at Kona, GT, and Trek. They all seem to have a steel frame bikes but I am still confused.

Will a steel frame offer the durability I am wanting? I am looking to have fun with my ride but don't want something I will break.

What are the limitations of a single speed bike? What are the advantages?

Sorry for all the questions.

[Flee]

First...don't worry about the questions. If you don't know already, you will soon enough. Cyclists love bikes and like to help people get into and fully enjoy the sport.

The bike shop guy doesn't know what he is talking about. Or, more likely, he doesn't have any steel bikes available to sell you, so he is going to slam them. 10lbs heavier is a LIE. I already told you, I have a 4130 Chromoly Steel frame (one of the heavier modern steels used to make bikes) and my bike weighs 24.5 lbs. If I had the lightest aluminum or carbon frame on the market in my configuration, with my exact components I could probably drop total weight 2.5 to 3 lbs. Example, you can see on SURLY's web site that my frame weighs 5.6 lbs. A racer boy aluminum or carbon frame like this SCOTT Scale frame weighs 2.13 lbs. There you go, 3 1/2 lbs difference. By the way, that Scott frame, only costs 2,500 bucks. I weigh 190lbs and I would touch it with a 10 foot pool.

Now you can get better steel than what I ride. For example this Rocky Mountain Blizzard is made with Reynolds 853, which is a higher quality steel. It's lighter and probably a little more compliant and perhaps not quite as durable.

One of your biggest obsticles is your budget. I personally, would recommend that you wait a little longer. Go a little lower on your weight loss goal, and save a little more coin. I think you can get your current dream ride for right at 1,000 bucks. I don't know how much you spent on your first car....but to me, it's irrelivent. On the subject of money. Your first bike was a piece. It is impossible to buy a full suspension bike at $500 and expect it to last any time. Particularly for a man of your stature. I have lots of people who have come to me asking my opinion on getting into MTB'n. And they all want a $700 dollar full suspension, or so it seems. And I always tell them, you are going to buy a bike that is GOING to fail. PERIOD! At your size, you would have to spend $1,500 and probably more to get a full suspension bike that could actually last, and have respectable ride characteristics.

I'm Lovin' Pman. Why do you ask? Because he is speaking the truth. Steel has a much better ride quality than aluminum. Aluminum transfers every trail abnormality (read: bump, rock, root, square edge, drop) right to your spine. Steel rides smooth. As a material, steel gives, it flexes. It's a more refined experience. I will NEVER own an Aluminum hard tail again. Steel for me. I'd consider Ti if I could afford it. I can't.

So there is a bunch of information to help you in your search. Do not listen to your LBS guy. He is feeding you BS. Find other shops. Call them first and see if they carry any manufacturers that make steel bikes. Or check web sites to find distributers in your area. IE: Kona's or Surly's web site will let you search for distributers in your area. If they don't have a 22" in stock, ask them to put there 20" or 21" on a scale so you can compare weights.

Oh, you asked about Single Speeding. You won't here anything but praise from me. SS'n is a blast. No more worrying about gears (not that I had problems with shifting, I got lots of buddies who did for whatever reason). You just ride. Focus on the trail. Learn to keep your momentum. And stand up and hammer when the trail pitches up. You have less crap on your bike. So you have less stuff to fail and to have to adjust or tweek or maintain. I ride my SS on ALL my local trails in Dallas/Ft. Worth area. I even take it to some of the trails around Dallas that actually have elevation change. It not unusual to hit a trail for 25 to 30 miles on a Saturday and do 2,500 ft. elevation change. You wouldn't be able to do that in the beginning, because SS'n is a MUCH more physical challenge, especially when you have elevation change. Of course, that is another great thing about it. It's a total body workout...every time you ride. Another cool thing about some of the SS bikes out there, they can run gears as well. For example, my Karate Monkey can do both. It has a deraillure hanger so I can run it SS or I can put a rear mech on it and run it geared. I could put a front deraillure on as well, so it could be a fully geared bike. It's really cool like that. So you have options. I ride it SS 95% of the time. But when I go to a remote destination, like Arkansas, where you actually ride on mountains, I run it geared.

Ok.....thats a lot to absorb. So feel free to ask questions if you like. As I said before, you are doing the right thing. Do your research. You will be making a better decision in the long run.

Ryan

[ohammersmith]

I weigh 295 (though you have me beat by about half a foot) and got this bike on clearance at REI... http://www.marinbikes.com/bicycles_2...as_valley.html

for something like $750. I'm happy with it. It's an aluminum frame, carbon fiber fork... didn't even really occur to me to consider weight limits.

I don't go off roading, though, I got it as a road bike that didn't require me to get down as far (stupid gut).

[Flee]

Originally Posted by ohammersmith

I weigh 295 (though you have me beat by about half a foot) and got this bike on clearance at REI... http://www.marinbikes.com/bicycles_2...as_valley.html

for something like $750. I'm happy with it. It's an aluminum frame, carbon fiber fork... didn't even really occur to me to consider weight limits.

I don't go off roading, though, I got it as a road bike that didn't require me to get down as far (stupid gut).

With carbon seat stays....to take the edge off the chattery aluminum ride. Houston might have different requirements since he is likely going to ride off road.

But, how long have you had it? How have the wheels held up. Hope you are liking it, thats a pretty descent amount of money to spend on an entry level road bike. You can usually get a little more quality out of a road bike at that price point, becuase you don't have to pony up for a GOOD suspension fork, like most people want on an MTB.

Ryan