know anything about bikes?

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I was wondering if you could help me with something. I'm quite a bit overweight. According to WebMD, I am precisely 100 lbs. overweight.

At the risk of boring you with a story;

Back when I was a teenager, I lost 80 lbs in 4 months riding my bike an average of 20 miles a day every day over the course of a single summer. It was a very cheap bike bought at Toys R Us and the front wheel kept warping and rubbing against the fork. It was really quite annoying.

Given my current weight, can you recommend a bike that would have strong enough wheels what won't warp under my weight? Also, was there something I was doing the exacerbate the warping? Maybe standing on the bike while coasting or maybe having the seat or the handlebars too high or too low?


I don't know where to start looking for a bike on-line. Do I search for mountain bikes, touring bikes...?

Modern mountain bikes are very tough and incredible fun to ride I cannot recommend anything better I would if you can also recommend buying one from a cycle shop they can help a lot when it comes to selecting the right frame size and adjusting it all to fit.

Very cheap bikes are built so that they feel good during a test ride, but to get the price down, the builders have to cut so many corners, the bikes don't last. But bike wheels are amazingly strong when properly built (and when you don't put a side load on them). Probably one of the corners cut with cheap bikes is the wheel building. You can fix that yourself. A quick look at amazon showed me several books that tell you how to build bike wheels.


A medium quality mountain bike should have strong enough wheels, or you can look for a utility bike, something intended to carry a rider and cargo.


I think you had a badly built wheel. None of what you listed should put a higher load on a wheel. The one thing bike wheels don't like is a lateral load, like you get on a car wheel when cornering. But a bike is supposed to lean, and so the wheels should not see a lateral load.


Best thing would be to go into a dedicated bike shop. Expect to pay something for quality. I wouldn't expect to get a usable new bike for less than US$500. If you haven't got that much, you could try going to police auctions. Many people whose bikes are stolen just send in an insurance claim, and never check whether their bikes are recovered. Police auction off bikes that have not been claimed for some time. There you might find a bargain.

You could also see whether there is a cycling club in your vicinity. There is the risk that you run into elitist jocks who just sneer at you, but if they are genuine enthusiasts, they will be glad to give you advice, and you may find out who is selling a good quality used bike. I think your chances may be better if you find people who go cycle touring, not racing, but that may be just my prejudice.

If you find some people, ask what brands have a good reputation. Avoid bikes sold through chains like Toys R Us or Walmarts unless you know where they source their bikes and what the reputation of the builder is. Ask for the weight the bike is intended to carry.

Like iceb said, mountain bikes should be strong enough, but if you are concerned, look into utility or cargo bikes. They more often come with information on intended weight carrying capacity.

Nashbar, Colorado Cyclist, and Jenson USA are the on line stores I use. I tend to avoid bike shops because they are more expensive. I would definatley recommend a mountain bike over a road bike since they are cheaper, more rugged, easier to ride, and you won't be limited to riding on the road.

I would say to go to a bike shop first, even if you plan on buying a bike online, at least you can get a good idea about the different bikes and what type you want. Like was said, at a bike shop prices for a new bike start out at around US $500, but they might have a nice used bike for sale well under that. Not to long ago I sold one of my old mountain bikes at the bike shop, in very nice condition for $400. Not every shop will have bargains though, so you might want to try a bunch of shops to see what they have.
If you figure out what you want and everything and if online new bike are to expensive you could try ebay for a nice used bike. Anyway, if you buy a bike online I would recommend you take it to a bike shop to have them go over it and make sure it is fit/adjusted right for you, before you ride it.

Gromit, nice to know your prejudice against me...

Decide what type of bike you want and then get it only at a bike shop. You have to try the bike in order to know if it's going to fit you. Fit is everything, and the people at the shop should be able to know what's appropriate for you.

Bicycle types:
Road bikes.
Mountain bikes.
Touring bikes (a road bike meant to carry the additional weight of cargo).
Hybrid bikes (a road bike with MTB-style handlebars and wider tires).

Unless you know that you'll be riding exclusively on loose dirt, I highly suggest changing the knobby tires on a hybrid or MTB to street slicks. The knobs really slow you down on pavement.

I paid $440 for this:
http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/thebikes/ ... ailx2.html

Rest assured it's tough. I've done plenty of crash testing.
Things to get with it:
Metal Platform pedals (I broke the wheels that came with it, they're mainly for testing)
a saddle bag with a spare tube, tire levers, a snack
My only gripe is the lower end drivetrain components.

This bike is plenty dope for the price, I see people on these everywhere
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/mot ... m29_08.htm


and watch out for web sites regarding your weight. They over generalize. A website told me almost the same thing but a professional opinion told me different.

on that note, I took my mtb out to palo duro canyon and despite the extremely dry air I had one of the funnest times I've ever had riding solo.
the only bad thing was no girls on the trail.






THIS SUMMER IS GOING TO RULE!! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !

i agree, knobby tired have a lot of rolling resistance so swapping them out will make you go faster on pavement, they might also reduce frustration because you'll glide more so it won't be as much work to hold a constant speed.

I've fallen in love with road bikes since i started riding them but they aren't for everybody, they can be rather uncomfortable before you get used to riding them (see my thread about biking for a description of the groin/buttocks pain you might get) but they're so much fun to ride so don't overlook them unless you know you want something else.

there's some very good advice in this thread. one thing i'd like to reiterate is that if you buy used bring it to a shop to have them look it over. a bike may feel nice and ride nicely but there can be rust in places you can't see, bearings could be lacking grease, there could be any number of problems that you won't know about until something fails. most shops around here charge around $100 for an overhaul, around $60 for a simple tune up, so don't forget to check what bike shops will charge to inspect the bike and add that to the cost of a used bike. depending on who's selling the bike you could also bring the bike to a shop to have them look at it before buying it, lots of them are willing to do that.

bitchin'!:thumleft:

Thanks!

if getting an XC hardtail, avoid cheap forks that are too soft & 'sag' excessively under your weight, that might not be as enjoyable to ride, and maybe sap your power.

When I decided to get into the off road bike game, I tested the Jamis and a Specialized Hardrock. The Hardrock's suspension was like this. Surprisingly to the point of almost falling over. The shock on the Jamis, however, are pretty damn solid for the price I paid.

Get an excersise bike.

Bikes are difficult to buy. Always go to a shop for them.

Before going to the shop:
- Determine what purpose you are using your bike for, is it off-road, just cycling around, transporting goods, etc.
- Make sure you have money, a good bike costs a lot of money, but you save it on the long run

In the shop look at:
- sturdiness materials, is it fixed properly?
- height of the frame, really important when you are tall or short
- simplicity, a bike with less accessories is easier to fix
- try the bike for a run

When buying it some things can be personalized:
- the 'position' of the gears, depending on man of woman gears are set differently; I prefer my gears in between
- when you buy a bike without gears, having different cogwheels can be nice for your regular speed or amount of goods