Roadwanderer

I'm looking into purchasing a bicycle for a family member who is closer to 350 lbs than to 300 lbs (I think you can probably tell where this is going).

All of the bikes I can find that might be appropriate for the rider have an upper limit of 300 lbs.

Is that a hard limit? I'm looking at sturdy cruiser frames with 26" cruiser tires. Assuming the seat post and stem are inserted deep enough in the frame, I can't imagine that failing even at 350 or 400 lbs. I'm guessing the wheel might be a weak point. But I don't know, which is why I'm here.

Can anyone educate me on this topic?

Thanks in advance

coney462

I started riding my Giant Escape 2 at 315 lbs (a little closer to 300 than 350). My stock rear 32 spoke wheels was the weakest point. I was breaking a spoke a month. Had my LBS change the wheel for a stronger 36 spoke wheel and haven't broken a spoke since. Also now down to the high 260's I have learned to ride a little lighter

Sullalto

A hanbuilt wheel will be stronger than a machine built one. Spoke gauge also matters, as does the rim(But spokes are more likely to fail than the rim). So spoke count isn't everything...but yes, wheels are likely to be the first failure point.

While I would hesitate to recommend going over the weight limit-keep in mind there is a safety margin, and that 300lb limit is for running over potholes, and impacts like that. A gentle rider that picks their line well is going to stress the frame less than someone who is carefree and blows straight on through potholes, over railroad tracks, off of curbs, etc.

Roadwanderer

This will be a cautious and timid rider (unlike me... although my skinny road tires force me to be more so than in the past). Also a rider that is losing weight and (especially if biking regularly) should be under 300 lbs in 12 months time.

SethAZ 

For a rider in that weight range I really like a mountain bike, like a hard-tail 29er. They're built to take a lot of hard shocks and abuse by lighter riders, so a heavier rider keeping to the road and not riding into/off of curbs, through potholes, etc. should be fine. Plus you can swap out the knobby dirt tires for some nice wide road slicks like a good 38mm slick and ride in comfort on the road, then when you're down some weight and ready for a road bike you can put the knobbies back on and go ride in the hills.

Anyhow, that's the route I went, riding at around 350 or so on a 29er, and transitioning to a true road bike when I was well down into the mid/upper 200s.

Fiend606

When I first started looking at bikes when I was 330 pounds I was pointed towards, the Worksman Urban Commuter with the necessary Optional upgrades where it is rated at up to 500 pounds. It looks like a really sturdy bike but I was turned off by the company's rather bad reputation for customer service to individuals and the cost is prohibitive for me to risk on a bike that might not be perfect on delivery and require a lot of back and forth with the company's customer service. Worksman makes bike for industrial use in large plants and warehouses and does mostly commercial sales.

I still havn;t saved enough for a bike yet but I'm down to under 270 in shorts, t-shirt and socks as I write this. I'm looking at bikes from Giant and Specialized. Specialized sells some models that come with 36 spoke rear wheels and 32 spoke front wheels. Some people on the bike forums like to call the carrying capacity limits on bikes the "Lawyer Limits" for liability purposes meaning the bikes can carry slightly more weight. So take that into account as well. You could buy a bike from a local bike shop(not a big box store) and need to upgrade the wheels with something sturdier with a higher spoke count.

DWhitworth

I have ridden both a Specialized Sectuer (alum) and my current Scott CR-1 10 for thousands of miles while weighing in at least 350lbs, probably closer to 400 on the Specialized. While the stock wheels were removed immediately on both, the frames and other components were fine. I don't even know the factory limits on either bike, but safe to say that I am way over.

I would also not expect any warranty relief from Scott if my frame fails (the SPec was stolen from me) but I am approaching 6k miles on it with no issue so far.\

My overall point here is that wheels are the weak point, not the frame.

DaveW

breadbin

Well I'm about 360lbs now and the bike I use is an aluminium, cyclocross bike with flat bars and 20 spoke mavic aksium wheels. I wouldn't recommend this setup to anyone this weight but I've had it for years, never broken a spoke.

I would recommend 36 hole hand built wheels and probably a steel frame like a Surly Crosscheck or something. Add flat bars if he has trouble with the drops. I did!

Roadwanderer

This has been helpful; thanks.