Looking for wheels to drop lbs
04-23-20, 09:46 PM
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Looking for wheels to drop lbs
Howdy, I’m new to the forum but noticed this maybe my best shot at finding recommendations or ideas for a bike sturdy enough to handle my 450lb frame. The plan is to ride the bike around the campus mainly on hard surfaces until I hit 350 then take the bike on some tougher terrain and hills at that point. Based on some of what I read so far there is a lot of opinions on which way to go and how much to spend but my goal is to continue the progress I’ve made from weight loss surgery along with my new workout regimen. I believe cycling will help me improve my cardio while helping the leaning out process with an assist from my weight training. So any assistance that this community can provide will be greatly appreciated and allow me to pass that assistance forward to others like myself. Thanks in advance
04-24-20, 02:56 AM
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I believe these guys https://www.worksmancycles.com/ claim to build stronger-than-average bicycles.
IME, it’s quite rare for frames or forks to break during casual riding. You might manage with an older, high quality rigid MTB with properly chosen wheels. If you get a steel frame it should be possible to spread the rear to accept a tandem-specific rear hub.
I’m wary about suggesting suspension for you. Anything using springs is likely to bottom out. And I’ve heard about people blowing seals on air-sprung units when trying to stiffen them up past spec.
IME, it’s quite rare for frames or forks to break during casual riding. You might manage with an older, high quality rigid MTB with properly chosen wheels. If you get a steel frame it should be possible to spread the rear to accept a tandem-specific rear hub.
I’m wary about suggesting suspension for you. Anything using springs is likely to bottom out. And I’ve heard about people blowing seals on air-sprung units when trying to stiffen them up past spec.
04-24-20, 04:15 AM
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I was around 370 or 360 or so when I started riding my hardtail MTB. It wasn't an expensive one. I think I picked it up in around 2006 or so for around $600. When I started riding it in earnest in 2009 at the weight I mentioned I managed to pop some spokes just riding off a 5 or 6" curb, so it was definitely suffering under the strain. I got way below that quite quickly, dropping to like 260 or so in around 7 months or so, so the strain on the bike eased up considerably in just a matter of several months. I picked up a used road bike in 2012 and was around 260 or 270 or so when I got it. Broke a rear wheel that had been an "ultralight" model made by the bike manufacturer (was a Bontrager wheel with low spoke count and light rear hub) so it had light and fragile wheels that were never meant to be ridden by someone like me. Replaced the broken rear with a 32-spoke generic cheapo wheel which did fine until I built a new wheelset for the bike using 32-spoke rims and Ultegra hubs for front and rear. Those wheels are still on that bike, though I'm not riding it anymore because I've upgraded to a new road bike.
My point is that at 360-370 I was crushing my hardtail MTB, and it survived but not unscathed. I had to replace the bottom bracket once, wore out some chainrings and cassettes, and it was on that bike that I learned that chains need to be replaced from time to time when the chain finally broke. This is, btw, also why I wore out the chainrings and cassettes. The same wouldn't happen now because I know better. The front suspension is shot even though I had it locked, and there are other "old age and wear and tear" issues with that bike from me riding so many miles on it at my weight. It's served me well, but it paid the price. It had front suspension that wasn't worth a damn at that original weight, so I just locked it in place. I put some 35ish mm road-like tires on the MTB and just road it on the street for thousands of miles. You won't want to go actual mountain-bike riding until your weight is well into the 200s, I can tell you that with confidence. It'll be street riding until then. A stock mountain bike from a store will probably not have wheels that you'd want to ride at 450 lbs. If I popped spokes going off a 5" curb at 360 then those wheels would have asploded if you tried it. If you were my neighbor and wanted help putting this thing together I'd say we gotta find a really tough rim, some hubs that will accept like 40 spokes, then find the toughest double-butted or triple-butted (thicker at the J-bend) spokes money can buy and build the wheels with them, put some 38mm road-like tires on them, and you just ride that thing like a road bike until you're well into the 200s.
I'll tell you rides really tough, tanklike wheels: guys on tandem bikes. Another crowd that likes beast-like wheels are touring folks, but the tandem guys really need them because they've got to have wheels that can support the weight of two riders on a heavy duty bike. Pretty sure there's a tandem forum here, and I'm going to bet "what's a tough wheelset?" is a FAQ on that forum. Probably a good idea to start there, because what wheels you can get will determine what bike you can get that can use them.
I hope you find something and have a lot of success and stick with it. I dropped from my all-time max of 380 in 2009 to around 245 briefly in 2010, quickly rose back up to 260ish, and then spent most of the last ten years porpoising up and down in a range of about 260-290ish, never able to just get to a really good low and then stay there. I'm still working on it. I was down to around 255 until this Covid thing added a lot of stress and derailed parts of my routine (I'd been swimming and using the sauna at the gym) that I haven't adequately compensated for, so I'm around 260 or so right now, but this is the year I want to drop all the way to 230, and I'm determined to make that happen. I may not be thin by most peoples' standards at 260, but I feel thin because I've been 380 before and I know the difference, and it feels way better to be 260 than it did to be 380. It's totally worth whatever sweat and effort and will-power you pour into it, and I very much hope you succeed.
My point is that at 360-370 I was crushing my hardtail MTB, and it survived but not unscathed. I had to replace the bottom bracket once, wore out some chainrings and cassettes, and it was on that bike that I learned that chains need to be replaced from time to time when the chain finally broke. This is, btw, also why I wore out the chainrings and cassettes. The same wouldn't happen now because I know better. The front suspension is shot even though I had it locked, and there are other "old age and wear and tear" issues with that bike from me riding so many miles on it at my weight. It's served me well, but it paid the price. It had front suspension that wasn't worth a damn at that original weight, so I just locked it in place. I put some 35ish mm road-like tires on the MTB and just road it on the street for thousands of miles. You won't want to go actual mountain-bike riding until your weight is well into the 200s, I can tell you that with confidence. It'll be street riding until then. A stock mountain bike from a store will probably not have wheels that you'd want to ride at 450 lbs. If I popped spokes going off a 5" curb at 360 then those wheels would have asploded if you tried it. If you were my neighbor and wanted help putting this thing together I'd say we gotta find a really tough rim, some hubs that will accept like 40 spokes, then find the toughest double-butted or triple-butted (thicker at the J-bend) spokes money can buy and build the wheels with them, put some 38mm road-like tires on them, and you just ride that thing like a road bike until you're well into the 200s.
I'll tell you rides really tough, tanklike wheels: guys on tandem bikes. Another crowd that likes beast-like wheels are touring folks, but the tandem guys really need them because they've got to have wheels that can support the weight of two riders on a heavy duty bike. Pretty sure there's a tandem forum here, and I'm going to bet "what's a tough wheelset?" is a FAQ on that forum. Probably a good idea to start there, because what wheels you can get will determine what bike you can get that can use them.
I hope you find something and have a lot of success and stick with it. I dropped from my all-time max of 380 in 2009 to around 245 briefly in 2010, quickly rose back up to 260ish, and then spent most of the last ten years porpoising up and down in a range of about 260-290ish, never able to just get to a really good low and then stay there. I'm still working on it. I was down to around 255 until this Covid thing added a lot of stress and derailed parts of my routine (I'd been swimming and using the sauna at the gym) that I haven't adequately compensated for, so I'm around 260 or so right now, but this is the year I want to drop all the way to 230, and I'm determined to make that happen. I may not be thin by most peoples' standards at 260, but I feel thin because I've been 380 before and I know the difference, and it feels way better to be 260 than it did to be 380. It's totally worth whatever sweat and effort and will-power you pour into it, and I very much hope you succeed.
04-24-20, 07:19 AM
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I like the idea of Worksman Cycles for very heavy riders.
Otherwise it is not necessarily the bike but the wheels which would be of most concern. I would go to Universal cycles or Prowheelbuilder and look to build a set of 36 hole 26" Sun Rhynolite wheels.
Otherwise it is not necessarily the bike but the wheels which would be of most concern. I would go to Universal cycles or Prowheelbuilder and look to build a set of 36 hole 26" Sun Rhynolite wheels.
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04-24-20, 12:43 PM
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I was around 370 or 360 or so when I started riding my hardtail MTB. It wasn't an expensive one. I think I picked it up in around 2006 or so for around $600. When I started riding it in earnest in 2009 at the weight I mentioned I managed to pop some spokes just riding off a 5 or 6" curb, so it was definitely suffering under the strain. I got way below that quite quickly, dropping to like 260 or so in around 7 months or so, so the strain on the bike eased up considerably in just a matter of several months. I picked up a used road bike in 2012 and was around 260 or 270 or so when I got it. Broke a rear wheel that had been an "ultralight" model made by the bike manufacturer (was a Bontrager wheel with low spoke count and light rear hub) so it had light and fragile wheels that were never meant to be ridden by someone like me. Replaced the broken rear with a 32-spoke generic cheapo wheel which did fine until I built a new wheelset for the bike using 32-spoke rims and Ultegra hubs for front and rear. Those wheels are still on that bike, though I'm not riding it anymore because I've upgraded to a new road bike.
My point is that at 360-370 I was crushing my hardtail MTB, and it survived but not unscathed. I had to replace the bottom bracket once, wore out some chainrings and cassettes, and it was on that bike that I learned that chains need to be replaced from time to time when the chain finally broke. This is, btw, also why I wore out the chainrings and cassettes. The same wouldn't happen now because I know better. The front suspension is shot even though I had it locked, and there are other "old age and wear and tear" issues with that bike from me riding so many miles on it at my weight. It's served me well, but it paid the price. It had front suspension that wasn't worth a damn at that original weight, so I just locked it in place. I put some 35ish mm road-like tires on the MTB and just road it on the street for thousands of miles. You won't want to go actual mountain-bike riding until your weight is well into the 200s, I can tell you that with confidence. It'll be street riding until then. A stock mountain bike from a store will probably not have wheels that you'd want to ride at 450 lbs. If I popped spokes going off a 5" curb at 360 then those wheels would have asploded if you tried it. If you were my neighbor and wanted help putting this thing together I'd say we gotta find a really tough rim, some hubs that will accept like 40 spokes, then find the toughest double-butted or triple-butted (thicker at the J-bend) spokes money can buy and build the wheels with them, put some 38mm road-like tires on them, and you just ride that thing like a road bike until you're well into the 200s.
I'll tell you rides really tough, tanklike wheels: guys on tandem bikes. Another crowd that likes beast-like wheels are touring folks, but the tandem guys really need them because they've got to have wheels that can support the weight of two riders on a heavy duty bike. Pretty sure there's a tandem forum here, and I'm going to bet "what's a tough wheelset?" is a FAQ on that forum. Probably a good idea to start there, because what wheels you can get will determine what bike you can get that can use them.
I hope you find something and have a lot of success and stick with it. I dropped from my all-time max of 380 in 2009 to around 245 briefly in 2010, quickly rose back up to 260ish, and then spent most of the last ten years porpoising up and down in a range of about 260-290ish, never able to just get to a really good low and then stay there. I'm still working on it. I was down to around 255 until this Covid thing added a lot of stress and derailed parts of my routine (I'd been swimming and using the sauna at the gym) that I haven't adequately compensated for, so I'm around 260 or so right now, but this is the year I want to drop all the way to 230, and I'm determined to make that happen. I may not be thin by most peoples' standards at 260, but I feel thin because I've been 380 before and I know the difference, and it feels way better to be 260 than it did to be 380. It's totally worth whatever sweat and effort and will-power you pour into it, and I very much hope you succeed.
My point is that at 360-370 I was crushing my hardtail MTB, and it survived but not unscathed. I had to replace the bottom bracket once, wore out some chainrings and cassettes, and it was on that bike that I learned that chains need to be replaced from time to time when the chain finally broke. This is, btw, also why I wore out the chainrings and cassettes. The same wouldn't happen now because I know better. The front suspension is shot even though I had it locked, and there are other "old age and wear and tear" issues with that bike from me riding so many miles on it at my weight. It's served me well, but it paid the price. It had front suspension that wasn't worth a damn at that original weight, so I just locked it in place. I put some 35ish mm road-like tires on the MTB and just road it on the street for thousands of miles. You won't want to go actual mountain-bike riding until your weight is well into the 200s, I can tell you that with confidence. It'll be street riding until then. A stock mountain bike from a store will probably not have wheels that you'd want to ride at 450 lbs. If I popped spokes going off a 5" curb at 360 then those wheels would have asploded if you tried it. If you were my neighbor and wanted help putting this thing together I'd say we gotta find a really tough rim, some hubs that will accept like 40 spokes, then find the toughest double-butted or triple-butted (thicker at the J-bend) spokes money can buy and build the wheels with them, put some 38mm road-like tires on them, and you just ride that thing like a road bike until you're well into the 200s.
I'll tell you rides really tough, tanklike wheels: guys on tandem bikes. Another crowd that likes beast-like wheels are touring folks, but the tandem guys really need them because they've got to have wheels that can support the weight of two riders on a heavy duty bike. Pretty sure there's a tandem forum here, and I'm going to bet "what's a tough wheelset?" is a FAQ on that forum. Probably a good idea to start there, because what wheels you can get will determine what bike you can get that can use them.
I hope you find something and have a lot of success and stick with it. I dropped from my all-time max of 380 in 2009 to around 245 briefly in 2010, quickly rose back up to 260ish, and then spent most of the last ten years porpoising up and down in a range of about 260-290ish, never able to just get to a really good low and then stay there. I'm still working on it. I was down to around 255 until this Covid thing added a lot of stress and derailed parts of my routine (I'd been swimming and using the sauna at the gym) that I haven't adequately compensated for, so I'm around 260 or so right now, but this is the year I want to drop all the way to 230, and I'm determined to make that happen. I may not be thin by most peoples' standards at 260, but I feel thin because I've been 380 before and I know the difference, and it feels way better to be 260 than it did to be 380. It's totally worth whatever sweat and effort and will-power you pour into it, and I very much hope you succeed.
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04-25-20, 03:21 PM
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Since you've got some serious answers, I'll throw in a flippant response.
As you either know or will figure out, an "LBS" around here is a local bike shop. Likewise, dropping someone is riding off and leaving them behind.
With that background, you should have no problem dropping your lbs. Just get on your bike and ride away. It's a store, it can't keep up with you.
As you either know or will figure out, an "LBS" around here is a local bike shop. Likewise, dropping someone is riding off and leaving them behind.
With that background, you should have no problem dropping your lbs. Just get on your bike and ride away. It's a store, it can't keep up with you.
