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Hello,

As the title says, I am closing in on 400 pounds and it's time for a change. I am 30 years old, so I still have time to turn this around and start living a better life.

I really need some "first bicycle" advice, and I will try to be as elaborate as possible. If I forget to include information that would help you help me more efficiently, I do apologize and I hope you'll let me know what's missing.

I have read through this particular sub-forum a few times over the past few months, and I have come across a rather large number of different posts and opinions on what makes a good bicycle for a guy of my weight. I have gone back and forth between what I would like to do, and I just don't know where to begin, so here's what I do know, and hopefully we can go from there.



I want a bicycle that helps me right now, but will still be fun and exciting to ride as I shed weight, and will be able to go a bit faster and onto rougher terrain.

The style of bicycles I have been bouncing between are mountain bikes, plus bikes and fat bikes. I really enjoy the aggressive look of these, and the thought of being able to use it on the road at first, and eventually take it onto the trials makes me giddy. I also get the idea that they are stronger than road bikes since they are designed to withstand abuse. Of course, I could be wrong about this.

I am willing to spend up to $1500 all together. If it doesn't have to cost that much, that's good. If it does, for the sake of getting something that will help me, then that's fine too. I know going for a used bicycle is a great option, but I simply wouldn't know what to look for to determine whether or not a particular used bike is good or bad. I generally don't trust people, and with my lack of bicycle knowledge...I would just be a lot more comfortable buying from an authorized / reputable dealer so I know I have a place to go back to.

Speaking of bicycle shops. I live in the middle of nowhere. Literally. From where I am, it's 1.5 hours to Austin, 2 hours to Houston and about 2.5 hours to San Antonio. I have Googled bicycle shops in those areas, and I am having a hard time settling on where to go. If you guys happen to know of a particularly great shop in these 3 areas or the surrounding areas....please let me know, for it would be a huge help.

The fact that I am so far away from a shop also adds to my concern about this whole thing. I know things can go wrong at any given time, but if I can eliminate "breakage due to quality of parts or construction" by spending the full $1500, then that's what I will do. I'm a fat guy, but I am not an idiot. If something breaks due to my own stupidity....that's no one's fault but my own, but I don't plan on trashing this bike. I just want to make sure that I can comfortably and confidently ride without worrying about having to drive it back to the shop twice a week.

I hope this wasn't too long or too boring to read, and I really hope you guys will be able to help me get started with something. I am excited to get out there.

Thank you all, for reading.

Jarrett2

First of all, welcome to the forum! You've come to the right place. I've seen so many folks on this forum make dramatic weight changes in their lives that it has become a bit routine despite the fact how remarkable it is. You've come to the right place to find ways to make substantial life changes.

I used to be 405. Started dieting and got down to 378. Bought a bicycle and started riding and dieting and got as low as 252. Right now I hover around 280. 280 is still a little heavier than I want to be, but it feels WAY better than 405. Since I started pedaling in May 2013, I've ridden 13,627 miles and I'm in better cardio shape than I've ever been. I just did a 67 mile ride called Conquer the Coast in Corpus Christi this past Saturday which started in Corpus, went through Ingleside, Aransas Pass, across the ferry to Port A, down the island back towards Corpus going through the Naval base and back into down town Corpus. Total blast.

Things to know:
You lose or gain weight by the things you eat/don't eat.
Exercise plays only a small factor in weight loss.
Cycling only helps weight loss slightly, but it is great for radically improving cardiovascular health. (my resting heart rate was 44 last night)
Cycling as your only exercise will cause fat and muscle loss and move you towards a pot belly, skinny arms and legs build. Skinny fat they call it.
That's not necessarily a bad thing, just something to know. Skinny fat is much better than fat fat.
Resistance training is what you do to "look better naked." Bodyweight exercises, lifting weights, etc. add muscle while losing fat.
Counting calories is a HIGHLY effective way to lose weight rapidly.

Anyway, based on what you have said, here are my recommendations:

Check out Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint for a good all around eating/exercise lifestyle plan
Start using MyFitnessPal's website and/or smartphone app to count calories
Add a little exercise to start, but focus primarily on diet for weight loss in the beginning. Ramp up exercise later.
Start slow! Crash diets don't last. You have to ease into an entire lifestyle change for it to work long term.

For me, I'm either counting calories or I'm gaining weight. It's as simple as that. I've made counting calories just part of my day now. Similar to tracking finances or keeping track of bills, just another thing I have to do daily. With smartphone apps like MyFitnessPal that will let you manually enter foods, reuse routine foods/meals, scan a barcode to add a food to your daily diary, it is really easy. As long as I'm tracking, accounting for my food intake, statistically aware of what's going in my mouth, I am losing or maintaining weight.

Ease into it at first. Don't try and change everything all at once and then burn out in a week. Just start by tracking what you normally eat. Don't change anything, just account and become aware of everything that goes into your mouth. Sometimes, just becoming acutely aware will help you see where to make the changes first. Sometimes you'll not eat something just because you don't want to have to add it to your calorie list

After you get used to accounting for what you normally eat, pick something and reduce it. One less coke a day. Once less sugar treat a day, etc. When that feels normal, pick something else and drop it. Keep whittling away at your daily intake like that and replacing bad foods with healthy foods. Doing it that way will make it feel easy to lose weight and give you motivation to make positive, lasting changes.

Now back to bicycles, if your closest bike shop is Austin, go to Bicycle Sport Shop on Lamar and check out the Fairdale bikes. They are an Austin-based company and the owner is a bigger guy and he builds bikes that he could ride off the lot so to speak. The Weekender models are good. I have a Weekender Drop model myself and its a great all around bike. They also make a Weekender with flat bars if that is more preferable.

My recommendation is to track your rides the way you track calories. Use a smartphone app or get a cycling computer. Strava is a great place to track your rides. You can also sync Strava to MyFitnessPal so that you will automatically get your calorie burn from cycling (or walking/running) added to your daily food diary. It's a slick feature that makes all around calorie tracking much easier to do.

I'm so glad I started tracking my ride data from the beginning. Seeing the progress is really motivating. Seeing others on Strava out riding motivates you to ride. Once you get used to riding a bit, seek out others and ride with them if possible. Keep it going and progressing. Have fun with it.

This is a lot of info all at once. Read it a few times, let it sink in. Review it periodically if needed. It's a solid plan that has let me lose 125+ lbs and keep it off for a couple of years now. Good luck!

MRT2

If your plan is to ride roads and pavement, forget about mountain bikes, especially at 400 lbs. they are purpose built for aggressive riding on single track, and they suck on roads. my son rides a Kona Cinder Cone mountain bike, which I have rest ridden. On pavement, it is like riding through peanut butter. Best go with a bike that would actually be fun to ride on roads. Whatever you get, pay attention to the wheels. You might need to go with some custom built touring wheels, 36 spokes at a minimum, for peace of mind if nothing else.

MRT2

Spot on. It is frustrating but true. I have even gained weight while riding 4 times a week or more. Even though it seems like you are working hard (and you may be), it is really easy to eat back everything you burned and more with that post ride meal.

indyfabz

+2. I put on weight during a cross county tour riding a 90 lb. bike about 60 miles/day. It happened in the mid-west because I was eating like I was still riding in the western mountains but wasn't working nearly as hard. Also, we had more situations where we ate out instead of cooked and the food options were not always the most healthy. (Think deep fried--even the fish.)

Jean3n16

I wouldnt focus on the bike part just yet. I would focus on your health first. Get to the dr and make sure its safe for you to ride and what distance. Work on getting healthy ( even if its just starting healthy habits). THEN get the bike. Im not saying lose 100lbs then get a bike, but you dont want to buy a bike today and then have a heart attack.

Just my 2c

PhotoJoe 

Three are two sayings around here that have stuck with me.

1) You can't out-ride a bad diet

and

2) Diet for weight loss. Ride for health.

I have more thoughts for you, but have to head to a meeting. I'll ramble on later.

corwin1968

I'm going to disagree with MRT2 and say a mountain bike is the best choice you could make. A steel, rigid 29'er MTB with slicks is a fantastic all-rounder bike and all it takes is a new set of tires to get out in the dirt.

I would recommend looking at the Surly Ogre and Surly Troll. Kona's 2016 line-up had a model called Big Rove that was essentially a mountain bike with slicks. I ride a Surly Karate Monkey at a weight of 386 lbs and have ridden it as high as 416 lbs.

The "Plus" bikes are exciting but right now I don't know of any Plus size slick tires. You would end up riding MTB knobbies and in that case a MTB would not be fun (maybe not even tolerable) to ride on the pavement.

For fat bikes, Surly does make the "Black Floyd", which is almost a slick. I wouldn't really recommend a fat bike until you've been riding for awhile and have a good idea of what you really need/want.

I think you could get a Surly Ogre or Troll within your budget and you could probably find used versions for quite a bit less. I definately would not buy anything without riding it first. I drove 100 miles to test ride and buy my first bike.

IAMAMRA

I started riding at about 450# on a Raleigh hybrid. The only way you will loose weight is to get your eating in check. You won't lose weight by simply riding. I've been doing weight watchers for years and at one point lost about 200#. I gained back due to dealing with being sick and medications.

Inpd

Good advise on focusing on diet first. I went from 250 to 180 and its mostly due to diet. The cycling helps of course, but every donut you don't eat is worth nearly an hour in the saddle.

But I would suggest also getting a bike and enjoying the nice weather while you can.

$1500 will buy you a nice bike, but unfortunately your idea of getting a bike you can ride now and that you can use when you lose weight isn't going to work. As a 400+ pounder its going to be hard to ride a drop bar bicycle but that's what most of us ride.

I suggest getting an inexpensive hybrid from Giant, Performance etc for about $400. I'm not sure where you live but getting one which can take wider tires will give you more options.

If you get a name brand that should help with resale value.

Good luck!

Milton Keynes

Everyone else here is more experienced with bikes and can give better advice, but as far as losing the weight, I will say modify your diet! Cut out sugar, sweets, soda, cakes, and cut down on carbs. Scientists are slowly but surely coming to the realization that sugar is what's causing our obesity problem in this country, and our foods are loaded with it.

I was in your place, getting close to 300. After reading some articles online, I cut down on my sugar intake and instantly started dropping weight, and while my weight has plateaued at around 245, if I were more strict with myself on the amount of carbs I eat I could lose even more.

This is a very important step, because no amount of riding is going to help you lose weight if you don't first modify your diet. There's a saying that you can't outride the fork, which means you can ride all day long but if you don't change your eating habits it won't make much difference.

And I agree with others that you may want to get checked out with a doctor before you start riding just to make sure everything's OK.

Inpd

You'll see lots of older guys in their 40's+ who lost a lot of weight quickly by changing their diet? What's the secret? Necessity. When your doctor tells you your pre-diabetic etc. you lose weight quickly.

So perhaps begin by laying down the facts. Your 30 now, if you continue to be 400 pounds at 35 you'll probably have a range of non-reversible health problems. Talk to your doctor about getting some blood work done.

I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic and seeing people in their 50's who were diabetic and sick of sticking needles into themselves and constantly monitoring their glucose levels was enough to motivate me.

Good luck!

Madtown Bob

I can’t give you much advice on what is the best bike but I loved my hybrid to start out with. It had flat handlebars, trigger shifters, and real low gears--just the type of thing that you might find on a mountain bike as well. I would recommend all three plus heavy duty wheels.

If you’re looking to do rougher terrain, then look at the mountain bike. You might want to start with gravel trails before any real hilly terrain. I see that you’re getting a lot of advice on dieting but I wouldn’t let this discourage you on biking. When you’re biking, you’re not eating or couching it. Sometimes when I put in a ride that makes me really tired, I just may be too tired to eat. I just have to watch it that I don’t eat twice as much the next time I sit down to eat. Biking also motivates me to diet. I want to be able to bike farther and longer and I know that I can do so if I keep biking and dieting. Yeah, check with your doctor. Hopefully, he’ll tell you to go out and get that bike.

Roamer2

Agreed. Spend 1//3 of your budget to start.

Craigslist is full of bikes that were only ridden for a few weeks because their owners didn't really click w/ cycling.

Get an entry level sport/fitness/hybrid w 700c wheels (the size that most road bikes use too) and upgrade to a HD wheelset only if needed. You may be able to re-use those later. Depending on the tires you choose (a cheap mod, you'd probably want to stick with the 700 x 35/38 & up width sizes to start) you can have a bike that is reasonably fast on the pavement & capable of exploring some dirt roads or forest trails, too.

Most importantly, make sure the bike fits you correctly. This is a big deal as far as saddle-time comfort goes. You won't ride if it's painful. Learn to use the gears properly & spin your crank rather than trying to grunt it out and over-stressing your joints. Modern high performance quick-dri materials make sports-oriented clothing a good option too.

Cycling is a great way to burn calories in a low-impact way and can really help you lose weight quickly when paired w/ an aggressive diet change and LOTS of water. (Doctor approved, of course)

Best of luck!

MRT2

Surly Ogre and Troll are more hybrids than they are true mountain bikes. Part trail bike, part touring bike, and part road. I concur that the Ogre and Troll are extremely versatile bikes that OP might want to consider.

Milton Keynes

Luckily in my case it wasn't a doctor's intervention but the fact that I was starting to grow out of all my T-shirts and I didn't like the idea of getting up to 300 lbs. So I made the conscious decision to get on my bike as much as possible and to change my diet. The fact that my dad was pre-diabetic and died from heart disease was also a major motivating factor. Happy to say that a recent checkup showed me in very good health.

corwin1968

I see where you're coming from now and I agree 100%. Going into an LBS and buying the MTB's that would generally be available would not be something I would recommend for the OP.

nitroRoo

Lots of very good advice here. Just wanted to say best of luck! Don't get too hung up on the decision, take action. Get out and ride. Expect it to be hard, ACCEPT that it will be hard. Don't let yourself get discouraged. Slowly work into an eating/sleep/ride routine that is sustainable for you. Track everything. Get obsessed, your health is worth it.

Back To Tupelo

Thank you all for your kind and informative replies. I have read through your posts a number of times, and definitely have a lot to think about.

I will be going to a few bike shops throughout this week, and I will post back as soon as I bring something home.

FBOATSB

Your relatively young. I'm not. When my spine surgeon told me the rest of my life would be "miserable and short" if you don't lose 100 lbs it was quite a motivational statement for me. Good luck

shelbyfv

Folks may still be hesitant to mention it, but if you are 400 lbs at age 30, you will likely benefit from the services of a mental health professional. The stigma wrongly attached to mental health problems is being erased and insurance covers many services. As others have said, though difficult, it is possible to turn things around. Good luck!

Juan Foote

In addition to looking at cycling, take a look at other activities that you can do. Walking, swimming, start with some simple calisthenics, etc. It might not be a bad idea to look into a personal trainer, or a program that can give you a good idea where and how to start.

Make sure your doctor is apprised of what you are doing, at what level, as well.

travbikeman

A lot of great advice here, so I I'll just give a few simple extra tips or experiences. I used to weigh nearly 540lbs. I didn't get on a bike right off, I like others stated above, modified my diet and started walking instead. I had to first start with short walks, literally one lap around the parking lot at work was all I could do, small parking lot at that. Then I built up my walking lengths. Currently do 1.3 miles in my 30 minute lunch period. But I didn't get a hybrid bike until I was around 380lbs. Now I ride around 5am or a little after doing 5 to 10 miles before work.

My bike, provides exercise, but biking isn't the exercise that helps me lose weight like you may think. It's more of a motivator to lose weight so I can do better on my rides. It does help me with controlling my appetite, days that I ride, I'm more energetic and don't feel as hungry as days I don't ride. Which helps me control my eating. Much of the time I ride, I actually am more hungry for energy foods and not junk during those days.

Since you live so far away, you may want to check out some online bike shops like Nashbar and many others out there. Then get a manual or check out Youtube video's on how to fix things yourself.

I suggest a hybrid, but what kind of hybrid depends on where your riding, trails, paved roads, gravel?

Good Luck on your lifestyle change. It's worth it.

(I'm currently down to 295lbs)

InTheRain

Surly Ogre, Surly ECR, Surly Troll.

bulldog1935

just this summer I reached a point that I can miss a full week of riding without changing my metabolism

my body is storing reserve carbs rather than making fat.

keep going...

Public makes a nice range of bikes - there is a dealer in Austin, but you can also mail-order.
You live in fairly flat land and could get by with a 7-speed, but the R16 looks like a nice bike for under $500.
I would strongly recommend adding a Brooks B67 sprung saddle to any bike you choose, and think upright or semi-upright bikes until you get in shape.
All the Surlys recommended are also good choices.
I also recommend trying a bike and fitting at a bike shop. If you're not comfortable, you're not going to ride.
You want at least 32mm tires, and 35-38mm is better.