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Best Overweight Commuter Bike?

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Best Overweight Commuter Bike?

Old 04-02-21, 08:54 AM
  #1  
randzman
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Best Overweight Commuter Bike?

Hi, just moved to San Diego and need a bike ... cause I'm not getting a car and I want more exercise as I'm 5-8", 350, 58 YO.
I'll only be on streets for now ... to the golf course, the store, etc.
Haven't been on a bike since my teens.
Will need help to put it together.
I'm sure I'll need a big gel seat.

$1000 budget is ok.

What's really the best choice. I'm not experienced with bikes so please don't say "Take a look at these." as I don't have the knowledge to make the smart decision.

Thank you,

Randy
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Old 04-02-21, 11:55 AM
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brucedelta
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As a fellow late 50's big guy who is on track to be below 300 this month for the first time in 30+ years so I can tell you my thoughts based on what I have experienced. In the 90's I bought a Cannondale H300 and I do not think I have ever been below 350 while riding that bike until I tried it again recently. I just bought a Trek FX this week and while I am under 310 now, I do no feel like the bike would have any issues if I was still over 350.
That being said if I were in your shoes I would look for a used quality aluminum thick tube bike like Trek, Cannondale, etc. One of the big advantages of new is the warranty and if you actually have an issue with a new bike and you walk into the store seeking coverage at 350+, I question if you would get any coverage. Without warranty coverage, if you know nothing about bikes then there would be no specific modern feature you are seeking, and any nice used bike should be fine. One of the main advantages of newer bikes is lighter weight, but that does not matter when the rider is not very light. Instead of spending $1000 on a bike you could save money now and replace it once or twice if needed and still be under the $1k goal.
As a newbie rider myself, I bought a new bike because I wanted a shiny new bike to treat myself after losing weight and becoming addicted to the Peloton, but for a rider of my skill level (or lacking skill level) there is no real feature I notice to differentiate the old Cannondale and make me say I needed the new bike. Disk brakes are the most noticeable big improvement, but I doubt you or I could get up enough of a head of steam to make the old-style brakes unusable except downhills when as a new rider I am too timid to ever let off the brakes enough to make the new ones required equipment and if I try to stop short with the new disk brakes that is probably its own danger. Bottom line is that I know for me the old bike was fine and could continue to be with some new tires and a tune-up.
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Old 04-02-21, 12:13 PM
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https://sandiego.craigslist.org/ssd/...300788569.html

$180 Civia Venue.
Have local bike shop 1. True and tension rear wheel 2. order a heavy duty rear wheel to replace this one when it goes.
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Old 04-02-21, 02:33 PM
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Originally Posted by brucedelta
As a fellow late 50's big guy who is on track to be below 300 this month for the first time in 30+ years so I can tell you my thoughts based on what I have experienced.
Bruce, that was a wonderful post.

My bike knowledge is zero so I didn't understand that Cannondale is a good brand.
I couldn't find the bike you mentioned used online nor could I find any comparable ones on Craigslist so I called Cannondale and found out the Trail 7 or Trail 6 is what I want, the Trail 6 having better parts for $100 more, so I found one online, new, with only $70 shipping, and that's done! I tried a few local stores including REI but sold out until July-August.
I'm sure I'll need a gel seat but that's no a problem as I now feel I've got something solid. (And I'll have to get it put together ... so local bike shop will soon be seeing me!
Well done!

And it's absolutely magnificent that you've finally reached the 2's. I did that once before, I'll spare the reasons why suffice it to say it's the same old reasons, but now I'm on a very good and steady course with monitoring my blood sugar and keto levels. Last week I got tired walking a mile and today I just walked 9 holes of golf and I feel like I could do it again. Funny how that works. And my eating is 9.5/10. Really being diligent about keeping low blood sugar to allay cravings.

Thank you again for taking the time to detail all that. I thought I needed to get a fat tire bike but apparently not for commuter use.

When I get below 300 maybe I'll try mountainbiking too!
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Old 04-02-21, 05:02 PM
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The Cannondale is a nice bike. Congrats.
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Old 04-02-21, 05:21 PM
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Originally Posted by shelbyfv
The Cannondale is a nice bike. Congrats.
Thank you.
I will report on use and upgrades.
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Old 04-02-21, 10:29 PM
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Originally Posted by randzman
Bruce, that was a wonderful post.

My bike knowledge is zero so I didn't understand that Cannondale is a good brand.
I couldn't find the bike you mentioned used online nor could I find any comparable ones on Craigslist so I called Cannondale and found out the Trail 7 or Trail 6 is what I want, the Trail 6 having better parts for $100 more, so I found one online, new, with only $70 shipping, and that's done! I tried a few local stores including REI but sold out until July-August.
I'm sure I'll need a gel seat but that's no a problem as I now feel I've got something solid. (And I'll have to get it put together ... so local bike shop will soon be seeing me!
Well done!

And it's absolutely magnificent that you've finally reached the 2's. I did that once before, I'll spare the reasons why suffice it to say it's the same old reasons, but now I'm on a very good and steady course with monitoring my blood sugar and keto levels. Last week I got tired walking a mile and today I just walked 9 holes of golf and I feel like I could do it again. Funny how that works. And my eating is 9.5/10. Really being diligent about keeping low blood sugar to allay cravings.

Thank you again for taking the time to detail all that. I thought I needed to get a fat tire bike but apparently not for commuter use.

When I get below 300 maybe I'll try mountainbiking too!
It is nice to hear you are taking action and I have found riding something I could do and helped build my fitness.

I will mention one thing about the Cannondale Trail series which I only looked at after you posted about it. It has shock absorber forks and I decided to stay away from them when I was making my descision. The reason is when I rode a bike with shocks at the shop they did not feel good to me and I think the reason is that they are targeted to a rider weight if 180# or so. I found some where I could lock out the shock, but then why buy it if it will only be extra maintenance. I was considering the Cannondale Quick series for my needs, but when I decided that I wanted 1x11 type gearing that eliminated the Quick, but they seemed to be nice bikes. You may want to ask them about the shocks, but I do not know anything about them other than the fact that I did not like them. The Giant shop where I tried one when I asked about it the salesmen agreed it was probably not a great idea for me, suggesting I could lock it out, but he agreed with my assessment of no reason to buy the extra maintenance of a feature I could not use. I am sure others here know a lot more about the shock absorber forks than I do and maybe there are adjustments that can be made for heavy riders.

Enjoy whatever you decide on. Keep walking, that was where I started and now I would not hesitate to go on a 5 mile walk and just did a 20+ mile bike ride. I plan to be ably to do a 75 mile ride by the end of summer.

by the way brands that I think of as good are Cannondale, Trek, Specialized, and Giant. I am sure there are many more, but they seem to be the ones I have noticed.
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Old 04-03-21, 01:11 AM
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Fair enough. I've cancelled the order.
I understand now I need a steel frame and no shock absorbers.
I don't need a light frame ... I'm 350 ... what could a 10lb heavier frame matter.

So I am again looking for recommendations ... but I will call Trek, Specialized, and Giant and see what they recommend.
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Old 04-03-21, 11:04 AM
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Originally Posted by randzman
Fair enough. I've cancelled the order.
I understand now I need a steel frame and no shock absorbers.
I don't need a light frame ... I'm 350 ... what could a 10lb heavier frame matter.

So I am again looking for recommendations ... but I will call Trek, Specialized, and Giant and see what they recommend.
You may have a hard time finding a steel frame, all of the bikes I tried were aluminum. I would not set steel as a requirement.
Since could ride before buy I would seriously consider used, they are always some on Craigslist or Facebook.
https://sandiego.craigslist.org/ssd/...296343988.html
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Old 04-04-21, 08:14 AM
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Originally Posted by randzman
Fair enough. I've cancelled the order.
I understand now I need a steel frame and no shock absorbers.
I don't need a light frame ... I'm 350 ... what could a 10lb heavier frame matter.
I'm 200lbs+, and myself prefer the mid-1980s through late-1990s vintage steel-framed, "hard tail" mountain bikes. Typical example: Trek 930, 950, 970. Though, there are plenty of other examples from Diamondback, Bianchi, Ritchey, Ross, etc. Assuming you're in the USA, if you expand your search nationwide then you're likely to find several dozen available for sale at any given time, many sub-$300 and some even sub-$100. Check for listings on CraigsList, LetGo, OfferUp, etc.

Pick up a bike, possibly rebuild the wheelset (at least, get it trued and made as reliable as possible), go through the brakes, shifters and cables to ensure everything's working smoothly, then just start riding. Won't be the latest thing, but it'll probably outlast much of the "new" stuff. It'll certainly be strong, I would think strong enough for 350lbs of moderate use.

My latest bike is a mid-'90s Trek 970. I decided to revamp the whole drivetrain to 2x11spd (up from the 3x8spd it was). Am wrapping up installing the derailleurs, brakes and cabling, then it'll be done. It'll end up far more than $300, all-told, but it would have been sub-$300 if I'd just stuck to a good cleaning and replacement of the chain, cabling and brake pads (which is all it really needed in order to be functional). Very strong bike. And with the 26-inch MTB wheels that can support ~2.5" tires, it's comfortable to ride. If you find a lower-priced example, that'd free up the rest of your $1K budget for a newly-build wheelset if you prefer, which you could then have made as strong as you need it. It's one way to go.

If you prefer a new, store-bought bike, one I might suggest: The Trek Dual-Sport (DS). Had one for several years. Very strong, certainly capable of 300lbs. They do come with a suspension front shock, but they're reasonably capable. Not an outright MTB, but not a simple road bike. With larger MTB-type tires, it'll certainly cushion the load and make getting around town comfortable.
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