tjf81

Hi guys! I'm currently 5'11" and weigh 310#. I haven't been on the saddle in 15 years. I have a friend who is a bike enthusiast who has been helping out on choosing a good bike. He's a smaller guy so his input is a little limited. Right now I'm currently looking at the Motobecane 529HT on bikesdirect.com. Is this a good bike for someone my size? I'll mainly be doing road and light trails be eventually want to do heavier trail riding. I'm open to any suggestions within the $600 price range. Thanks!

Wilfred Laurier

It looks like a decent bike. My only concern is that the suspension fork will not be very useful. First, for 'light trails' suspension isn't necessary, and some people claim it is a disadvantage. Second, for a very big rider, most suspension forks will basically be bottomed out just from you sitting on the bike. If you could find a similar bike with a rigid fork, or have a rigid fork installed on that one (which can probably be done and keep the bike under the $600 limit) then you would be better off. If the fork on that bike has a lockout then perhaps my concerns are unfounded, but I didn't notice if it had a lockout and my computer is not behaving well enough for me to look it up again.

BillinPA

For your price range a craigslist find might be better. Most "trail bikes" will be fine for your weight. A rigid fork may be better than a cheapo fork for your purposes.

dr_lha

If my budget was $600 max, and I wanted a flat bar bike for light trails and road riding, and I weighed 310 lbs, I'd find a Jamis dealer and buy a Jamis Coda Sport.

JAMIS BICYCLES

It has a steel frame (more comfortable than the mostly Aluminum frames you'll get at this price point), strong wheels (32 spokes - the minimum you want at your weight) and a comfortable geometry. If you really want a mountain bike with suspension, then as the poster above suggests, you'll probably need one with much better quality forks than $600 will get you to avoid bottoming out the forks. Unless you really want to do proper mountain biking though, I wouldn't recommend a bike with suspension.

Wilfred Laurier

All true except the steel bike recommendation. For a bike with tires more than ~30 mm wide, any deflection in the frame will be completely lost in tire deflection. And, the mechanism that can give a steel bike its 'comfort' - frame flex - is generally only noticeable in lightweight steel bikes. And lightweight steel is probably the worst thing for a 300 lb rider as it will flex like a wet noodle under pedalling forces. Of course, the Jamis you recommended is not a lightweight steel bike, and so would probably be fine for the OP. But this is really in spite of the steel frame, not because of it.

Edit: I just looked at the Jamis you linked to and it is one damn sweet looking bike. The OP should not feel constrained to steel bikes, though. There are too many other choices out there, and frame material is really the last thing you need to worry about. Ironically, the primary detail a cyclist should be concerned with is the fit of the bike. ANd that is th one major drawback to bikesdirect - you have to buy the bike sight unseen, never having sat on it, which may be OK for someone who knows what geometry they want, but less good for someone with little experience and knowledge of how they want the bike to fit.

dr_lha

This is all very well reasoned, but I honestly based on ride experience of actually riding this bike do not believe it to be true. The amount of road judder you get riding a Coda Sport is much lower than even on my carbon fork aluminum cross bike, and I have the exact same tires on both bikes (700x32C Vittoria Randonneurs). There's a reason why the cheaper aluminum hybrids put steel forks on them, they smooth out the bumps.

Agreed, steel is not the only choice clearly! The Trek 7.2 FX is an excellent choice in this category/price also.

CliffordK

What is your ultimate goal? Are you trying to loose 100 lbs with a new exercise program? It is OK either way, yet the bike choices for a 300 lb person and a 200 lb person would be very different so you might save your budget till you get further along.

You're stuck in the MTB market (or possibly Cyclocross or Hybrid market), and probably with 32/36/40, or 48 spokes.

I wouldn't plan on any rough off-road riding, unless you go with a Fat Tire Bike which is another option.

If you think your weight & goals will be rapidly changing, I'd go either the Craigslist or Dept Store route. Also keep in mind that a lot of exercise equipment is prettier to look at than to actually use.

c_m_shooter

That bike should work. There are no guarantees with machine built wheels, some last and some don't. Get a good wheelbuider to tension them before riding to help the odds in your favor. Get rid of the suspension fork and replace it with a rigid if possible, any shop can get Surly stuff through QBP. If you need more cushion wider tires and lower pressure are the answer until you can afford something with a proper air fork.

tjf81

Thanks for all the replies! Weight loss is my main goal, but I just wanna get outside again. I'm thinking this bike will be my road/light trail bike. As I get lose weight and become a better rider, I'll get a better mountain bike. That Jamis bike looks very nice! Definitely adding that one to the list. I appreciate all the suggestions.

dr_lha

If I were to give you any advice, other than what I have given already, it would be to talk to your local bike shops before buying online site unseen. Although the BD bikes can be great deals, a good bike shop should be able to give you good advice for a bike at your weight. You'll also have the peace of mind of having a bike that is expertly assembled (unlike a department store bike or online bike).

Also you can't underestimate the importance of bike fit, and test riding a bike before you buy it.

BigMo59

I'm a fairly new "newby" also. I started in July at 350 and 59 y.o. I stopped by a lbs and they recommended an electra townie.. I found a used on on craigslist and bought it. I don't regret it because it'd been so long since I'd been on a bike, I doubt if I could have stayed one anything else. I destroyed the back wheel after about 600 miles and had a new one built. It's a 3i and I wanted a few more gears so as not be afraid of the hills so after much research, I just purchased a Trek Shift 4. I know it's not what most people would recommend but I'm still 320 and it's rated up to 350. It has 36, 13 gauge spoke 26 inch wheels which look very sturdy. It does have a suspension fork but it is very stiff and does have a lock out. It don't seem to add much weight to the bike. They list for 709 and I bought it for $650. In the long run, when you start having wheels built, the price didn't seem so bad. Good Luck and hope you enjoy riding!!!

tjf81

Hello everyone, I ended up taking your advice and visited the LBS and ended up buying a Trek Marlin 7. I instantly fell in love with it after test riding it. Thanks for your help! I'll post more about it when I get a few miles on it.

BigMo59

Good looking bike! Ride the heck out of it!!

dr_lha

That's a sweet looking bike. Now get out and ride!

Feldman

Two things: Almost all but the lightest full-race road bike frames are way overbuilt. There's no frame on the market in a hybrid, sport road bike, or touring bike that won't be strong enough for you. Factory-built wheels, however, are going to be underbuilt or badly built. It would not be an unreasonable thing to pick out your favorite $400 hybrid for a first bike and then pay the best wheelbuilder in your area to respoke and properly tension the wheels. I'm a full time bike mechanic, have built wheels for 25+ years, and weigh @220 lbs--this gives me a good perspective on this stuff. I have seen 125 pound riders have serial spoke breakages on factory wheels. Most rims and tires can be strong enough for you--but a huge number of factory wheel builds aren't good enough for anyone!

TerraCottaGamer

just bought the exact ride a couple weeks back. We have about the same exact stats in terms of height and weight. I absolutely love my bike and know you will love yours as well.

bassjones

Congrats on the new bike! Now get out there and ride!