Newbie Requests Advice
06-14-19, 07:39 AM
#26
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Newbie Requests Advice
I usually only suggest buying strategy, but FWIW, I can make a specific recommendation based on personal experieince:
Note in particular that I bought and enjoy the Escape because of neck and shoulder problems.
Hi, my fiance and I are looking to start bike riding. Both of us biked around town some when we were in college (now 28-29). …We want to get back into it as a way of exercising. I am 5' 4" and 170 lbs. He is 6'3" and roughly 300 lbs.
He has no major issues; I, however, was in a car accident a couple years back and have finally been approved to start doing whatever I want. I had rotator cuff, bicep tendon, and labral tear repairs. I also suffered from nerve damage in my neck, shoulder, and upper back. The majority of my everything has been fixed, however, I do still have some pains if i keep my neck in an outstretched low position (think marathon bike riders position).
We are not sure where to start with picking out bicycles that aren't Walmart throw-away bikes. We still want to stay relatively cheap (max of about $500-600 combined). We would be riding mostly on city roads or gravel country roads. On occasion, they may do some riding in some mountains (if we get to that level of ability).
Neither of us intend to become hard-core bikers. What are the best suggestions on what to buy, maybe things to make it easier, better suited? What things should we look for in a bike for someone on the heavier side? Truly, what advice/suggestions do you have in regards to literally anything for us. We intend to go to a local bike shop and talk to them, but I wanted some non-sales advice prior to going there. Thanks!
He has no major issues; I, however, was in a car accident a couple years back and have finally been approved to start doing whatever I want. I had rotator cuff, bicep tendon, and labral tear repairs. I also suffered from nerve damage in my neck, shoulder, and upper back. The majority of my everything has been fixed, however, I do still have some pains if i keep my neck in an outstretched low position (think marathon bike riders position).
We are not sure where to start with picking out bicycles that aren't Walmart throw-away bikes. We still want to stay relatively cheap (max of about $500-600 combined). We would be riding mostly on city roads or gravel country roads. On occasion, they may do some riding in some mountains (if we get to that level of ability).
Neither of us intend to become hard-core bikers. What are the best suggestions on what to buy, maybe things to make it easier, better suited? What things should we look for in a bike for someone on the heavier side? Truly, what advice/suggestions do you have in regards to literally anything for us. We intend to go to a local bike shop and talk to them, but I wanted some non-sales advice prior to going there. Thanks!
I think you and your fiance are in hybrid bike territory - hybrid bikes will give you an upright position, a frame that's a bit beefier than a delicate road bike, and appropriate tires for both pavement and gravel.
You may be able to get away with a cruiser, but I'd personally recommend something with multiple gears if you are going to ride on gravel.
You may be able to get away with a cruiser, but I'd personally recommend something with multiple gears if you are going to ride on gravel.
# 1, choose a Bike Shop you like, then (2) tell them about what your riding plans are...
(3) test ride some bikes they have…
(3) test ride some bikes they have…
Help with choosing a bike.
To add to that good, general basic advice, I recently posted to this thread, Now here’s where I’m coming from. I have described myself as a decades-long, year-round lifestyle cyclist, and my favored bike is a high-end carbon fiber bike costing thousands of dollars..
I also have a aluminum beater road bike costing about $1500,and for me that was a minimal road bike, to be used in bad weather.
FWIW, I also have a Giant Escape hybrid bike that I recently bought for rehabilitation, because I was having trouble with my neck and shoulders riding the drop bars.
That bike cost about $600, and IMO was a good value as an all-round bike, certainly more amenable to off-road riding than my expensive carbon fiber road bike, and sturdy for my urban commute on the mean streets of Boston. ..
To add to that good, general basic advice, I recently posted to this thread, Now here’s where I’m coming from. I have described myself as a decades-long, year-round lifestyle cyclist, and my favored bike is a high-end carbon fiber bike costing thousands of dollars..
I also have a aluminum beater road bike costing about $1500,and for me that was a minimal road bike, to be used in bad weather.
FWIW, I also have a Giant Escape hybrid bike that I recently bought for rehabilitation, because I was having trouble with my neck and shoulders riding the drop bars.
That bike cost about $600, and IMO was a good value as an all-round bike, certainly more amenable to off-road riding than my expensive carbon fiber road bike, and sturdy for my urban commute on the mean streets of Boston. ..
Last edited by Jim from Boston; 06-14-19 at 07:51 AM.
06-14-19, 11:05 AM
#27
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"A Wal-Mart bike will self-destruct under a 300 lb guy."
Oh Lord - please deliver me from the elitists and bike-pharisees who doth protest loudly on the street corners of their rightness. They have their reward in full...
It is a continual source of fascination to me how every "what bike should I buy" question denigrates into a rant against any bike other than something found at an LBS.
How did any of us make it to adulthood without an LBS bike? Ye gads - we guys went to the local Western Auto or Sears and did the "standover" test to make sure it the family jewels were not in imminent danger, and then Dad forked over the cash. The girls ritual was of course different. They had to be able to step through the frame, get a foot on a pedal, and then take off while hopping up to land on the seat. Then we blissfully and joyfully rode all over town, bumping up onto and off of sidewalks on those cheap rims and tires. We pumped up the tires at the local gas station and when it felt tight enough to the squeeze, off we went.
Fast forward with me five decades, and all over the college town where I live one can spot college kids on budget conscious bikes. Somehow they get to school everyday, day after day, on those despicable department store bikes. And then they ride home in the evenings. It just defies the imagination.
And then there are the homeless people and transients - they also somehow make it all over town on those junk bikes that never seem to break. Some have plastic grocery bags hanging off of the handlebars for transport purposes. The affluent homeless put funky looking baskets on their bikes to haul their stuff from Aldi to their tent-site, or to their $25 a month storage unit where they live behind the firehouse on a certain road. The firefighters feed them their holiday meals and help them stay in warm clothes. The cheapo bikes don't know the difference either way.
And then there is my old WalMart MTB that is the least expensive to maintain, most reliable ride I own. According to the LBS guy who fitted me for my Giant road bike, and later set me up with pedals on the Wal-Mart MTB, the frame on the WalMart bike is excellent construction that "should last me many years." Yes, the components on the thing are not Ultegra quality, but they work and rarely need adjustment. When (if) they give up I'll put something better on the frame. Granted, I'm a recreational and fitness rider and not a competitive cyclist, but I get what I need out of it. And it's the bike I take on vacations so I don't have to worry about the $700 Giant (I bought it used for half its new cost) getting vandalized or outright stolen.
To the OP - find something comfortable and that meets your budget, then ride it until it breaks or needs adjustment, all while "going to school" on the experience and the equipment. Get yourself a copy of the Bicycling Guide to Complete Bicycle Maintenance & Repair for Road & Mountain Bikes (ISBN 978-1-60529-487-2). Get fit, lose weight, learn the sport, and learn the equipment. Then after you've got your head around the past-time and are sure you want to keep it as part of your lifestyle, invest in a more upscale ride.
Naturally, all of this is just my humble opinion.
And it's daylight so I think I'm going to head out for a morning ride.
Oh Lord - please deliver me from the elitists and bike-pharisees who doth protest loudly on the street corners of their rightness. They have their reward in full...
It is a continual source of fascination to me how every "what bike should I buy" question denigrates into a rant against any bike other than something found at an LBS.
How did any of us make it to adulthood without an LBS bike? Ye gads - we guys went to the local Western Auto or Sears and did the "standover" test to make sure it the family jewels were not in imminent danger, and then Dad forked over the cash. The girls ritual was of course different. They had to be able to step through the frame, get a foot on a pedal, and then take off while hopping up to land on the seat. Then we blissfully and joyfully rode all over town, bumping up onto and off of sidewalks on those cheap rims and tires. We pumped up the tires at the local gas station and when it felt tight enough to the squeeze, off we went.
Fast forward with me five decades, and all over the college town where I live one can spot college kids on budget conscious bikes. Somehow they get to school everyday, day after day, on those despicable department store bikes. And then they ride home in the evenings. It just defies the imagination.
And then there are the homeless people and transients - they also somehow make it all over town on those junk bikes that never seem to break. Some have plastic grocery bags hanging off of the handlebars for transport purposes. The affluent homeless put funky looking baskets on their bikes to haul their stuff from Aldi to their tent-site, or to their $25 a month storage unit where they live behind the firehouse on a certain road. The firefighters feed them their holiday meals and help them stay in warm clothes. The cheapo bikes don't know the difference either way.
And then there is my old WalMart MTB that is the least expensive to maintain, most reliable ride I own. According to the LBS guy who fitted me for my Giant road bike, and later set me up with pedals on the Wal-Mart MTB, the frame on the WalMart bike is excellent construction that "should last me many years." Yes, the components on the thing are not Ultegra quality, but they work and rarely need adjustment. When (if) they give up I'll put something better on the frame. Granted, I'm a recreational and fitness rider and not a competitive cyclist, but I get what I need out of it. And it's the bike I take on vacations so I don't have to worry about the $700 Giant (I bought it used for half its new cost) getting vandalized or outright stolen.
To the OP - find something comfortable and that meets your budget, then ride it until it breaks or needs adjustment, all while "going to school" on the experience and the equipment. Get yourself a copy of the Bicycling Guide to Complete Bicycle Maintenance & Repair for Road & Mountain Bikes (ISBN 978-1-60529-487-2). Get fit, lose weight, learn the sport, and learn the equipment. Then after you've got your head around the past-time and are sure you want to keep it as part of your lifestyle, invest in a more upscale ride.
Naturally, all of this is just my humble opinion.
And it's daylight so I think I'm going to head out for a morning ride.
BTW, I'm pretty sure he's outside the weight and height ranges that WM itself claims its bikes fit.
06-15-19, 07:51 PM
#28
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Well now you've got me there: I've never been at 300 lbs.
I agree it makes sense to research a bike purchase to assure the particular bike will support the anticipated load. At the same time, some of us started out overloading the equipment and just had to work to get to a "within specs" weight.
LiveStrong puts the max weight for a Huffy 26" bike at 250 lbs. The iconoclastic Huffy's are duplicated in much of what we see today in the department stores. No, they are not high-line LBS bikes, but they will get the job done until one can afford something else.
So if the OP's fiance wants to go that route, he can inflate the tires to the max psi and look for his weight to come down as he gets into shape.
I think a more pressing issue than the tires and spokes may be the overall fit and the safe extension of the seatpost at his 6'3" height.
For example, Cannondale's road bike sizing chart puts a 6'3" rider on a bike with a 60 cm (23.6 inch) seat tube. Their mountain bike chart puts the same rider on an extra-large (22 inch) seat tube. The Giant OCR series chart shows a size exactly the same as the Cannondale. Their other charts vary a bit.
The upshot is that with a bit of checking and a tape measure, he can know if what he is looking at is in the ball park in terms of size and fit. After that, he has to do the work to get his BMI down into the acceptable range.
Back to the weight issues, using the BMI calculater at the link, I found that he has to lose 100 lbs to get into a normal BMI range.
Height 6'3"
At 300 lbs BMI of 37.5 (obese)
At 275 lbs BMI of 34.4 (obese)
At 250 lbs BMI of 31.2 (obese)
At 240 lbs BMI of 30.0 (overweight)
At 230 lbs BMI of 28.7 (overweight)
At 220 lbs BMI of 27.5 (overweight)
At 210 lbs BMI of 26.2 (overweight)
At 200 lbs BMI of 25.0 (normal)
The link: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/edu...MI/bmicalc.htm
At 200 lbs the whole discussion becomes moot.
I'm just saying...
I agree it makes sense to research a bike purchase to assure the particular bike will support the anticipated load. At the same time, some of us started out overloading the equipment and just had to work to get to a "within specs" weight.
LiveStrong puts the max weight for a Huffy 26" bike at 250 lbs. The iconoclastic Huffy's are duplicated in much of what we see today in the department stores. No, they are not high-line LBS bikes, but they will get the job done until one can afford something else.
So if the OP's fiance wants to go that route, he can inflate the tires to the max psi and look for his weight to come down as he gets into shape.
I think a more pressing issue than the tires and spokes may be the overall fit and the safe extension of the seatpost at his 6'3" height.
For example, Cannondale's road bike sizing chart puts a 6'3" rider on a bike with a 60 cm (23.6 inch) seat tube. Their mountain bike chart puts the same rider on an extra-large (22 inch) seat tube. The Giant OCR series chart shows a size exactly the same as the Cannondale. Their other charts vary a bit.
The upshot is that with a bit of checking and a tape measure, he can know if what he is looking at is in the ball park in terms of size and fit. After that, he has to do the work to get his BMI down into the acceptable range.
Back to the weight issues, using the BMI calculater at the link, I found that he has to lose 100 lbs to get into a normal BMI range.
Height 6'3"
At 300 lbs BMI of 37.5 (obese)
At 275 lbs BMI of 34.4 (obese)
At 250 lbs BMI of 31.2 (obese)
At 240 lbs BMI of 30.0 (overweight)
At 230 lbs BMI of 28.7 (overweight)
At 220 lbs BMI of 27.5 (overweight)
At 210 lbs BMI of 26.2 (overweight)
At 200 lbs BMI of 25.0 (normal)
The link: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/edu...MI/bmicalc.htm
At 200 lbs the whole discussion becomes moot.
I'm just saying...
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Current bikes: Unknown year Specialized (rigid F & R) Hardrock, '80's era Cannondale police bike; '03 Schwinn mongrel MTB; '03 Specialized Hard Rock (the wife's)
Gone away: '97 Diamondback Topanga SE, '97 Giant ATX 840 project bike; '01 Giant TCR1 SL; and a truckload of miscellaneous bikes used up by the kids and grand-kids
Status quo is the mental bastion of the intellectually lethargic...
Current bikes: Unknown year Specialized (rigid F & R) Hardrock, '80's era Cannondale police bike; '03 Schwinn mongrel MTB; '03 Specialized Hard Rock (the wife's)
Gone away: '97 Diamondback Topanga SE, '97 Giant ATX 840 project bike; '01 Giant TCR1 SL; and a truckload of miscellaneous bikes used up by the kids and grand-kids
Status quo is the mental bastion of the intellectually lethargic...
06-15-19, 08:10 PM
#29
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Well now you've got me there: I've never been at 300 lbs.
I agree it makes sense to research a bike purchase to assure the particular bike will support the anticipated load. At the same time, some of us started out overloading the equipment and just had to work to get to a "within specs" weight.
LiveStrong puts the max weight for a Huffy 26" bike at 250 lbs. The iconoclastic Huffy's are duplicated in much of what we see today in the department stores. No, they are not high-line LBS bikes, but they will get the job done until one can afford something else.
So if the OP's fiance wants to go that route, he can inflate the tires to the max psi and look for his weight to come down as he gets into shape.
I think a more pressing issue than the tires and spokes may be the overall fit and the safe extension of the seatpost at his 6'3" height.
For example, Cannondale's road bike sizing chart puts a 6'3" rider on a bike with a 60 cm (23.6 inch) seat tube. Their mountain bike chart puts the same rider on an extra-large (22 inch) seat tube. The Giant OCR series chart shows a size exactly the same as the Cannondale. Their other charts vary a bit.
The upshot is that with a bit of checking and a tape measure, he can know if what he is looking at is in the ball park in terms of size and fit. After that, he has to do the work to get his BMI down into the acceptable range.
Back to the weight issues, using the BMI calculater at the link, I found that he has to lose 100 lbs to get into a normal BMI range.
Height 6'3"
At 300 lbs BMI of 37.5 (obese)
At 275 lbs BMI of 34.4 (obese)
At 250 lbs BMI of 31.2 (obese)
At 240 lbs BMI of 30.0 (overweight)
At 230 lbs BMI of 28.7 (overweight)
At 220 lbs BMI of 27.5 (overweight)
At 210 lbs BMI of 26.2 (overweight)
At 200 lbs BMI of 25.0 (normal)
The link: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/edu...MI/bmicalc.htm
At 200 lbs the whole discussion becomes moot.
I'm just saying...
I agree it makes sense to research a bike purchase to assure the particular bike will support the anticipated load. At the same time, some of us started out overloading the equipment and just had to work to get to a "within specs" weight.
LiveStrong puts the max weight for a Huffy 26" bike at 250 lbs. The iconoclastic Huffy's are duplicated in much of what we see today in the department stores. No, they are not high-line LBS bikes, but they will get the job done until one can afford something else.
So if the OP's fiance wants to go that route, he can inflate the tires to the max psi and look for his weight to come down as he gets into shape.
I think a more pressing issue than the tires and spokes may be the overall fit and the safe extension of the seatpost at his 6'3" height.
For example, Cannondale's road bike sizing chart puts a 6'3" rider on a bike with a 60 cm (23.6 inch) seat tube. Their mountain bike chart puts the same rider on an extra-large (22 inch) seat tube. The Giant OCR series chart shows a size exactly the same as the Cannondale. Their other charts vary a bit.
The upshot is that with a bit of checking and a tape measure, he can know if what he is looking at is in the ball park in terms of size and fit. After that, he has to do the work to get his BMI down into the acceptable range.
Back to the weight issues, using the BMI calculater at the link, I found that he has to lose 100 lbs to get into a normal BMI range.
Height 6'3"
At 300 lbs BMI of 37.5 (obese)
At 275 lbs BMI of 34.4 (obese)
At 250 lbs BMI of 31.2 (obese)
At 240 lbs BMI of 30.0 (overweight)
At 230 lbs BMI of 28.7 (overweight)
At 220 lbs BMI of 27.5 (overweight)
At 210 lbs BMI of 26.2 (overweight)
At 200 lbs BMI of 25.0 (normal)
The link: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/edu...MI/bmicalc.htm
At 200 lbs the whole discussion becomes moot.
I'm just saying...
I should probably admit that it was so unpleasant to bike at 300 pounds that I ended up quitting on it until I got down below 180. I hope op's husband doesn't find that to be true.
06-15-19, 08:23 PM
#30
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I never quite reached 300 but got uncomfortably close--and after and injury and a bunch of setbacks, I am too close again.
I Love biking. Pulling all this extra weight Really sucks, the hills are deadly (barely an exaggeration---I have learned to listen to my heart and quit before it does.) But there is no reason a big guy cannot enjoy rising a bike---and almost all the gear I use is Not rated for the load I put on it. The idea that if you weight 275 you can ride 32-spoke wheels but if you weight 276, all the spokes will pop, so go to 36 ..... yeah, okay.
When I was fit and doing fully-loaded touring, i weigh maybe 170-175 and the bike weighed 30 and the gear weigh 90, if I was carrying full food and water for primitive camping---in other words, 300 pounds. Never an issue with wheels, frame anything.
A good bike should hold up.
And yeah, I did blow though a lot of cheap bikes--twisted the cranks off the chain ring once, broke a lot of wheels bashing curbs (can't bunny-hop with 40 pounds of gear on the rear axle) and wore out every bearing surface (monsoon rains and insufficient time for maintenance.) But that was me riding all-out, with no respect for the bike, over bad terrain, with a heavy load .... if I had just normally ridden the bike and cared about not abusing it, I bet most of the bikes I build would have lasted.
I'd suggest the couple buy a couple of cheap bikes and wear them out. if they like riding, they can decide what to do next.
However ... as @livedarklions can aver, riding a bike won't take or keep the pounds off. Exercise ios good for helping keep the body going, by temporarily increasing metabolism, blood flow, all that ... but cutting calories is what cuts weight. There is no way to exercise off 1000 calories unless a person is already in really good shape.
But riding a bike can improve quality of life, and that makes everything else easier.
I Love biking. Pulling all this extra weight Really sucks, the hills are deadly (barely an exaggeration---I have learned to listen to my heart and quit before it does.) But there is no reason a big guy cannot enjoy rising a bike---and almost all the gear I use is Not rated for the load I put on it. The idea that if you weight 275 you can ride 32-spoke wheels but if you weight 276, all the spokes will pop, so go to 36 ..... yeah, okay.
When I was fit and doing fully-loaded touring, i weigh maybe 170-175 and the bike weighed 30 and the gear weigh 90, if I was carrying full food and water for primitive camping---in other words, 300 pounds. Never an issue with wheels, frame anything.
A good bike should hold up.
And yeah, I did blow though a lot of cheap bikes--twisted the cranks off the chain ring once, broke a lot of wheels bashing curbs (can't bunny-hop with 40 pounds of gear on the rear axle) and wore out every bearing surface (monsoon rains and insufficient time for maintenance.) But that was me riding all-out, with no respect for the bike, over bad terrain, with a heavy load .... if I had just normally ridden the bike and cared about not abusing it, I bet most of the bikes I build would have lasted.
I'd suggest the couple buy a couple of cheap bikes and wear them out. if they like riding, they can decide what to do next.
However ... as @livedarklions can aver, riding a bike won't take or keep the pounds off. Exercise ios good for helping keep the body going, by temporarily increasing metabolism, blood flow, all that ... but cutting calories is what cuts weight. There is no way to exercise off 1000 calories unless a person is already in really good shape.
But riding a bike can improve quality of life, and that makes everything else easier.
06-16-19, 04:34 AM
#31
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I never quite reached 300 but got uncomfortably close--and after and injury and a bunch of setbacks, I am too close again.
I Love biking. Pulling all this extra weight Really sucks, the hills are deadly (barely an exaggeration---I have learned to listen to my heart and quit before it does.) But there is no reason a big guy cannot enjoy rising a bike---and almost all the gear I use is Not rated for the load I put on it. The idea that if you weight 275 you can ride 32-spoke wheels but if you weight 276, all the spokes will pop, so go to 36 ..... yeah, okay.
When I was fit and doing fully-loaded touring, i weigh maybe 170-175 and the bike weighed 30 and the gear weigh 90, if I was carrying full food and water for primitive camping---in other words, 300 pounds. Never an issue with wheels, frame anything.
A good bike should hold up.
And yeah, I did blow though a lot of cheap bikes--twisted the cranks off the chain ring once, broke a lot of wheels bashing curbs (can't bunny-hop with 40 pounds of gear on the rear axle) and wore out every bearing surface (monsoon rains and insufficient time for maintenance.) But that was me riding all-out, with no respect for the bike, over bad terrain, with a heavy load .... if I had just normally ridden the bike and cared about not abusing it, I bet most of the bikes I build would have lasted.
I'd suggest the couple buy a couple of cheap bikes and wear them out. if they like riding, they can decide what to do next.
However ... as @livedarklions can aver, riding a bike won't take or keep the pounds off. Exercise ios good for helping keep the body going, by temporarily increasing metabolism, blood flow, all that ... but cutting calories is what cuts weight. There is no way to exercise off 1000 calories unless a person is already in really good shape.
But riding a bike can improve quality of life, and that makes everything else easier.
I Love biking. Pulling all this extra weight Really sucks, the hills are deadly (barely an exaggeration---I have learned to listen to my heart and quit before it does.) But there is no reason a big guy cannot enjoy rising a bike---and almost all the gear I use is Not rated for the load I put on it. The idea that if you weight 275 you can ride 32-spoke wheels but if you weight 276, all the spokes will pop, so go to 36 ..... yeah, okay.
When I was fit and doing fully-loaded touring, i weigh maybe 170-175 and the bike weighed 30 and the gear weigh 90, if I was carrying full food and water for primitive camping---in other words, 300 pounds. Never an issue with wheels, frame anything.
A good bike should hold up.
And yeah, I did blow though a lot of cheap bikes--twisted the cranks off the chain ring once, broke a lot of wheels bashing curbs (can't bunny-hop with 40 pounds of gear on the rear axle) and wore out every bearing surface (monsoon rains and insufficient time for maintenance.) But that was me riding all-out, with no respect for the bike, over bad terrain, with a heavy load .... if I had just normally ridden the bike and cared about not abusing it, I bet most of the bikes I build would have lasted.
I'd suggest the couple buy a couple of cheap bikes and wear them out. if they like riding, they can decide what to do next.
However ... as @livedarklions can aver, riding a bike won't take or keep the pounds off. Exercise ios good for helping keep the body going, by temporarily increasing metabolism, blood flow, all that ... but cutting calories is what cuts weight. There is no way to exercise off 1000 calories unless a person is already in really good shape.
But riding a bike can improve quality of life, and that makes everything else easier.
In my experience, a lot of people get discouraged the first time something significant on their bike breaks, so it may make sense to up the budget slightly for him. I don't know how they'd feel about spending more on one bike than the other, but I think the likelihood of him being comfortable on a one size fits all bike is almost nil.
06-16-19, 06:35 AM
#32
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BMI without percentage of body fat is a really lousy measure. Slightly overweight people tend to be healthier than normal BMI for the simple reason that muscle is actually heavier than fat, so most well-muscled people fall into the overweight categories.
I should probably admit that it was so unpleasant to bike at 300 pounds that I ended up quitting on it until I got down below 180. I hope op's husband doesn't find that to be true.
I should probably admit that it was so unpleasant to bike at 300 pounds that I ended up quitting on it until I got down below 180. I hope op's husband doesn't find that to be true.
BMI is an excellent indicator for most of the population, because overweight due to muscle mass is a very, very small percentage of the people being weighed. All of us see people everyday who are easily carrying 40 lbs to 50 lbs of fat. And there but for exercise and cycling, go I.
Otherwise, my hope is that our quibbling over this has not turned the OP's honest, original question into one of those pathetic rants that will discourage them from taking the risk to embrace a very satisfying lifestyle option.
Meanwhile, it's Father's Day and I have plenty to do. My grands are coming over. We might go out and ride the neighborhood on our mysteriously enjoyable Wally World bikes! See y'all on the road maybe.
__________________
Current bikes: Unknown year Specialized (rigid F & R) Hardrock, '80's era Cannondale police bike; '03 Schwinn mongrel MTB; '03 Specialized Hard Rock (the wife's)
Gone away: '97 Diamondback Topanga SE, '97 Giant ATX 840 project bike; '01 Giant TCR1 SL; and a truckload of miscellaneous bikes used up by the kids and grand-kids
Status quo is the mental bastion of the intellectually lethargic...
Current bikes: Unknown year Specialized (rigid F & R) Hardrock, '80's era Cannondale police bike; '03 Schwinn mongrel MTB; '03 Specialized Hard Rock (the wife's)
Gone away: '97 Diamondback Topanga SE, '97 Giant ATX 840 project bike; '01 Giant TCR1 SL; and a truckload of miscellaneous bikes used up by the kids and grand-kids
Status quo is the mental bastion of the intellectually lethargic...
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06-16-19, 09:48 AM
#33
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I beg to differ, guv'ner.
BMI is an excellent indicator for most of the population, because overweight due to muscle mass is a very, very small percentage of the people being weighed. All of us see people everyday who are easily carrying 40 lbs to 50 lbs of fat. And there but for exercise and cycling, go I.
Otherwise, my hope is that our quibbling over this has not turned the OP's honest, original question into one of those pathetic rants that will discourage them from taking the risk to embrace a very satisfying lifestyle option.
Meanwhile, it's Father's Day and I have plenty to do. My grands are coming over. We might go out and ride the neighborhood on our mysteriously enjoyable Wally World bikes! See y'all on the road maybe.
BMI is an excellent indicator for most of the population, because overweight due to muscle mass is a very, very small percentage of the people being weighed. All of us see people everyday who are easily carrying 40 lbs to 50 lbs of fat. And there but for exercise and cycling, go I.
Otherwise, my hope is that our quibbling over this has not turned the OP's honest, original question into one of those pathetic rants that will discourage them from taking the risk to embrace a very satisfying lifestyle option.
Meanwhile, it's Father's Day and I have plenty to do. My grands are coming over. We might go out and ride the neighborhood on our mysteriously enjoyable Wally World bikes! See y'all on the road maybe.
Guess you missed the part where I specified "slightly" overweight, however Tom Brady borders on obese using just bmi.
Sorry, but it's raining here, so I will just post this to show it's a lot more complicated than you seem to understand:
https://www.sciencealert.com/the-hea...ve-study-finds
06-16-19, 10:49 AM
#34
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I think you and your fiance are in hybrid bike territory - hybrid bikes will give you an upright position, a frame that's a bit beefier than a delicate road bike, and appropriate tires for both pavement and gravel. You may be able to get away with a cruiser, but I'd personally recommend something with multiple gears if you are going to ride on gravel.
An entry-level hybrid from a local bike shop will probably run $400-$500 (per bike). The value in the higher price is that they're likely to do a tuneup after you have some miles in (to make sure everything is running properly) as well as a free annual tuneup. This can be helpful if you do not know about bike mechanics or have the tools to do your own work.
Not all department store bikes are complete garbage, and there are some that are reasonably decent at a lower price point (say, $200-$400) from places like Target, Dick's, etc. If you go that route, look for a sturdy frame, avoid features like shocks (which are likely to be horrible in that price range), and have the bike inspected by a shop for assembly issues. These bikes are likely to be a bit heavier and have lower-end components that are harder to keep working properly, though it might not be an issue for low-mileage riding.
Good luck with your bicycling journey!
An entry-level hybrid from a local bike shop will probably run $400-$500 (per bike). The value in the higher price is that they're likely to do a tuneup after you have some miles in (to make sure everything is running properly) as well as a free annual tuneup. This can be helpful if you do not know about bike mechanics or have the tools to do your own work.
Not all department store bikes are complete garbage, and there are some that are reasonably decent at a lower price point (say, $200-$400) from places like Target, Dick's, etc. If you go that route, look for a sturdy frame, avoid features like shocks (which are likely to be horrible in that price range), and have the bike inspected by a shop for assembly issues. These bikes are likely to be a bit heavier and have lower-end components that are harder to keep working properly, though it might not be an issue for low-mileage riding.
Good luck with your bicycling journey!
06-16-19, 08:56 PM
#35
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Guess you missed the part where I specified "slightly" overweight, however Tom Brady borders on obese using just bmi.
Sorry, but it's raining here, so I will just post this to show it's a lot more complicated than you seem to understand:
https://www.sciencealert.com/the-hea...ve-study-finds
Sorry, but it's raining here, so I will just post this to show it's a lot more complicated than you seem to understand:
https://www.sciencealert.com/the-hea...ve-study-finds
That said, I did read the article; very interesting, but limited by the writer's own admission.
The main problem I have with accepting "research" that justifies overweight is that I work in a social services field and deal with hundreds of people on an annual basis. I've never seen a 90 year old fat man.
Academy Sports locally has a Schwinn hybrid (man's bike) in stock that is rated for 300 lbs. Something like $250. Seriously, there are ways to get into riding without depleting one's savings.
__________________
Current bikes: Unknown year Specialized (rigid F & R) Hardrock, '80's era Cannondale police bike; '03 Schwinn mongrel MTB; '03 Specialized Hard Rock (the wife's)
Gone away: '97 Diamondback Topanga SE, '97 Giant ATX 840 project bike; '01 Giant TCR1 SL; and a truckload of miscellaneous bikes used up by the kids and grand-kids
Status quo is the mental bastion of the intellectually lethargic...
Current bikes: Unknown year Specialized (rigid F & R) Hardrock, '80's era Cannondale police bike; '03 Schwinn mongrel MTB; '03 Specialized Hard Rock (the wife's)
Gone away: '97 Diamondback Topanga SE, '97 Giant ATX 840 project bike; '01 Giant TCR1 SL; and a truckload of miscellaneous bikes used up by the kids and grand-kids
Status quo is the mental bastion of the intellectually lethargic...
06-17-19, 01:33 AM
#36
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The OP couple do not want to spend a lot of money on something they might not continue to do .... and possibly just don't have a lot of extra cash in the budget for Any extracurricular activity. I know when I started bicycle commuting I rode a lot of free bikes (rebuilt from roadside discards) and simply could not have afforded a new bike at much more than Wally-world costs. I didn't have a "budget" for bikes which I could arbitrarily double .... I had cash which wasn't needed for survival, which went for tubes and tools.
Most "bike-shop" bikes are going to cost several hundred at least, and for $400 what a person gets is likely a heavy "hybrid" with a bad fork. Fine for some folks, but really, would it be any better than the $100 Walmart rigid? Four times as good? In my experience box-store bikes work okay until one starts pounding abusing them .... so the guy might have to replace his annually for a couple years, while the lady could ride the same one forever. And that is assuming the guy rides a lot and rides hard. Ten-mph laps of the neighborhood on smooth pavement .... almost any bike would last a long time doing that.
Oh, and quibbles over "300 pounds" versus "320 pounds;" we all know that a bike "rated" to carry 275 pounds can carry (safely) a good bit more---the manufacturers need to pick a number, but they don't pick a number after months of extensive testing ... and the number is not a hard limit. I have been riding wheels supposedly only suitable for light riders (20- and 24-spoke F/R) for years with I think four broken spokes in five years---some of which are attributable to hitting unseen pot holes.
The idea that if an overweight guy gets on a Walmart bike he won't be able to ride it is not borne out by evidence. I would certainly suggest getting a spoke wrench and keeping things tight, but for other than aggressive riding .... Shimano drive train, Al or steel frame ..... which parts are going to fail Just because of rider weight?
06-17-19, 03:36 AM
#37
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I would get a sixthreezero bike, try the bike fit tool. You should be fine.
06-17-19, 07:28 AM
#38
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Yes, I saw "slightly overweight" but honestly, I'm growing weary of the quibbling...
That said, I did read the article; very interesting, but limited by the writer's own admission.
The main problem I have with accepting "research" that justifies overweight is that I work in a social services field and deal with hundreds of people on an annual basis. I've never seen a 90 year old fat man.
Academy Sports locally has a Schwinn hybrid (man's bike) in stock that is rated for 300 lbs. Something like $250. Seriously, there are ways to get into riding without depleting one's savings.
That said, I did read the article; very interesting, but limited by the writer's own admission.
The main problem I have with accepting "research" that justifies overweight is that I work in a social services field and deal with hundreds of people on an annual basis. I've never seen a 90 year old fat man.
Academy Sports locally has a Schwinn hybrid (man's bike) in stock that is rated for 300 lbs. Something like $250. Seriously, there are ways to get into riding without depleting one's savings.
My dad is 89 and has been fat all of his life, so in a few months, I'll introduce you to a 90 year old fat man. Personally, I don't know a lot of 90 year old men of any weight class, living that long is much rarer among men than women. My grandmother was fat 90+ year old women, I don't think it's that unusual.
I don't consider this a quibble--I think you did something quite wrong. You gave someone specific advice about their goal weight based on no information other than their height. No one asked you to do that (it was actually quite off-topic), you volunteered for this criticism. Everyone who knows ANYTHING about the subject knows BMI should not be used in this manner--its classifications have only one advantage, they're very easy to calculate. They are, however, quite arbitrary, and don't correlate well with any measures of health, except at the extremes. Percentage of body fat appears to correlate much better with healthiness and longevity, and more and more of the research is showing that the relationship of that to BMI is very complicated. People who have "normal" BMI can actually be fatter than people who are "overweight" on the BMI. You always have to keep in mind that a) muscle weighs more than fat and b) people of the same height can have very different frames.
06-17-19, 07:41 AM
#39
Senior Member
I think you and your fiance are in hybrid bike territory - hybrid bikes will give you an upright position, a frame that's a bit beefier than a delicate road bike, and appropriate tires for both pavement and gravel. You may be able to get away with a cruiser, but I'd personally recommend something with multiple gears if you are going to ride on gravel.
An entry-level hybrid from a local bike shop will probably run $400-$500 (per bike). The value in the higher price is that they're likely to do a tuneup after you have some miles in (to make sure everything is running properly) as well as a free annual tuneup. This can be helpful if you do not know about bike mechanics or have the tools to do your own work.
Not all department store bikes are complete garbage, and there are some that are reasonably decent at a lower price point (say, $200-$400) from places like Target, Dick's, etc. If you go that route, look for a sturdy frame, avoid features like shocks (which are likely to be horrible in that price range), and have the bike inspected by a shop for assembly issues. These bikes are likely to be a bit heavier and have lower-end components that are harder to keep working properly, though it might not be an issue for low-mileage riding.
Good luck with your bicycling journey!
An entry-level hybrid from a local bike shop will probably run $400-$500 (per bike). The value in the higher price is that they're likely to do a tuneup after you have some miles in (to make sure everything is running properly) as well as a free annual tuneup. This can be helpful if you do not know about bike mechanics or have the tools to do your own work.
Not all department store bikes are complete garbage, and there are some that are reasonably decent at a lower price point (say, $200-$400) from places like Target, Dick's, etc. If you go that route, look for a sturdy frame, avoid features like shocks (which are likely to be horrible in that price range), and have the bike inspected by a shop for assembly issues. These bikes are likely to be a bit heavier and have lower-end components that are harder to keep working properly, though it might not be an issue for low-mileage riding.
Good luck with your bicycling journey!
If you buy from a Bike Shop (and do shop around, ask what kind of post purchase support they offer in the way of tune ups... warranties... etc) you will typically get support to fix issues that may come up after the break in period.
Over the past 6 months I have bought bikes from walmart and costco as they were cheaper than renting from a local shop or there was not a rental shop to rent a bike while on 1-2 week business trips. Each time there was a bit of tinkering with the bikes to get them to work correctly. Gear skips, wheels not straight (not "true" as in they would wobble back and forth) brake adjustments constantly needed. If you are not mechanically inclined it can be a pain and poor experience for you.
I have a bit of skill and was able to fix the problems but even then they were just not what I would want to ride all the time and I still had issues.
Bike riding is a great low impact way to keep the blood flowing and to go explore. I wish you and your other the best as you head off on a new adventure.
Enjoy!
-Sean
PS - Here is an Idea for a decent Hybrid bike from REI. Some of their stores have a bike shop built in and they have pretty good customer support post purchase.
Last edited by Wilmingtech; 06-17-19 at 07:46 AM.
06-17-19, 07:48 AM
#40
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In the $250-400 price range, there are lots of hybrids that are all rigid frames. I just bought my youngest son a Raleigh Detour 2 on sale, and he loves it. It's labeled as a "comfort bike", but he finds it great for riding around the Boston area at a pretty good clip. Having just shopped for bikes at this price range, I can say with some confidence that your characterization of the available bike store options is just wrong, and if that's all you're seeing, try a different bike shop.
No suspension features, they definitely suck at that price range. Worst one, btw, is imo the bouncing seat post--those things really don't help anything, and generally have a really hard time dealing with a heavy rider.
06-17-19, 12:38 PM
#41
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Raleigh is having a big sale now.
Get a Tourist size large for $249. An Alysa 1 for $299. Cadent 1 for $299. Those are all good bikes at great prices. My wife has a 2018 Alysa and she loves it. They come packaged super secure and setup is pretty straightforward. They even include a pedal wrench and a set of hex tools.
https://www.raleighusa.com/sale
The Tourist is a sharp, vintage looking 3 speed city bike with a steel frame. Probably great for a big guy.
Get a Tourist size large for $249. An Alysa 1 for $299. Cadent 1 for $299. Those are all good bikes at great prices. My wife has a 2018 Alysa and she loves it. They come packaged super secure and setup is pretty straightforward. They even include a pedal wrench and a set of hex tools.
https://www.raleighusa.com/sale
The Tourist is a sharp, vintage looking 3 speed city bike with a steel frame. Probably great for a big guy.
Last edited by riverdrifter; 06-17-19 at 01:03 PM.
06-18-19, 03:25 AM
#43
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Re this comment:
I stopped by the Dick's SG near me yesterday and was impressed with what they offer. The guy running the cycles section had a couple of bikes on racks putting them together. Their program is to carry decent entry level bikes and provide fitting and maintenance service in-house. I looked at a Nishiki flatbar hybrid (700 cc tires) that is on sale and it's tempting to shed my Giant in favor of something more comfortable.
And back to this vein of thought:
First, if your family is constitutionally equipped with the genes to live to old age with good health, count your blessings. Fat or not, very few people make it to 89 or thereabouts without some type of chronic ailment. I used to be an ER chaplain and long since lost count of the number of death notifications I've done. Almost all of them were due to heart-attacks or car wrecks.
Enjoy the days you have with them.
Re, my "giving advice." Methinks the pot is calling the kettle black. You are hard-down arguing against the budget conscious lines of bicycles that introduced millions to the sport, all while extolling the virtues of bikes above their stated budget, and you take a shot at me with the accusation of "giving advice?"
If you go back and read my posts you'll find I offered information for perspective, which naturally implies suggestion for thought, but my words fall well short of advice.
I hope all this quibbling has not discouraged the OP. The simple act of getting on any bike and pedaling around the block calls on the largest muscles in the human body, and yields enormous benefits for improving one's physical health and mental outlook. She and her fiance' have several purchase options within the budget they stated. After that, (and here's my unqualified advice), they just need to get on the bikes and ride.
IMHO
And back to this vein of thought:
There's a lot of pretty good hybrids without crappy suspension features at that price point. The Raleigh label seems to be particularly good for those.
My dad is 89 and has been fat all of his life, so in a few months, I'll introduce you to a 90 year old fat man. Personally, I don't know a lot of 90 year old men of any weight class, living that long is much rarer among men than women. My grandmother was fat 90+ year old women, I don't think it's that unusual.
I don't consider this a quibble--I think you did something quite wrong. You gave someone specific advice about their goal weight based on no information other than their height. No one asked you to do that (it was actually quite off-topic), you volunteered for this criticism. Everyone who knows ANYTHING about the subject knows BMI should not be used in this manner--its classifications have only one advantage, they're very easy to calculate. They are, however, quite arbitrary, and don't correlate well with any measures of health, except at the extremes. Percentage of body fat appears to correlate much better with healthiness and longevity, and more and more of the research is showing that the relationship of that to BMI is very complicated. People who have "normal" BMI can actually be fatter than people who are "overweight" on the BMI. You always have to keep in mind that a) muscle weighs more than fat and b) people of the same height can have very different frames.
My dad is 89 and has been fat all of his life, so in a few months, I'll introduce you to a 90 year old fat man. Personally, I don't know a lot of 90 year old men of any weight class, living that long is much rarer among men than women. My grandmother was fat 90+ year old women, I don't think it's that unusual.
I don't consider this a quibble--I think you did something quite wrong. You gave someone specific advice about their goal weight based on no information other than their height. No one asked you to do that (it was actually quite off-topic), you volunteered for this criticism. Everyone who knows ANYTHING about the subject knows BMI should not be used in this manner--its classifications have only one advantage, they're very easy to calculate. They are, however, quite arbitrary, and don't correlate well with any measures of health, except at the extremes. Percentage of body fat appears to correlate much better with healthiness and longevity, and more and more of the research is showing that the relationship of that to BMI is very complicated. People who have "normal" BMI can actually be fatter than people who are "overweight" on the BMI. You always have to keep in mind that a) muscle weighs more than fat and b) people of the same height can have very different frames.
Enjoy the days you have with them.
Re, my "giving advice." Methinks the pot is calling the kettle black. You are hard-down arguing against the budget conscious lines of bicycles that introduced millions to the sport, all while extolling the virtues of bikes above their stated budget, and you take a shot at me with the accusation of "giving advice?"
If you go back and read my posts you'll find I offered information for perspective, which naturally implies suggestion for thought, but my words fall well short of advice.
I hope all this quibbling has not discouraged the OP. The simple act of getting on any bike and pedaling around the block calls on the largest muscles in the human body, and yields enormous benefits for improving one's physical health and mental outlook. She and her fiance' have several purchase options within the budget they stated. After that, (and here's my unqualified advice), they just need to get on the bikes and ride.
IMHO
__________________
Current bikes: Unknown year Specialized (rigid F & R) Hardrock, '80's era Cannondale police bike; '03 Schwinn mongrel MTB; '03 Specialized Hard Rock (the wife's)
Gone away: '97 Diamondback Topanga SE, '97 Giant ATX 840 project bike; '01 Giant TCR1 SL; and a truckload of miscellaneous bikes used up by the kids and grand-kids
Status quo is the mental bastion of the intellectually lethargic...
Current bikes: Unknown year Specialized (rigid F & R) Hardrock, '80's era Cannondale police bike; '03 Schwinn mongrel MTB; '03 Specialized Hard Rock (the wife's)
Gone away: '97 Diamondback Topanga SE, '97 Giant ATX 840 project bike; '01 Giant TCR1 SL; and a truckload of miscellaneous bikes used up by the kids and grand-kids
Status quo is the mental bastion of the intellectually lethargic...
06-18-19, 04:53 AM
#44
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Re, my "giving advice." Methinks the pot is calling the kettle black. You are hard-down arguing against the budget conscious lines of bicycles that introduced millions to the sport, all while extolling the virtues of bikes above their stated budget, and you take a shot at me with the accusation of "giving advice?"
If you go back and read my posts you'll find I offered information for perspective, which naturally implies suggestion for thought, but my words fall well short of advice.
I didn't say what you did wrong was giving advice. The op specifically is asking for advice about buying bikes, and yes I have given my opinions on that from the perspective of someone who actually has ridden weighing more than 300 pounds.
What you did that was wrong was giving specific advice on his weight and how much he should lose. OP didn't ask for that advice, and you have absolutely no special knowledge that would allow you to divine his proper weight. You acted completely defensive when I explained why bmi shouldn't be used that way instead of just acknowledging that maybe you just shouldn't have done this. So basically, your answer is it was ok for you to give uninformed and probably bad off-topic advice because I gave on-topic advice based on personal experience.
I find it hilariously hypocritical of you to complain about quibbling then make such a desperate attempt to make my on-topic advice somehow resemble your incompetent off-topic advice. You had to know that you were shifting this into a personal argument when you did that.I
And as far as their budget goes, actually the bikes I'm pointing to actually fit, provided they spend more on his than hers. I bought one of the bikes I mentioned for $320, for example.
06-18-19, 05:48 AM
#45
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Hmm. It appears I'm being trolled.
Work beckons, but I'll come back to this later today or this week.
Work beckons, but I'll come back to this later today or this week.
No, you told him how much he should weigh. That's not just "information" , you were playing expert.
I didn't say what you did wrong was giving advice. The op specifically is asking for advice about buying bikes, and yes I have given my opinions on that from the perspective of someone who actually has ridden weighing more than 300 pounds.
What you did that was wrong was giving specific advice on his weight and how much he should lose. OP didn't ask for that advice, and you have absolutely no special knowledge that would allow you to divine his proper weight. You acted completely defensive when I explained why bmi shouldn't be used that way instead of just acknowledging that maybe you just shouldn't have done this. So basically, your answer is it was ok for you to give uninformed and probably bad off-topic advice because I gave on-topic advice based on personal experience.
I find it hilariously hypocritical of you to complain about quibbling then make such a desperate attempt to make my on-topic advice somehow resemble your incompetent off-topic advice. You had to know that you were shifting this into a personal argument when you did that.I
And as far as their budget goes, actually the bikes I'm pointing to actually fit, provided they spend more on his than hers. I bought one of the bikes I mentioned for $320, for example.
I didn't say what you did wrong was giving advice. The op specifically is asking for advice about buying bikes, and yes I have given my opinions on that from the perspective of someone who actually has ridden weighing more than 300 pounds.
What you did that was wrong was giving specific advice on his weight and how much he should lose. OP didn't ask for that advice, and you have absolutely no special knowledge that would allow you to divine his proper weight. You acted completely defensive when I explained why bmi shouldn't be used that way instead of just acknowledging that maybe you just shouldn't have done this. So basically, your answer is it was ok for you to give uninformed and probably bad off-topic advice because I gave on-topic advice based on personal experience.
I find it hilariously hypocritical of you to complain about quibbling then make such a desperate attempt to make my on-topic advice somehow resemble your incompetent off-topic advice. You had to know that you were shifting this into a personal argument when you did that.I
And as far as their budget goes, actually the bikes I'm pointing to actually fit, provided they spend more on his than hers. I bought one of the bikes I mentioned for $320, for example.
__________________
Current bikes: Unknown year Specialized (rigid F & R) Hardrock, '80's era Cannondale police bike; '03 Schwinn mongrel MTB; '03 Specialized Hard Rock (the wife's)
Gone away: '97 Diamondback Topanga SE, '97 Giant ATX 840 project bike; '01 Giant TCR1 SL; and a truckload of miscellaneous bikes used up by the kids and grand-kids
Status quo is the mental bastion of the intellectually lethargic...
Current bikes: Unknown year Specialized (rigid F & R) Hardrock, '80's era Cannondale police bike; '03 Schwinn mongrel MTB; '03 Specialized Hard Rock (the wife's)
Gone away: '97 Diamondback Topanga SE, '97 Giant ATX 840 project bike; '01 Giant TCR1 SL; and a truckload of miscellaneous bikes used up by the kids and grand-kids
Status quo is the mental bastion of the intellectually lethargic...
06-18-19, 08:07 AM
#46
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06-18-19, 03:33 PM
#47
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Lol, @BookFinder .... don't.
Seventeen days from now you will be asking yourself why you bothered ....
I am not taking anyone's side here .... just speaking from My experience ... having spent too many precious hours trying to be the most correct person on the internet.
I am and always have been, and all of you know it .... but not many people are willing to actually admit it.
Seventeen days from now you will be asking yourself why you bothered ....
I am not taking anyone's side here .... just speaking from My experience ... having spent too many precious hours trying to be the most correct person on the internet.
I am and always have been, and all of you know it .... but not many people are willing to actually admit it.
06-18-19, 11:27 PM
#48
Junior Member
Hi, my fiance and I are looking to start bike riding. Both of us biked around town some when we were in college (now 28-29). We haven't for several years for different reasons. We want to get back into it as a way of exercising....We would be riding mostly on city roads or gravel country roads. ...What are the best suggestions on what to buy, maybe things to make it easier, better suited? What things should we look for in a bike for someone on the heavier side? Truly, what advice/suggestions do you have in regards to literally anything for us. We intend to go to a local bike shop and talk to them, but I wanted some non-sales advice prior to going there. Thanks!
I'm thinking revisiting the college days is the best place to start. You're talking 10 years ago, though plenty of physical change have occurred, Maybe start by simply recreating the past? If riding was enjoyable then, seek the path of least resistance to making it happen today. Imagine why and how you both will ride. Riding to run easy errands, as weekend entertainment, to visit a neighbors/friend, or (my favorite) to get donuts. Cycling is an enjoyable challenge. From there, the equipment will follow.
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06-19-19, 06:48 AM
#49
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2015
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Riding to get doughnuts is sort of self-defeating.
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06-19-19, 06:58 AM
#50
Edumacator
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Goose Creek, SC
Posts: 6,777
Bikes: '87 Crestdale, '87 Basso Gap, '92 Rossin Performance EL-OS, 1990 VanTuyl, 1980s Losa, 1985 Trek 670, 1982 AD SLE, 1987 PX10, etc...
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Buy cheap from Walmart. Bring a tape measure and try to size as best as you can... Ride it for a year. Practice doing a little maintenance yourselves using some youtube (fun bonding time). Have some adventures. Then if it hooks you, next year you might consider upgrading.
I would NOT suggest cruiser bikes, but I WOULD suggest mountain bikes. You need some gearing for hills, etc...
I would NOT suggest cruiser bikes, but I WOULD suggest mountain bikes. You need some gearing for hills, etc...
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