Neg4tory

I have a new bike, and unfortunately, my weight exceeds the bike's limit, causing my tires to be weighed down as soon as I sit on it. The bike is a hybrid 28" with thin wheels. I'm considering solutions because I doubt I can return it due to the reasons I've mentioned. Would filling the tires with a solid substance or getting inner tubes from a different brand help? I've previously ridden a 26" bike from my yard, but my thighs burn every time I use it because it's too small. I forgot to mention that I weigh about 18 stone. The bike I have is a 15 1/2 stone challenger hybrid bike from Argos. Regarding tire pressure, I have an old foot pump with a nonfunctional gauge, so I bought another one, but it didn't work either and fell apart within a day. It would cost me more to return it to the shop than the pump itself, so it's not worth it.

ScottCommutes

From the sound of it, it sounds like putting more air in your tires, up to approximately the maximum pressure indicated on the side of the tires, will help. It sounds like you have one working foot pump (without a gauge). You could try getting a simple dial gauge to check your tires and make sure they are well inflated.

If there is a bigger problem such as destroyed parts, I didn't see it in your post.

mrv 

agreed - more air in the tires. 18 stones = 252 lbs? I think most bikes can handle that payload, even a modern hybrid. ...... in particular a modern hybrid!
i tip the scales at 200lbs.... ok, at the moment, 206.... anyway... when I tour i've easily got 30lbs of gear - but as you noted i'm using a 26in wheel MTB. But heck - most folks are on 700c x 35ish mm tires. I ride with someone quite often and he was on an old TREK with 700c wheels when he was bumping into 250. . . . i mean, his Trek seat stay cracked, but that took a couple of years! and he would ride that thing on bike-camping trips with gear!!!

More air in the tire.
No gauge? add air until you can see that your squeezing down a bit. then just add a few more pumps until you can't really tell it's compressing - for road riding anyway. on trail i go pretty squish, even with tubes. like 20is PSI.

cheers.

jaxgtr

I was running 700x23mm tires when I was close to 300 lbs at 120 psi back in the early 2000's so your miniscule weight should not be an issues on this bike and wheels, but does sounds like you need to put some air in them as others have mentioned. I looked up the Argos and there are quite a few models, so not knowing the exact one, and what tire width you are running, I am guessing somewhere between 32 and 38, and also taking some swags as I do not know the rim width, so thinking 21 to 23 internal, so based on that, the potential pressures should be somewhere between 50 to 70 psi \ 4.2 to 4.5 bar.

There is a lot of guess work in that, but is probably not too far off. If the tubes in the wheel use Schrader valves, you should be able to pick up a car tire pressure gauge for a couple of pounds to check the pressure.

HelpSingularity 

just keep those tires pumped up to max, or whatever, you can even go over 20 lbs/psi or more.
You'll be fine.
But use a tire gauge so you can fine tune the pressures and see what works best for you.
I'm 250 lbs (I'm big boned).

100bikes

Curious - you stated that it was a "new bike".
If you bought it from a proper bicycle store, I am surprised they did not take your body type
into consideration when selling to you. You may have a conversation with the store to see about a remedy.

IF you bought it elsewhere, you may have to explore the options in tires. There are heavy duty tires
available, with thick sidewalls. Higher pressure, non thin-skin wall tires may be a great option(Continental Gatorskins comes to mind).

While buying an "off the shelf" bicycle works for the vast majority of users, your body mass pushes to a different set of needs.
A bicycle store, with expertise in commuting, touring and working bikes make be a good source of info for you.

You may have to invest in some specialized stuff, but in the long run, it will likely serve you better.

Good luck and good for you to get moving.
rusty

chaadster

I don’t think there’s any more in this than the OP needing to get a decent pump and properly inflating their tires. I doubt there is any problem, and doubt any special remedies are needed. Just look at the tire size indicated on the sidewall, note that and the similarly indicated maximum inflation pressure, then Google “online tire pressure calculator,” input tire size and weight, and inflate to calculator’s pressure result or tire’s indicated max, whichever comes first.

If tire max is below recommended pressure, come back here for advice (could be solved by higher quality tire or replacing with wider tire), but I’d bbe surprised if that’s the case.

Anyone who owns a bike should have floor pump with a gauge and know how to set an appropriate pressure for their riding needs.

Toadmeister

OP, if your a newb, please tell us and we can help you better.

Manufacturers put weight limits on bikes just to cover their ass for warranty. As long as your bike is sized for you and adjusted for comfort you should be good to go.

I weigh 280# currently and ride over 2000 miles a year. I go thru drivetrain items faster due to wear. Cheap wheels can go out of alignment quicker and you’ll need them re-trued occasionally. If you ride as many miles as I do, you just need better wheels.

The other weight related problem I’ve had is seat posts sliding down! Very frustrating. Cheap seat posts and clamps (poor tolerances and hardness) won’t always cut it.

ECB1

I was 343 and I had wheels made and tires to go with it. Keep up the riding.

msalvetti

I looked up the Challenger Argos bikes, and they say max rider weight is 100 kg = 220 lbs = 15.7 stones as the OP mentioned.

OP, you are close enough. And definitely not so far over that the tires can't handle the weight. I weigh over 250 lbs and run 90 psi in 32mm wide tires. As everyone else has stated, you should be fine if you can get the tires reliably inflated at a higher pressure without going over the max.

I think the most likely problem you may run into is broken spokes on the rear wheel. I've done that twice. If it becomes a problem, you can get a replacement rear wheel that is designed to handle higher weights.

Mark

indyfabz

The OP made this one post nearly a month ago. I would wait for some sort of response(s).