Myosmith

I was looking at the biggest loser thread, which was quite interesting but I noted that a lot of the respondents mentioned that they had already lost weight prior to starting to ride. I'm interested in finding out at what weight forum members took up cycling on a regular basis.

My weight when I picked up my Trek 820 about two years ago was 250.

goldfinch

I started riding at 158 and over 50% body fat (which is obese at 4'10.5") with very short rides on a comfort bike that was extremely uncomfortable. At best, that first winter I would go a mile. Stop, look at birds, go another mile. I was proud of myself if I did four miles in a day and it wasn't consecutive. But it was better than walking because my back hurt when I walked. In the spring I decided that I was going to ride more. I had a lot of trouble, partly because of bike fit and zero core strength. I started riding in January of 2011 and could still do no better than 4 or 5 miles in shot by the end of April, 2011. I had lost 20 pounds by then. I joined this forum to get help. At the end of April, 2011 at 137 pounds I got a better fitting hybrid and really started riding. Over that first year I got about 1500 miles, maybe 75 total in the first four months of the year when I was the heaviest. By the end of the year I had dropped 50 pounds and lost a few more over the next few months. My ideal weight as a small boned person is probably about 90 to 95 pounds, which I weighed in college. I live with about 105 pounds. Screw the last few.

1242Vintage

July 2009 dusted off the very lonely bike from the back of the garage, saddled up, and started riding. I weighed 250 lbs. Dropped down to 185 lbs by May of the next year. Have maintained that weight plus/minus 5 lbs.

bobotech

390 pounds on Dec of 2011. I really haven't lost a lot of weight since then, a broken leg about 10 months ago really dampens the ability to ride for a few months which didn't help. I am a lot stronger and have quite a bit more endurance.

werwer2012

When I was growing up I use to do a lot of cycling up until I got married and then my wife wasn't interested so I didn't do it anymore. Now that I am remarried my wife wants to get a couple of bicyles, so back in the saddle. This time with a few extra pounds though LOL.

CraigB

Starting weight means little to me, as I've been an avid cyclist for 35 years and I didn't start riding to lose weight. Having said that, during that time I've ridden at 180, 304, and every weight in between.

slowpedaller

About 290 last time, got down to 220, gained it back, starting around 290 again.

lolguy

Weight has generally been between 220 and 255 but I got up to 267 late last June. Since then and almost solely through biking, I've gotten down to 230. I'd love to get to 215.

1nterceptor

I was 220 when I decided to commuting to work 5/6 years ago.
Started dropping weight very slowly, but 2/3 years ago I really
watched what I ate and dropped to 185. Now I'm up to 200 and
hope to get into better shape by spring before doing any centuries
this year.

Fangowolf

348

bbeasley

252, at 5'7" that's huge

Zoxe

I was very near my high watermark of 283 when we started riding. I had a K-mart mountain bike that I rode around campus 10 years prior gathering spider webs in the garage. The tires were dry rotted but held air, and the shifters were beyond hope. We rode a few weeks when the bottom bracket exploded on it. I gave it to the neighbor and bought my Giant.

I got my road bike at about 250/255.

werwer2012

I'm in the process of deciding what to get for a bike to get back into cycling.

vesteroid

I think I was around 240 when I got on the bike.

Dad 2 3

I was 242 when I decided to get on my first bike a Trek 7.2FX

Gravity Aided

400 when I re-started biking. When I was young, my father my sister, my mom and my nephew all cycled, and we kept some of that up until I went off to college. I married, got a house 40 miles away, and got away from biking. Got back to it 9 years ago, 290 now . Still have to lose more weight, but at 6'5" I'll always be a clyde.

Rock31

I started when the scale read "Error"

nymtber

hmm...sometime in my teens. I was over 200lbs. I'm 30 now. I was down under 200 for my last 2 1/2 years of highschool, and 3 years after. Then I started working in factories, and....well not good for the body.

On a downward trend now, being single I have more drive to get back into shape. I can forsee a lot more cycling this year than last. Hopefully find someone to ride with on weekends.

JimF22003

I was about 475 at my highest, but didn't start riding a bike until I got down to about 225 or so. I had a lot of excess skin at that point that interfered with my riding. I couldn't use regular bike shorts until I had skin removal surgery. I wish I'd been able to start when I was heaver. Actually it never really occured to me to try. I started out walking and then running. I was running five miles a day before I even got on the bike for the first time.

There are lots of options for heavier riders to start in at a much higher level than I did, and I wish now I'd taken advantage of them.

Neil_B

270-275 when I taught myself to ride.

Mark Stone

I started bicycle commuting at about 185 pounds in about 1974 (I'm 6'5" and 185 is extremely skinny). I rode for years and years and years in Southern Arizona (Tucson and Bisbee), Denver, and my current El Paso. In 2003 (as I was turning 50) I had a couple of scary incidences on the street with cars, and coupled with the tragic death of Ken Kifer I made the decision to not ride any longer. I decided to walk for exercise. I was about 210 pounds at this time. Fast forward to the summer of 2011: I was probably 300 (but did not own a scale) pounds, was not very mobile, disappointed with my life, and decided to take up serious cycling again. I had ridden a bit since 2003, but not any serious distances and with little frequency. For about 7 months I commuted again, (during this period I became a member here at BF) and lost estimated 25 pounds with cycling and no diet. In January 2012 my wife and I joined Weight Watchers (and bought a scale! lol) and I was 275. Now a year later I'm 233 and riding like a lunatic and happier than I've been in years. 23 pounds to my goal weight which I think will be sometime this summer

Shellyrides

350 lbs down 46 now

bassjones

356, then I hurt my back (not cycling) and gained some back. I'm hoping to be back down around 360 by spring riding season and under 300 by November.

RonJones

Started Feb 2012 at 360. I weighed in on Sunday at 270.9. When I started I was riding 10 miles 3 - 4 days a week at 14MPH and struggeling - I did the occasional 20+ mile ride on Sat or Sunday. Now 12 months later I ride 20 - 25 miles 3 days during the week and 40 - 80 each Sat & Sunday with a 18 - 19 mph average.

BeachBum63

Just bought a new commuter bike (Scattante, 32 spoke wheels) and I am right around 370. If the road bike doesn't look like it is going to work right now, I will go back to my 20 year old Giant Boulder mtn. bike with city tires. As Gravity Aided said, I will always be a Clyde. 6'3" and big skeletal frame. When I was at 240, wore a size 32. Goal is around 250.