Zweivoss

Hiya, I'm looking to get into bike riding as a way to help with my weight and overall health.
I'm a guy, about 424 pounds, and 6' 2". I'm quite stressed out about finding a bike actually. I need something that will support my weight (From what I've gathered after reading some posts here it's more about the wheels and tires than the frames) and hoping I can find something in that category that's around 300 USD. (I don't make a lot of money.) We have quite a few bike paths where I live, so the terrain is pretty smooth and won't be much of a factor I'd imagine.

Think anyone could make some suggestions on what I should be looking for?

TheLibrarian

I've seen people suggest mountain bikes for big guys and they're usually cheaper 4 your budget. You could get wider tires on a road bike. Other than that it's nothing to stress about. Bikes in the same price range and same style are similar enough to each other it doesn't matter. You can pick between makers by what looks good if it stresses you looking at all those specs.

Zweivoss

I see, thanks for the suggestion then.

JamesRL

If you go used, $300 should get you a decent used mountain bike. You may want to replace the knobby tires with slick or at least lower profile ones. Stay away from bike with suspensions, more to go wrong. Spend $50 to get a tuneup, if your wheels are properly tensioned, they should have the weight, but one or two loose ones and you have a problem.

There are lots of good bikes that will work for you.

arex

+1 old mountain bikes. You can get an old MTB and fix it up nicely for MUCH less than a new bike, and have a damned fine bike when you're done. Go to the Classic & Vintage subforum and ask for some models to look for.

Like JamesRL said, avoid getting anything with shocks. Not only are they another extra set of points-of-failure, when you overload them they "pump" and bottom out, absorbing your pedaling efforts and are a waste of energy...they simply aren't designed for us big people.

People will recommend butted chrome-moly frames, but my personal feelings are that plain-gauge chromo tubing is going to support you a lot better, as well as being cheaper.

Try for wheels that have at least 36 spokes for strength, more if you can find them. Also have a shop tune them up, so the spoke tension is correct all the way around...again, for strength.

TrojanHorse

Yep, hardtail mountain bike with a no-suspension fork vintage 1990s will do great. Specialized hardrock or whatever Trek's equivalent model was. Find a used one on craigs list, fleabay or a garage sale.

Put some sneakers on and start walking until you find a bike. It'll help.

It may not be obvious, but no amount of riding a bike will fix your weight. You simultaneously need to address your eating habits. Lots of people here have been in your shoes so stick around and participate. Welcome to the Clyde board!

Zweivoss

Thanks for the information, I'll keep an eye out on craigslist.
The eating habits thing is pretty obvious, Trojan. I actually go to a beriatric specialist once a month and she helps me sort out my diet a bit at a time.
My eating issues are the result of some deeply rooted emotional issues, (TMI?) so it's kind of slow, but I'm definitely getting there.

Thanks for the welcome.

bassjones

Overeating is often tied to emotional issues, so not TMI. One day at a time, brother. I'm 6'5" and was over 400 a year ago. Just weighed in Monday and am under 260 for the first time in a LONG time. I ended up having gastric sleeve surgery, but that may not be the right path for you. Keep working with your specialist and see if you can do it without the surgery, but feel no shame if you do opt for the surgical option. I have zero regrets.

As to bikes, I'll concur with what's been already stated. An older rigid mountain bike or hybrid is a great option. Look for a L or XL or if they use inches, 21-23" frame. In the meantime, start a nightly walking routine. Work up to a couple of miles a day and you'll start to gain energy and strength and feel better. You can also do chair exercises and other things at home. Park further away from entrances, walk for short trips instead of driving, lots of ways to increase steps.

travbikeman

I greatly agree with bassjones on this. Starting and increasing my walking time helped me go from 537lbs to 377lbs. Then started biking to go down to a bit over 300lbs. Walking is a great way of starting exercise routines.

I used to get exhausted walking to and from the parking lot. Now can do many miles of walking without breaking a sweat. It takes time, but it's worth it!

**No surgery, I was way too scared of those procedures.**

Zweivoss

I actually have a paper route and that gets me a decent amount of walking. It was actually really hard when I first started, but now it's pretty easy as far as exercise goes. Only get somewhat winded when I have to go up a couple of flights of stairs. It has helped me knock at least a couple of pounds off each month. Even lost 10 last month, so it's nice.
I'll try adding some additional walking to that though until I can save up for a bike.

rawly old

In a much as a good quality, HD, multispeed trike is not in the budget, I concur, an old school,
hardtail mtn bike with at least 1.95" tires is a good start, but ya gotta keep at it & not get
discouraged. There are loads of these bikes cheap on CL, but get an opinion from a knowledgable
rider. Don't buy a crud bike you won't enjoy riding just cuz it's cheap. Good bikes can be had cheap
if you shop around. Aluminum frames, not a good idea, you want chromoly. Something along these
lines; this is an old Specialized mtn bike listed on CL Seattle for $75. For you, something with a
21" to 23" frame. The bearings may need grease, look for an instruction video online for any
mechanical advice.

rawly old

I don't know librarian, I don't think this guy is ready for a road bike just yet. Maybe something with 700/45 tires. While they are a better
riding experience, I'd think it frugal to tone up a bit on a mtn bike first. He'll be needing those low
climbing gears.