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Speed for Overweight Person

Old 07-14-20, 03:08 PM
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Cooper1991
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Speed for Overweight Person

What speed should I expect to achieve? On the exercise bike I do between 13-16 km/h (slow-fast) but I read of people averaging 25 km/h. I want to buy a bike but am afraid I will break it as I'm 125kg. I was 139kg and still dieting.
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Old 07-14-20, 03:26 PM
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I've weighted as much as 118 kg. Any decent bike will easily hold your weight. Just stay away from the super light racing bikes with only a handful of spokes.

Cruising speed is more a function of conditioning than body mass. Ray Lewis of NFL fame is an avid bicyclist. In his playing days he weighted close to what we do, but I'll bet he could turn out the watts and really fly.

If fact, on downhills body mass is a huge advantage. Gravity converts all that potential energy into some serious kinetic energy.

On the other hand going up hill comes at a price....
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Old 07-14-20, 03:37 PM
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I trekked up to Everest Base Camp two years ago at 115 kg and yes, the going up was an absolute killer so I appreciate cycling an incline the same.

So you are saying that bikes with lots of spokes are stronger? Makes sense.

I'm going to try and lose another 10 kg then buy a bike. On average if I can do 15 km/h on the exercise bike, is that a good target or should it be nearer 20 km/h?

My friend is planning to cycle across India next year and says 5 hours per day at 15 km/h is a slow pace. Seems fast to me? I need to get to that level probably this year.
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Old 07-14-20, 03:55 PM
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I would recommend not being concerned with speed. Instead focus on comfort and time outdoors enjoying your ride.

in time you’ll want to do more, further, longer, and faster.
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Old 07-14-20, 03:59 PM
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What you're doing on an exercise bike isn't likely to predict what you'll do on a bike in the real world.

On flat ground, yes, I would say that 15km/h is a slow pace. That said, 75km per day, day in and day out, would put you at 525km/wk, and would be more than the vast majority cyclists average.
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Old 07-14-20, 03:59 PM
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I was 275 lbs last I weighed myself.

Buy any good steel bike. Steel is forgiving of big folks. Especially the old school 27in wheel ones. 27 inch tires are usually 27 1/8 or 27 1/4 which are wide tires so more comfort. After a bit, buy either 700 rims for that bike (which means you can stick with fat tires) or a bike that has 700 rims.

Then bike. I mean just ride. People post in here how fit they are yet how slow they are when they start riding. Biking is different than running. Different muscles, different pain. You will have to build towards that speed anyway, so why not start by riding and forget about your weight? This summer I started with my usual 20km route for a few weeks. Then I rode the route I used to ride to work and back (roughly 60km total). I last rode that route in 2002 when I was 39yrs old. Increase every so often and add in more rides. Sunday I hit 125km (a bit over 75miles). The miles will sneak up on you and so will the speed.

Ps buy a good saddle. So what if that Brooks means your ass hurts for the first couple of hundred miles? It's hurting anyway and when it stops hurting, you'll be hitting that 25km/hr you speak of (last couple of times I passed those radar signs that flash your speed I was at 22-23km/hr.....)
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Old 07-14-20, 04:04 PM
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I don't know how well 'speed' on an indoor trainer translates to speed in the real world, so like Toadmeister says, I wouldn't be concerned about it. Get out in the air, enjoy the sights, sounds and smells. Wear yourself out a few times and then be surprised a couple weeks later when you're going faster without getting as tired.

For me, one of the great things about riding where I live is that no matter how young or old, fat or thin, slow or fast you are, there's always someone who's more so. A lot of the time, I get to be other people's "older, fatter, slower" rider, but sometimes I get to be somebody's "older, fatter, faster" rider, which is gratifying.
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Old 07-14-20, 04:05 PM
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You should probably look into a steel/aluminum gravel bike; which is similar to a touring bike with wider tires.

Touring specific bikes have pretty much disappeared from most major brands and have evolved into the modern day gravel bikes. A loaded tourer could carry 75+lbs over the weight of the rider.

In a gravel bike you probably want one with disc brakes and 32 or 36 spokes.

John

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Old 07-14-20, 04:14 PM
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Buy a bike today! Unless it's really hot out, then wait a week. An average hybrid will be ok, except for that rear wheel, and it will tell you when/if it breaks. Basically anything tougher than a full-on road racing bike will do you fine.

DO NOT WORRY about speed. The speed on different kinds of bikes can vary a lot and just getting used to riding brings it way up. The speed on an exercise bike is a fake number. You can turn down the resistance and pedal like hell and get whatever you want. You can probably get a power number out of your exercise bike... it's not really calibrated but it will be a good thing to watch. If you don't have power, use heart rate. The people who do serious training have power meters built into their cranks and they use it along with their GPS.
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Old 07-14-20, 04:31 PM
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It's very hot out like 44C hot. I live in MIddle East so maybe another 2 months before I can cycle in comfort, so 2 months to diet and prepare.

There's not a great market for second hand bikes here and the new ones seem ultra expensive.
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Old 07-14-20, 04:36 PM
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You're in India? Are the roads crap? Get a mountain bike and put street tires on it.
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Old 07-14-20, 04:37 PM
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It isn't that fast and you can do it. Once you get out and start riding you will improve fairly quickly and that sort of pace is well within range.

You can find a lot of threads in the Clydesdales forum that can give you advice bikes for heavier riders.
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Old 07-14-20, 04:50 PM
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https://www.bikeforums.net/clydesdal...-200-lb-91-kg/
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Old 07-14-20, 04:57 PM
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Don't worry about speed...Focus instead on eating well and loosing weight.
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Old 07-14-20, 05:32 PM
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Originally Posted by Cooper1991
It's very hot out like 44C hot. I live in MIddle East so maybe another 2 months before I can cycle in comfort, so 2 months to diet and prepare.

There's not a great market for second hand bikes here and the new ones seem ultra expensive.

44C? WOW! That’s hot.

consider going at sunrise to keep temp exposure reasonable.
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Old 07-15-20, 09:03 AM
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Mornings and afternoons are preferable to mid-day. Just the reduction in solar heating will make it tolerable.

I started a long tour with a total load (bike, me, luggage) around 360 pounds on a decent touring bike. If you can find one that fits you, it should carry your weight without issues.

If you want to go fast, ride to the top of a decent hill and coast down.
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Old 07-15-20, 10:06 AM
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Originally Posted by WGB
Buy any good steel bike. Steel is forgiving of big folks. Especially the old school 27in wheel ones.
This does not agree with my experience at all. Old steel bikes I have ridden (Peugeots, Raleighs, Norcos, Fujis and others) are great bikes, but I have found them to be less durable than modern aluminum bikes, and probably much less durable than modern steel bikes like Surlys.

Further, most old steel bikes were flexible like a wet noodle, especially under a heavier rider. I have had a couple bikes that flexed so much at the bottom bracket that you could induce front shifting by hard pedalling out of the saddle.

The last old steel bike I had - a Raleigh from the early 80s - suffered a front-end collision at walking pace and the frame and fork folded such that I had to carry the bike home.
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Old 07-15-20, 10:21 AM
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I refer to Newton " a body in motion tends to stay in motion unless acted on by an outside force" .. in this case air resistance is that force..
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Old 07-15-20, 10:28 AM
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Speed on flats is more a function of total watts. So large big guy could be faster than a very fit lady on the flats. Up hill is different, that's about power to weight ratio.
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Old 07-15-20, 12:44 PM
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Originally Posted by ClydeClydeson
Further, most old steel bikes were flexible like a wet noodle, especially under a heavier rider.
I have a 1973 Schwinn Continental I will sell you. That sucker is made out of radiator steel, definitely al dente.
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Old 07-15-20, 04:13 PM
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Originally Posted by ClydeClydeson

Further, most old steel bikes were flexible like a wet noodle, especially under a heavier rider. I have had a couple bikes that flexed so much at the bottom bracket that you could induce front shifting by hard pedalling out of the saddle.
Hence, Columbus MAX.
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Old 07-15-20, 04:23 PM
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I've experienced about 7mph difference from indoor to outdoor cycling.
always faster outdoors for me. A lot to do with the being outside thing.
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Old 07-16-20, 05:58 AM
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Originally Posted by Pop N Wood
I have a 1973 Schwinn Continental I will sell you. That sucker is made out of radiator steel, definitely al dente.
Most of the old steel bikes I've ridden were also very flexible, except for a Swedish army Monark, which was overbuilt like a tank and weighed upwards of 50 lbs.
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Old 07-16-20, 06:45 AM
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Originally Posted by Cooper1991
What speed should I expect to achieve? On the exercise bike I do between 13-16 km/h (slow-fast) but I read of people averaging 25 km/h. I want to buy a bike but am afraid I will break it as I'm 125kg. I was 139kg and still dieting.

DO.. the speed that works for you. Comfortable physically and enough to get respiration to a level again comfortable/manageable. FORGET.. asking for advice especially on forums.

MAIN thing: to keep enjoying and working on the bike. Good seat.. et all to maintain the process.

Dieting: I dislike that word. Eat enough to maintain good energy.. lower insulin levels.. avoiding all junk foods.

BEST wishes.. you will succeed.
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Old 07-16-20, 06:51 AM
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At your weight, a good set of wheels is mandatory. Cheap factory-built wheels that aren't laced tightly enough or have enough spokes will self-destruct.
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