Dezzzy

Hey everyone! appreciate anyone who can give me any advice/help

im almost 400lbs, 5'11, and have knee problems, i'm living in the UK, im looking for a bike under £500 if that's even possible.

I live in a City with no real bike paths and a TON of hills(Yorkshire). I have no idea where to start, i went to Halfords near me and pretty much got laughed at when i said i was interested in a bike which has put me off face-to-face encounters.

NYMXer

Buy a quality but used mountain bike off Craigslist or your local bike shop. Ride several before you buy anything...

katsup

I second a used mountain bike. Other than getting a bike that fits, the things you will want on the bike are:

36+ Spoke Wheels (at least in the rear)
Rigid Fork
Cromoly Frame

Check for used bikes in your area and if you have questions, ask here.

RECfromPA

How rude! I wouldn't patronize a place that treated me like that. I hope there are other shops around.

I've had two great bikes from the early '90s. Specialized Hardrock Cruz (recenly sold) and Specialized Crossroads (still riding), both steel, both ride great. Never an issue with either one. I've read many others recommend Trek bikes from that era.

For me, and I think for a newbe, "fit" starts with being able to stand over the bike and have about 2 inches clearance above the top tube. Then, I'll ride and see if the reach to the handlebars is comfortable (not too stretched out or close). At 5'7" and female (and barely in the Athena range), 18" frame is where I'll look for used bikes. I suggest smooth, non nubby tires. My narrowest tires are 38mm. At your height, perhaps 20 or 22" frames, depending on your leg length. I'll then take it the shop for tune up, change tires or cables or brake pads, if needed.

Others on the Clyde forum recommend higher spoke count for back wheels, so budget that in with helmet and lights.

I think you'll be able to get everything you'll need well within your budget.

Dezzzy

I really appreciate the replies, thank you!

it seems that mountain bike with high spoke count wheels is where to start!

i will get looking to see what i can afford both new and used.

anything else i should consider being in a very hilly area? like gears or brakes? being as heavy as i am i would not want to go down a hill and being almost unable to stop my weight.

Bonzo Banana

Shop staff can be useless but one of the strongest bikes you can buy for reasonable money new is a halfords bike. The Carrera Subway. It's a strong mountain bike frame, rigid chromoly steel front forks and 36 spoke double wall 27.5" wheels. I think the maximum rider weight is stated as 136kg/300lbs but I believe there is an absolute maximum weight that should never be exceeded of 160kg. Pump the tires up slightly above the psi rating on the sidewalls. If it says 60 or 70 psi go for 65 or 75 etc. Just a tad more. Avoid pot holes and any sorts of drops until you have lost a bit of weight. Get a replacement saddle with a lot of padding, extended size.

Buy off Halfords online (preferably on a discount day) with home delivery rather than get assembled instore if you are going to find it difficult to collect or choose a Halfords store to collect with less childish staff.

Get out and enjoy the bike and your gradual increase in strength and reduction in weight. Try to keep off the carbs a bit more and limit treats to select days to accelerate the weight loss. If I could send moral support and encouragement to you through the internet I would as I'm sure many others would. It's a great way to extend you life and hopefully avoid health problems caused by obesity. I'm in the same boat as you. I'm about 144kg, 320lbs or something. I ride a Saracen jump bike. Built like a tank and looks like one. It wasn't dear, £40 secondhand although needed one or two minor fixes. This is the original image before I changed it a bit. You can see even the chainstays have reinforcing. It looks like it would be heavier than it is.

fietsbob

Find a Good bike shop, you like doing business with and get a bike there. they will help you maintain it.

Bonzo Banana

Under £500 is pretty much entry level from an independent bike shop and I'm not even sure there is a model equivilant to the Subway available from them with a big brand. Halfords buy their own bikes direct from the factory and retail themselves and have a huge marketshare in the UK. The staff may not always be great but some of the bikes are absolutely brilliant for the money and honestly as good as bikes twice as expensive from many independent bike shops. At under £500 the choice may only be halfords or secondhand. The Subway 1 is only £300 but has an excellent strong frame with reinforcing, same as the Carrera mountain bikes. There is a more expensive Subway with hydraulic disc brakes for £50 more but personally for a road bike I'd go with the simplicity and reliability of the standard mechanical disc brakes. There aren't many bikes so perfectly setup for a heavy rider with the exception of the saddle.



Carrera Subway 1 Mens Hybrid Bike

fietsbob

You going to fix it for them ? they even sold there, his town? UK brand ? NB; they come from Taiwan too..

Bonzo Banana

Halfords are a national chain but still have onsite bicycle mechanics but their competence can vary, most stores are good but there are a few horror stories. Halfords are one of the few places to get a great value bike and decent backup. You get a free six week service and any warranty work of course done for free. Where I live which is a rural area there are about 8 Halfords stores within about 30 miles. Something like 40% of all bikes sold in the UK are through Halfords and that might be by value not quantity. Wherever you buy your Halfords bike you can get warranty work done by a wide network of Halfords stores.

I doubt the bikes come from Taiwan, Taiwan is pretty high value nowadays, even the taiwanese brands have a lot of their entry level stuff come from China, Vietnam, Cambodia and a few other places. Same as the international brands. Even top end Cannondales are coming out of China. It's just like any bike brand or shop though there are rubbish bikes at entry level that are best avoided but the Subway is the right spec and worth the extra over the similar Parva model which is compromised with weaker and inferior components in a few places.

fietsbob

Country of origin stickers are on the bike frames these days..

Bonzo Banana

Here in Europe we get many bikes assembled in one country but with the frame and many components made in China due to EU restrictions on chinese imports. They bypass the restriction by getting the bike assembled outside China and exported from a different country. Wherever the bike is assembled and where the 'Made in' sticker states its going to be mainly Chinese parts I suspect.