[roy]

I was wondering what's the best route to go. I'm 277 pounds as of this morning and I need to lose weight. I'm getting closer to fifty and my DR. Suggested biking as a fun way of losing the spare tire. My concern is that the majority of bikes can't support my weight and the websites I've looked at don't have weight limits posted on the bikes. Does any body know who would make a plus sized bike and whether or not I need special/under inflated tires to do it. Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you guys
Roy

[hophead]

What kind of riding are you going to be doing?

[Industry_Hack]

Dude, 277 isn't a concern if you're looking at a mountain bike. Road bike, not so good, but doable.

No special gear needed, although disc brakes would be a plus. Is this just for street/bike paths/maybe dirt trails? And what's your budget.

Weight limits are not posted for liability reasons. If they say 250, you know some guy weighing 240 is going to break a bike, hurt himself, and sue someone. On that note, the same bike that will last you forever riding around town might fail in 30 minutes of off-road abuse at the hands of some 100lb kid. So we need to apply a little common sense and use the correct tool for the job.

[mikebike]

tell us more about where you want to ride.... street ...bike paths ... off road (dirt)

and then a little about how much you want to spend

then we can help

[mtndoc]

Roy, welcome to Two Spoke, if you give these guys the info they will help you find the right bike and even help you with the training to get a handle on your weight.

Industry Hack is a good source of info, so you might pay attention to what he has to say, I'm sure he won't give you bum info, pretty much any of the moderators also help.

And I think your Dr is right, it is a good way to loose weight without heavy impact which can be a problem.

Good Luck,
DrB

[roy]

I don't know what wanted to do. That's kinda why I just threw it out there. I think by the comments mountain Biking seems to be the route I'm going to go. So then the next question is what Bike? I have about $600 I could spend more if I had to.

[Industry_Hack]

Are you looking to buy locally, or online?

BikesDirect would probably be your best source for online, but it may be prudent to build a relationship with your local bike shop.

If I had to choose a durable bike for just getting around, it would probably be something in the Giant Boulder line, but it looks like they no longer offer a Boulder disc model.

[roy]

Whatever gets me the better deal. Thank you for your help guys. Do I need to be worried about tires/ tire pressure?

[Industry_Hack]

Not really. Under 300lbs on a sturdy MTB, you should be OK, unless you abuse the bike.

[funetical]

I'm a big guy, any where between 200- 230 now, and I never had to deflate the tires. I haven't had to buy a special bike either I just work with what's comfortable and ride it till it dies.