Huge Porker on a road bike

Corporate Camper

Evening all,

I'm a great big fat bloke who enjoys a bit of cycling. During the "summer" I started riding home from work, if I go all the way it's 26 miles all on Sustans Route 51, if I'm pushed for time I get the bus half way and do 14 miles on country roads.

I did all of my riding on a Marin B17 MTB with semi slick tyres, but some scroate nicked it a couple of weeks back. Now I'm riding an old (but good condition) Raleigh Pro Race road bike (it's a classic!).

Getting to the point... I'm currently 277lbs, that's over 19.5 stone or under 126Kg. I've always been a bit of a Gorilla, but the weight is coming off the more I cycle (19 lbs so far and no hint of a diet in sight). Now, the Marin held up pretty well to me sitting on it, and the Raleigh has only done 28 miles with me on it so far (although I'll be adding 14 per day all this week) with no problems yet. Am I going to break it? Is there anything I can do to Fat Bloke proof it? If I were to buy a new bike (and I will in a couple of months) for around the £500 mark, is there anything the Portly Gentleman should specifically look for?

I have been eyeing up a Trek Soho 3.0 Hybrid, but I'm actually enjoying riding a road bike, even if I do feel like a complete elephant on the thing.

brownbosh

ts hard to say mate without seeing its condition etc.
I was 279 pounds but i bought a new bike. Had to get wheel builds for all of my bikes so far even though im only 16st 4 now. (still creeping down slowly)

Corporate Camper

I'm not really talking about this bike specifically, I bought it (second hand) on a whim about 8 years ago and rode it once, I didn't really like it and put it in the garage in favour of an MTB. Now it's my only bike and I started to ride it as a temporary measure, but I'm starting to really enjoy it, it's so fast!

When I upgrade I'm thinking that road bike is the way to go, so I'm mentally speccing out something that might last

So, you've had to get "Wheel Builds"? I'm a newbie to all this, so what is that all about?

andrewc3142

Hey, keep it up!!

You might want to look at touring bikes - Super Galaxy, Thorn, Koga Miyator and the like. They are generally built to carry loads and therefore generally much stronger than road bikes. Generally, more than £500, though, unless you can get one second hand.

brownbosh

You can get a wheel or wheels custom made to deal with your 'girth' so they arent always going out of line. Back one is the most likely to suffer. Minbe are all 36 mavic open pro rims, double butted spokes. Various hubs but you can get a cheap one built up for about £90 or itll just keep buckling!

Corporate Camper

Thanks!

I've googled wheel builds, a bit of interesting reading there...

I'm not built like a racer, so it makes sense that a "racing bike" probably isn't the machine for me, also... I have something of a soft spot for Koga's, but my wife would go mental if I bought one (unless I told her it was from the Halfords sale and cost £89 of course)

Corporate Camper

brownbosh wrote:

You can get a wheel or wheels custom made to deal with your 'girth' so they arent always going out of line. Back one is the most likely to suffer. Minbe are all 36 mavic open pro rims, double butted spokes. Various hubs but you can get a cheap one built up for about £90 or itll just keep buckling!

Thanks for the info!

STEFANOS4784

[quote="
I'm not built like a racer, so it makes sense that a "racing bike" probably isn't the machine for me, also... I have something of a soft spot for Koga's, but my wife would go mental if I bought one (unless I told her it was from the Halfords sale and cost £89 of course)[/quote]

Problem solved!!!

_krusty

I'm currently down your end of the scales and it's slowly coming off as well

From looking round the place when I did my purchase I can definitely say that solid (i.e. 36 spoke) wheels would be a good investment. Someone has already mentioned the Mavic Open Pro rims which I happen to have as well - can't speak highly enough of them. I did read some time ago about heavier riders breaking seat post stems - I haven't experienced this myself and I really don't know if it's that common or not.

Also I think it's important just do a little more research when buying frames/components whatever. Some manfacturers list weight limits on parts and some don't. When I purchased about 12-18 months ago it was pretty much a guessing game but now I think some manfacturers are making our lives a little easier by documenting weight limits.

Best of luck with your purchases !

DanielCoffey

Firstly - well done on getting cycling!

Here is a link you might already have seen - it's to the "Clydesdales (200lbs+)" sub-forum of the US bikeforums.net group...

http://www.bikeforums.net/forumdisplay.php?f=248

They talk about saddles, wheel builds, keeping a log of mileage/weight. Hopefully you can pick a little useful info from there.

Congrats on riding!

edwardvarla

I don't think the weight will be a problem at all. A lot of big sprinters will be 14 to 15 stones and putting untold stresses on their bikes.

Might be worth getting 25mm tyres instead of 23mm and making sure they are pumped up well, but beyond that I'd just avoid low spoke count wheels, which doesn't necessarily mean hand builts. Most of the entry-level big names have the normal number of spokes.

If you get a hybrid you'll only regret not getting a proper bike when you're below 15st!!

Cheers

Edward

judokev

Hi there,

Hope I am not out of line saying this but if you do a search on this and the training section on weight loss you will come across a few larger fella's in the same situation as you, you could PM them and ask what bikes there riding and how they get on with them.

Most guys are saying that with a change in diet and regular miles they are getting the weight off, just don't let the winter spoil it, but then how will we know when winter is here?

Judo kev

Rich Hcp

Well done so far!

All good advice above. Avoid potholes etc, and the wheels will stay in line longer and if you keep the tyre pPSI up then you should be OK.

I'd use a good local shop for advice and purchase and then they can sort the wheels from the start.

nickcuk

As a yo-yoer in terms of weight and cycling achievement, I just want to say keep it up and dont be too worried about the hardware. If you hit a deep pothole at a reasonable speed, something is going to happen and there's no need for a fancy calculation about weight / tyre size / speed. For us bigger fellas enjoying losing an inch a week or so per week, it doesn't really matter if we're on hybrids, old mtbs, overpriced road bikes, whatever - keep up the miles, avoid the big dips in the road, pump up the tyre pressure and when something goes wrong decide whether its normal wear and tear (replace it) or do we blame the pies (upgrade it). Personally, my Raleigh Hybrid quickly needed new wheels and amazingly improved performance mean I soon wanted thinner, slicker tyres and a different cassette. Apart from that, a lot is vanity

unclemalc

I was a fattie-on-a-bike in the spring.
Now I am less-of-a-fattie, and I DO NOT want to lose the impetus...

So don't let the change of season put you off . If you drop a lot of weight and gain fitness over the spring/summer, it can be harder to keep it up over the 'dark' months because you tend to only ride over the w/end.

Good luck. Keep us posted.

sc999cs

unclemalc wrote:

it can be harder to keep it up over the 'dark' months because you tend to only ride over the w/end.

Have you considered a turbo trainer for the Winter months?

unclemalc

sc999cs wrote:

unclemalc wrote:

it can be harder to keep it up over the 'dark' months because you tend to only ride over the w/end.

Have you considered a turbo trainer for the Winter months?

Yep. I used to have one. It got me fit enough over a winter to be able to get back on the road the following spring. However it was a vile old thing with a habit of breaking down, and went (because I didn't need it anymore :shock: ).
Now, however much I'd like one , I simply DO NOT have anywhere to put one!!!! Too many bikes in the shed!!!

No - its got to be on the road this winter....
Ta for the suggestion tho'

sc999cs

unclemalc wrote:

I simply DO NOT have anywhere to put one!!!!

Bathroom?

unclemalc

Other half has just suggested the bedroom. :shock:

I REALLY DO NOT KNOW what to make of that????!!!!!

unclemalc

....now look what you've done..... :shock:

DavidBelcher

When I saw the subject line, I thought at first it was an unkind pun suggesting that certain BBC commentators had put a bit of weight on since they'd retired from racing.

David

sc999cs

unclemalc wrote:

Other half has just suggested the bedroom. :shock:

I REALLY DO NOT KNOW what to make of that????!!!!!

Maybe she likes you fit and healthy and worries about you riding in the dark? Just imagine though waking up in the morning and opening your eyes to see your 'baby'. Will you be able to cope with the jealousy???

graemenm

First post so, Hi!

As a fellow bike riding porker and newbie road rider I had to add to this. 17st never looks good on a bike

I'm summoning up the guts to join my bike clubs road rides but am trying to get fit enough that the humiliation won't be unbearable.

I'm working on building up distance and riding approx 90 miles per week. Avge speed 15 / 16 mph. Will my life be unbearable on a general club ride or am I beating myself silly with no reason?

Any top tips to build muscle and lose weight other than thumping in the miles?

G

msw

Just wanted to second (third?) the comments about wheels being the thing to change. I'm not particularly big (13 stone) but I used to carry a lot of weight in panniers on my Specialized Allez (entry level road bike, about £500). I broke spokes twice under heavy braking on the radial-spoked Alexrims wheels that came with it, but then bought some stronger wheels (Mavic Open Pros) with more spokes and didn't have any more problems.

I also once broke a spoke by accelerating too hard away from the lights - my proudest moment :-)

sc999cs

graemenm wrote:

First post so, Hi!

As a fellow bike riding porker and newbie road rider I had to add to this. 17st never looks good on a bike

I'm summoning up the guts to join my bike clubs road rides but am trying to get fit enough that the humiliation won't be unbearable.

I'm working on building up distance and riding approx 90 miles per week. Avge speed 15 / 16 mph. Will my life be unbearable on a general club ride or am I beating myself silly with no reason?

Any top tips to build muscle and lose weight other than thumping in the miles?

G

Depends on the type of club. I know road racing clubs who will drop slow riders without a second's hesitation. Other groups such as the CTC ride at the slowest speed and never leave any one behind. If you'd feel humiliated riding with your club, then your club isn't worth being in and I'd find another club to ride with.

Top tips? Afraid pounding the miles, and watching the diet is the only way to lose weight. If you don't have the day light hours to ride (although 90 miles is a lot) get a turbo trainer and use that to keep up the mileage (I cover around 120 miles on mine each week).

graemenm

Thanks for that, I'll give a club ride a go and see how I get on. If it's not for me then it'll save me having to learn how to draught.

90 miles does feel like a lot of miles and it does involve a fair amont of night riding. Does two 35 mile circuits and a hilly 20 miles sound like a decent weeks training?

G

brownbosh

Thats more than adequate to start but wont build your endrance base and you wont burn fat as quickly. Theres no substitut for a few 4 hour rides a month!

idaviesmoore

graemenm wrote:

good on a bike

I'm summoning up the guts to join my bike clubs road rides

G

Theres an ironical comment just waiting to happen

graemenm

Although 17st never looks good in lycra it does make me devastatingly quick downhill. All you skinny blokes can never argue with the law of gravity vs friction / wind resistance.

I always knew there was an upside to my glandular attraction to pies (and my "slow metabolism. Metabolising beer is a real bugger in my experience)

Jamey

As a fellow porker, can I jump in and ask a quick question?

Are the wheels on my Tricross (Alex ACE-19 rims) strong enough for a 17 stone bloke with a couple of panniers or should I also be looking into some Mavic Open pros?

Only I looked at the Mavic Rims on Wiggle just now and they only fit 19-23mm tyres, and I've got 32mm tyres, what with it being a cyclocross bike.

brownbosh

cyclocross bikes will run on open pros - narrow them down a bit. Alternatively consider the cxp rims they are deeper section and a bit stronger even if they are a bit heavier. If you buckle your existing wheels you wont be able to sell them on. Or ride on them and if they go out then get a build?