22 Stone!

Brava210

Chris5.5 wrote:

The forks on the Fury cost something like £200 on their own, they are very good. A stiffer spring will probably cost about £30 plus fitting. Tora's are much better than the darts you usually see at this price.

The SRAM gears are very good, easily a match for Shimano, maybe not as smooth to change gear but need far less fettling to keep them indexed.

For your weight I would recommend hydraulics everytime, the Tektros fitted to the Fury always stopped me easily and are powerfull. I have bought a new bike since the Fury and now have Juicy 5's, the Tektro's were just as good.

The only negatve point for me on the Fury were the tyres when paired with the Sun Wheel rims, very hard to get off. I swapped the tyres for Panaracer Cinders which cost about £30 for the pair. They went on and came off nice and easy.

Chris

My 08 Fury came with Mavic rims.....

Gary

DaKid

Hey, good news with the new bike! I'm 6'2" and 21.5 stone, so I know just where you're coming from (this time last year probably closer to 23 stone).

I have a road bike (Specialized Tricross '07), although technically it's a cyclocross bike as I wanted the strength to cope with my weight, and in two years of having it the only thing that's happened is that a spoke went last month after about 800 miles, and my LBS replaced it for me free of charge. Get a good relationship with your LBS ... trickier with Halfords I dare say, but gotta be worth a try!

Regarding mountain bikes, I'm probably more of a newbie than you ... but I've just ordered a bike through the Cycle2Work scheme too, although I decided to splash out on the full voucher value available to me, and go for a Specialized Rockhopper Pro. Having said that, anything that's designed to be ridden by a full, adult male over very rough terrain (as all mountain bikes must be?) is surely designed to be strong ... and if I can ride a road-designed bike for almost three years without problems, I reckon you'll be safe enough on any bike you choose!

Would be interested to hear how you get on with the weight loss ... I'm dreadful at it, although I'm comparatively fit, however a possibly foolish commitment to run a half-marathon next March might force me to control my diet a little better! All the very best of luck with both the bike and the weight loss

Martin

bigboned

Thanks Martin and everyone else who took the time,

Ive now created my shopping list as such taking everything on board and so have created a new thread in buying advice section.
I will revitalise this thread as and when i eventually get sorted and i can comment on the weight loss side etc and personal experiences...until then wish me luck!

cheers

KnightofCydonia

good luck. I've not lost any weight as such in my month or so but I've developed more muscle mass on the legs & lost about an inch off my waist. It's all great fun

Kiblams

I have had the same experience KoC; I have been on the bike riding at least 2 times a week (4-5 times most weeks) for 4 months now. I am feeling healthier than I have ever been and for the first 3 months didnt drop any weight, but I did lose alot of waist line as all of my trousers became loose.

It is the last month where the weight has started to come off and I have lost a stone (down to 16st) which feels good as I was beginning to worry.

Keep up the good work!

Stumpy Ade

DaKid wrote:

Would be interested to hear how you get on with the weight loss ... I'm dreadful at it, although I'm comparatively fit, however a possibly foolish commitment to run a half-marathon next March might force me to control my diet a little better! All the very best of luck with both the bike and the weight loss

Martin

A half marathon will act as a dramatic weight loss motivator believe me. Good on you, is it the Reading Half?

DaKid

Stumpy Ade wrote:

A half marathon will act as a dramatic weight loss motivator believe me. Good on you, is it the Reading Half?

Yup ... and my training has barely started yet. I think I might die!

kneedown_ian

well im also new to the forum (Bigboned) and i was 17 st dead when i bought my bike last june i was probably the most self concious person id come across i hated the way i looked for bloody yrs! im 5ft10 thou and 28 i bought a bike and joined the gym , i am lucky in that ive got sum good friends into extreme downhill, free ride etc and ive always been in the back ground.......................i bought a GIANT XTC 2.5 bloody good bike for £850 at the time when i bought it ive ridden it preety much everyday because i got hooked i hit the gym a few times a week still as i love both im now 14st 6 and happy at this i can ride miles n miles n miles and u know something mate ( FUCK WAT PPL THINK OF U ) your doing it for yourself n trust me when u get going you wont look bk its addictive though ill warn you .
Big respect to anyone who puts themself through anyway of loosing weight and achieving it , im retraining in september to become a personal trainer because i love it so much.

now the giant xtc 2.5 downhill is awsome , jumps anything , has good spec , light enuff , good fun my verdict everyone will say there own opinions but that was my choice at the time and its only now needing new wheels etc but thats because ive jumped the bollox off it lol cant help it but thats std wheels for you.

good luck :oops:

Blue Lou

I'm a similar weight to the original poster, I purchased a cheap(!) bike last year from Tesco for £30.00.

I think it's time to get a new one. So I'm taking a keen interest in this thread

bigboned

Well after much deliberation etc etc today i got my bike! yay...

GT Agressor XCR thru the halfords c2w scheme - obviously not got far on it yet only a couple of things i want to do, decent pedals and grips to start, saddle seems ok will know better later.

shame the wheels are white along with the brake calipers and levers but hey ho cant win them all - rather like the pearly white n gunmetal paint job and the 15mm thru axle tho.. is it worth while getting a QR seat clamp?

anyway thanks to all those who have commented / helped along the way - whilst ive been deciding ive been on a diet of sorts so am a tadge lighter but hoping my efforts will now improve. Please excuse the crap pic - much better one on the halfords website lol

WISH ME LUCK!!

red09

good choice of bike mate and good luck with your quest

dont forget when your splashing out on goodies to buy a shock pump

Ive just recently purchased the same bike for the same reason. I do 15 mile every other day now and feeling better for it. As for the bike and the saddle the first few rides i was getting pins and needles in my hands and a numb c**k but played around with the seat position and now it feels great, dare i say comfortable

MarkTurrell

hey good luck with the training i ordered a merida which is due to arrive on monday so i cant wait to get out on it! i got it for same sort of reasons lose a bit of weight and increase my fitness

JAKBLADE

I to, be the wrong side of 18 stone and was looking at purchasing a new ride but eventually gave up(too much choice and lack of funds for a decent ride) and resurrected my old Specialized Hardrock A1 Comp from the back of my shed. New wheels,tyres,BB,saddle,handlebars,stem,forks and a brake upgrade.
We maybe slower going uphill but sure as hell carry some momentum on the down...HeHeHe.......

couldashouldawoulda

Hey dude - well done!

Go N-eiri An bothar leat

Youve made a choice and are going for it - that's the most important thing - imo. I was in a similar position a year back and the first step was the hardest. Actually the 2nd was the same, then the 3rd etc. But you're on a roll.

Now my adivse is - dont over do it. Start with easy - ish distances, then build the distance up then add in intervals. Otherwise your system can overload with the enthusiasm, Been there, done that.

It's taken me a year to go from a 14.5 st couch potatoe to a 100km mountain marathon 11st fanatic. 1lb a week weight loss is a tough but realistic goal and your bike is well able to get you there. You're mind is the tough bit!