lose weight 4 heavy guy? Cobia 29" but change to hub g

privacy121

I am very heavy (155kg), 40 years old and have been given some pretty frank advice by the Doc; lose weight or die...
I can't jog/run as I'll screw my knees as so heavy so rower and bike
LBS recommends Cobia 29er and I've suggested hub gears as I can't be faffed with gears/maintenance, etc, and just pop on some road tyres. Will be used for mainly roads and possible forest tracks so not out and out off-road.
ISSUES; rolloff is ridiculous at approx. £1k plus LBS says I need another £200 for a "whirlybird kit" to convert so bike is becoming a £2.4k purchase!!
I'm seeing Alfine 11 hubs getting good reviews but they are not available till mid June-ish and they are less than half the price.
Then I see you can get a bike with Alfine 11 hub in it - the Charge 11 BUT its only 26" wheels - don't get me started on 26 vs 29 - I just want to go with the 29 wheels
Please can anyone/all of you throw me some ideas and advice??
Cheers

privacy121

also spotted this as an option.....

http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/CBOOPOMPALF ... e-11-speed

jonny_trousers

Everyone who has a Pompetamine here is really happy with it. Probably your best option if you want the 11 speed Alfine. I'm sure you'll love it.

Good luck and well done on deciding to sort yourself out!

walkingbootweather

Check out The 39 stone cyclist who occasionally posts here.

I have a Rohloff geared Thorn Sterling (actually rode in on it this morning for a change) and it is pretty awesome. Thorn do make custom bikes designed for touring and carrying lots of weight. Things like wheel are engineered to take some punishment. Thorn's philosophy is explained here.

I daresay the 11-speed Afine will be pretty cool when it arrives, but if it really is a care of life and death I wouldn't be putting things off for too long.

Good Luck.

MichaelW

I've been using Alfine for over 3 years commuting. Its a great system, I just opened it up to service and it totally clean with plenty of grease.
When chosing a bike for Alfine, avoid any model that has to use a spring-loaded chain-tensioner. This device is for adapting derailleur bikes to hub gears and has no place on a new model. You want chain tensioning by:
Horizontal dropouts
Sliding dropouts
Eccentric bottom bracket.

I find the 8 gears sufficient for everyday riding with some flat tracks and trails. I do spin out on big descents but its no big deal.

On_one probably has the best Alfine frame. There is also Cotic.

privacy121

thx for all advice thus far - any other takers??

on-one with alfine looking best option for me so far...............

(nb have started on concept 2 already but bored already so thought with the warmer weather get out into the great outdoors, do the little shopping trips and errands, etc on the bike instead of always jumping in the motor)

jonny_trousers

walkingbootweather wrote:

Check out The 39 stone cyclist who occasionally posts here.

But didn't he recently confess to losing the weight through an eating disorder rather than a healthy regime?

As far as I am aware On-One is the only company doing an off-the-peg 11-speed Alfine bike so far, but they have an excellent reputation so that's not a problem. More manufacturors are bound to follow very soon. I personally can't wait for the first production drop-bar, 11-speed Alfine bikes to come out.

If you are happy with an 8-speed Alfine hub then there are loads of bikes to chose from.

walkingbootweather

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

But didn't he recently confess to losing the weight through an eating disorder rather than a healthy regime?

Well remembered JT and not something to be copied.

Getting into cycling seemed to be a big part of his lifestyle change though, and if he can lose 20 stone while eating junk, just imagine what is possible through exercise and healthy diet.

Dalton

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

walkingbootweather wrote:

Check out The 39 stone cyclist who occasionally posts here.

But didn't he recently confess to losing the weight through an eating disorder rather than a healthy regime?
.

Not quite the case!

He has always suffered with an eating disorder (and still does) - this is not how he lost the weight, that is down to cycling.

jonny_trousers

Well I don't suppose it matters really. Cycling regularly can be a huge aid towards weight loss (on top of sensible eating, of course) and I wish the OP all the best. I think he is definitely on the right track where his choice of bike is concerned, and the good news is, when he finally realises he wants drops, the Versa 11 shifters are now available.

gb155

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

walkingbootweather wrote:

Check out The 39 stone cyclist who occasionally posts here.

But didn't he recently confess to losing the weight through an eating disorder rather than a healthy regime?

As far as I am aware On-One is the only company doing an off-the-peg 11-speed Alfine bike so far, but they have an excellent reputation so that's not a problem. More manufacturors are bound to follow very soon. I personally can't wait for the first production drop-bar, 11-speed Alfine bikes to come out.

If you are happy with an 8-speed Alfine hub then there are loads of bikes to chose from.

Not only is that not true, it is one of the reasons that I was unsure if to "come out" in the first place.(As in people ignorance to it)

My eating disorder is the reason I ballooned to 39 stone, having suffered for 27 years with it, I lost 26 stone in spite of the fact I am on a diet of crisps and chocolate NOT because of it !!!

gb155

Dalton wrote:

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

walkingbootweather wrote:

Check out The 39 stone cyclist who occasionally posts here.

But didn't he recently confess to losing the weight through an eating disorder rather than a healthy regime?
.

Not quite the case!

He has always suffered with an eating disorder (and still does) - this is not how he lost the weight, that is down to cycling.

Spot on, Thanks Dude

jonny_trousers

gb155 wrote:

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

walkingbootweather wrote:

Check out The 39 stone cyclist who occasionally posts here.

But didn't he recently confess to losing the weight through an eating disorder rather than a healthy regime?

Not only is that not true, it is one of the reasons that I was unsure if to "come out" in the first place.(As in people ignorance to it)

My eating disorder is the reason I ballooned to 39 stone, having suffered for 27 years with it, I lost 26 stone in spite of the fact I am on a diet of crisps and chocolate NOT because of it !!!

Hey, I totally respect that you were brave enough to come out over your eating disorder, but you must admit, what you eat cannot be considered a healthy, balanced diet and is not a weight loss program that others should try to emulate.

Well done on facing up to your demons publicly, however.