Bikes for big blokes

roryh

Hi,

I have finally persuaded my rather large brother to take up cycling. Unfortunately large not so much in the height but girth department. He weights something like 20 stone, and I'm hoping a bit of communiting on the bike will help suplement his gym routine to help him lose weight, plus give him a bit of a lift, as cycling always makes me feel better about life.

Anyway, I digress.. I was wondering if there are any special requirements for larger cyclists. I'm going to steer him towards something with a steel frame rather than carbon for example, as I'm guessing its stronger. Do larger folk need bigger saddles? He said previously he has knackered the bottom bracket (but this might be from having cheap bikes previously).

any tips or recomendations gratefully received!

R.

jonnyboy77

A friend of mine who just back on a bike, and is on the large side was much happier once he'd fitted a wider saddle - he got the Specialized Expedition Plus saddle.

I would also imagine that a bike offering a more upright riding position would be beneficial? Avoiding folding over too far and reducing the weight on the back/arms? But that is speculative on my part.

- Jon

clarkey cat

there's a guy on here who was 32 stone or something when he started cycling - he;s now 14 stone. Bet he's got tons of advice. Think his username is gb155 or something like that.

high_tower

Hi, i'm 6'5 and 21 stone coming down from 24 stone. To be honest the only drama I've had is maybe the extra weight putting more load on my wrists, on the saddle when i first started. I found it really uncomfortable and it took me a while to sort the bike out to be comfortable.

I now commute daily 26 miles with a 40-50 mile ride on the weekend. As the miles have built up I've been able to put the bike back into a slightly more race position which was the end game as I wanted to get faster and do some cyclocross during the winter. I found a little a lot at the start worked well, skipping short trips in cars in favour of the bike has helped too. I'm doing the coast to coast next month, that's kept me motivated too.

As for the bike I put a slightly wider saddle on, nothing ridiculous just a specializes job i think this is the right link http://www.specialized.com/gb/gb/bc/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=53995&menuItemId=10836&eid=5007, I bought fizik extra gel pads for the bars and a shorter adjustable richey stem to let me lift my position up and back slightly.

on my cyclocross bike i did purchase a set of 36 spoke rims, but im expecting them to take more of a beating that my road wheels.

I hope that helps, if i'm happy to accept any PMs if you want to know more.

desweller

I would have thought that frames are not so much the issue as wheels. Look for something with 32 spokes per wheel (preferably hand-built) and your brother should have no difficulties.

MichaelW

DesWeller wrote:

I would have thought that frames are not so much the issue as wheels. Look for something with 32 spokes per wheel (preferably hand-built) and your brother should have no difficulties.

For a 20 stone rider, you are much better off with 36 spokes. The weight difference is one pork pie but the extra strength and reliability are considerable.

Fat tyres help protect the rims with heavy riders. I am not sure if suspension helps; it would protect the frame from peak impact. I guess a jump style such as Marzocchi Dirt Jumper forks should work.
MTB wheels are stronger than 700c for any spoke count so a 36 spoke MTB wheel is the strongest you can usually find. Comfort-style bikes such as Trek Navigator have fairly relaxed riding positions.
Frame material is not really important, you are not considering lightweight frames of any kind. Aluminium is the easiest to find and is plenty strong and stiff enough.