Overweight Beginner looking for Advice

Allwelsh

Hiya All,

I have decided to get a MTB to help me get fit and have some fun. My use will be mainly Trails & Off road surfaces with the occasional tarmac cycle. But i am finding it really hard to get sound advice from anyone, I have been to my local Bike shop & Halfords both of which wern't very helpful or informative. But hopefully thats where you guys come in :P

1, I am currently weighing in at just under 22 stone and am worried that any MTB I buy may not take my weight, is this the case?, Do MTB's come with a max user weight limit? Was looking at the Boardman Comp today which I thought was awesome, but it was so lightweight I was worried it would buckle under my weight!

2, I have a budget of anywhere up to the £600 mark, is it worth spending my whole budget on a bike thats has hydraulic brakes etc etc or should i just be looking for an entry lvl one of around £300 thats has V brakes etc etc?

3, Any chance you could reccomend any good, reputable sites where I could buy a bike online?

4, Lastly are there any brands or models of bikes that come to mind you could reccomend for someone like me?

You guys here probably get this all the time & I have spent ages looking at all the different stuff around on bikeradar which i have found useful, but there are just these few things that I would like a little help with as i dont want to buy the wrong bike.

Cheers in Advance for any help.

Circuitman

I too was in a similar position.Same sort of weight plus over 50 yrs old. Not much going for me!
There is a max weight recomended by manufactures but we are the wrong side of the fence my friend
The biggest problem I have found is getting quality clothing that fits. Most "cycling" stuff is no where near big enough. The sizing descriptions are laughable. XXL can be 40inch chest! Some of the best stuff that fits I have comes from the DHB range on Wiggle.

The best advice for a bike is buy the best you can afford and make sure you try it before you buy it. The spec of the Bordman is ideal for what you want. The Air fork should be able to cope and the rest is all "fit for purpose" middle of the range gear.
If you can find a good local bike store and listen to what they reccomend. Halfords staff vary enormously in my experience most havn't got a clue they just want to shift bikes then they can't maintain or fix them adequatly.

The makes that offer the best value for money seem to be (in no particular order )
Cube, Bordman, Focus, Felt, Kona etc etc

Sorry to send you to a store but you really can tell straight a way if the bike is right for you when you ride it. Trust me I have bought a couple where I thought "I'll get used to it" or "It must be me" They never get better.

I have bought ££££'s of stuff online mainly from Wiggle some from Evans and some from Chain Reactions I can recomend all of them but Wiggle seem the best to me. Any faulty goods are replaced straight a way with no hassle, clothing can be tried and sent back if too small and their bike return policy looks brilliant BUT ia have never bought a bike online.

Most of all stick at it! It does get better. I now have a road bike to prove it and regularly do 60-70mile rides somthing I never thought possible.

supersonic

Some bikes do have weight limits, need to check carefully with the retailer. I wouldn't be buying online - I'd travel to a decent shop and see what they have. This way you can try the bike for size and have easy to reach back up.

GT and Mongoose make pretty robust bikes around this price.

CraigXXL

I'll echo what Circuitman said especially the air fork. Get some good padded under shorts instead of wearing lyrca cylcing shorts and Decathlon do plenty of bigger sized clothing.
I had the GT Avalanche 1.0 and upgraded the forks to air Reba's and it was faultless. I'd look at Pauls Cycles etc for an earlier clearance model and spend what you save on better forks. Expect chains to wear quicker with the extra strain on it.

cycle monster

Welcome! The first thing you need is a good local bike shop (LBS). Tell us roughly where you are and someone on here will know a good local shop. My eldest son got the whole family into mountain biking three years ago and I lost four stone in the first year. Be warned it is highly addictive in my experience and the cost of your first bike is just the beginning. That said I am on my third bike and am planning full suspension bikes for me and Mrs Monster at a cost of £4,000 in the immediate future.

Your LBS should be able to put you in touch with like minded people or a club where you can find like minded folk.

Mark909

To be honest you're not going to loose much weight just doing mountain biking, try trail running as well

CraigXXL

Mark, great suggestion for someone at 22 stone to start trail running, just how long do you think his knees and ankles will last under that kind of stress.

bails87

Mark909 wrote:

To be honest you're not going to loose much weight just doing mountain biking, try trail running as well

Rubbish. If he's coming from little/no exercise then MTBing will be great, relatively low strain on joints too.

There's a guy on the commuter forum who lost 27 stone just through biking.

Anyway, plenty of decent bikes around for £600. The Carrera Fury is also worth a look.

Welcome, and enjoy it!

Monkeypump

Mark909 wrote:

To be honest you're not going to loose much weight just doing mountain biking, try trail running as well

Possibly the most useless piece of advice for this situation.

Allwelsh - as others have said, state where you are located and someone will point you to a good LBS. I'd avoid online purchases - you need good guidance, which you WILL find in a decent shop.

There are plenty of good, heavy-duty bikes out there in the price range. GT springs to mind, but really just avoid the XC lightweights and go for something more beefy and you should be fine.

You might struggle with bike-specific clothing, but I'd concentrate on finding a good pair of padded shorts and just use general sportswear on top (Nike Dri-Fit, etc.)

Red.Devil.Ghost

Biking and a change of diet, providing its not a medical condition, will see good results. I don't know how tall you are and how much weight you hope to lose etc, but if you try and lose it too quickly the skin wont shrink at the same time and you will be left with loose skin.

cooldad

TneBiker wrote:

Biking and a change of diet, providing its not a medical condition, will see good results. I don't know how tall you are and how much weight you hope to lose etc, but if you try and lose it too quickly the skin wont shrink at the same time and you will be left with loose skin.

Allwelsh

Firstly thanks for all the replies, their much appreciated!

Just a little more info about myself - I'm 5'10, 31, and live in Cornwall.

We have lots of really good bike trails and flat tracks / lanes around the local area so I thought that would be a good place to start biking.

I've been over to Clive Mitchell's today which seemed like a great shop, really helpful and infomative.

They had the Felt Q620 2011 there for £480 reduced from £600 which the guy i was talking to said would be a good bike, ive seen the review of the bike here on bikeradar and although it isnt the best review I'm wondering how this would be for me as an entry lvl bike?

Or

Ive also found a Ridgeback MX5 2011 at another Shop, which is reduced from £499 to £325 which seemed like a nice bike but I cannot find any reviews or info about the bike itself or Ridgeback.

Any opinions of either of these bikes would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again!

mattbeef

If i were you id get the Felt, frame will be decent enough to keep upgrading when you need/ready to


Just take into account that you will need a decent helmet as well which can cost around £50

supersonic

I'd be tempted to take the Ridgeback if it fits and buy some better air forks with the change.

cooldad

On One still have some decent forks cheap.

thegiantbiker

I'm a big lump too and I have to say MTBing is great for weight loss. I managed to get rid of over a stone just getting out on my bike over the past few months. Also, cycle commuting helps and makes you feel great for at least the whole morning. After that you can look forwards to the ride home

naffa

This past 7 days I have eaten healthily and stayed off the booze. I've also covered 95 miles on my mtb mostly riding the local canal network. I ve lost 6.5lb's so am obviously v. happy.
Btw last week I was 18st 11lb, so by this time next week I could be under 18st. Cycling really is the way to go!

cycle monster

In one year of mountain biking (2010)i lost four stone (18 down to 14) just riding most weekends with wife and kids and the occasional serious blast with chums. Home made soups and salads instead of shop bought, lard filled sarnies and baguettes makes an enormous difference too!

matt@theforce

I have to agree that cycling is a good form of excercise & weight loss. I've lost 2 stone this year & a good 2inches off my waistline

The Ridgeback sounds like it could be a good start, if you enjoy the cycling you can always upgrade with your change but it you don't get on with it you've not lost much and should get most of your money back

Matthew

gmacz

I would go for a road bike and get the fitness levels using this mode of biking.
Forget weight loss as it will come naturally.
Road bike is easier and it may mean you stick to a regular exercise routine.
When the fitness comes, start looking for a mountain bike.

junglist_matty

Mark909 wrote:

To be honest you're not going to loose much weight just doing mountain biking

I have to agree with this statement, but not this:

Mark909 wrote:

try trail running as well

Doing mountain biking will help you loose weight just as much as doing trail running would.


You won't loose weight by doing exercise alone, you have to change your eating habbits. If you don't and then you do mountain biking, all you'll do is stop putting on weight but you probably won't loose much (much being the key word here).

Anyway, this is a little off topic, OP is a fat guy wanting to use mountain biking to loose weight and that's awesome, so go for it, do a good number of core miles each week and don't give up if you have a bad day, we all have bad days... Last night I really struggled round only one lap of the short red route at Thetford when we usually do 1 lap of the long red route then 1 lap of the black route!!!

As for getting a bike that fits, you'll have to go try them out before you buy, you can't tell from a few photos and stated specifications, the frame geometry is the most imporant part of deciding on a bike.... Get one that feels right

andrewjoseph

To the OP,

just remember to use some of your budget for kit: helmet, shoes, gloves, some form of cycling glasses, shorts, jacket, jerseys etc.

then bike spares: inner tubes, puncture repair kit, pump, spare mech hanger, spare brake pads, multitool, tyre levers and a backpack with a hydration system to fit it all in.

bails87

gmacz wrote:

I would go for a road bike and get the fitness levels using this mode of biking.
Forget weight loss as it will come naturally.
Road bike is easier and it may mean you stick to a regular exercise routine.
When the fitness comes, start looking for a mountain bike.

A road bike at the start of winter? In two weeks he'll be 'needing' a winter road bike, and he won't be able to go out once it's a bit frosty!

The MTB will be fine, and, more importantly, fun!

I do a lot more miles on the road bike than MTB (commuting to work) and I'd rather be on the road bike than nothing, but I'd much rather be MTBing, it's just more enjoyable, and easier to go at a leisurely pace when you're having an off day, rather than being harrassed by traffic.

cooldad

+1 lycra potato

creamsodauk

evening op

I started this year in january at 22 stone so im in your boat, or at least was (-8

Im now 12 stone 7. But i didn't do it all by biking, tbh as others have said diet is key, however add dieting and a mtb together and you get fun exercise and improved stamina

i couldn't get to the end of my road on my bike when i got it, i was over come with joy when i managed 3 miles in a ride after a week or 2.

I can now do 30 miles in a day if im feeling energetic and probably more if i had further too go for something lol.

Best advice i can give like others is sit on the bikes, some wont feel right some will, ignore the saddle. my hardrock saddle was like a pointy stone too sit on too start with, now i get on with it pretty well (-8, and most important diet. Diet smart but get it into a routine and weight will fall off, however as said before you do get excess skin and im only 24!!! argh

mattyg2004

At 24 I'll be suprised if it doesnt eventually shrink back. You've lost a sh*t load of weight in a very short period of time and your body will need time to adjust

Allwelsh

Thanks for all the advice and replies guys.

After much deliberation and a few hrs spent in various shops I decided to go for the Felt Q620, it just felt like a nice, smooth, sturdy bike to ride and seemed decent value for money to me, and also the Ridgeback was gone when i went back to try it out for a second time.

Went out for my first ride yesterday and it was great, just pacing myself at 30mins a day at the moment up and down a section of my local Trail until i get confident at riding again ( its been over 15 yrs since I last sat on a bike! :oops: ), but nevertheless it was still good fun.

About the diet. I understand that this is the most important part of any weight loss plan and have been seeking advice on various aspect of the right diet or foods to eat and foods to avoid. Havent really found much out at the moment and the doctor didnt seem too knowledgable about this and just recommended i stay away from bad stuff like fast foods & sweets etc so still searching for sound advice or diet plan. But generally im aiming for about 1700 calories a day, avoiding most of the bad & nice stuff such as sweets, fatty foods, takeaways etc etc...

Once again thanks for the replies & advice, its much appreciated!

BigLee1

Brilliant! MTB`ing is great fun, before you know it you`ll be out practicing wheelies, trackstands and various other skills rather than just pedalling
Theres loads of vids on youtube for MTB skills and doing those will add interest.

Stick at it and the best of luck, remember to take a before and after pic and post them on here!!

styxd

You could try something like this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleolithic_diet

bails87

Allwelsh wrote:

Havent really found much out at the moment and the doctor didnt seem too knowledgable about this and just recommended i stay away from bad stuff like fast foods & sweets etc so still searching for sound advice or diet plan. But generally im aiming for about 1700 calories a day, avoiding most of the bad & nice stuff such as sweets, fatty foods, takeaways etc etc...

To be honest, I don't think you need to do too much extra on top of this.

You've just taken up a new (hopefully regular) form of exercise, and just eating sensibly should get results. No need to get on some stupid 'half a bowl of cabbage soup a day' scam diet of the internet. Just eat healthy stuff, and burn more calories than you take in.

BigLee1

Eat less, move more