Big Guy - Page 5

07-04-2004, 12:15 PM

On 04 Jul 2004 19:52:49 GMT, [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (Denver C. Fox) wrote in
message <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].com>:

>Replacing bars every year if you weigh 230?

>I weigh in that neighborhood and have never replaced bars on any of my bikes in
>6 years.

I managed to snap a pair after 15 years, but that was mainly down to
bad technique when hoofing up hills :-)

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

07-04-2004, 12:22 PM

Hi. Ken... I'm 57 years old and was 348 pounds as of March 04... I'm now
295... I originally had a 1994 Bridgestone Chromoly frame, standard all the
way and it is still in good shape. I broke 4 spokes in 10 years. I
averaged about 6 miles a day (Spring, Summer Fall and "good days" in winter"

I bought a "Specialized Expedition" in July, last year - 26 inch tires...
comfortable but weighs too much, imo. The seat suspension post didn't hold
up it was replaced with a non-suspension one, which noticeably made the ride
"stiff" I took the bike back to the shop and insisted that I wanted a
suspension post instead of the one they gave me. I'm waiting for that
order to come in at this time. In the mean time, I bought another bike
(last week) It's a "Marin, Kentfield" - bottom of the line ($299), chromoly
frame, 700c wheels, has no suspension forks but does have a suspension
seatpost. I had the shop swap the handlebar stem for an "adjustable."
I've been riding it hard for the past 7 days (12-17 miles a day, which is a
lot for me!) and nothing has broke yet. My local bike shop says, if
anything does break, they will replace the part... it's under warrantee for
on year. I figure, "what the heck" by the time the warrantee expires, I'll
be down to 230 pounds and won't be breaking anything. Frankly, I doubt
that anything will break; I don't "pull wheelies" or jump curbs, just ride
on the street, and a very good 20+ mile bike path.

The "Marin, Kentwood" is a nice light-weight bike. I'm using it as my
exercise bike. I put a speedometer on it ($16) and that tells me how fast
I'm going and what distance, as well as some other stats. My "Specialized
Expedition," is set-up for night riding (10 watt, rechargeable light, spoke
reflectors, taillight), and my "Bridgestone Trailblazer" has a milk carton
clamped on a rear rack. I use that for grocery shopping. Who, needs a car?

). Good luck!

Glenn

07-04-2004, 12:22 PM

Hi. Ken... I'm 57 years old and was 348 pounds as of March 04... I'm now
295... I originally had a 1994 Bridgestone Chromoly frame, standard all the
way and it is still in good shape. I broke 4 spokes in 10 years. I
averaged about 6 miles a day (Spring, Summer Fall and "good days" in winter"

I bought a "Specialized Expedition" in July, last year - 26 inch tires...
comfortable but weighs too much, imo. The seat suspension post didn't hold
up it was replaced with a non-suspension one, which noticeably made the ride
"stiff" I took the bike back to the shop and insisted that I wanted a
suspension post instead of the one they gave me. I'm waiting for that
order to come in at this time. In the mean time, I bought another bike
(last week) It's a "Marin, Kentfield" - bottom of the line ($299), chromoly
frame, 700c wheels, has no suspension forks but does have a suspension
seatpost. I had the shop swap the handlebar stem for an "adjustable."
I've been riding it hard for the past 7 days (12-17 miles a day, which is a
lot for me!) and nothing has broke yet. My local bike shop says, if
anything does break, they will replace the part... it's under warrantee for
on year. I figure, "what the heck" by the time the warrantee expires, I'll
be down to 230 pounds and won't be breaking anything. Frankly, I doubt
that anything will break; I don't "pull wheelies" or jump curbs, just ride
on the street, and a very good 20+ mile bike path.

The "Marin, Kentwood" is a nice light-weight bike. I'm using it as my
exercise bike. I put a speedometer on it ($16) and that tells me how fast
I'm going and what distance, as well as some other stats. My "Specialized
Expedition," is set-up for night riding (10 watt, rechargeable light, spoke
reflectors, taillight), and my "Bridgestone Trailblazer" has a milk carton
clamped on a rear rack. I use that for grocery shopping. Who, needs a car?

). Good luck!

Glenn

07-04-2004, 12:22 PM

Hi. Ken... I'm 57 years old and was 348 pounds as of March 04... I'm now
295... I originally had a 1994 Bridgestone Chromoly frame, standard all the
way and it is still in good shape. I broke 4 spokes in 10 years. I
averaged about 6 miles a day (Spring, Summer Fall and "good days" in winter"

I bought a "Specialized Expedition" in July, last year - 26 inch tires...
comfortable but weighs too much, imo. The seat suspension post didn't hold
up it was replaced with a non-suspension one, which noticeably made the ride
"stiff" I took the bike back to the shop and insisted that I wanted a
suspension post instead of the one they gave me. I'm waiting for that
order to come in at this time. In the mean time, I bought another bike
(last week) It's a "Marin, Kentfield" - bottom of the line ($299), chromoly
frame, 700c wheels, has no suspension forks but does have a suspension
seatpost. I had the shop swap the handlebar stem for an "adjustable."
I've been riding it hard for the past 7 days (12-17 miles a day, which is a
lot for me!) and nothing has broke yet. My local bike shop says, if
anything does break, they will replace the part... it's under warrantee for
on year. I figure, "what the heck" by the time the warrantee expires, I'll
be down to 230 pounds and won't be breaking anything. Frankly, I doubt
that anything will break; I don't "pull wheelies" or jump curbs, just ride
on the street, and a very good 20+ mile bike path.

The "Marin, Kentwood" is a nice light-weight bike. I'm using it as my
exercise bike. I put a speedometer on it ($16) and that tells me how fast
I'm going and what distance, as well as some other stats. My "Specialized
Expedition," is set-up for night riding (10 watt, rechargeable light, spoke
reflectors, taillight), and my "Bridgestone Trailblazer" has a milk carton
clamped on a rear rack. I use that for grocery shopping. Who, needs a car?

). Good luck!

Glenn

07-04-2004, 12:22 PM

Hi. Ken... I'm 57 years old and was 348 pounds as of March 04... I'm now
295... I originally had a 1994 Bridgestone Chromoly frame, standard all the
way and it is still in good shape. I broke 4 spokes in 10 years. I
averaged about 6 miles a day (Spring, Summer Fall and "good days" in winter"

I bought a "Specialized Expedition" in July, last year - 26 inch tires...
comfortable but weighs too much, imo. The seat suspension post didn't hold
up it was replaced with a non-suspension one, which noticeably made the ride
"stiff" I took the bike back to the shop and insisted that I wanted a
suspension post instead of the one they gave me. I'm waiting for that
order to come in at this time. In the mean time, I bought another bike
(last week) It's a "Marin, Kentfield" - bottom of the line ($299), chromoly
frame, 700c wheels, has no suspension forks but does have a suspension
seatpost. I had the shop swap the handlebar stem for an "adjustable."
I've been riding it hard for the past 7 days (12-17 miles a day, which is a
lot for me!) and nothing has broke yet. My local bike shop says, if
anything does break, they will replace the part... it's under warrantee for
on year. I figure, "what the heck" by the time the warrantee expires, I'll
be down to 230 pounds and won't be breaking anything. Frankly, I doubt
that anything will break; I don't "pull wheelies" or jump curbs, just ride
on the street, and a very good 20+ mile bike path.

The "Marin, Kentwood" is a nice light-weight bike. I'm using it as my
exercise bike. I put a speedometer on it ($16) and that tells me how fast
I'm going and what distance, as well as some other stats. My "Specialized
Expedition," is set-up for night riding (10 watt, rechargeable light, spoke
reflectors, taillight), and my "Bridgestone Trailblazer" has a milk carton
clamped on a rear rack. I use that for grocery shopping. Who, needs a car?

). Good luck!

Glenn

07-04-2004, 12:22 PM

Hi. Ken... I'm 57 years old and was 348 pounds as of March 04... I'm now
295... I originally had a 1994 Bridgestone Chromoly frame, standard all the
way and it is still in good shape. I broke 4 spokes in 10 years. I
averaged about 6 miles a day (Spring, Summer Fall and "good days" in winter"

I bought a "Specialized Expedition" in July, last year - 26 inch tires...
comfortable but weighs too much, imo. The seat suspension post didn't hold
up it was replaced with a non-suspension one, which noticeably made the ride
"stiff" I took the bike back to the shop and insisted that I wanted a
suspension post instead of the one they gave me. I'm waiting for that
order to come in at this time. In the mean time, I bought another bike
(last week) It's a "Marin, Kentfield" - bottom of the line ($299), chromoly
frame, 700c wheels, has no suspension forks but does have a suspension
seatpost. I had the shop swap the handlebar stem for an "adjustable."
I've been riding it hard for the past 7 days (12-17 miles a day, which is a
lot for me!) and nothing has broke yet. My local bike shop says, if
anything does break, they will replace the part... it's under warrantee for
on year. I figure, "what the heck" by the time the warrantee expires, I'll
be down to 230 pounds and won't be breaking anything. Frankly, I doubt
that anything will break; I don't "pull wheelies" or jump curbs, just ride
on the street, and a very good 20+ mile bike path.

The "Marin, Kentwood" is a nice light-weight bike. I'm using it as my
exercise bike. I put a speedometer on it ($16) and that tells me how fast
I'm going and what distance, as well as some other stats. My "Specialized
Expedition," is set-up for night riding (10 watt, rechargeable light, spoke
reflectors, taillight), and my "Bridgestone Trailblazer" has a milk carton
clamped on a rear rack. I use that for grocery shopping. Who, needs a car?

). Good luck!

Glenn

07-04-2004, 12:29 PM

On Sun, 04 Jul 2004 15:00:42 +0000, Kenneth Akehurst wrote:

> HELP!
> What would be a good entry bike for a 350# male. Would like to ride with
> my wife!
> Thanks, Ken

Cool! Beats walking.

I don't know what you're wanting to do, but perhaps you're poking around
the neighborhood and going on bike paths like most entry level riders?

Like the others said, wheel strength is really really important. That
said, you can often get away with just ordering a pre-built tandem set
from a mass market place like Performance, Cambria, Nashbar, and the like.
If you've got the dough, and your local shop seems up to it, definitely
spend the extra bucks and have them hand built.

For your first bike, if speed is not a concern, but comfort is, how about
a "cruiser" style bike like the Electra company makes? You can get them
with three and seven speed Shimano hubs, which are NO maintainance, giving
you no excuse for not riding. The saddles are big and plush, the frames
are sturdy with no springs, and the wheels have nice wide tires. You might
have to get a new rear wheel built if you bought one, one with extra
spokes for strength so add a hundred bucks or so. You could probably get
away with keeping the front.

The best thing about a cruiser is that you can just jump on in whatever
you're wearing and not look out of place. It doesn't look like
exercising--you're just going for a cruise with the lady, man. LOL.

They start at around $300 and go up. Not the thing for long distances, but
a great fun toy to get you started.

If you find yourself shedding some
pounds you can add a sportier bike to the stable.

Well, I've convinced my self that I want one at least, but check'em out
yourself here:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

There are other brands with the same "sensibility" as well.

Let us know what ends up working out for ya.

07-04-2004, 12:29 PM

On Sun, 04 Jul 2004 15:00:42 +0000, Kenneth Akehurst wrote:

> HELP!
> What would be a good entry bike for a 350# male. Would like to ride with
> my wife!
> Thanks, Ken

Cool! Beats walking.

I don't know what you're wanting to do, but perhaps you're poking around
the neighborhood and going on bike paths like most entry level riders?

Like the others said, wheel strength is really really important. That
said, you can often get away with just ordering a pre-built tandem set
from a mass market place like Performance, Cambria, Nashbar, and the like.
If you've got the dough, and your local shop seems up to it, definitely
spend the extra bucks and have them hand built.

For your first bike, if speed is not a concern, but comfort is, how about
a "cruiser" style bike like the Electra company makes? You can get them
with three and seven speed Shimano hubs, which are NO maintainance, giving
you no excuse for not riding. The saddles are big and plush, the frames
are sturdy with no springs, and the wheels have nice wide tires. You might
have to get a new rear wheel built if you bought one, one with extra
spokes for strength so add a hundred bucks or so. You could probably get
away with keeping the front.

The best thing about a cruiser is that you can just jump on in whatever
you're wearing and not look out of place. It doesn't look like
exercising--you're just going for a cruise with the lady, man. LOL.

They start at around $300 and go up. Not the thing for long distances, but
a great fun toy to get you started.

If you find yourself shedding some
pounds you can add a sportier bike to the stable.

Well, I've convinced my self that I want one at least, but check'em out
yourself here:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

There are other brands with the same "sensibility" as well.

Let us know what ends up working out for ya.

07-04-2004, 12:29 PM

On Sun, 04 Jul 2004 15:00:42 +0000, Kenneth Akehurst wrote:

> HELP!
> What would be a good entry bike for a 350# male. Would like to ride with
> my wife!
> Thanks, Ken

Cool! Beats walking.

I don't know what you're wanting to do, but perhaps you're poking around
the neighborhood and going on bike paths like most entry level riders?

Like the others said, wheel strength is really really important. That
said, you can often get away with just ordering a pre-built tandem set
from a mass market place like Performance, Cambria, Nashbar, and the like.
If you've got the dough, and your local shop seems up to it, definitely
spend the extra bucks and have them hand built.

For your first bike, if speed is not a concern, but comfort is, how about
a "cruiser" style bike like the Electra company makes? You can get them
with three and seven speed Shimano hubs, which are NO maintainance, giving
you no excuse for not riding. The saddles are big and plush, the frames
are sturdy with no springs, and the wheels have nice wide tires. You might
have to get a new rear wheel built if you bought one, one with extra
spokes for strength so add a hundred bucks or so. You could probably get
away with keeping the front.

The best thing about a cruiser is that you can just jump on in whatever
you're wearing and not look out of place. It doesn't look like
exercising--you're just going for a cruise with the lady, man. LOL.

They start at around $300 and go up. Not the thing for long distances, but
a great fun toy to get you started.

If you find yourself shedding some
pounds you can add a sportier bike to the stable.

Well, I've convinced my self that I want one at least, but check'em out
yourself here:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

There are other brands with the same "sensibility" as well.

Let us know what ends up working out for ya.

07-04-2004, 12:29 PM

On Sun, 04 Jul 2004 15:00:42 +0000, Kenneth Akehurst wrote:

> HELP!
> What would be a good entry bike for a 350# male. Would like to ride with
> my wife!
> Thanks, Ken

Cool! Beats walking.

I don't know what you're wanting to do, but perhaps you're poking around
the neighborhood and going on bike paths like most entry level riders?

Like the others said, wheel strength is really really important. That
said, you can often get away with just ordering a pre-built tandem set
from a mass market place like Performance, Cambria, Nashbar, and the like.
If you've got the dough, and your local shop seems up to it, definitely
spend the extra bucks and have them hand built.

For your first bike, if speed is not a concern, but comfort is, how about
a "cruiser" style bike like the Electra company makes? You can get them
with three and seven speed Shimano hubs, which are NO maintainance, giving
you no excuse for not riding. The saddles are big and plush, the frames
are sturdy with no springs, and the wheels have nice wide tires. You might
have to get a new rear wheel built if you bought one, one with extra
spokes for strength so add a hundred bucks or so. You could probably get
away with keeping the front.

The best thing about a cruiser is that you can just jump on in whatever
you're wearing and not look out of place. It doesn't look like
exercising--you're just going for a cruise with the lady, man. LOL.

They start at around $300 and go up. Not the thing for long distances, but
a great fun toy to get you started.

If you find yourself shedding some
pounds you can add a sportier bike to the stable.

Well, I've convinced my self that I want one at least, but check'em out
yourself here:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

There are other brands with the same "sensibility" as well.

Let us know what ends up working out for ya.