Bike for a 20-23 stone person

[Damien] · 14 Aug 2013 at 10:35

[DOD]Asprilla;24761302 said:
Sales of 2013 bikes are starting now so end of Aug / beginning of Sept is a good time to buy.

Yeah Vonhelmet, if you're about and reading this and don't do the sensible thing and get your new bike during the sales I swear to almighty Cthulu I'll clip you round the head myself.

If you wait until Spring you'll get way less bike for more money.

cHk4 · 15 Aug 2013 at 21:59

Got my bike tonight a Boardman, it was recommended elsewhere, the whole lot came to around 1150 and got it for £800 so I'm pleased.

Did my first cycle and did 2.5 miles with 82ft elevation... I'm basically dead! But I enjoyed it

arknor · 15 Aug 2013 at 22:07

which boadman you get? I've got an mx race hybrid I'm pretty happy with but I'll get a decent road bike next year

my first ride back from town was really hard too but I think I was trying to go to fast to get home quick, you soon learn to pace yourself though

[DOD]Asprilla · 15 Aug 2013 at 22:08

cHk4 · 16 Aug 2013 at 09:18

arknor said:
which boadman you get? I've got an mx race hybrid I'm pretty happy with but I'll get a decent road bike next year

my first ride back from town was really hard too but I think I was trying to go to fast to get home quick, you soon learn to pace yourself though

I got Boardman Mountain Bike Team 2012/2013 - Large 19".

I could have waited for the pro but I thought it's £127 cheaper and if I'm needing something better I'll get something that I won't worry about breaking once I've shifted lots of weight.

Yea I can imagine the first ride home sucked, luckily we got the bike in the car! Yea' I didn't actually realize just how many hills there are on the root I took lol, I know it was only a total of 82ft elevation but damn, my legs were on fire lol.

That Strava app by the way is amazing, only using the free version but it's really cool.

[DOD]Asprilla;24775834 said:
snip

lol quality.

PermaChanged · 16 Aug 2013 at 10:22

Good for you dude

I started cycling at about 24 stone and have shifted a whole bunch of weight / fat

chaparral · 10 May 2015 at 15:52

Richie said:
The structural weight limit for the majority of the Specialized MTB's (non carbon versions) is 300lbs (21.5 stone)

Info can be found here -

2013 Range
2012 Range

TBH, the weights don't seem to have changed from 2011

Interesting that the weight limit is based more on the longer braking stopping distance needed due to the weight
That one thing I must admit I didn't think of ..

Recommended max weights are based on braking limits, not structural weight limits of the frames.

6 The STRUCTURAL WEIGHT LIMIT for a particular model can exceed the RECOMMENDED MAX WEIGHT specified by CEN standards for stopping distance. If a rider's weight is above the RECOMMENDED MAX WEIGHT but below the STRUCTURAL WEIGHT LIMIT, the rider would be able to use the bike from a structural standpoint, but it would not pass CEN stopping distance requirements.

mattyfez · 10 May 2015 at 16:11

chaparral said:
Interesting that the weight limit is based more on the longer braking stopping distance needed due to the weight
That one thing I must admit I didn't think of ..

I suppose it makes sense when you think about it, I heard anecdotally that mountain bike frames tend to be a bit heavier than they were back in the 80's or whenever, as rules were brought in with regards to frame strength. Some diehards even seek out older frames as a means to shed the grams.

Brakes need to be good, as they need to work very hard to take speed off if your bombing downhill on a hard surface, bike disk brakes, and their tiny pads are pretty poxy if you compare them to disk brakes on a car, so they need to be very efficient and in good working order.

OK there's a lot more rolling weight on a car, but you doo need to keep your speed in check going downhill sometimes, as you can easily cook the pads and get brake fade, certainly with my cheapo mech disks anyway!

physichull · 10 May 2015 at 16:24

Holy thread revival batman!

OspreyO · 16 May 2015 at 17:27

I'm a heavier rider. I commute on a old 80's steel framed MTB with slicks about 8.5 miles each way a couple of times a week. Theres canti's brakes and they are adjusted close to the rim. They are great in the dry.

But on the wet with a bit of speed, especially downhill, the brakes struggle with the weight. Something you don't realise until you need them. So you have to be a bit more careful in the wet. Disk brakes would obvious be the solution to this.