Mountain Bike for a heavy rider?

richnota · #1 05-17-2008, 11:21 AM

I have an older Titus dual suspension bike that must be almost ten years old. Cool bike but its air shock and linkage is taxed by my current weight.

I'm getting back into fitness and am curious if any riders know of a good dual suspension bike for the full figured (275lbs but dropping) rider.

In the meantime i'm doing "field" metal fatigue tests on my Ti hardtail. Put a wider seat on it on....and lets just say i go faster downhill than up

LowBSix · #2 05-17-2008, 11:37 AM

Once you drop about 50lbs you'll be fine on the bike... Just get out there and hike those trails for now.... I ride a CANNONDALE Raven and I'm 210 6'2" and dropping....

Some times it's best to lose the mass of weight and then get into "fighting" range so we don't kill ourselves on the trails!!!

I'd say let's hike and ride, but I'm in SOCAL...

richnota · #3 05-17-2008, 12:45 PM

at 220 i'm a very strong rider....i got there (actually all the way to 198) by riding a bike everywhere and eating right.

As i lose weight a good dually would smooth things nicely.

Raven is a nice ride.

BassMan250 · #4 05-17-2008, 02:41 PM

Rocky Mountain and Giant both make excellent and very reliable bikes ... obviously Cannondale too but they're extremely expensive. I'd actually recommend getting a hardtail over a dual suspension; it cuts down on weight, helps on hill climbs, and IME the only times when you really benefit from dual suspension is if you're constantly riding very technical downhills. I ride a Giant Iguana that I replaced the derailleur on with a Shimano Deore LX, put Bomber shocks on and replaced the stem, and it rides like a dream for a total price of around $1200.

MoD_Scotty · #5 05-17-2008, 03:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by richnota

I have an older Titus dual suspension bike that must be almost ten years old. Cool bike but its air shock and linkage is taxed by my current weight.

I'm getting back into fitness and am curious if any riders know of a good dual suspension bike for the full figured (275lbs but dropping) rider.

In the meantime i'm doing "field" metal fatigue tests on my Ti hardtail. Put a wider seat on it on....and lets just say i go faster downhill than up

Is there no way to adjust the preload on the shock? I weigh 250, and the suspension on my bike doesn't seem to be overloaded.

If you're sticking with the hardtail, you should pick up one of these:

http://www.thudbuster.com/

I've got one and I love it.

richnota · #6 05-17-2008, 05:06 PM

what suspension bike are you riding?

Quote:

Originally Posted by MoD_Scotty

Is there no way to adjust the preload on the shock? I weigh 250, and the suspension on my bike doesn't seem to be overloaded.

If you're sticking with the hardtail, you should pick up one of these:

http://www.thudbuster.com/

I've got one and I love it.

MoD_Scotty · #7 05-17-2008, 10:36 PM

I've got a 90's GT Zaskar hardtail with a Rockshox Dart 2 fork and Thudbuster suspension seatpost. However, the instructions on the Thudbuster say not to use it if you're over 250lbs.

spade2you · #8 05-18-2008, 09:07 AM

Heh, I wish I could offer some biking advice, but I weigh 130lbs. Could never get a date back in the day, but I could always climb hills like they're nothin'.

Wilbyman · #9 05-18-2008, 03:01 PM

My Dad is on a C-Dale Rush 1000 (silver/team colors). He is a pretty big guy and it seems to work well for him. The bike, overall, seems alot more beefy than my Epic Comp without being alot heavier. The Epic has a more nimble feel to it overall but I am pretty svelte (see avatar...). I would check out the Rush.

W

richnota · #10 05-18-2008, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spade2you

Heh, I wish I could offer some biking advice, but I weigh 130lbs. Could never get a date back in the day, but I could always climb hills like they're nothin'.

Youre like a riding buddy of mine...He'd go up and down the hill twice while i ground my way up.

We'd ride the carriage trails around Minnewaska park (near new paltz ny)...20 miles of smooth trails. Favorite is something like a 5 mile descent....On the downhill however....CUE VISUAL OF 20 WHEEL DUMP TRUCK GOING DOWN STEEP GRADE WITH NO BRAKES

JonathanD · #11 05-18-2008, 05:03 PM

Have you tried drinking green tea?

Anyway, A friend of mine rides a hard tale and he was 320 when he wtarted. He sold his car, ate right, and rode or walked everywhere. Down to 210 now and at 6'6" thats a good weight.

Jonathan

spade2you · #12 05-18-2008, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by richnota

Youre like a riding buddy of mine...He'd go up and down the hill twice while i ground my way up.

Heh, we all hate hills, but I've recently discovered that I do reasonably well and I'm far from being a particularly strong rider. 'Bout friggin time being a pipsqueak has an advantage.

Although I recently discovered that being light and having a very light bike means a crosswind on a wind advisory day can make things very challenging. I was riding with a local Trek team and I was getting blown all over. I was very fortunate that the guys set up a moving wind block for me.

MoD_Scotty · #13 05-19-2008, 12:08 AM

BTW, if any of you guys need coaching, you should give my bro a call!

http://www.catonefitness.com/

Asa Samuel · #14 05-19-2008, 04:40 AM

Forget all your fancy Thudbustin' mountain bikes, you should all get fixed-wheel road bikes, thats the way to go

MoD_Scotty · #15 05-19-2008, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bass Junkie

Forget all your fancy Thudbustin' mountain bikes, you should all get fixed-wheel road bikes, thats the way to go

For overall fitness, you're absolutely correct. You will get a much more consistent workout when riding on the road.

But you don't have half as much fun

lennyonbass · #16 05-19-2008, 05:29 PM

i've recently put on some weight (due to the baby, of course), but at 260, i am doing some fine xc on an '04 giant nrs2....

Asa Samuel · #17 05-20-2008, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MoD_Scotty

But you don't have half as much fun

Pfft, only when it comes to corners

TheXym · #18 05-20-2008, 11:08 AM

I'm picking up a Cannondale F800 hardtail this weekend. I'm 182 lbs, and new to mountain biking. My wife is heavily into it, and I'll be joining her on some rides. I was also considering a Jekyll, but the dealer seems to know his stuff, and said that for the trails I'll be riding the double shock would be counter productive. The lefty suspension can be dialed in to account for weight, it may be helpful to you.

As a side note, any veteran riders with advice for a newbie, please PM me so as not to derail the thread. Thanks in advance.

MakiSupaStar · #19 05-20-2008, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LowBSix

Once you drop about 50lbs you'll be fine on the bike... Just get out there and hike those trails for now.... I ride a CANNONDALE Raven and I'm 210 6'2" and dropping....

Some times it's best to lose the mass of weight and then get into "fighting" range so we don't kill ourselves on the trails!!!

I'd say let's hike and ride, but I'm in SOCAL...

My parents live in Thousand Oaks. You have great trails out there. I've brought my bike up there many times. I have a Specialized M4 Hard Tail.

mothmonsterman · #20 05-20-2008, 11:42 AM

Similar question, whats a good bike (inexpensive) to start off on, looking to drop my car usage down to the work commute, and also even out the fat/money ratio in my pants.

6'2" 250 and metro Detroit so tips on where to find trails would be nice too.

all i have now is a little bmx bike i've had for a million years which hurts my legs and makes my knee my self in the chest if i sit down.