OK guys, I need help getting my friend set-up on a bike. He has a major weight issue and is a diabetic, but really wants to get himself healthier. He also doesn’t have much $$, so it needs to be reasonably priced.
The big issue is that he weighs 425#'s, and hasn’t been active for MANY moons. At this point, I’m figuring a nice mountain bike to get started on, so that he can just get out and be active. He’s said he wants to do that, but figures he has “such a fat ass, the bike will collapse when it sees me”, and doesn’t feel comfortable putting himself out there to try and see what LBS’s say (he just wants to buy and ride).
THANKS!!!
425 lbs. is a LOT. I doubt that an off-the-rack bike will support that amount of weight. Plus, you can probably forget the warranty.
Out of curiosity I did a quick search and this may be your only choice.
http://www.supersizedcycles.com/
Problem is that the Zize bikes that handle 425 lbs.+ don’t come cheap.
I used to work at a bike shop. He should be able to buy a bike off the rack, BUT he must pay extra to upgrade the wheels with a higher spoke count in order to handle his weight. Have the guy call a shop-he won’t see them face to face. Or, have him go to the gym for 3-6 months and get down into the 300’s.
Hope that helps.
The gym thing won’t happen, but the extra spokes thing might, I’ll mention it to him later, and see what he thinks.