Bike for larger lady :)

girlyhappyface

I want to start getting more exercise and am thinking about getting a bike. I only wanna get a cheapo second hand one if possible to start off. I'm quite a roundy girl, so am wondering if I can just get a regular bike or do I need to look for a stronger one to hold my weight? Also, will a mountain bike suffice? I think those ones with the racer wheels look terrible flimsy.

Chips Lovell

I wouldn't worry about it. Bikes are much stronger than they look, even the ones with narrow wheels and tyres. For example, I'm 17st and ride a very light racer. There's people heavier than me riding light bikes too.

If you're planning on riding just on the road, I'd steer away from mountain bikes. They're great for cross country, but the wide, knobbly tyres mean that they're relatively slow on the roads.

Caroline_ie

girlyhappyface wrote: »

I want to start getting more exercise and am thinking about getting a bike. I only wanna get a cheapo second hand one if possible to start off. I'm quite a roundy girl, so am wondering if I can just get a regular bike or do I need to look for a stronger one to hold my weight? Also, will a mountain bike suffice? I think those ones with the racer wheels look terrible flimsy.

You can still ride a road bike if you are big, the only thing is the position might not be very confortable dependng on the size of your tummy and flexibility at 1st... sorry not sure how to be politically correct on that one
I would recommend you get a hybrid like the speciliazed Vita ( there are cheaper models of the Vita ) - Cycleways has them.

I wouldn't get a cheap Mountain bike, but I would invest in a good bike that will make you want to ride your bike rather than making it a pain.

girlyhappyface

Thanks for the advice. I'm quite flexible, but unfit. The roads where I live are both smooth around the housing estates and bumpy (countryish) and I wouldn't be looking for any sort of speedy stuff anyway!
Do Cycleways do second hand bikes? I'm just conscious of spending a lot of money on something if I'm likely to get bored of it- or stop using it after the summer!

Caroline_ie

http://rothar.ie/ might be able to help you if you are looking for a second hand bike. I am pretty sure they wouldn't sell you something that doesn't work. Might be worth a look! Try and get the closest thing to a Road bike you can and make sure it fits you.

Ant

girlyhappyface wrote: »

Thanks for the advice. I'm quite flexible, but unfit. The roads where I live are both smooth around the housing estates and bumpy (countryish) and I wouldn't be looking for any sort of speedy stuff anyway!
Do Cycleways do second hand bikes? I'm just conscious of spending a lot of money on something if I'm likely to get bored of it- or stop using it after the summer!

Cycleways don't seem to sell second-hand bikes. At the least, I didn't see any there the last time I had a look.

It makes sense to not spend too much on a bike if you're not completely sure you'll get the use out of it. However, if you skimp too much on price, you'll end up with something that's at best unpleasant to cycle or at worst dangerous and you just won't want to cycle it (a bit like a self-fulfilling prophecy).

I'd definitely recommend buying second-hand as you're far more likely to get a good bike that you'll have fun cycling at a lower price point. Most bike shops that sell second-hand bikes give a 3 month warranty - or at least they used to a few years ago before the Bike To Work scheme came in and the commuter bike market took off.

Caroline's advice about making sure it fits is really important though unfortunately, it's not something many bike shops seem to worry about when selling bikes. So many people I know came away with frames that were too big for them and not very comfortable to cycle. I'd also agree with what the others said about frames being capable of supporting the weight of a heavy rider.

One thing I'd recommend is to stay well away from bikes with any kind of suspension unless you're planning on spending over €500 and be bombing down down mountain sides - which you're not. Cheap suspension is so much worse than no suspension at all and only exists to make the bike look "cooler" than it really is. Rigid frames and forks will cope fine with even the worst pot-holes and bumps on Irish roads.

Finally, cycling is a great way to explore the countryside. It's also much more fun to do this in company so try to find yourself a cycling buddy that you can head out with every now and again. Best of luck with it.