Help requested for weight issue please advise guys :)

[blueschill]

I have been ill for years and since the navy medically discharged me I have become very unfit and put on a lot of weight, due to having cancer and two hip replacements.

I decided to get a bike to get fit again and lose weight as its better for my hips than running all the time. ( I have not ridden since i was a kid and now im 27 )

So i already had a stock 21" mens apollo hybrid cx .10s the one with the ally frame which is in great nick as i never used it although it is still very heavy.
so I stripped it under an almost impossible budget and replaced the grip shift for Shimano rapid fire shifters, bar ends, grips, new cables and new sheaths, new brake pads, and new wheels with new cassette because they were buckled
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/231064937731?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

all for 108 quid

Because my wife has cared for me 24/7 and I couldn't and cannot work I have no money to buy a better frame or crank set unfortunately



Soooooo because i am nearly ready to build the bike i have started to worry, i'm worrying that my weight 205 pounds and my bike frame weight combined might be too heavy for my wheels.
I an guessing here but i think im looking at around 240 pounds of weight on the wheels.

what do you think?

do you think that i am going to trash my bike? I know its not exactly a speed machine but I need the thing desperately so I can get fit to work ( electrician ) and pay the bills for my little family.


If i am too heavy what do you think i should do? Im really worrying now because i need it to work


Cheers guys

Bob.





http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/231064937731?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

I think @gb155 started out with a few pounds more than you. In fact I think he was over 500 pounds (have a look here: http://39stonecyclist.com/). I don't know what wheels he used or trashed but he managed to lose 26 stone. Personally, being a comparative lightweight, this has never been a problem but I believe you can ''ride light'' - get your arse over the saddle on bumpy sections and your legs will ride the bumps, and absorb the shocks, thereby sparing the wheels and other breakables from undue stress.

 

[blueschill]

wow what a guy!!! well done to him
I am findng it hard although im no where near what his weigh was. Im 15 stone an when in the military used to be 12-13 usually , slim with a lot of muscle which is a big change in how i am not as im just fat lol.


But also that is what I also need to learn i suppose as I've never had a bike that is geared up for the road, so riding position does help thats good, once i finish the build next week ill post how heavy the bike is, as i should have shed a few pounds with the parts that I have bought.

lol I gotta get a helmet yet before i can ride the thing!

still not convinced my wheels are gonna hold out though, I would love to know what wheels he started with, like spoke count and quality, how they were threaded types of rims ect...


I am very excited to be able to exercise again soon!!!!!!

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Bikes are ridable without a helmet. The Mrs and scoundrel lawyers might not agree, and I generally wear one anyway, but bikes kind of go where you point them with or without the helmet.

 

[bozmandb9]

Hi Blueschill, I'm no expert, but I'd be amazed if you had a problem with your wheels, you're not that heavy! Not at all.

So it's fantastic that you're going to get into shape, cycling will really help, the other thing will be your diet. You can find lot's of great advice on here, and some of us will probably contradict each other!

I was 16 stone, now I'm 12.5. I achieved my weight loss through initially cutting out drinking, changing my diet, and getting into shape, at first with just loads of gym work (this was before I started cycling). I think if I'd been cycling it would have been more fun, and probably quicker too.

To get the best results, I'd just start being really careful about diet, eat a good balanced diet, and try to avoid processed foods.

Anyway, best of luck, you'll soon be totally hooked on riding, and it will certainly help with your work, and therefore your finances. Everything starts with our health and fitness!

 

[User6179]

I am bang on 100kg (16st ) and you will be fine , I find contrary to opinion on here straight pull and low spoke count last longer than high spoke count J bend which your wheels are but J bend spokes are easier to come by and you can snap a spoke on a J bend high spoke wheel ( 32/36) and still cycle home.

 

[slowmotion]

I really can't see how your 205 pounds would be any problem at all on any bike. I'm about 73 Kg, my bike weighs 10 kg, and I sometimes put a rack and panniers on it that weigh about 15 kg. That's 98 kg or 216 lb. My wheels are 23mm wide and have 24 spokes.

You will be fine. I don't know about off-road stuff, but on tarmac or cycle paths, fine.

 

[I like Skol]

ONLY 205 lbs! I googled the conversion and that works out at 14.6 stone so I would say you are a lightweight I'm a shade under 14½ stone but have been over 16 stone at some points in my life and have still continued to thrash my MTB up and down steps and stuff without ever breaking a spoke (apart from once when a spoke had gouges out of it from a stone).
Those wheels are a budget set but they should be fine for road use. They have 36 spokes which is a good start, I build nearly all my wheels with 36 spokes (better safe than sorry). By the way just for your information, that is a screw-on freewheel not a cassette, the vendor described it wrongly. It is Shimano though so will work perfectly well (both my kids bikes have that very same cassette).

Good luck with the fitness and weight loss.

 

[Gravity Aided]

I am 130kg and 6'4". Never had problem with wheels, and I ride mostly stock wheels. At times, lightly.

 

[User6179]

I am 130kg and 6'4". Never had problem with wheels, and I ride mostly stock wheels. At times, lightly.

Your not riding anything lighlty lol, whats your wheel of choice btw?

 

[Gravity Aided]

Sun l18, on Shimano Acera X hubs, good for road running. Bad roads or a little cross country, whatever came off the last hybrid, usually Ukai rims with a shimano hub. Neither of these have low spoke count or blade spokes, just simple bike wheels. The Suns have the Schwinn Passage touring bike, but that is only for good roads, as it has fenders, and I do not use wider than 28mm tires on it. My Giant Nutra that gets used for heavier touring runs 37mm kendas. My Voyageur may go to 700x40, for all around touring and gravel roads. Especially in Winter.

 

[burndust]

as others have said your not that heavy dude...even carbon framed roadies will take up to 125kg user weight...btw thought being fat and unfit was a requirement for the navy....lol

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

wow what a guy!!! well done to him

still not convinced my wheels are gonna hold out though, I would love to know what wheels he started with, like spoke count and quality, how they were threaded types of rims ect...


I am very excited to be able to exercise again soon!!!!!!

Gaz has a page on his website about the bikes he was using at the time. It doesn't go into detail about the specs, but he was still getting on for double your weight when he moved on to 700c wheels; Link.

You should be fine with those wheels. Enjoy the rides.

 

[Kevin McCaughey]

wow what a guy!!! well done to him
I am findng it hard although im no where near what his weigh was. Im 15 stone an when in the military used to be 12-13 usually , slim with a lot of muscle which is a big change in how i am not as im just fat lol.


But also that is what I also need to learn i suppose as I've never had a bike that is geared up for the road, so riding position does help thats good, once i finish the build next week ill post how heavy the bike is, as i should have shed a few pounds with the parts that I have bought.

lol I gotta get a helmet yet before i can ride the thing!

still not convinced my wheels are gonna hold out though, I would love to know what wheels he started with, like spoke count and quality, how they were threaded types of rims ect...


I am very excited to be able to exercise again soon!!!!!!

What a guy you are too! I really admire your gutsy ambition to get this done I am in a similar position. 14 Stone, also been ill for years and got so sick of getting fatter, not being able to walk for the pain etc, that I was determined (as you are) to get back on my bike, which I hadn't been on in 20 years.

Someone said already about going onto your legs and riding the bumps, avoiding sitting on your saddle through them. I think this is fairly instinctive, but worth keeping in mind. I go up and sort of free wheel on my legs through any really big bumps or bad rough patches.

I would also say that getting the weight down to make *all* exercise (even walking) a lot easier is my prime goal. To this end I am doing a lot of cardio. I found a free site for it that isn't your usual marketing crap - this guy is a body builder (at 50!) and has absolutely loads of advice to getting the weight down, how to do proper cardio, lots of exercises you can do for free that will help etc: http://scoobysworkshop.com/losing-weight-and-building-6-pack-abs/ Just ignore the abs part and look at his nutrician calculator etc.

Good luck! You have encouraged me too, thanks

 

[snorri]

I am 130kg and 6'4". .

You like leaving leaving the metricists and the imperialists equally enraged?.