Bike for 500lb Person?
 

Hi,


What bike(s) would you recommend for a 500lb rider, who's about 6'2 in
height? He's been able to ride the Electra Rally Sport, although he
bent a crank on it, and he broke a crank 3 times and warped a wheel on
the Electra Townie. He was considering an adult trike, but he'd
prefer the better speed a two wheeled bike would offer.

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.


Thanks!

24 Oct 2004 17:48:58 -0700,
,
wrote:

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Worksman cruiser and add a BMX style crank.
http://www.worksman.com/industrialbikes.html
--
zk

On 24 Oct 2004 17:48:58 -0700 in rec.bicycles.misc,
wrote:

What bike(s) would you recommend for a 500lb rider, who's about 6'2 in
height?

If this isn't a troll, I'd recommend stomach stapling surgery, so
he gets his weight down to what bikes can accomodate. No normal
bike is made to accomodate someone so obese.

No normal bike is made to accomodate someone so obese.

There maybe no stock bike id designed for those loads, but it's not out of
the question to readily design a bike which could.

A loaded tandem team can exceed 500 pounds.


Chris Neary


"Science, freedom, beauty, adventu what more could
you ask of life? Bicycling combined all the elements I
loved" - Adapted from a quotation by Charles Lindbergh

On 24 Oct 2004 17:48:58 -0700, wrote:

What bike(s) would you recommend for a 500lb rider, who's about 6'2 in
height?

Anything, as long as it's along the bottom of a swimming pool :-)

--
bpo gallery at http://www4.tpgi.com.au/users/mvw1/bpo

Michael Warner wrote:
On 24 Oct 2004 17:48:58 -0700, wrote:

What bike(s) would you recommend for a 500lb rider, who's about 6'2
in height?

Anything, as long as it's along the bottom of a swimming pool :-)

Just curious. I was thinking about this OP as I was pedaling along on a
night ride last night.

500 pounds is certainly a large individual. I'm giving the benefit of the
doubt that the OP was genuine and serious.

IIRC, the man in question has already snapped a couple of pairs of cranks.
How is that possible? Wouldn't LA -- or any other top TdF rider put
dramatically more force on the cranks than this gentleman likely could?

Is it safe to assume that--if this /is/ true--that we must be talking about
some really poor, totally low-end cranks?? IOW: how much force can your
average Ultegra/105/DA crankset take before it gives. I was assuming it was
about 10x anything I'd ever give.....

Dave Stallard wrote:

I'd recommend a stationary bike in a gym.

At 500 lbs, riding a regular bike is not safe for him or for others
sharing the road with him.


Ah come on man. I would like to give a big high five to
whoever this 500-lb. dude is who is out riding bikes and
snapping cranks.

I wonder if a Surly 1x1 with BMX cranks and downhill
wheels could handle the girth.

Robert

On 25 Oct 2004 18:13:28 GMT, (R15757) wrote in message
:

Ah come on man. I would like to give a big high five to
whoever this 500-lb. dude is who is out riding bikes and
snapping cranks.

I once saw a picture of a really big guy riding a Pashley load trike,
with his equally large brother sitting in a box over the back axle.
Those tyres were under some serious strain! But the bike took it.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

Just curious. I was thinking about this OP as I was pedaling along on a
night ride last night.

500 pounds is certainly a large individual. I'm giving the benefit of the
doubt that the OP was genuine and serious.

I am genuine and serious. This person is a very good friend of mine,
and he loves cycling. He used to ride an Electra Rally Sport. Apart
from a bent crank (yes, the cranks again), it held up well -- it even
survived a nasty crash -- but it's a single speed and the rear brake
has almost 0 stopping power.

Despite his weight, he can ride for long periods, and he was riding
almost every day. I've been on ~20 mile rides with him. Since
riding, he lost 10 - 12 lbs and he's trying to adopt a healthier
lifestyle. But cycling is still his love, so naturally it's his
choice of exercise.



IIRC, the man in question has already snapped a couple of pairs of cranks.

Not so much snapping as "cored out". It's hard to describe. Where
the crank threads, it looked like it was stripped from the inside. I
should have been more specific, I apologize. But he did manage to
bend the crank on his previous bike as well. In each case of the
"break" it was the left crank, and it may have been a bent left crank
on his previous ride.



How is that possible? Wouldn't LA -- or any other top TdF rider put
dramatically more force on the cranks than this gentleman likely could?

Is it safe to assume that--if this /is/ true--that we must be talking about
some really poor, totally low-end cranks?? IOW: how much force can your
average Ultegra/105/DA crankset take before it gives. I was assuming it was
about 10x anything I'd ever give.....

I was out with him when he lost his left crank the first time, so I
saw it (and the crank) first hand. My friend is convinced the problem
was due to the threading being in the direction of motion, but I'm not
so sure. It seems like this shouldn't be an issue either way.

Also, the last time out, he warped his wheel, so it isn't just the
crank that's an issue.

If it comes down to it, I'll be happy to accept recommendations for
good quality cranks and wheels. Maybe he can just outfit a bike he
likes with them. I'm not sure what his max price is, but he was
willing to buy an adult trike for $550 + tax, so I figure that's a
safe figure to start from.


Thanks in Advance.