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Bike for 500lb Person?



 
 
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  #21  
Old October 26th 04, 03:25 AM
Chalo
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(Dennis P. Harris) wrote:

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.


That's some ugly sizeist crap there, homie.

Did you know that gastric bypass surgery kills 1% to 2% of its victims
within 30 days after surgery? That's a lot more deaths a lot faster
than any degree of obesity would kill them. Furthermore, someone
who's had this operation can never resume an ordinary lifestyle again,
no matter how much weight he sheds.

No "normal" bike is made to accomodate someone 7 feet tall either.
Would you advise such a person to have his legs sawed off short?

I can see how a 500 pound person interested in recovering his fitness
might undertake cycling as a form of exercise that would be gentler to
his skeleton than than trampling around, and more effective for weight
loss than swimming.

I have seen bicycles made for up to four riders. Even people with
small bodies and smaller minds are apt to weigh more than 500 lbs per
set of 4. Perhaps the three stokers should have their arms removed to
help get their weight down to what a normal bike can accomodate?

Chalo Colina


"one size does not fit all, regardless of what you may have heard"
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  #22  
Old October 26th 04, 03:28 AM
David L. Johnson
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On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 14:58:34 +0000, neil0502 wrote:

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?


Why would you believe that? This guy, just standing on one pedal, is
putting a full 500lbs of force on that one crank arm. No one exerts that
much force from a 165lb body riding a bike.


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 would imagine any road crank would snap right off if this guy tried at
all to make that happen.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | Enron's slogan: Respect, Communication, Integrity, and
_`\(,_ | Excellence.
(_)/ (_) |


  #23  
Old October 26th 04, 03:35 AM
Chalo
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"neil0502" wrote:

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?


Not even close. How much pedal force you can generate is limited to
your entire weight, plus some amount added by pulling on the
handlebars.

At 375 lbs, I can put close to twice as much force on a pedal than
Lance Armstrong can, and a 500-pound person could push much harder.

Remember, he is as strong as you would be if you wore 300+ lbs of
weights strapped onto your body at all times.

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.....


You assume wrong. Those cranks are cheese. Even kid-sized riders who
jump their BMX bikes require something much stronger.

Chalo Colina
  #24  
Old October 26th 04, 03:43 AM
Chalo
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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.


Don't be a prick. He's far less of a hazard to other road users than
anyone in a car.

Bikes can be made to serve people of different sizes, fortunately.

Be thankful that this is an electronic forum; any 500-pound person who
is strong enough to pretzel his cranks could also wrench your puny
limbs until you squealed like a little piggy.

Chalo Colina
  #25  
Old October 26th 04, 03:59 AM
velomanct
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David L. Johnson Wrote:
On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 14:58:34 +0000, neil0502 wrote:

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?

Why would you believe that? This guy, just standing on one pedal, is
putting a full 500lbs of force on that one crank arm. No one exerts
that
much force from a 165lb body riding a bike.


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 would imagine any road crank would snap right off if this guy tried
at
all to make that happen.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | Enron's slogan: Respect, Communication, Integrity, and
_`\(,_ | Excellence.
(_)/ (_) |

1st of all, why are some of you using lance armstrong as an example of
a strong rider? He is an ENDURANCE cyclist. His body strength is close
to nothing compared to this 500 lb man. When you weigh that much, you
are automatically really really strong, because you have to carry all
that weight around.

If you are going talk about strong cyclists, at least use a track
sprinter in your statement. Lance does not have superior strength.
Exceptional endurance and fitness is NOT strength. Why do so many
people not see the difference?


--
velomanct

  #26  
Old October 26th 04, 04:32 AM
Badger_South
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On Tue, 26 Oct 2004 12:59:38 +1000, velomanct
wrote:


David L. Johnson Wrote:
On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 14:58:34 +0000, neil0502 wrote:

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


Does this really ring true? I do a cowboy mount on my Trek7500FX, and that
means 225-230lbs, with a bounce...this is highly -not- recommended (lol) in
some cycling uh, 'bibles'.

If I put down a bathroom scale and cowboy mounted it...

Anyway, though we know higher end cranks are lighter, hollow, carbon
components, titanium, what have you - I'm not up on crank lore, but I'd say
more likely to break? Anyone who sold this gentleman a bike with cranks
that were not 'sturdy' - shouldn't he get free replacement? Would bike shop
sell him the same cranks - (thus the couple "Pairs", seems odd sounding).

-B
I've never performed a lewd act with a bathroom scale! Except, this one
time in Peoria, ...

[Now, I'm not doubting the OP. ('Stories' can get confused over telling and
retelling...) There are 6'10 250lb guys here. Anyone ever snap any cranks?
My feel for the recounting is that the cranks snapped when? While riding
and pushing up a hill? Well we've heard what happens to a person who
snapped a crank that way last spring. Major ouchie, major hospital bills...
Maybe one would just stand on it to start pedalling and push and --snap--
the crank disintegrates like the Incredible Hulk just stomped it....or,
maybe when cowboy mounting? How, then do you break 'pairs' of cranks...]
Badger in 'CSI' mode. ;-


  #27  
Old October 26th 04, 04:41 AM
maxo
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On Sun, 24 Oct 2004 17:48:58 -0700, xmp333 wrote:

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!


Perhaps recycle the Electra frame if it seems sturdy enough and add some
mucho strong wheels.

I'd have some custom 40 spoke wheels built with a Sturmey-
Archer rear hub with the internal 3 speed transmission. Using internal
gearing allows you to use a very strong single speed chain and the
mightiest bmx/single speed crankset you can find.

You'll have to find such a hub on ebay or the like, here's one example:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...9015 573&rd=1

and building the wheel around it would cost probably an extra 100 dollars
in parts and labour.

That should be a step on your way to a bomb proof ride.


Best bet is to find a really cool local bike shop and give them the
challenge of assembling the beast for your buddy--a shop that's worth its
salt would be thrilled to do something different like this, I know I would.

I sincerely hope to see both of you out there on the road! Bestest of
wishes and don't give up!!

Two words from me to your buddy: RIGHT ON!!!






  #28  
Old October 26th 04, 04:45 AM
Mike Schwab
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How about exploring http://www.waltscycle.com/trikes.htm for something
he likes?
One item listed is the Sun EZ-3, I weigh 270 lbs and ride an EZ-1.
Since March I have ridden 1800 miles on it, I hit a pothole and bent
the front rim slightly, after 1400 miles the rear rim split and I had to
get a new rim (have seen this defect on a bike friday with a 170 lbs
rider with 7000 miles).

One item i the industrial trike, he might consider that. At least the
prices are reasonable.

wrote:
snip
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.

snip
  #29  
Old October 26th 04, 06:50 AM
Brian
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How about a Harley Davidson softail?


  #30  
Old October 26th 04, 06:51 AM
neil0502
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Badger_South wrote:
On 25 Oct 2004 12:07:05 -0700, wrote:

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.


I sorry about any caualness in your reception on this. This is a very
supportive group. Some times there's a lot of wise-cracking and
banter.

Lot of clydesdales riding here. Ahem.


Badger,

Since the above--despite lack of attribution--is quoting me, I wanted to be
clear: I was not trying to be insulting in any way, shape, or form. My
comments were sincere. I just know how often trolls lurk and wasn't
interested in participating in sadistic dialogue at the expense of any sort
of person.

If your apology was made on my behalf, then I failed to make myself clear
and offer an apology to xmp333.

I applaud the efforts of any person engaged in healthy activities,
especially when the potential benefits are as profound as they could be in
the case of the OP's friend.

Neil


 




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