andrew76040 said:I own a '97 Trek 6500, aluminum frame mountain bike. When
I bought the bike new, I weighed a lot less than what I do
now. Over the years, marriage, kids and work somehow got
the best of me and I gained quite a few pounds. Step in
the Atkins diet and have recently lost quite a few of
those extra pounds.
Careful; most of my immediate family lost staggering amounts
of weight on the Atkins diet, then gained it all back, plus
more, faster than you would ever believe. It's like the mass
of their weight gain exceeded the mass of everything they
were eating. Freaky. So take heed.
Quoted message said:At the present, I weigh (brace yourself), 300 pounds.
That's close to how heavy I was when I started cycling
seriously at age 18. I slimmed down to about 220 pounds
(sickly skinny at 6'9" then) before my weight slowly started
accumulating again. It was many years before I saw 300
again, though.
Now I'm flirting with 400, but not forever I hope.
Quoted message said:1. Does anyone know if my current weight of 300 pounds is
too heavy for my bike.
No, you'll be fine; just get out there and ride. Most
failures that might occur due to your weight will be
innocuous, like a bent seatpost or bent/broken saddle rails.
I'd consider having your wheels tensioned and trued by an
expert, since they will be a source of reliability problems
otherwise.
I'd also consider switching to a stronger crank and bottom
bracket if you wish to ride vigorously. This is a good
example of what the BMX market has to offer:
danscomp.comcgiOpen ↗
bin/hazel.cgi?action=DETAIL&item=451050
In my experience it's a safety precaution that will also
make your bike feel way more solid and confidence inspiring.
I have broken square-taper bottom bracket axles under
pedaling loads only, at much less than your present weight,
so it is a real issue.
Quoted message said:2. Do you think I could potentially crack the frame with
my weight?
More than likely the frame will be fine. You may induce some
fatigue cracking eventually, but that would be the result of
many thousands of miles of athletic riding.
Quoted message said:Oh, one more thing, by the weight I am losing, I should be
at 250 pounds by mid July.
Right on. Remember there's no hurry, that the slower it
comes off, the more likely it is to stay off for a long
time. Keep in mind also that carbs are fuel, and that if you
develop a regimen of vigorous cycling, you should switch
gradually over to a more balanced diet.
"The doctor" died obese, enfeebled, and atherosclerotic-- a
clear sign that he should have been minding his output
(exercise) more than his intake (diet).
Chalo Colina
