Fat [censored] requires bicycle

Martin Wilson said:

Any advice on where to look for a super strong reasonably
stylish and pretty reasonable priced bike. What would be a
miracle if I could get such a bike in a folding style so I
could stick it in the back of my mondeo estate and drive
off to somewhere nice and spend some nice hours cycling
around the countryside.

How much do you want to spend?

Erm, depends if you want a road bike or a mountain bike as well. Lots of mountain bikes would match your criteria (e.g. GT Avalanche 1.0).

And if you cannot fit an entire bike in the back of a Mondeo Estate without having to get one that folds, then either your car is not a Mondeo estate, or it has shrunk catastrophically in the rain, or your bike is way too large!

I can fit a bike in the back of my fiesta with just the front wheel off 😉

Martin Wilson said:

Any advice on where to look for a super strong reasonably
stylish and pretty reasonable priced bike. What would be a
miracle if I could get such a bike in a folding style so I
could stick it in the back of my mondeo estate and drive
off to somewhere nice and spend some nice hours cycling
around the countryside.

Are you sure you need a folding bike? I can fit my bike in
the back of an Escort estate with the back seat down. I
spect it would fit without the back seat down if I took the
front wheel off.

The rest of this doesn't answer your question so please
ignore, but my experience (similar to yours ie unfit
overweight haven't exercised for years) is that I get far
more exercise by using my bike as every day transport (going
into town, to friends, to the shops etc) than I would if I
only did the weekend countryside trips. I've got to the
point where I can contemplate cycling to the countryside,
not just around
it.

A

--

email = audmad aaatttt hhhottt mmmaailll dddoottt ccccoommm

Simonb said:

Martin Wilson said:

Any advice on where to look for a super strong reasonably
stylish and pretty reasonable priced bike. What would be
a miracle if I could get such a bike in a folding style
so I could stick it in the back of my mondeo estate and
drive off to somewhere nice and spend some nice hours
cycling around the countryside.

How much do you want to spend?

I honestly have no idea what I should be looking to spend
but I'm also not keen on buying a bike that might fall apart
on me so realise a £40 special at sterling house won't be
up to the task. What should I be looking to spend?

Martin Wilson said:

Simonb said:

Martin Wilson said:

Any advice on where to look for a super strong reasonably
stylish and pretty reasonable priced bike. What would be
a miracle if I could get such a bike in a folding style
so I could stick it in the back of my mondeo estate and
drive off to somewhere nice and spend some nice hours
cycling around the countryside.

How much do you want to spend?

I honestly have no idea what I should be looking to
spend but I'm also not keen on buying a bike that might
fall apart on me so realise a £40 special at sterling
house won't be up to the task. What should I be looking
to spend?

For the bike itself, no less than £200, perhaps a hybrid
(which will have a decent set of gears to take you up hills
with less pain). But, if your bike is in the £200 - £350
range, you should definitely be looking at a pair of hand-
built wheels, at around 50+ quid per wheel. As a certified
FB myself, I used to get wobbly wheels on a regular basis
everytime I thumped a pothole (and, of course, the wobblier
the wheel, the more you have to adjust the brakes so they
don't rub, until you get to a point where a) the bike
wibbles [1] at speed, and b) you can't get enough brake on
it. And I'd buy another 20 quid wheel from Halfords, and 2
weeks later more wobble. So get yourself hand-built wheels
from a local bike shop; some might recommend double-butted
spokes for the weight you'll be putting on it, and some
might also recommend going for a bike that fits the
"mountain bike" 26" wheels (for strength) rather than the
"road bike" 700C wheels, which are bigger and tend to bend a
little/lot more easily.

[1] Technical term.

Martin Wilson said:

Any advice on where to look for a super strong reasonably
stylish and pretty reasonable priced bike. What would be a
miracle if I could get such a bike in a folding style so I
could stick it in the back of my mondeo estate and drive
off to somewhere nice and spend some nice hours cycling
around the countryside.

You can get most bikes in the back of a Mondeo estate
without even=20 taking the front wheel off. Friends who go
off with their bikes in=20 their car after a little minor
surgery like removing the front wheel=20 (seconds with a
modern Quick Release mount) include Nissan Micra and=20
Peugeot 106 owners. If you still want a folder Dahon do a
good range with sound bikes at=20 fair prices, and are the
best place to start if you don't want a=20 super-compact
fold you can tuck between train seats.

You say "super strong" but a typical modern bike should cope
okay with=20 your weight. They're remarkably strong. If
you're buying new I personally think the sheep and goats
separate at=20 about the =A3200 level, assuming it's a no-
frills bike. No suspension an= d=20 no disc brakes. At (or
below) this price level these things exist=20 simply to look
like what you get on bikes costing Serious Money, and it=20
just means you pay for rubbish fancy instead of fair simple.
Think=20 basic Fiesta against clapped out Lada with metallic
paint, Go Faster=20 Stripes and a big spoiler.

I think you can do a lot worse than the basic Dawes and
Ridgebacks.=20 Stuff like dawes-dawes-Open ↗
cycles.co.uk/discovery201.asp or=20 ridgeback.co-ridgeback.co-Open ↗
.uk/bikes/2004/bike.asp?seriesid=3D21&index=3D4

If you plan using it for utility work or riding in the wet
then=20 mudguards and a rear rack are a Cunning Plan. Some
bikes come with them =

already fitted like=20 ridgeback.co.uk200Open ↗
4/bike.asp?seriesid=3D21&index=3D2

HTH, Pete. --=20 Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44
1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net
[email hidden] dundee.ac.uk~pjclinchOpen ↗

Peter Clinch said:

You say "super strong" but a typical modern bike should
cope okay with=20 your weight. They're remarkably strong.

Hey, you forgot to say that he really wants a 'bent trike
:-)

Roos

Roos Eisma said:

Hey, you forgot to say that he really wants a 'bent
trike :-)

Or he can get a machine made by an over-zealous weight
weenie, and bend it himself... ;-)

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext.
33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382 640177
Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email hidden]
dundee.ac.uk~pjclinchOpen ↗

Martin Wilson said:

Too many curries, too many video games, movie watching and
general lazyness has caused me to pile on the pounds etc.I
do have an exercise cycle but really need a bicycle too.
However in my current state it would probably fall to
pieces as soon as I get on. I'm reasonably strong and can
walk long distances but I'm over 6ft 2inches in height and
about 22stone in weight possibly a stone or two more (its
been a while since I checked). Many years ago I used to be
slim (honestly).

Any advice on where to look for a super strong reasonably
stylish and pretty reasonable priced bike. What would be a
miracle if I could get such a bike in a folding style so I
could stick it in the back of my mondeo estate and drive
off to somewhere nice and spend some nice hours cycling
around the countryside.

I used to love cycling when younger and hope to get back
into it.

I've done some searches using google but perhaps I'm not
using the right criteria but I don't seem to be getting
many helpful hits with regard such a bike. Do they exist?

You don't need a folding bike. You should be able to get any
bike in the back of an estate without removing even one
wheel. Most bikes will fit in the boot of a car if you
remove both wheels.

You need to be spending more than £200. Do not buy a bike
with rear wheel suspension unless you're willing to pay
much, much more. Think very carefully about whether you need
even front suspension. It might be better getting a better
equipped rigid bike at the same price. Low-end suspension is
not very good.
--
Michael MacClancy Random putdown - "He is not only dull
himself, he is the cause of dullness in others." -Samuel
Johnson www.macclancy.demon.co.uk www.macclancy.co.uk

Cheers for the advice. I'll definitely be following up the
info. Apart from the one about the bent trike that is.

Quoted message said:

You need to be spending more than £200. Do not buy a bike
with rear wheel suspension unless you're willing to pay
much, much more. Think very carefully about whether you
need even front suspension. It might be better getting a
better equipped rigid bike at the same price. Low-end
suspension is not very good.

Yeah I'm not after any form of suspension on the bike.
Examples I've seen don't seem to work brilliantly and seem
to soak up the energy of actually pedalling somehow. I
just want really chunky tyres and wheels I think. Probably
go for some sort of mountain bike design with a quick
release front wheel just to make getting it into my little
mondeo easy. I do plan to use it for commuting too if
possible. My work place is about 5 miles away. I was
thinking of taking the car and parking it half way along
and then cycling to work from there. Hopefully later doing
the whole journey by bicycle.

Martin Wilson <[email hidden]> wrote:

: Yeah I'm not after any form of suspension on the bike.
: Examples I've seen don't seem to work brilliantly and seem
: to soak up the energy of actually pedalling somehow. I
: just want really chunky tyres and wheels I think.

One to look at:

konaworld.com2k4 smoke.cfmOpen ↗

Any kona dealer can get one though they might not have
on in stock.

arthur

--
Arthur Clune clune.orgclune.orgOpen ↗ "Technolibertarians make a
philosophy out of a personality defect"
- Paulina Borsook

Martin Wilson:

Quoted message said:

I just want really chunky tyres and wheels I think.

Fatter tyres will probably give a softer ride, but if you are riding mostly on the road you want slicks instead of knobblies. Knobbly tyres are just as energy-sapping as cheap suspension.

Quoted message said:

My work place is about 5 miles away. I was

thinking of taking the car and parking it half way along
and then cycling to work from there. Hopefully later doing
the whole journey by bicycle.

As long as you take it easy, five miles is not so far - shouldn't take much more than half an hour, maybe 40 minutes, even if you're really very unfit - and you'll soon get used to it. Plus, when you factor in how much time you'll spend faffing about getting stuff in and out of the car, parking, and negotiating traffic, you'll probably find that it takes you just as long to do the drive halfway thing. And if you ride all the way you'll be able to be *extra* smug about doing your bit to reduce pollution. Go on, go for it!

d.

Martin Wilson said:

Too many curries, too many video games, movie watching and
general lazyness has caused me to pile on the pounds etc.I
do have an exercise cycle but really need a bicycle too.
However in my current state it would probably fall to
pieces as soon as I get on. I'm reasonably strong and can
walk long distances but I'm over 6ft 2inches in height and
about 22stone in weight possibly a stone or two more (its
been a while since I checked). Many years ago I used to be
slim (honestly).

Any advice on where to look for a super strong reasonably
stylish and pretty reasonable priced bike.

I know about one special "super strong" bike for heavy
people called Sumo: tinyurl.com236qeOpen ↗

It has a total weight allowance of 31 stone (200 kg) and is
available with Shimano Deore XT components incl. Magura
Discbrake or a Rohloff 14 speed internal gear hub. Yet it
may not be reasonably priced for your budget. You would have
to pay about 1400 pound for this monster of a bike.

Quoted message said:

What would be a miracle if I could get such a bike in a
folding style so I could stick it in the back of my mondeo
estate and drive off to somewhere nice and spend some nice
hours cycling around the countryside.

Real folding bikes such as a Brompton or a Birdy are mainly
constructed to be used for commuters so that they can be
taken into a train. Furthermore i know that the Birdy has a
maximum weight allowance of about 17 stone (110 kg). The
limits of a Brompton may be similar.

Then there are mountainbikes with a folding mechanism. The
car manufacturer BMW is offering some models. Yet the prices
start somewhere around 800 pounds - probably no problem for
BMW customers that have not a problem paying that much for
an air condition or other extras in their car anyway - yet
quite a lot for a bike. tinyurl.com3fq9uOpen ↗

You can also transform a normal bike into a foldable bike
with this technique: sandsmachine.comsandsmachine.comOpen ↗

Yet probably it is sufficient if you get a decent
mountainbike, preferably a hardtail, and use a front wheel
with quick-release system. So you can fit it easily in the
back of your car. But usually bikes are constructed for a
weight up to about 17 to 19 stone. So i would check the
exact specs of the model before.

Andreas

in message <[email hidden]>, Martin Wilson

(') said:

Any advice on where to look for a super strong reasonably
stylish and pretty reasonable priced bike.

I've done some searches using google but perhaps I'm not
using the right criteria but I don't seem to be getting
many helpful hits with regard such a bike. Do they exist?

In the States, where fat bastarddom is the norm, there is a
market category for what are known as 'Clydesdale' bikes,
where 'Clydesdale' is not a brand or a model but a
recognised subtype in the way an Audax is a recognised
subtype here. What sets them apart, I understand are strong
frames and strong (36 or 40 spoke) wheels.

Does anyone in the UK sell a 'Clydesdale' or is this market
segment waiting to be exploited?

Back to the OP's question - a reasonable tourer (which is
designed to carry the rider plus several stones of camping
gear) should be strong enough. Dawes Galaxy or Sadar or
Edinburgh Bicycle Co-op's Revolution Country would be good
ones to go for.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke)
jasmine.org.uk~simonOpen ↗

;; this is not a
.sig

Martin Wilson said:

I'm reasonably strong and can walk long distances but I'm
over 6ft 2inches in height and about 22stone in weight
possibly a stone or two more (its been a while since I
checked). Many years ago I used to be slim (honestly).

Any advice on where to look for a super strong reasonably
stylish and pretty reasonable priced bike. What would be a
miracle if I could get such a bike in a folding style so I
could stick it in the back of my mondeo estate and drive
off to somewhere nice and spend some nice hours cycling
around the countryside.

I wouldn't worry too much. I'm not much lighter than you
(and I'm 5 inches shorter 🙂) and my 250 quid Giant mountain
bike is taking the strain admirably. Pump the tyres up to
the upper bound of their capabilities to avoid pinch-flats,
don't jump off ledges at 20mph, avoid cheap rear suspension,
you'll be fine 🙂

I would recommend trying a few saddles, if you can, though.

First time I went out, being an unfit [censored] as well as a
fat [censored], I struggled to do 5 miles with plenty of
stopping. A few months later, my normal trip is 25 miles and
I no longer have to stop, not even for most hills. Enjoy!

--
Keith Willoughby flat222.orgkeithOpen ↗ "Our National
Emergency Plan simply calls for lots of middle-aged women to
stand around in Post Office queues saying "Well, I said it'd
happen" until we all starve to death" - Mil Millington

Martin Wilson said:

Too many curries, too many video games, movie watching and
general lazyness has caused me to pile on the pounds etc.I
do have an exercise cycle but really need a bicycle too.
However in my current state it would probably fall to
pieces as soon as I get on. I'm reasonably strong and can
walk long distances but I'm over 6ft 2inches in height and
about 22stone in weight possibly a stone or two more (its
been a while since I checked). Many years ago I used to be
slim (honestly).

Any advice on where to look for a super strong reasonably
stylish and pretty reasonable priced bike. What would be a
miracle if I could get such a bike in a folding style so I
could stick it in the back of my mondeo estate and drive
off to somewhere nice and spend some nice hours cycling
around the countryside.

I used to love cycling when younger and hope to get back
into it.

I've done some searches using google but perhaps I'm not
using the right criteria but I don't seem to be getting
many helpful hits with regard such a bike. Do they exist?

All the frames are strong enough. Just ensure you get 36 (or
even 40) spoke wheels, and buy the bike from a proper bike
shop who will, if necessary, tweak the wheels after the
first 100 miles or so (the usual machine built wheels often
go out of true at first),

Martin Wilson said:

I'm reasonably strong and can walk long distances but I'm
over 6ft 2inches in height and about 22stone in weight
possibly a stone or two more (its been a while since I
checked). Many years ago I used to be slim (honestly).

A bit OT, but get a decent digital scale and bike computer
while you're shopping. I find it a great encouragement to
see the miles clicking up and the poundage creeping off,
even more so if I have a target and actually hit it. YMMV.

In message <[email hidden]>,
audrey <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

On Thu, 27 May 2004 09:39:27 +0100, Martin Wilson
<[email hidden]> wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

bike in a folding style so I could stick it in the back
of my mondeo estate and drive off to somewhere nice

Quoted message said:

Are you sure you need a folding bike? I can fit my bike in
the back of an Escort estate with the back seat down. I
spect it would fit without the back seat down if I took the
front wheel off.

I was able to fit my FW Evans tourer in the back seat of my
Golf convertible.

--
congokid Good restaurants in London? Number one on Google
congokid.comcongokid.comOpen ↗