Need a bike reccommendation

[nwoods]

I'm gaining weight and have bad knees. Running is out, need to start biking more. I have a mtn bike that I hate. I used to be way into BMX back in the day (was 14th in the nation 25 years ago LOL), and my 13 year old son has just discovered BMX in a big way (street riding mostly though, ugh), and I am entertaining the idea of playing around with him on a bike. It doesn't have to be a BMX bike. I have seen some really wild rigs here on ExPo and in various bike shops lately. I can't even classify what kind of bikes there are anymore. It's bewildering to someone like me who is so out of date and completely cash strapped.

My current bike is an older Trek 4900. It's a big frame, maybe 24"? I don't really remember, but it was the biggest they make. 29" wheels I think. Looks like this:

I'm 6'-7", and pushing 300lbs. The geometry of this bike is way to steep and I constantly feel like I'm going to flip over the handlebars (and occassionally do!). I completely overdrive the front fork with my weight, but I can't afford anything stiffer. I did replace the springs in this one, and have it cranked up to max, but it's hopeless.

The idea of a 29" BMX bike (aka the "Big Ripper" from my old BMX sponsor team) appeals to me, but I'm not sure that's really the best bike for me. http://www.sebikes.com/2012_29bigripper.php

The 26" OM Flyer is pretty cool. So retro. So Rad!

Yes either of these would be fun, but they are sorta a one trick pony. I am looking for something that is a better all-around bike. When I start to broaden my horzions, I quickly get overwhelmed by the choices and styles and categories.

I could really use some help, and there are a lot of very knowledgable bike people on this forum, so I thought I'd toss it out there and see what you all think and reccomend.

Oh yeah, here is a picture of me to get an idea of scale. I'm not small

 

[LukeHooligan]

The 2 big questions are going to be what all do you want to be able to use this bike for? and what is your budget? once you establish those 2 things it is much easier sorting through the options. Unfortunately it's likely that due to your height anything that would be suitable for riding street/park with your son won't likely be comfortable for much else, there are several bikes available out there suitable for street,park and dirt jumping but still fairly capable on single track mtb trails but i'm not so sure any of them are made in a size to be comfortable for you on singletrack. So again, those 2 questions will be a good start on figuring out good options to suit your needs. Also i rode BMX for many years(street and park) and now ride MTB and also have a steel cyclocross bike for road/gravel/any rides that don't require the big tires and suspension of my MTB, so from when i started getting into the latter 2 i know exactly how foreign it feels initially trying these other types of bikes after years on a 20" BMX bike

 

[Christophe Noel]

For starters, those swollen BMX bikes may be fun for a while, but you'll likely crush them (or bones) in short order, and they won't do anything for your fitness ambitions.

The first idea I have would be to take your current bike to a good shop to ensure the fit is optimal. If you feel like you're not balanced over the bike properly, that can probably be remedied.

As Luke said above, it's the what and where that will determine your ideal bike. What do you want to do with it and where? Leading with your fitness ambitions, that's going to need to be a bike that can log some miles and those BMX bikes simply won't do that worth a hoot, and they'll not do your knees any favors.

Have any trails near you?

 

[nwoods]

Budget is the biggest problem. Whenever a bike I see catches my eye and gets the gears spinning, the price tag on it ranges from $2500 to $7000. Seriously?
I have no money. We are gradually selling everything we own and enjoy in a desperate effort just to stay in our home. An E-bay check reveals that my bike is worth about $100. I'm not terribly surprised.


My fitness goals are not to ride Century's, run Tri's, or anything remotely challenging like that. I just need to keep the body moving lest I calcify completely. My daughters tricycle could probably accomplish my fitness goals. I work about 70 hours a week and don't have energy or time for things like "physical training". I just want to stay somewhat mobile and active....but more so than what a beach crusier would provide


Back in the day, I could bunny hop up on top of picnic tables. On my Trek mtn bk, I don't feel confident that I can lift it over the curb. I have crashed more than once trying to do just that. This makes riding with my BMX addicted son virtualy impossible. My biggest goals is two fold:


1. Have a bike that fits me well enough to allow my to mess around and do things that I probably shouldn't be doing at my age. That includes running a local pump track or dropping into a bowl at the local skate park. I may not do those things, but I'd like to have the confidence in my ride that I could without being tossed over the bars or collasping the suspenion at exactly the wrong time. I would prefer to crash all on my own, without having been dumped by the bike.


2. Ride along maintained bike trails with my wife and/or the family. There is a 40 mile asphalt paved river trail near my house that is nice. We go about 10 miles or so and then turn back for a 20 mile cruise. I can see that going further as we get more accostumed to it. Having gears and larger mtn bike style frame is invaulable on rides like that.

It is my fear that item 1 just may not be possible. I might simply be too big. The local BMX track (Orange Y) has a 40 and over class that would be fun to do, and they let just about any kind of bike run the course, including mountain bikes. So if I focus on a bike that can do the simple things, like ride the river trail, fit well enough to let me bunnyhop over a curb, or catch a few occassional feet of air without augering in on landing, and be nimble enough to run a few heats on the track, I'd be happy.

But I don't know what kind of bike I am describing.

 

[willb]

My best advice to you is try out as many bikes as you can, which may be difficult given your size. Buy the one you can afford that you are most comfortable on. As you are finding out there are a dizzying array of bikes to choose from, but if you are not comfortable you most likely won't ride it & will have wasted your precious $$$. Sorry if that's not the kind of advice you're looking for, but as someone who's been riding avidly for 30yrs I think it's the best advice for someone in your situation.

 

[nwoods]

Is there at least a glossary or listing where I can learn what kinds of bikes/styles are available these days?

 

[willb]

You could try something like roadbikereview.com or mtbreview.com. Both have many reviews of bikes as well as forums you could peruse. Although be forewarned that there are many elite snobs on roadbikereview that will not hesitate to let you know how unworthy you are for asking questions. Still lots of good info to be had just by lurking.

 

[Wander]

I hear you on wanting to drop in at the local bowl but I also read that you're trying to hold on to everything you can finacially. Not to be a downer but the medical bills associated with riding bowls at our age would be too helpful with the bills. That said I think a hybrid MTB migth be the ticket for everything else. They have 700c wheels and thiner tires that is great on the street and bike path but they can also handle lighter trails like fire roads. The geometry is up right so it will be more comfortable so you can ride longer and the gearing will handle any terrain. It won't last in the bowl but I think you're going to need a mega spoked big BMX for that and maybe that should be down the road anyway.

 

[keezer37]

Tricks are for kids.

I thought I had bad knees from 25 years of running. Seems I couldn't even pivot without tearing something and feeling it for six weeks.

I bought a Trek 7300 hybrid new in '09 for $600 and it has done the job. I have sixty miles of paved bike trails and ride about 140 miles a week (no, I don't have a job). My knees haven't been in this good of shape in a long time. I've been injury free since I started riding. This has done the job for me so far. I'm 6'0" and 220.

 

[LukeHooligan]

I think that everything you want to do it totally possible, but i honestly think it would only be possible with 2 bikes, or one out of the range of what you are able to spend. I tried getting back into street/park riding with one of the newer 26 inch bikes designed for such, and though very fun it was not good for much else, and as i said there are a few bikes that are suitable for that and more, like the giant stp, kona cowan, jamis kromo, and a few others but again those aren't made in sizes useable for more than street/park/pump track/dirt jumping for someone your size. One thing i can think of off hand that would fit all the criteria and made large enough would be the kona Honzo, bit it's also an 1800 dollar bike. I've pretty much given up on the street/park riding in the traditional sense, but have pretty much just as much fun riding single track. If you can find something big enough for you with fairly relaxed geometry you should still be able to have plenty of fun even if you can't ride it at the skatepark or the local bmx track. Another issue is less expensive bikes are not going to come with suspension forks intended to support your weight, most aren't even set up to suppport mine and i weigh about 100 pounds less than you. Perhaps an inexpensive rigid 29er would be a good route for you? A hybrid of sorts would be a good call for general riding as well, or one of the more relaxed geometry cyclocross bikes like those from Surly or All City. I will second the idea of looking at mtbr.com, go to the forums and it is pretty much broken down into every style of bike, even a "clydesdale" section specifically for big guys like yourself. I also think in your case craigslist and the like will be your friend, you can save a lot of money on a quality bike going used, and really big and really small bikes are the hardest to sell so usually the price is more negotiable. You mentioned SE Bikes, their stout 29er or draft single speeds could both be fun if you're wanting a simple low maintenance bike, they have fairly large sizes but you'd have to find somewhere to check them out to be sure if they're large enough.

 

[nwoods]

Thanks for all the helpful responses guys. I'll be plowing through the Internet this weekend. I'm sure I'll a few more questions here in the process. Like: what's with the enormous rear hub in some newer bikes? Internal cassette ? Do they work?

 

[keezer37]

Check out Ecovelo.info for tons of info about bike commuting and just great writing. Alan keeps a great blog going and his photos are top notch.

This is a good place to start.

 

[LukeHooligan]

The giant rear hubs you are seeing are likely internally geared hubs, like shimano alfine, rohloff speedhub or sturmey archer models. I have no firsthand experience with these but it seems much more people are happy with them than not. Rohloff is quite expensive, shimano is fairly reasonable(for the new 11 speed version, the older 8 speed version can be found for about half the cost of the 11) and sturmey archer is cheap in comparison to the other 2. From what i understand the quality of each is directly related to the pricepoint. You may also be seeing dynamo hubs which are basically generators for running lights. I imagine someone on here has experience with some or all of the above given their popularity with the bicycle touring crowd.

Also thanks to those who mentioned ecovelo, great site that i was unaware of.

 

[nwoods]

Luke, I looked up that Kona Honzo. Wow.

But I'm kinda digging the simplicity of the SE Racing singlespeed "PK Fixed Gear"

It's $1000 cheaper also. However, I really do feel that adding gears will increase my overall usage and capabilities. So what I need is a nice simple rigid bike like the Fixed Gear, but with the components of the Honzo.... for example, brakes would be nice.

 

[nwoods]

Here is a poor man's version of the Honzo:
http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bike...=us/en/bikes/mountain/sport/29er_sport/marlin

23" frame, fits Clydesdales like me. Hmmmm....