Bicycling clothing and accessories for the fat man

Factual Questions
1

I am looking into getting a bike, just for general exercise and recreational purposes. One of the reasons I haven’t biked a lot lately is that my large size makes it uncomfortable, in particular, most bike seats cause significant pain in that in-between space. And also, the buildup of moisture and friction in the nether regions causes long-lasting discomfort. I went to one of the high-end bike stores and they showed me some special pants and underwear that is supposed to help pad and keep things dry, but they didn’t having these things in my size.

So, anyone know where would be a good place to look for bicycling clothing and accessories for the large and ungainly?

2

PerformanceBike.com generally has everything, even if their prices aren’t the best. Also, you might wanna try Bikeforums.net and post in the Clydesdale section for people with similar situations.

But yeah, the friction is probably due to a bad seat + bad clothing. Just spend a little on a good firm seat and you’ll be fine.

3

I’m a big guy, and I used to hate riding my bike long distance until I got this seat from Walmart.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5007606

I don’t know if this is the best seat for intense exercise but I can rid around for several miles without any discomfort.

4

What you want is a seat that fits your “sit bones”. A properly fitted seat has very firm padding that keeps pressure off the perineum. Those thickly padded/gel seats are too thick and the padding fills the gap and creates pressure in just the wrong place. Your butt will need to be conditioned with even the best seat, it just takes time and miles.

A properly fitted bike is also essential, your weight should be distributed between your hands, legs and butt.

5

To soothe your sore bum you need a Brooks saddle. Brooks produces some of the most comfortable saddles out there. They aren’t much to look at, but once you’ve ridden a few dozen kilometers on one you’ll understand why who just paid a mint for a taut piece of leather.

6

:dubious: Just how much do you plan on riding, and are you the kind of guy who doesn’t mind throwing around more money than you need to?

Your ass likely doesn’t hurt because of the wrong seat, it likely hurts because you aren’t used to riding. This happens to everyone (except kids), no matter what your weight. Tough it out for a few weeks and one day you’ll realize it doesn’t hurt anymore.

All the space-age sweat-wicking, friction-annihilating blah blah blah is for people who just want to look nice around other bikers, as far as I’m concerned. It’s a uniform. Unless you’re really really really into biking and legitimately have the extra money to throw away, it’s unnecessary IMO. I ride a good 80 or so miles a week, +/- depending if I’m doing more on-road or off-road, and I normally ride in tighty-whiteys and running shorts or swimming trunks. I even have a pair of the space-age sweat-wicking friction-annihilating ultra padded doohickies and I almost always forget to wear them because I just don’t notice much benefit.

Now, pretty much everything I said can be taken as null and void if you plan to ride competitively, or do centuries, or ride more than ~200 miles a week.

But if not, ride first, and worry about looking good later.

7

Cisco, I appreciate your taking the trouble to respond, but I have to ask, are you or have you ever been a fat guy? Because your response seems to show signs of speaking from a lack of knowledge or experience regarding the issues I’m talking about.

Everyone else, thanks for the suggestions. I’ll check out the Web sites.

I’ve been shopping around for bikes. I found a fancy bike store where everything starts at about $1,200. Then I went to Walmart, Kmart, and Target, where the prices are lower, but they don’t seem to have any kind of variety. Kmart doesn’t have anything for adult men. Target has one “commuter” bike. Walmart has only mountain bikes. Where do people go for reasonably priced general-purpose bikes?

8

I have nothing to add, except congratulations you’re getting out in the Summer. But ride with car 'cause the crazy people in cars cut you off.

I used to be very thin at one time, and I had a similar problem all the seats would hurt me.

Specialized bike stores would be your best place to look. Once you find something that works go online and search for cheaper prices. Try sites like Pricegrabber
and Google Shopping to look around

9

DO NOT buy a department store bike, they’re junk. Find a basic bike shop, a good bike starts at about 350-500 for a cruiser/utility/ 500 and up for a road or mtn. bike. I would say a road bike is your best bet, as I mentioned upthread your weight should be distributed between hands, feet, butt. Mtn bikes/utility/cruisers and such sit you more upright-more weight on your butt.

10

How fat are we talking? I’ve been over 200lbs. I’m close right now. I’ve ridden with a lot of fat guys. My brother has been over 300lbs at times. I got absolutely dusted by a guy who looked exactly like Phil Margera. Couldn’t believe my eyes.

What about my response makes you think I don’t know what I’m talking about? I ride with newbies a lot, and everyone, to a person, thinks their sore ass/crotch area is unique. That it only happens to them or it’s only that intense for them. The ones who stick with it find that it goes away with 3 to 5 weeks of consistent riding, no matter what their weight. I promise.

11

Keep looking for a bike shop that carries entry to mid level bikes. Just about every manufacturer of the $1,200+ bikes also make $300-$400+ bikes. For that money, you can get a basic bike with quality parts that can take your weight. You’ll never get that from K-mart, Target, or Wal-Mart (ever notice how they stock bikes right next to the toys?).

Brands to look for are Trek, Kona, Specialized, Bianchi, and Giant to name a few. You can google these to find bikes that are in your range and suit what you want to use them for. They all make something like this which are far better than a WalMart bike but still reasonable for a new rider. Also important is getting the bike shop to work with you on getting the bike to fit you. Things like seat position and handlebar reach are all easily adjustable, and a good shop will help with this. A proper fitting bike will solve some of your comfort issues.

12

I’ve been using my bike to lose weight. Real bike shorts do help some with chaffing, but the ache in the butt just takes miles to overcome. Part of it is technique, learning to “sit light” on the saddle and not bounce as you pedal. Also getting the bike adusted right…but really just lots of rides and it gets better.

Being a clydesdale on a bike is bad enough without sporting a race replica jersey. These guys have bike clothes in larger sizes, and have never done me wrong. You can sort the listings by size. They have a number plain colored jerseys, but you might want to avoid the yellow ones for a while. (yellow as in race leader, not the hi-vis ones which can be a good idea if you ride in traffic) The synthetic jerseys really are an improvement over cotton tee shirts.

They also have a number of generic shorts that seem to serve me as well as name brand stuff. The bib shorts are a good idea if you have a gut. Regular shorts tend to roll or slip down at the waist.

13

I’d recommend a set of cycling shorts for sure - although other posters are right when they say you just have to put the hours in to toughen up your posterior. Cycling shorts make a difference, though, and are worth the investment IME.

There are a lot of variables to fitting a bike that are important to get right at the outset - you can fine tune a fit but fundamentally the frame should be a comfortable ride for you. One thing to pay attention to is the angle at which your seat is fixed at. It should never be pointing upwards of horizontal, a slight angling upwards can put pressure on your perenium and really ruin the cycling experience.

14

I agree with this.

Cisco may be fine without bike shorts, but most people really like them. Heck, I use an ultra-cushy women’s seat AND bike shorts.

I also agree that there’s a certain amount of butt hurt that you just have to live with until it goes away. I just consider that part of getting in biking shape every spring.

Nobody here has mentioned gloves yet - you might want to consider a pair of gel gloves. If your hands/forearms start to hurt or go numb while riding, a good pair of gloves will fix that.

Good luck and have fun on the bike! It’s a wonderful thing to be in shape enough to go out for looooong rides without getting overly fatigued. Biking can be a blast!

15

Yep, bike shorts for sweat-control. You can wear them like ‘underwear’ under a regular pair of baggy shorts.

For your top, you can just do a t-shirt or tank top. If you are on a road bike, you’ll want the shirt to be long so that it doesn’t ride up your back while you lean over.

As Athena said, gel gloves are great if you are doing long rides and your hands, wrists, or arms start to hurt. Also, don’t keep your elbows locked while you ride. It can be tempting to ease some of strain on your back, but it just transfers the strain to your hands, wrists, and arms and they are much less prepared to take it.

16

That isn’t true. On really long rides woe is you if you’re suffering from chaffing. Hell, even runners can get nasty chaffing on a really long run if their clothes rub against their skin. Bike shorts are designed with flat seams and are stretchy so they move with your skin rather than rub against it. Wicking fabrics are also designed so that you stay dry and don’t have a sweat soaked shirt stuck to your body all day. In cold weather, you can be really hot and sweating up a storm while riding, but as soon as you stop, or a cold wind picks up, or you get lost and the sun goes down before you get back, you can get really cold in your sweat-soaked clothing (hello, hypothermia).

That said, if you aren’t going on 4 hour rides out in the boonies, you’ll probably be fine in a cotton t-shirt, and jogging shorts. I bike all the time, an only once in my life did I suffer from chaffing and that was because I’d forgotten some of my luggage and was wearing jean cut offs for a 50 mile ride (Never again!) my inner thighs were so raw (getting bloody), I had to sit at the side of the road as my party finished the loop to go get the car and come get me.

We very often go on long rides in regular cotton t-shirts and I’ve got boxer briefs on under loose fitting shorts. Most people who go on leisurely rides for a few hours on paved or well groomed trails, probably don’t need technical clothing. But for a heavy duty workout in hot weather (weather you’re on a mountain trail or doing a 60 mile road ride) technical clothing can make a difference.

You can also put a change of clothes in a panier, so if one outfit is uncomfortable, you have something else you can change into until you figure out what works best for you. As your skill and the length of your rides increase, then you can start making bigger purchases for technical clothing, but you’ll figure out what you need as you get the the stages where you need it.

Saddles can be a pain in the ass to buy (pun semi-intended) and usually require quite a bit of adjusting to get it just right no matter what your size.

Helpful hint: When you’re putting on sunscreen, don’t forget the small of your back. Leaning forward, sometimes you shirt may creep up and expose a thin little line of skin, just above your belt. This happens more if you aren’t wearing cycling gear (that’s one of the reasons cycling shirts are longer in the back), but I’ve had it happen with a cycling jersey too that tends to creep up on me.

17

You’re telling me my opinion is “false”?

Pretty much what I said . . .

18

I’m another person who disagrees with Cisco - cotton may work great for him but my experience is that for any kind of activity where you’re going to work up a sweat, cotton is the last thing you’d want to wear aside from maybe burlap. It soaks up sweat, does not dry quickly, sticks to skin (leading to nasty chafing and blisters) and will generally make you miserable which will make you want to ditch the whole activity.

This doesn’t mean that you have to spend hundreds of dollars for comfy riding clothes. For $40-$60 you can get a nice pair of bike shorts that will be very comfortable, will wick moisture away (and thus help keep you warm and dry which is critical) and will last a long time (I still have my first pair of bike shorts, Specialized brand, that I bought 12-13 years ago and they’re in perfectly good shape). If you are uncomfortable with the tight spandex look you can either throw a cheap pair of regular shorts on top or get double-layer bike shorts (often aimed at the mountain biking crowd, they’re basically baggy shorts with a built-in bike short liner).

I get a lot of biking stuff at REI, you can check out their selection online and they carry extended sizes, I just took a quick look at men’s cycling shorts and saw things in 2XL, 3XL and 4XL, like this:

As far as a top goes, Target carries plenty of inexpensive polyester workout shirts, both long and short sleeve. I have a number of them and they do the job (feel comfy, keep me warm and dry). $10-$15.

And as far as the bike itself goes, what everyone else said is spot-on; buy at an actual bike shop, they’ll be able to get you onto a well-built bike that fits you, is adjusted to your body and they can make sure you’ve got an appropriate saddle. Again, you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars; for a few hundred bucks you’ll have something good which will last a nice long time. A lot of local shops also give you free maintenance for a year (or more) which is very nice.

All that said it will take some miles to get used to it - just like starting any other exercise routine, you may feel some aches and pains initially so begin gradually and have fun!

Oh, one other thing - if you’re still getting really sweaty/nasty/chafing, try a little Gold Bond powder or Body Glide (it’s a friction-reducer used to prevent rubbing, REI and running stores carry it).

19

Maybe you people just need to move somewhere that isn’t so humid :slight_smile:

20

I know “opinions can’t be right or wrong”, but they can be misinformed. Suggesting that technical gear is primarily to look pretty for other cyclists is not presenting particularly good information for a GQ rather than IMHO thread.