I have a friend in Texas who’s trying to get back on his feet with a job. He doesn’t own a car, but he lives in a city that’s fairly accessible on-foot and by bicycle and mass transit. (Waco.) But he lives on the outskirts, about 20 miles away from his current job, which he’s on the verge of losing.
I’m trying to help him find a bicycle. But he’s 375 pounds, so he needs one that will support his weight. I’m going to make a GoFundMe page to see if I can get this crowdsourced.
ETA: He is open to getting a motorscooter if it’s around the same price.
Well, we don’t know (yet) if the friend is big, tall, or big and tall as the saying goes.
Gives you a place to start, and if they’re getting back on the their feet, cheaper is probably better. The budget link in the above is for:
Which is around $370. At those price points, I doubt they’ll see a scooter in that range. But, if they’re also needing to get back on their feet exercise wise, that’s going to be quite the thing, even if they bike half it (10 miles) and use public transportation the other half.
If so, they might want to consider a hybrid bike (electrical motor assist), which depending upon location may or may not require a motorcycle endorsement, same as a scooter.
ETA - picked link at random to serve as a starting point while we wait for more information, do not have personal experience with any of the models.
I think you are going to have a hard time finding a bike with a 375 lb. weight limit.
Maybe a trike would be better:
5’11", 375.
Okay, so a bit of both, more towards big though.
Actually lists weights they’re suggested for, but only 4 are rated for that weight. Several are electric, but run $1800-2400, the budget choice instead being:
At around $220.
I’m going to suggest to a mod we move to IMHO, rather than Cafe society, and in the meantime I’m going to editorialize. I’m noticeably overweight, about an inch shorter and 125 lbs lighter than your friend. I for the last year or so made it a point to ride an in-home cheap exercise bike to try to improve (and to have zero weather related excuses to skip). Riding on the equivalent of a well paved, flat road ( stage 2 of 7 levels of resistance) it takes me 15-ish minutes to do 5 miles.
If they’re already walking everywhere due to lack of transportation, they’re probably in better shape than this, but if not, they’ll absolutely want to take time to ramp up to any distance, especially when you can’t take good condition level roads for granted.
I think the friend needs to visit a bicycle shop in person so he can be sized for an appropriate bike and helmet.
But you said he’s twenty miles from his job? Do you think he’s capable of riding that distance to and from work daily?
Come to think of it, probably not.
He just remembered there’s a BYOT auto parts place that sells used cars near where he lives, and so he’s now looking towards getting a used car. I’ve put together a GoFundMe towards that purpose instead.
Is that 20 miles each way? If so, that’s a decent ride before and after work? Has he considered an e-bike? Might be a bit more pricey but might be a better overall choice. Best Electric Bikes for Heavy Riders: Top 7 Strong E-Bikes
Good idea, and the first three will support his weight.
I don’t know what those articles say but I’m recommending an e-bike. Yes they’re more costly but the motor assistance is fantastic. My brother let me borrow his for a few weeks and the motor assistance encouraged me to ride more. And I could dial up or down the assistance as needed. (Have your friend) Check it out.
Maybe he can rent or borrow one to try it?
And the bike with the far tires, with his heavy weight those tours will increase rolling resistance and will fight him as he goes. Unless those tires pump up to 120lbs, I’d skip that type of bike.
I hope your friend consulted a doctor first. He’s seriously overweight. Way more overweight than I ever was when I was seriously overweight as opposed to being only semi-seriously overweight right now. I’m kind of surprised he thinks he could pedal a bike at all.
Another strong recommendation for something with electric assistance. I’m just over 200lb and cycle-commute 9 miles each way twice a week (unassisted), albeit up and down quite a large hill - and that’s more than enough for me. Whatever the weather, I need a shower when I get there. If my commute were 20 miles each way, I wouldn’t do it by bike.
I am an avid bicyclist, and in the Before Times when I had the opportunity to cycle to work, it was 12+ miles each way, and I would do that only 2-3 times a week during good weather. 20 miles each way daily is too much, even for someone in good shape.
I would still encourage the OP’s friend to get a bike even if he gets a car, for exercise and recreation. Steel frame mountain bikes from the 90s-2000s with 26" wheels can be found on the 2nd hand market (craigslist, Facebook) for cheap. These are sturdy and are likely build to handle a heavy rider, moreso than a new, lightweight aluminum model. Other than a helmet, a wider gel seat may be in order to make things more comfortable. And yeah, checking with the doctor before starting to ride may be a good idea in this case
I bought one of these a couple of years ago. It’s officially rated for 375 pounds, but I’m much more than that, and this bike has never even flinched at supporting my weight. There are other similar e-bikes on the market they could look at.
Thanks, everyone. We’ve decided to try and crowdsource him an inexpensive used car, instead.