For those who bike and are/were over 200 pounds?

I’ve noticed a lot of people on here bike, and I was wondering, what kind of biking do you do, stationary, cruiser style, multi speed? I’m considering buying a bike but a friend of mine from CC had some concerns about my choice of a cruiser style bike. She also considered this type of bike but says she’s been told it doesn’t provide much of a workout due to the ease in which it peddles. I’m 244 and she’s much lighter than I am. I’m just trying to get moving again, work in some daily activity and burn a few calories. So all input would be deeply appreciated

I bike and use the stationary at the gym and have a multi-speed mountain bike at home.  I think that any exercise is better than none and if you like the cruiser style, then go for it.  I know an elderly man in my old neighborhood, who rides his everywhere and for his age (he's over 60), he is very fit.  And it is much easier to not get a workout on a multi-speed bike in my opinion.

Um, I have no clue what kind of bike a cruiser style bike is or most other type bikes are either.  All I know is the bike I do have has a thick frame and mountain bike tires.  I got that one because it seemed stable enough and the tires thick enough to sustain my weight when I bought it.  At that point any exercise was better than none for me. 

I (of course) still use it and it does it's job; it gets me moving.  Maybe I don't burn the optimal amount of calories that I could using a different type bike but I am still burning more than if I were on my sofa.  I figure I can get a more advanced bike when I am more advanced.

my mom started off with a stationary bike with different resistances and different programmed workouts. the doctor said to start off slow and when she got used to it then she could consider a regular bike.

 

Thank you guys, I'm thinking it's best just to get moving and worry about the intensity later. We all got to start somewhere, right?

Oh and this is the style I was talking about...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruiser_bike

First of all, you are totally correct - if you want to ride a bike, and the cruiser is what's comfortable for you and something you will enjoy riding, then by all means get it and have fun! :)

I started out at 260+ pounds on a cruiser, riding around my neighborhood.  Once you are ready, you can vary your resistance a little by purposefully trying to ride uphill or into the wind.

What happened to me, though, is that I got seriously addicted to cycling and decided that I wanted to hit the open road.  The cruiser just wasn't the right bike for that, so I traded it in for a hybrid, which is a cross between a road bike and a mountain bike; they're built to be more comfortable than a road bike but made for riding on pavement as opposed to out in the wilderness like a mountain bike.  So when you go shopping, I recommend checking the hybrids out, too.  They're very comfortable to ride and they'll give you some more options if you decide to get out of the neighborhood like I did.

But either way, have fun and enjoy the ride. :)

I think the type of bike you should get mostly depends on you.

Meaning you should get whichever bike you think you will use the most.

In general a bike will get you moving which is always good, but certain bikes are easier to get a good workout on than others.

If you are looking to just simply get moving but still be entertained by the local scenery. I had a cruiser bike once and always enjoyed riding through the neighborhood and looking at all the architecture.

Get a mountain bike if you are looking for an immediate challenge, and also wish to hit some trails.

I have owned pretty much every type of bike. I personally prefer and currently ride a fixed gear track bike with a single hand break on it. It is a great bike to ride in the city but also suburban flat lands. One of the main reasons why I love it is because it is SUPER light. I can swing it over my shoulder with no problem. I always struggled to do this with the mountain and cruiser bikes (I live in the city and keep my bikes inside my apartment to prevent them from being stolen). It is so light because there are no gears or breaks on it. I put a hand break on there just to be cautious, because I am not that daring. It definitely gets your legs moving!

If I were you I would log onto craigslist.com and buy a cheap but running cruiser bike. You could get a good one for around $100. It is a great starter bike, it is like a sofa on wheels... almost! : ) Then once you feel more comfortable on that you can look for a challenge on a mountain or track bike.

:D

Biking (and staying busy so I didnt snack) was key for me, I lost 40 lbs last summer by biking and sticking to a 1800 calorie diet. I ride about 10 miles almost every night now. The first few rides where Heck though.. I knew i was out of shape, but holy heck, i was one step from dying (At least it seemed that way) the first few rides. I'm no expert, not even close but i started at 240 and am now 200 (winter and no biking killed the wieght lose, but im doing it again). For me, I bouhgt a cheap Mountina bike at Walmart for $70. And its got over 800 miles on it now ( bouhgt a speedo for it too) and never gave me a problem ( most bikers tell you a cheap bike is the worst thing you can do)  mine is heavy, but the point was a workout so that never bothered me. My buddy started riding with me and got a Hybred and we swapped.. its about half as hard to peddel and ride.. much easier. I toyed with the idea of getting one but decided to wait a bit yet (want to lose a bit more). The Cheap heavy bike is burning more calories, so the question on that is yes! thre is a difference in bikes. And i think you are 100% right in the "just get moving". The things i would have done different... My bike is to small, something you dont really know till you ride it. So at about 8-10 miles my shoulders and neck get sore becuase I'm leaning to much.  So maybe my best advise, get a bike that is your size, it really really really matters! I also got ride of that 2" wide seat and got a bigger one, while i cant tell you your butt wont be sore (its going to be, and then some) it does get better the more you ride, much better. Most Bike stores ahve some pretty good bikes int eh $250+ range, but dont be afraid to buy a cheap one to start if you are unsure. Most stores (walmart, kay-be) have last years modles and will sell um really cheap (jut keep in mind that size thing). from my reading on the web (maybe incorrect) you should have your leg only slightly bent when the pedel is at its farthest point, which wil mean you may need the seat fairly high, that in turn means the handlebars wil need to go higher.. that is the problem with cheap bikes, they dont have much adjustment.. of course that all depends on your hight, im 5'10' so the normal wallmart bikes are just a tiny bit to small fro me.   If your anything like me you will be adicted.. i cant belive how much i enjoy the ride. Dont push it, dont get out and pump those legs right away, start slow, build up to it (the start of a ride and the length too) I started at 2 -3 miles and was at 10 in no time.

And like i say, I'm no expert, not even close, just what happned with me.. and 40lbs later I'm 100% happy with bikes! Nice side effect of all this riding.. its 92 out today and I was out for a ride, it was warm, but I tolarate heat much better now, that is most likely the "better health and less wiegth thing" but I do like that I dont wanna stay inside when its over 80 now.

GOOD LUCK! and get peddling!

I have almost the same bike, but mine is a six speed.  I bought it for the seat, nice and padded.

Have fun peddling.

You guys are great, thank you.

Original Post by justlaura:

I started out at 260+ pounds on a cruiser, riding around my neighborhood.  Once you are ready, you can vary your resistance a little by purposefully trying to ride uphill or into the wind.

What happened to me, though, is that I got seriously addicted to cycling and decided that I wanted to hit the open road.  The cruiser just wasn't the right bike for that, so I traded it in for a hybrid...... 

Wow justlaura, same story as me!  I started out at 400 lbs and when I hit 250, I decided to beef up my exercise routine by biking.  I too started with a cruiser (A WSM -- Woman-Specific Model).  I've been enjoying it so much, I decided to up my routine so I stopped by the bike shop tonight to look at the Hybrid models.  The hybrid is going to be a gift to myself for going from 400 lbs. to 185 lbs.  I'm hoping the beefed-up biking will help me lose the last 30 pounds I want to lose.

Brighteyes, I wear a HR monitor when I bike on my cruiser.  I am by no means in top athletic shape and only manage to do 8 miles in 45 minutes (that's kind of slow).  Even so, it keeps my HR over 120 while I'm cycling which is a good workout. 

F.Y.I. -- At your heavier weight, you might want to look into the wider cruiser seats.  That's what I did to take some of the weight off of my tush!  When i started, I was only able to do a few blocks at a time.  I'm only up to 10 miles per ride right now but I keep pushing myself to go further.

What a lot of great advice you've received in this thread.  Guess that's why I like CC so much!

My main source of cardio is from a stationary bike I have in my home. What's nice is I can up the resistance and do some interval training with it. It's very convenient for me and I'm so glad I invested my money to it instead of a gym. I know I would end up NOT going to the gym whereas the bike is always there. If I need to do it at 10 pm I can...and without the inconvenience & expense of driving to town. I agree with the others here who have said to get what you want...whatever gets you movin is what works best!  You might be able to pick up a used bike at a yard/rummage sale to get you started and then invest in a fancier one later on when your ready. My boyfriend picked up a decent one at one of his neighborhood garage sales and just has to replace the tires for it to be in good working condition.

I've been thinking of investing in a bike for outdoors now too...might even use it to get to work though it's about 10 miles there and back. Save on gas and get some extra cardio in at the same time!

Hey girl, I didn't mean to make you think that a cruiser bike wouldn't work for you. It gets you out of the house and moving, that’s all that’s really important. It burns calories and is fun.  It's just that for me, I'm looking for a more intense workout and admittedly I'm a little addicted to that these days. I too think a cruiser is way more comfortable, having been riding my daughters new 26-speed for the last week or so…but I'm not looking for comfortable I’m looking to break through a plateau with a little extra intensity. I’m not sure what I said exactly to cause your concern but I was speaking more about what would be good for me more than what I thought would work for you.