Bikes for Fat People: How to Find a Strong Bike to Lose Weight

Nov 15, 2010
Helen Smeaton

Bikes for Large Over-sized People - Supersized Cycles.com with permission

Where to find strong bikes for fat people. Will a cheap bike for weight loss fall apart if you weigh over 300 lb? What to look for in a heavy person's bike.

Looking to lose some weight through cycling? If you’re seriously overweight, cycling is much kinder to knees and joints than say, running, but most bicycles, like the entire range built by top selling brand Trek, are only built to withstand a maximum weight of 275 to 300lb. Big brands, it seems, don’t make bikes for fat people who weigh over 300 lb.

Many people are specifically looking for "bikes for fat people", while others think the word "fat" is insulting. The point is, no matter what word you use to describe it, extra weight means looking for a different kind of bicycle.

It is possible to buy a bike suitable for a heavy person, whether obese or just packed full of muscle; this article offers advice on what to look for.

Bikes for Overweight Men and Women

Many bikes for overweight men and women are custom built. That’s because a heavy person needs a strong sturdy bike, capable of carrying a heavy load, and mass market bikes simply aren’t made of the right materials.

Cheap bikes from discount stores, for instance, usually have budget wheels with aluminum spokes that will quickly break if put under too much strain, and standard tires that can’t be pumped up enough to withstand the weight of an obese person. And as for the pedals, well, they will probably crack if you try to stand up when climbing a hill!

Strong Bicycles for the Obese

Strong bicycles for those who are obese ideally need to have the following features:

A steel frame – less likely to break or crack when supporting weights over 300 lb.
Strong wheels – with stainless steel spokes and sturdy rims, that won’t warp under a heavy load.
Wide tires – they’re actually called fat tires in the mountain bike world and can be pumped up to a higher tire pressure (psi).
Thick inner tubes – pop a thick inner tube inside a fat tire to minimize punctures.
Metal pedals – the wider the better for improved weight distribution.
Wide saddle – well padded to give maximum comfort for an over-sized person.

Steel is preferable as if the bike frame should develop a crack, it can be welded; not something you can do with lightweight carbon!

Brands to Consider for Fat People Bikes

Many heavy people between 250-300 lb can get away with riding a “standard” bike, especially if key bike parts like wheels are upgraded. It’s important, however, to choose a strong frame and many mountain bikes built for downhill riding or freeriding are sturdy enough to be ridden by over-sized people.

Mountain bike brands to consider for fat people bikes include Kona, who make burly bikes like the Stinky freeride model with a made-to-withstand-anything aluminum frame; Trek with their Sawyer bike, a 29er steel framed model with 2.25” tires; or Surley, a niche brand making innovative bikes like the Pugsley, a go-anywhere bike with enormous 3.5” tires that can be run on low pressure.

But if you weigh well over 300 lb and you just want a cruiser-style bike to start losing weight, a specialist brand to consider is Zize (Size with Attitude), made by Super Sized Cycles. Founded by Joan Denizot who was sick of being “sized up by some mega-fit sales clerks who sell equipment made for skinny people,” Zize bikes are specifically built “for large, fat, super-sized, obese, plus-sized, huge, queen size, whatever!” as Joan is happy to call herself. The brand offers bicycles, tricycles and even electric-assisted bikes to make it easier for a fat person to start a weight loss program on a bike and have fun doing it.

Bicycles for Big Men and Women

It is possible to find bicycles for big men and women, either by choosing a mountain bike, built to withstand abuse while hammering down rugged terrain or by opting for a specialty over-sized person’s brand like Zize.

If you are serious about starting a weight loss program through cycling, avoid cheap discount store bikes, or be prepared to spend time and money replacing or upgrading key components, as they are sure to wear out or break pretty quickly.

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Helen Smeaton - Helen Smeaton runs a cycling and hiking business and is also a freelance writer and web designer. Read her profile for more information