For People who do not like to exercise.....
like me! This summer I bought a bike. When I started I thought it would be easy but I was wrong.
Some of my concerns:
I am going to fall and break something
I am going to crush the bike under my fat self.
People will see me and laugh.
I will invest money in a bike and like other things in the past it will collect dust and I will end up throwing it out practically unused.
I dont want to buy it, try it, and have it hurt me.
I don't want to fail at something again.
After much research this is what a friend of mine and I did. (she weighes aprox 340lb and I was at about 290)
I went to a bike shop not near my house. Maybe a few towns down the line. I was brutally honest with the bike guy. The conversation started like this:
"Hi, I would really like to buy a bike, but I don't have alot of money and I weigh 300lbs, Can you help me?"
IMy thinking was that I would never have to see this guy again if he started pointing and laughing at me. Much to my surprise he didn't. He howed both of us 2 differnt kinds of bikes. Explained why the cute bikes we liked in the first place may not work right now. Showed us models in our price range. Explained he could not guarentee we would blow spokes out...HOWEVER did tell us that he could fit the bikes for wider tires if needed. He told us to invest in bigger seats (mine was 40$) and told us it would be normal to hurt the first 3 or 4 times riding. But if we took care of the seats to just keep bringing them back within a week and he would switch them out with another for a full credit until we found one we liked.
So for less than 250$ I ended up with a great bike thatI love and don't even feel like I'm exercising.
I also found out it was possible to get a decent bike for not alot of money.
cheers
-Jill
Some of my concerns:
I am going to fall and break something
I am going to crush the bike under my fat self.
People will see me and laugh.
I will invest money in a bike and like other things in the past it will collect dust and I will end up throwing it out practically unused.
I dont want to buy it, try it, and have it hurt me.
I don't want to fail at something again.
After much research this is what a friend of mine and I did. (she weighes aprox 340lb and I was at about 290)
I went to a bike shop not near my house. Maybe a few towns down the line. I was brutally honest with the bike guy. The conversation started like this:
"Hi, I would really like to buy a bike, but I don't have alot of money and I weigh 300lbs, Can you help me?"
IMy thinking was that I would never have to see this guy again if he started pointing and laughing at me. Much to my surprise he didn't. He howed both of us 2 differnt kinds of bikes. Explained why the cute bikes we liked in the first place may not work right now. Showed us models in our price range. Explained he could not guarentee we would blow spokes out...HOWEVER did tell us that he could fit the bikes for wider tires if needed. He told us to invest in bigger seats (mine was 40$) and told us it would be normal to hurt the first 3 or 4 times riding. But if we took care of the seats to just keep bringing them back within a week and he would switch them out with another for a full credit until we found one we liked.
So for less than 250$ I ended up with a great bike thatI love and don't even feel like I'm exercising.
I also found out it was possible to get a decent bike for not alot of money.
cheers
-Jill
This is a great bike story!
You did the absolute right thing by going to the shop and telling them everything you wanted/needed from the bike.
Good job!
You did the absolute right thing by going to the shop and telling them everything you wanted/needed from the bike.
Good job!
Read my blog, BARIATHLETE I run because I can.
First 5K race October 4, 2009 (34.59) PR 5/22/11 (27:26)
First 5 Mile: January 1, 2011 (50:30)
First 10K: July 4, 2010 (1:03.26) New PR 4/10/11 (1:01.14)
First 10 Mile: April 11, 2010 (1:46.15)
First 1/2 marathon: June 13, 2010 (2:22.21) PR: 5/1/11 (2:17.30)
First Marathon: October 16, 2011: 5:47:20
Goofy Challenge: January 7-8, 2012
If you think you can, you can. If you think you can't, you're right. - Mary Kay Ash
First 5K race October 4, 2009 (34.59) PR 5/22/11 (27:26)
First 5 Mile: January 1, 2011 (50:30)
First 10K: July 4, 2010 (1:03.26) New PR 4/10/11 (1:01.14)
First 10 Mile: April 11, 2010 (1:46.15)
First 1/2 marathon: June 13, 2010 (2:22.21) PR: 5/1/11 (2:17.30)
First Marathon: October 16, 2011: 5:47:20
Goofy Challenge: January 7-8, 2012
If you think you can, you can. If you think you can't, you're right. - Mary Kay Ash