Newbie / ludite - weight & size question!

Hey people

Sorry if this comes across as a silly question but I've not had a lot to do
with bikes for a few years when all I had was a bog standard crappy mountain
bike.

Now in an effort to get fit and pick up a hobby I want to get into riding
again. Mainly just light trails, woods, minor roads etc but have a few
queries about my size (insert your own jokes here!) and weight. I'm 6ft 5"
with 36 leg and although not massively overweight I'm heavy framed and never
gonna be exceptionally light!

Is this going to cause any problems with my choice of bike? Probably sounds
silly but is there any kind of limit on what a frame / seat stem etc can
take, especially as it's gonna probably be at it's highest etc? Not sure
how heavy I am but want to avoid any problems.

With regards to bike I realise it's OTT but I can get a deal through a mate
for an Orange "EVO 4 Disc" that gets me about 300ukp off the price, tempted
as although I'm only beginning I wanna stick with this and want something
decent.

Anyway any advice greatly received so thanks in advance!

Clippy wrote:

I'm 6ft 5"
with 36 leg and although not massively overweight I'm heavy framed and never
gonna be exceptionally light!

Is this going to cause any problems with my choice of bike?

Probably. It's not going to stop you riding, but it will limit your
choices.

Probably sounds
silly but is there any kind of limit on what a frame / seat stem etc can
take, especially as it's gonna probably be at it's highest etc? Not sure
how heavy I am but want to avoid any problems.

Yes, there are limits on both the seat post and stem. With newer bikes,
you get very little height adjustment with the stems.

With regards to bike I realise it's OTT but I can get a deal through a mate
for an Orange "EVO 4 Disc" that gets me about 300ukp off the price, tempted
as although I'm only beginning I wanna stick with this and want something
decent.

The Evo's a very nice bike and should serve you well - provided it fits.
Try the 21" version.

Anyway any advice greatly received so thanks in advance!

The most important thing is to go to several bike shops and try as many
different brands and sizes to find something that fits you well. You
talk about wanting to stick with the sport, well, you're much likely to
do so if you've got a bike that fits.

"bomba" wrote in message
...

Probably sounds
silly but is there any kind of limit on what a frame / seat stem etc can
take, especially as it's gonna probably be at it's highest etc? Not
sure
how heavy I am but want to avoid any problems.

Yes, there are limits on both the seat post and stem. With newer bikes,
you get very little height adjustment with the stems

Presumably with replacement posts etc you can combat this problem to some
extent?


With regards to bike I realise it's OTT but I can get a deal through a
mate
for an Orange "EVO 4 Disc" that gets me about 300ukp off the price,
tempted
as although I'm only beginning I wanna stick with this and want
something
decent.

The Evo's a very nice bike and should serve you well - provided it fits.
Try the 21" version.


Thanks for the advice. It is the 21" version that I can get hold of. I
haven't had a chance to look at it in person yet to see if it fits well or
not but I certainly will first. Does anyone know what the seating
adjustment is like on it or of any other bikes they would recommend being in
the same situation?

Cheers

Clippy

In article ,
"Clippy" wrote:

"bomba" wrote in message
...

Probably sounds
silly but is there any kind of limit on what a frame / seat stem etc can
take, especially as it's gonna probably be at it's highest etc? Not
sure
how heavy I am but want to avoid any problems.

With regards to bike I realise it's OTT but I can get a deal through a
mate
for an Orange "EVO 4 Disc" that gets me about 300ukp off the price,
tempted
as although I'm only beginning I wanna stick with this and want
something
decent.

The Evo's a very nice bike and should serve you well - provided it fits.
Try the 21" version.

Thanks for the advice. It is the 21" version that I can get hold of. I
haven't had a chance to look at it in person yet to see if it fits well or
not but I certainly will first. Does anyone know what the seating
adjustment is like on it or of any other bikes they would recommend being in
the same situation?

I'm the last person who should be advising you from personal experience
(5'6", 157 lbs. and aiming for sub-150 by April), but Kona makes the
"Hoss" specifically as a Clydesdale (big, heavy rider) bike. You could
also look at the hardtails other makers build as freeride or dirt-jump
bikes (The Norco Charger or Sasquatch, for example), though such
machines usually have forks and gearing choices (bash guard instead of
big ring) that might not suit your riding.

http://konaworld.com/2k4bikes/2k4_hoss.cfm
-also available in a Dee-Lux version. Kona has a certain reputation for
durability.

http://norco.com/bikes/2004bikes/charger.htm
-they call it "all-mountain", or an intermediate weight hardtail. Don't
know what Norco's prices are like in the UK, but it looks like a good
deal from here.

http://norco.com/bikes/2004bikes/sasquatch.htm
-you probably can't kill this one, but a DJ III fork? No big ring? Three
other bikes using this frame, each even heavier than the Sasquatch.

Disclosu I work for neither company, but I do ride an old Kona
Kilauea (on the used market, steel is a deal), and both makers are
basically local manufacturers to me. That said, you see a lot of FS
bikes from both bike makers on the Shore, and that wouldn't happen if
they broke like matchsticks.

--
Ryan Cousineau, http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine
President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club