Pretty much like the subject says, I have a heavy teen grandson (300 pounds, 6' 2") that goes through bikes pretty quickly. Looking for suggestions on a mountain bike for him. Thanks!
Bike Suggestion for a Heavy Teen
- Thread starter yeehaw1960
- Start date
trust any Trek, steel or aluminum frame. Had a 6000 series. put tens of thousands of miles on it. Rims eventually got cracks. (old caliper type brakes)
Remember to keep up spoke tension, tighter on the drive-side on the rear wheel.
They sell 'down hill' specials with beefed up forks, shock & rims to take more abuse than X country light weight rides.
Remember to keep up spoke tension, tighter on the drive-side on the rear wheel.
They sell 'down hill' specials with beefed up forks, shock & rims to take more abuse than X country light weight rides.
I'd go with some type of hybrid for trail & street use. I'm 6'5" and about 260; been riding a Motobecane Jubilee Deluxe (made by Giant) for the past 15 years with zero problems or undue wear...and that includes many desert trail miles while stationed in Tucson. Check out this site for more choices than you can shake a stick at...and at some of the best prices you'll ever find:
The bike types can be found via the tabs at the top of the screen's home page.
Save Up To 60% Off Road Bikes, Bicycles, Mountain Bikes and Bicycles with Bikesdirect.com, New with full warranties
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bikesdirect.com
The bike types can be found via the tabs at the top of the screen's home page.
10-4 on the Bikes Direct recommendation.
The bike in this link is good for the price. It has a preload adjustment for the fork which he'll need to dial up because of his weight.
It also has hydraulic brakes which need less attention than cable disc brakes.
They have his size in stock in the link below. The bike is labeled HD for heavy duty, which is sorta is, I guess.
Higher end bikes that have lighter components to save grams are sometimes less durable. Department store bikes aren't durable.
This bike is a happy medium.
The bike in this link is good for the price. It has a preload adjustment for the fork which he'll need to dial up because of his weight.
It also has hydraulic brakes which need less attention than cable disc brakes.
They have his size in stock in the link below. The bike is labeled HD for heavy duty, which is sorta is, I guess.
Higher end bikes that have lighter components to save grams are sometimes less durable. Department store bikes aren't durable.
This bike is a happy medium.
Save up to 60% off new Mountain Bikes - MTB - NEW Gravity HD TRAIL 27.5 FULL Shimano 24spd, LongTravel Forks, Double Wall Rims Powerful HYDRAULIC Disk Brake Mountain Bike 27.5s
Mountain Bikes - MTB - Gravity Bikesdirect Free Shipping 48 States - cross country - xc racing - hardtail - Shimano 27.5 Mtb
www.bikesdirect.com
9 Best Bikes For Heavy Riders And Overweight Person
Cycling is one of the world’s most accessible hobbies, but it doesn’t always feel that way to everyone. People who are large framed or overweight ( heavy ri
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MrQuackers
Site Donor 2024
Eddy says ride lots
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In the south-side of Pittsburgh PA there is a shop that makes custom bikes from scratch. Mostly for trail and BMX. When you walk by there shop big doors that are big enough to drive a truck through, and they have them open on warm day, there is usually someone in the shop welding a bike frame.
See if there are any shops that make custom bikes in your area.
See if there are any shops that make custom bikes in your area.
AZjeff
$50 Site Donor 2023
What kind of bikes is he wearing out, what is he doing on them and what is your budget?
Not sure what your budget is, but a full-suspension “trail” bike is the only way I’d go. $2,300 is about the bottom-basement price for something name-brand that isn’t junk.
There are some hardtail Trail bikes out there too for less money, such as the Specialized Fuse.
Trail bikes are generally beefier than cross country mountain bikes. Heavier/stronger frames, wider, stronger wheels, more suspension travel, etc.
There are some hardtail Trail bikes out there too for less money, such as the Specialized Fuse.
Trail bikes are generally beefier than cross country mountain bikes. Heavier/stronger frames, wider, stronger wheels, more suspension travel, etc.
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Thumbs up to the thread starter caring about his grandson and wanting to get him a good bike.
Ok, hold on a minute. Where is he planning on riding? Road? Gravel? Gravity Park? The suggestions for a "HD" downhill frame for someone riding down the road will make his riding experience awful. Something with long, soft travel and a downhill geometry is about the worst choice unless you are shuttling up or at a lift-assisted park. Quite honestly, unless he's hitting the mountain trails, a hardtail 29r is about his best choice. With the (very) limited supply of bikes during covid (bike shops here have zero inventory...you can order for 2022) the Northrock XC29 from costco provides a well built frame and decent shimano drivetrain. I would suggest this if it's simply used on pavement or gravel.
www.northrockbikes.com
If you can find one and have the budget, a trek dual sport works as well.
www.trekbikes.com
Giant is the value leader, but hard to come by right now.
www.giant-bicycles.com
Northrock Bike - Mountain Bike - xc29
If you can find one and have the budget, a trek dual sport works as well.
Dual Sport bikes - Trek Bikes
Giant is the value leader, but hard to come by right now.
ATX (2022) | bike | Giant Bicycles Canada
www.giant-bicycles.com
Surly Krampus but also hard to come by right now.
I didn't know all those kinds of bicycles (or bicycling) even existed. When I was a kid (which was admittedly a long time ago) there were boy's bikes and girl's bikes, bikes with balloon tires, and for the well-heeled, 3 speed bikes. Boy's bikes were red and girl's bikes were red.
We went everywhere with our well-used second-hand bikes. The roads were gravel and the trails were dirt. There were no paved roads in the area.
We went everywhere with our well-used second-hand bikes. The roads were gravel and the trails were dirt. There were no paved roads in the area.
AZjeff
$50 Site Donor 2023
You're going to get more meaningful help with some answers to some questions asked. Stay away from Walmart etc bikes, nothing there is going to hold up to anyone who weighs 300 lbs. There are some very knowledgeable bike guys here but we need more info. There's a bike shortage going on and you're going to likely have to spend north of $500 to get something to hold up for long. Forget full suspension.
Here are some key points for you to consider. Steel bikes flex, noticeably so for heavy riders. Aluminum is stiffer, may suffer stress fractures over time.. (especially cheap frames with cheap welds) Carbon is expensive, and excess weight will shorten the lifespan of a carbon frame.
I would visit your local bike shop and look at aluminum frames. Entry level bikes are a little north of $500 during normal times, expect to place an order for next year.
I would avoid used frames, there is no telling what the PO put it through. I wouldn't trust a 300 lb person on a used aluminum frame.
Lastly, if you break one spoke, you can replace it. If you break a second on the same wheel, have the wheel inspected and rebuilt. 300 lbs is a lot of stress on a wheel.
Good luck shopping!
I would visit your local bike shop and look at aluminum frames. Entry level bikes are a little north of $500 during normal times, expect to place an order for next year.
I would avoid used frames, there is no telling what the PO put it through. I wouldn't trust a 300 lb person on a used aluminum frame.
Lastly, if you break one spoke, you can replace it. If you break a second on the same wheel, have the wheel inspected and rebuilt. 300 lbs is a lot of stress on a wheel.
Good luck shopping!
Hardtail MTB
and if needed get a custom wheelset made, with iirc 36 spokes, and the maybe the thickest straight gauge spokes, and whatever hubs (SRAM hubs aren't that relatively expensive).
Replace the quick-release seat post clamp with a regular seat post clamp.
and if needed get a custom wheelset made, with iirc 36 spokes, and the maybe the thickest straight gauge spokes, and whatever hubs (SRAM hubs aren't that relatively expensive).
Replace the quick-release seat post clamp with a regular seat post clamp.
Knowing my mower man @yeehaw1960 from bitog over the years, I don't think he's looking for a $500 mountain bike, let alone a ~$3K one for his grandson. Assuming he's a kid, I know I sure as heck wouldn't buy a kid a high end bicycle unless it was some type of necessity.
From the weights and measures you list, he'll need at least a 29" MB and something with substantial wheels, tires, seat, seat post, etc..etc.
Problem is, even a decent one of those from Wally that will work with your grandson will run you $400 these days if you can even find one. Finding one is the biggest problem at the moment.
All things being equal, smaller rims are stronger than bigger rims, and more expensive bikes tend to be stronger than cheaper ones. An XL version of a late 2000's freeride hardtail, should be cheap and pretty tough for anything, but have gears for trail rides. If you or your grandson can work on bikes you are miles ahead buying something like my bike below for $400 than anything new under $1k. An old bike that's been taken care of and upgraded with stronger parts over the years is going to be hard to break and pretty reliable.
If you guys don't work on bikes(he should learn) I'd get a 27.5" or 29" wheel plus size tire hardtail, like a Trek Fuse, Kona Big Honzo, Norco Fluid HT+ is a good all-rounder and should stand up to most riding. Seems like alot of money but they will be good bikes for the next decade or two, and if kept out of the rain will not depreciate much in value when its time to upgrade or switch bikes. If you're willing to get into $12-1400 range you can get some really good hardtails. Also its worth going to a local mtb shop when its not busy and talk to the guys there. They may even have a used bike collecting dust that may work for him.
If you guys don't work on bikes(he should learn) I'd get a 27.5" or 29" wheel plus size tire hardtail, like a Trek Fuse, Kona Big Honzo, Norco Fluid HT+ is a good all-rounder and should stand up to most riding. Seems like alot of money but they will be good bikes for the next decade or two, and if kept out of the rain will not depreciate much in value when its time to upgrade or switch bikes. If you're willing to get into $12-1400 range you can get some really good hardtails. Also its worth going to a local mtb shop when its not busy and talk to the guys there. They may even have a used bike collecting dust that may work for him.
