Friday, October 13, 2017

Are there bicycles suitable for overweight cylists?

I noticed that customers who are overweight tend to fear looking awkward on the regular bicycle with narrow tyres. They have a tendency to worry that the wheelset cannot withstand their weight and will break down on them while they are out cycling.
This anxiety can distract them from enjoying the ride and make them feel clumsy on their bikes. Moreover, most of them prefer larger saddles which will look awkward installed on a regular bike.
So, based on the questions asked, I tend to recommend that they get a fatbike.
A cyclist needs to pump his bicycle tubes around once every week or once every fortnight if he does not ride as often. However, for a very heavy rider, he may need to inflate his tubes more often as the tube need to be pumped to the maximum pressure stamped on the sidewall. It can look embarrassing for a larger rider to be cycling on a bicycle with tyres that look flat. So, this can a hassle.
Fatbike runs on 26x4″wheelset. The wider width tyres provides better balance for an overweight person. The air in the tubes is best pumped to the maximum pressure if it is ridden on paved road. You should let some air out if you are cycling it off road. Then the tyres will act like a suspension fork, making the rider feels like he is riding on a 2 wheeler monster truck. This eliminates the requirement to pump air in tubes more often for heavy riders.
Fatbike is not that common yet in Malaysia and this is a feedback from an overweight customer who took my advice to get a Fatbike. He said that it gives him a sense of pride. People are looking at the Fatbike and not him as an overweight rider. Strangers tend to approach him and asked him about his experience on his Fatbike. This encourages him to ride out more often which helps him to reduce some weight.

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