A custom bike sounds expensive, I really wish there were more east-to-buy prebuilt options.
Yes, it can be expensive, but being obese is expensive. Some people have to go out of their way to buy “big and tall” clothing (at a premium), special beds or chairs, modifications to their car, etc.
Fat people are pretty common, they’re not a rare body shape or disability that should require a custom bike.
Fat people may be common, but heavy-duty bikes are not. For a bike to be stronger, you either have to sacrifice on cost, the weight of the bike, frame materials, or hard-to-find/custom gear.
It becomes a problem when someone is looking for a cheap bike, because none are going to be built to carry an enormous amount of weight.
And I do wish higher weight limit tires were more common, I’m not overweight myself but I sometimes heavily load my electric bike with cargo (and a trailer that pushes down on the rear axle), and occasionally I have problems with spokes breaking already.
They are… for a price. You can get tires and wheels built to handle more weight, but you’d have to pay a premium for them, and be willing to sacrifice their size/weight.
You also have to be realistic of what you’re getting. If someone weighing 300lbs wants to get a small folding bike, they aren’t going to have much luck with anything.
I fitted new wheels on my MTB turned touring-capable bike, and had to get 36 spokes and very beefy schwalbe tires to accommodate the load. I spent a lot more than someone who doesn’t have to worry about carrying weight.
I wish heavy wheels were more standardized for both heavy people and cargo bikes.
They will be. E-cargo bikes in particular have really jumped in popularity, and that will be followed by cargo-specific tires, wheels, and accessories.
But to circle back to the original article. Yes, weight limits and all relevant specs should always be listed and easily available. I personally hate having to dig through stuff to find something as important as torque specs for bolts, as an example.
I predict “mag” wheels, or forged aluminum wheels to come back into style. Cast mag wheels were cheap in the 80s, but forged wheels are much lighter, though also much more costly.
Yes, it can be expensive, but being obese is expensive. Some people have to go out of their way to buy “big and tall” clothing (at a premium), special beds or chairs, modifications to their car, etc.
Fat people may be common, but heavy-duty bikes are not. For a bike to be stronger, you either have to sacrifice on cost, the weight of the bike, frame materials, or hard-to-find/custom gear.
It becomes a problem when someone is looking for a cheap bike, because none are going to be built to carry an enormous amount of weight.
They are… for a price. You can get tires and wheels built to handle more weight, but you’d have to pay a premium for them, and be willing to sacrifice their size/weight.
You also have to be realistic of what you’re getting. If someone weighing 300lbs wants to get a small folding bike, they aren’t going to have much luck with anything.
I fitted new wheels on my MTB turned touring-capable bike, and had to get 36 spokes and very beefy schwalbe tires to accommodate the load. I spent a lot more than someone who doesn’t have to worry about carrying weight.
They will be. E-cargo bikes in particular have really jumped in popularity, and that will be followed by cargo-specific tires, wheels, and accessories.
But to circle back to the original article. Yes, weight limits and all relevant specs should always be listed and easily available. I personally hate having to dig through stuff to find something as important as torque specs for bolts, as an example.
I predict “mag” wheels, or forged aluminum wheels to come back into style. Cast mag wheels were cheap in the 80s, but forged wheels are much lighter, though also much more costly.