# looking for entry level mountain bike 6'1 350lb fatguy



## gjmoran (Jun 28, 2013)

i have a couple bikes but they are all beach cruisers. looking for something i can take in the dirt, i know anything that will be quality will easily be over 1k. is it possible to find an entry level fat guy proof mountain bike under 1k? what abt used/craigslist? i am not hip to all this lingo ive been seeing in the forum so take it easy on me as i may not understand everything that gets thrown at me


side question, anyone on here from long beach, ca or surrounding areas? would like to become part of some biking groups to help keep me more active.


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## Bike Whisperer (Aug 7, 2012)

If you don't have any heartburn with buying online...how about a FAT bike for a FAT guy. No suspension to worry about (just big a$$ tires for suspension) and a steel frame.

Save up to 60% off new Fat Bikes and Mountain Bikes - MTB - Motobecane Lurch X9 SRAM

Something to chew on...


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## scottzg (Sep 27, 2006)

Bike Whisperer said:


> If you don't have any heartburn with buying online...how about a FAT bike for a FAT guy. No suspension to worry about (just big a$$ tires for suspension) and a steel frame.
> 
> Save up to 60% off new Fat Bikes and Mountain Bikes - MTB - Motobecane Lurch X9 SRAM
> 
> Something to chew on...


Hah! that's a great response!


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## gjmoran (Jun 28, 2013)

Bike Whisperer said:


> If you don't have any heartburn with buying online...how about a FAT bike for a FAT guy. No suspension to worry about (just big a$$ tires for suspension) and a steel frame.
> 
> Save up to 60% off new Fat Bikes and Mountain Bikes - MTB - Motobecane Lurch X9 SRAM
> 
> Something to chew on...


are these things easy to upgrade later on if needed/wanted?


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## Flamingtaco (Mar 12, 2012)

At 400Lbs I purchased a Cannondale F5 ($700), and aside from breaking 8-10 spokes per year, it has done fine. In the second year I upgraded to a Hollowtech crank ($60) so I could stomp on the pedals, and last year I built some bombproof downhill wheels ($400) with 15/12mm axles to resolve breaking spokes and bending the 9/10mm axles.

This plan of attach will get you into a new hardtail from the big four (Cannondale, Trek, Specialized, Giant), and you can spread out the cost.

Used bikes can be great, and save you a lot of dough. I bought an equivalent Trek (4300) for one of my boys that was a year old, looked showroom new, was ridden a handfull of times on manicured trails, and only had a rusty chain. For $280, I kept mum about the chain.


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## scottzg (Sep 27, 2006)

gjmoran said:


> are these things easy to upgrade later on if needed/wanted?


That bike doesn't really have anything on it that cries out for upgrading. If you kill a wheel or something it won't be a problem finding quality replacement parts. It will accept a suspension fork, but from your description of your intended use i wouldn't be in a hurry to add one.


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## Bike Whisperer (Aug 7, 2012)

gjmoran said:


> are these things easy to upgrade later on if needed/wanted?


There is more and more Fat Bike product coming out. This one uses what is becoming the popular hub standard to upgrading should be easy. That said, it looks pretty stacked for the price. Might upgrade either the freehub body to one that has an anti-bite feature or the cassette to an XT as there is another post showing the SRAM 1030 cassette digging into the alloy freehub body a bit (though the damage looks like it might have been loose).


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## gjmoran (Jun 28, 2013)

hmm im thinking maybe i should start out with a used bike..

which brands/models should i be looking for on craigslist - Cannondale, Trek, Specialized, Giant as mentioned above?


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## Bike Whisperer (Aug 7, 2012)

gjmoran said:


> hmm im thinking maybe i should start out with a used bike..
> 
> which brands/models should i be looking for on craigslist - Cannondale, Trek, Specialized, Giant as mentioned above?


All make good bikes, none will have a warranty which may be valuable for a large rider in bikes that simply aren't designed for large riders.

If you are looking used, look for Surly...specifically Karate Monkey and Ogre (and Krampus but won't find one in your stated price range). Solid steel frames than are worthy of upgrades.


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## gjmoran (Jun 28, 2013)

hmm any other solid steel framed bikes you could recommend?


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## Captlink (Apr 7, 2012)

Most bikes will need some clyde proofing old or new.These guys have been great in suggesting where to find the necessary parts and sharing what they have done on their rides to beef them up.I ordered a fatbike to ride with some comfort while having fun.Suspension will not always work well at over 250# but those huge tires will help smooth the ride and give you the traction to go places that will put a smile on your face.
-CL


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## moses667 (Sep 8, 2014)

Agreed on the fat bike thoughts. I started out about where you were and got an old 26er hard tail stump jumper on craigslist pretty cheap. Rode that till I knew the kind of riding I wanted to do and talked to lots of other riders to see where to go. I ended up staying steel and non-suspended, but moved up to 29er running a fat front and large rear (looking to make it a 650b+ rear soon). This lets me use the fat front like suspension and gain float like the lighter riders get with the smaller tires... When you're heavy, you literally do not float over stuff that lighter guys can. Fatter, larger diameter tires give you more float so you'll carry more momentum through non-smooth and soft sections of trail. For my money, if you're 300 or heavier, fatter/wider tires are worth more than any suspension. If you can get both, that's great too, but I don't like the tuning I've gotten in suspension so I keep it simple. YMMV.


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## gjmoran (Jun 28, 2013)

is there anything i could find for under 500 used?

what is 26er/29er? how can i tell if a used bike is a steel framed bike or not?

also if i do find a decent used steel frame mtb on craigslist i know absolutely nothing on how to choose tires (sizes/rims/etc)


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## moses667 (Sep 8, 2014)

My stumpy was $400 from craigslist (though it was 10 years old). 26er/29er refers to the diameter of the tires. Generally they're either 26" or 29" (and 27.5, but don't worry too much about it). This gets complicated by different tires sizes (for example, a fat 4" tire on a 26" rim measures out to approximately 29"). Suffice to say, you're likely to find, unless very recent, 26" or 29" wheels. At 6’1” you’re not worried about step over height so 29” wheels will be fine for you (and you’d probably prefer them). But you can ride either just fine.

For most any major brand used bike, look it up online, you'll likely find the historical specifications. Trek is very good about this. That'll tell you what the frame was made of and tell you what is original and what isn't about the used bike. Sometimes you might have to guess at years by matching up pictures of the bike for sale to the historical pictures, but you can get there. BTW- I didn’t look for steel vs. aluminum vs carbon vs diamond (kidding), I just got a bike and got riding.

What I’m about so say won’t help much, but: don’t worry too much about it if you’re going to start from an inexpensive, used bike. I didn’t know when I got my stumpy. I just went with a brand I knew. Then I went out and rode. I talked to people, joined riding groups, made friends, tried different bikes, learned what I liked and didn’t like, then spent a boatload of cash on a bike I knew I’d really love and love to ride. That’s just what I did… not saying that route is best for you.

At $400-$500 you’re talking about entry level new MTB, so anything you get used is likely to be at least comparable (buyer beware). Get something that seems right and go out and ride! (IMHO - YMMV  )


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## gjmoran (Jun 28, 2013)

are there any other brands i should be looking for besides cannondale/trek/giant/specialized ?


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## Rasky (Dec 22, 2014)

Maybe look for a Kona Hoss. I have one that and its been great for me as a big guy. I did change out the stock fork for a rigid fork. Mine is a 2006 that I paid $800 for new so a used one should be pretty well into your range.


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## moses667 (Sep 8, 2014)

Lots of brands you can look out for. Other more common brands are Diamondback, GT, whatever REI's house brand is... I know a lot of people like: Niner, On One, Kona, Surly... lots of other stuff I'm just not thinking of. Surly Krampus would have been my second choice behind the Jones I ride now (Jones is a boutique brand you just don't see much of, Surly is becoming much more common and make great fatbikes). If you're checking out general classifieds like Craigslist, the vast majority will likely be one of the brands you've already mentioned anyway.


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## slowride454 (Jan 11, 2014)

I started on a GT Karakoram 1.0 Zero problems.


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## Kukantiz (Feb 13, 2015)

gjmoran said:


> i have a couple bikes but they are all beach cruisers. looking for something i can take in the dirt, i know anything that will be quality will easily be over 1k. is it possible to find an entry level fat guy proof mountain bike under 1k? what abt used/craigslist? i am not hip to all this lingo ive been seeing in the forum so take it easy on me as i may not understand everything that gets thrown at me
> 
> side question, anyone on here from long beach, ca or surrounding areas? would like to become part of some biking groups to help keep me more active.


Couple things. I'm 6'1" 330lbs and I ride a Kona Mahuna. It's a 29'er. I paid $7-800 for it, and it's been money well spent.

Secondly, I used to live in long Beach. The San Gabriel trail will be a perfect ride for you. I'm down in Lake Forest CA now, and I'm looking for a bike buddy to do rides on the weekends.


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## askibum02 (Jul 7, 2005)

I understand where you are all coming from with recommending a fat bike, but I have to disagree. I also understand where the OP is coming from because I'm 6ft and just shy of 400lbs. While the bigger wheels and tires will offer a softer ride, they also come with a lot more rolling resistance which can make the difference between making up the hill with your lungs intact and not. I agree with the used Surly recommendation, pretty much any other major brand mountain bike that fits in your budget, with a rigid fork. Personally I ride a steel frame and a suspension fork that is a little more Clyde friendly, but unfortunately it wouldn't fit into his budget. I rode a 12 year old Jamis 26" most recently until I figured out what I really wanted and my budget increased.


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## moses667 (Sep 8, 2014)

I don't want to start an argument about rolling resistance, however the myth that larger tires have higher (and especially *significantly* higher) rolling resistance is pervasive. They don't. At least not necessarily. See: Rolling Resistance | Schwalbe North America for example. That being said, they are heavier and thus will have some additional inertia which can both work for and against you. The real benefit, especially for heavy riders specifically on trails is float and toughness. They go over trail irregularities more easily, whether mud or roots and they are less likely to become damaged from it. This is especially important as the heavier rider carries significantly more momentum which can more easily damage smaller tires/thinner rims. That being said, again, not really the point. If you're a heavy rider, such as myself, the important thing is to get out, ride, and have fun doing it so you'll keep doing it. Worry about the perfect bike when you know better what that is.


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## askibum02 (Jul 7, 2005)

I'm not trying to start an argument either, the article backs that up what I was alluding to, in a round about way. "At the same pressure" a wider tire will offer less rolling resistance. A 2.35" 29er tire at 30psi, approx. circumference 2329mm, is going to have less rolling resistance than a 3.8" fat bike tire at 10-12 psi, approx. circumference 2345mm.


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## moses667 (Sep 8, 2014)

You're right (and keep in mind, I said "not necessarily"). I was thinking more about the difference between a heavy rider and a regular one. The calculation changes when we're talking about riders at 300-400+ lbs because the tire deformation and contact patch size which determines the resistance does not increase equally as you add rider weight over the study weight (I'm assuming 150lbs) for tires of differing volumes. The smaller volume tires will add deformation more quickly than the larger volume tire. Here we're talking about doubling or even tripling potential study weights so that difference can become so large that in your example of 30psi, if that was for a 150lb rider, you'd have to increase the psi of the smaller tire beyond its operating limit to reach an equivalent rolling resistance for a heavy rider. The larger volume tire can reach that rolling resistance well within its operating parameters and be built on what is more likely to be a stronger wheel (debatable) as a side effect. BTW- I'm really not arguing, I find thinking through this fun...


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## askibum02 (Jul 7, 2005)

Fair enough. A big guy riding a fat bike is a double edged sword. Sure it is beefier and will stand up to abuse, but how much beefier do you really need? I'm almost 400lbs, and aside from having to get beefier wheels, and having a little more than 20% front suspension sag, I don't have any problem on the trails. Along with the extra beef of a fat bike comes a lot more weight. I can image the wheels and tires add at least 3lbs. That's pretty significant for someone who's out of shape.


Sent from a telecommunication device with a touch screen keyboard.


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