63 years old, weigh 120 kg, 2 m tall, live by the beach

[Adrian John du Toit]

Howzit,

I'm looking to get fit and lose some weight, and really want an all terrain bike. il mainly be traversing sand dunes and beach trails, but also have access to fantastic farmlands trails on the west coast.

Can fellow forumites offer me some guidance/advice on what to purchase.

Cheers

Adrian

 

 

[Fred van Vlaanderen]

52 minutes ago, Adrian John du Toit said:

Howzit,

I'm looking to get fit and lose some weight, and really want an all terrain bike. il mainly be traversing sand dunes and beach trails, but also have access to fantastic farmlands trails on the west coast.

Can fellow forumites offer me some guidance/advice on what to purchase.

Cheers

Adrian

 

 

Howsit! 
 

Do you have a budget in mind?

[Eugene]

Don't cycle in the dunes or beach trails. Cycling in sand is the worst. You will hate it. 

[Danger Dassie]

If you can find something like a Trek Stache you'll enjoy an incredibly capable and versatile bike that will be pretty easy to maintain. 
Wouldn't recommend riding the dunes and beach though, wear and tear will quickly build up and you'll spend as much time maintaining the bike as riding. 

Perhaps consider speaking to a personal trainer and incorporate the riding into some beach walks etc. Give yourself some variety and there will be someone to guide you along, at least until you're comfortable.

[tinmug]

Cycling is awesome, and a great way to explore scenery. Can't recommend a bike but cycling in dry dune sand is bordering on impossible. But plenty else to explore and just about any mountain bike will have you up and running in no time. 

Speaking of which, where along the West Coast can beach trails be found?

[Jbr]

Riding in the sand only a fat bike can do that, but it won't be fun riding it anywhere else. So if I were you I'd buy a bike that's decent everywhere else than in the sand, and if you really want to ride on the beach, you'll have to ride where the sand is hard, so close to the water (but not so great for the bike obviously)

[Adrian John du Toit]

21 hours ago, BaGearA said:

Hi Adrian , welcome to cycling

 

Please don't buy A fatbike , it'll be awesome on the dunes but suck everywhere else.

 

Budget allowing get A steel hard tail with 120mm front travel , nice 650+ wheels and a 34/35mm fork 

 

That way you can ride on the dunes and swap out for A 29er wheelset should want to race the bike and do further rides.

 

Cotic solaris is top of my list 

 

[Adrian John du Toit]

Cheers,

Thanks for that insight, Ill check it out.

[lechatnoir]

19 hours ago, Eugene said:

Don't cycle in the dunes or beach trails. Cycling in sand is the worst. You will hate it. 

I second this. no matter how strong and fit you are (I'm not), riding in the sand sucks. The only upside is that it doesn't hurt so much when you fall over, and you will. a lot.

[Adrian John du Toit]

1 hour ago, Jbr said:

Riding in the sand only a fat bike can do that, but it won't be fun riding it anywhere else. So if I were you I'd buy a bike that's decent everywhere else than in the sand, and if you really want to ride on the beach, you'll have to ride where the sand is hard, so close to the water (but not so great for the bike obviously)

Ja, I wanna have fun, I live in Grotto Bay,  sandy paths all over and path to the beach that leads all the the way to yzerfontein, well almost. I guess the corrosion and sand can be problematic with plenty maintenance.

[Paul Ruinaard]

Plenty of nice bikes on the second hand forum. There was a carbon GT hardtail for R 12k i think.

As they said - get some kays in on the easy hard roads first - big boys sink on sand so steer clear. 

Riding on any beach looks cool but screws up a bike as it has an exposed gearbox. Add sand, salt and water to the gears and they will die very quickly. Best idea is not to do it. Ride down lekker farm roads for a nice jol in the early mornings when theres no wind.

Take it easy and start slow - you can give yourself a heart attack if you havent done some exercise and just go riding .

Ideally get an ebike but thats probably a next step.

[Adrian John du Toit]

Thanks all for insight & advice, quite a bit to digest.

I live in Grotto Bay, so have a mix of dirt paths, sand dunes and uninterrupted hard beach down by the waters edge to yzerfontein.

My budget is roughly R100000.00

Should be able to score a suitable contraption for that..

 I cant do any jarring exercises the  knees and ankle have osteoarthritis,

Swimming and cycling is my path to fitness again.

Im thinking of a ebike to start.

 

 

[Adrian John du Toit]

5 minutes ago, Paul Ruinaard said:

Plenty of nice bikes on the second hand forum. There was a carbon GT hardtail for R 12k i think.

As they said - get some kays in on the easy hard roads first - big boys sink on sand so steer clear. 

Riding on any beach looks cool but screws up a bike as it has an exposed gearbox. Add sand, salt and water to the gears and they will die very quickly. Best idea is not to do it. Ride down lekker farm roads for a nice jol in the early mornings when theres no wind.

Take it easy and start slow - you can give yourself a heart attack if you havent done some exercise and just go riding .

Ideally get an ebike but thats probably a next step.

Thanks Paul, I'm intend following a really easy path. Wont do the beaches and small rides to begin with.

 

[Jbr]

3 minutes ago, Adrian John du Toit said:

Thanks all for insight & advice, quite a bit to digest.

I live in Grotto Bay, so have a mix of dirt paths, sand dunes and uninterrupted hard beach down by the waters edge to yzerfontein.

My budget is roughly R100000.00

Should be able to score a suitable contraption for that..

 I cant do any jarring exercises the  knees and ankle have osteoarthritis,

Swimming and cycling is my path to fitness again.

Im thinking of a ebike to start.

 

 

for R100k I'd buy a cheap fatbike and a nice Ebike MTB if I were you

[Paul Ruinaard]

you will get a nice ebike for that - dont forget to get all the accessories - helmets, glasses, shorts, shoes etc can add up as well. 

I dont know Grotto Bay well but I am sure you will also have a good amount of wind. Wind and cycling mix 50% of the time - when you are going with the wind. Keep that in mind when you plan your rides.

[Tandemuis]

62 years and 120kg...you stated that you already have some issues with your knees/joints.

I will suggest that comfort is one aspect you should focus on more than anything else.

Stay away from anything "race" orientated. I take it that you are not planning on finishing any races with a podium finish? This is more a "getting fit and healthy" type bike riding?

Also keep in mind that bikes have a structural weight limit that includes the weight of the bike, rider, waterbottles and any other gear. For example: Some Orbea models have a limit of 130kg, some Trek models have a limit of 136kg, some Specialized models have a limit of 120kg. It is important to note that this weight limit is the rider + the bike + any riding gear.

The weight limit differs between models and frame types for most makes and the above are just examples of certain models.

I suggest you look at a bike with dual suspension with the aim of being comfortable over speed. 100mm travel front and rear as a minimum starting point. With the flip of a switch you can lockout your suspension... you can always turn a full suspension bike into a hard bike, but you cannot turn a hardtail or bike with no suspension into a suspension bike.

Another option...E-bikes. I am not sure how your fitness levels are or endurance. They are a bit heavier, but can carry more weight and they can help you with climbs and long rides if you run out of energy.

The other thing to consider is maintenance. The more stuff you have on a bike and the more complicated things are the more maintenance you need and for more parts of the bike. Make sure you get a bike that can be serviced and maintained by a place close to where you live.

It is a tough choice as the market is flooded with choices and models and it all can be very confusing.

I wish you all the best and hope you find your perfect bike very soon.

P.S. When you do find your bike, go for a professional bike fit. This will sort out a lot of issues. It will help to setup the bike according to your body. It really helps a lot and can prevent injuries. It also helps a lot with you being more comfortable on the bike with positioning.

 

Edited December 20, 2022 by Tandemuis
Bike fitting