New guy from Texas, yeeha

[manfrommarrs]

Hey guys,
I'm new to motorized biking although I have some ideas of what I want. Let me start by saying I'm a big guy, 6'2" and 295 (on a good day!). I'm 52 yrs old and my Dr. AND my wife have been on my butt to loose weight because of my heart condition. A quadriple bypass in 1995 that started everything off. Since 2000, 7 angioplasties and 8 stents. Let me stress that I'm not an invalid, I had a Fuji Absoloute bike I recently sold on Craigs list. I think it would be cool to have a motorized bike to tootle around on and to get some exercise WITHOUT wearing myself out. I'm thinking about a WORKSMAN heavy duty bike with a motor on it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[bamabikeguy]

I've built a few of the Worksmans....they take up to 6 weeks to get delivered, you can specify your options on their website or order it through your bikeshop. Dave Staton could also help you on the order, IF you can get him on the phone.

With the heavy duty-ness of the trike, plus your weight, I'd rec. the Stanton PAV-3 (speed) kit with the Honda 50cc, with the "middle" number of sprocket teeth.

(In other words, your area of Texas not having mountains means you don't need ultimate torque, and even if you get the sprocket with the highest number of teeth, you really don't want to run at full speed).

Having just returned from Austin (via Tyler ), I can envision how you will quickly want to head out on long rides, so I'd order the arm rests on the trike, and the largest detached gas tank Dave Staton offers, which fits in the basket.

Even the cupholder Worksman offers has more than one potential function.....

 

[manfrommarrs]

Thanks for your reply & input

I am still wanting a bicycle, not a trike, so would the 4 stroke motor you mentioned fit in the bike frame? The frame I'm considering is their straight top tube 20" bike. It's interesting that Worksman also offers a true cruiser single speed bike (built in China) for about half the price of the American made counterpart. I wonder if anyone has any experience with this bike?

 

[bamabikeguy]

I'm of the anti-single speed/anti-coaster brake camp....But I've put larger customers on Sun Retro 7 speeds, one fella dropped 40 pounds in less than 6 months, his doctor ended up ordering one.

The Sun Retros are now called Sun Cruz models, but the name may change again as the newest models come in. The half fenders is what I like on those models. Big pedals, long curved handlebars, gel grips, 10" saddles (get the 12" saddle upgrade, if you can !)

They are in the $350 range at a bike shop, one price step down from the Treks, which are around $425.

 

[Walt1976]

Welcome

I am from Corpus Christi, Texas. I too am just getting started and I haven't decided yet on what to buy or build. Good luck on your project.

 

[manfrommarrs]

Funny you mentioned Sun bikes

I was in a bike shop in Shreveport, La today and they had a couple of Sun bikes, unfortunately, no steel framed one. The lady,owner, said she would get me a Sun Kruiser for around $325. BTW, do you have a bike shop or just an enthusiast?

 

[bamabikeguy]

No, I wish I DID own a bike shop, knowing the markup on bikes....(my catalog has the dealer prices in it). I get a bit of a discount on the bikes I order locally, cheaper than the prices I see online sometimes.

Those Cro-Alloy bikes have really good welds, and weigh about 45 pounds, combined with a heavy wheel on the back, they really hold up. My personal 2005 model probably has over 15,000 miles on it.