Video: Celebrating Larger Riders in 'All Bodies on Bikes'

Mar 29, 2021
by SHIMANO  


Kailey Kornhauser and Marley Blonsky are on a mission - a mission to change the idea that people in larger bodies can't ride bikes. The duo aims to make cycling more inclusive, beyond just inviting people of all sizes to ride bikes, but by changing the entire idea of what it means to be a cyclist — not just on screens, but on trails and in people’s minds.

Director: Zeppelin Zeerip
Producer: Zac Ramras
Director of Photography: Michael Brown
Editor: Michael Brown
Sound Design: Avery Sandack
Animation: Studio Dialog
Starring: Kailey Korhauser
Marley Blonsky
Music: Easy Giant
Rigger: Kyle Metzger

Native Lands: Duwamish, Coast Salish, Kalapuya, Chemapho, Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, Alsea, Tillamook, Siletz, and Yakina.

Additional Thanks: Corvallis Bicycle Collective, Black Rock Mountain Bike Association, Velo Orange, Free Range Bike Shop

Posted In:
Videos Shimano


Author Info:
shimano avatar

Member since Apr 7, 2000
87 articles
Report
Must Read This Week
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup

350 Comments
  • 425 26
 Perhaps the demographic that needs to ride bikes the most. We should be as positive, uplifting, and encouraging as possible to people looking to better themselves by riding bikes.
  • 180 5
 EDIT: after watching the video, there are some great quotes.

"Our bodies are meant to move. It doesn't matter what size you are".

Some might say this video is trying to destigmatize an unhealthy lifestyle, and/or encourage people who are over weight to be comfortable with their current weight. I'm not sure. Few people respond well to negative reinforcement. The woman in the video talks about her memories of weight loss attempts as "negative narratives" and "negative thoughts". Yes, we shouldn't ignore nutritional science and what actual healthy bodies are, but idk if you're cycling often its only a matter of time before you become healthier than you were before. "To me, the motivation to cycle as a way to lose weight was not a healthy way to approach cycling". Probably true. We need to do find exercise that we first and foremost enjoy, otherwise its unlikely we will be able to stick with it as a lifestyle.
  • 91 90
 I agree that we should be as positive, encouraging, and uplifting as possible, but I have to disagree with the "need" to ride sentiment and would suggest more of a "absolutely, you are able, and we welcome you" sentiment. The "need" suggests the idea that people must work to be smaller, rather than enjoying themselves as they are. IMO, cycling needs more space to celebrate people (and let folks celebrate themselves) as they are rather than creating additional routes for them to strive to fit our ideals.
  • 164 9
 @squid2: I use "need" from a health perspective. It is pretty established science that being overweight not only is associated with poor health outcomes, it causes it. A healthy body contributes to a healthy mind. Individually and societally we would all be better off if we were healthier.
  • 86 7
 100% accurate. A simple smile or thumbs up to the people just starting out will have a huge impact on their mindset and willingness to keep going.

As a side note, a large percentage of people that are thin are incredibly unhealthy. There are serious stigmas in society that are based on fashion (thin, heavy, dark, light, etc) and have nothing to do with health or wellbeing.
  • 9 2
 @salespunk: Yes- this is exactly what I was trying to get at! Thanks.
  • 37 77
flag matadorCE (Mar 29, 2021 at 8:26) (Below Threshold)
 Look around dude, most people in the US aren't some olympic athlete with low body fat. This country is fat, and overall people don't get enough exercise so what I guess what I'm trying to say is that your comment came off extremely condescending and elitist. Maybe try to be supportive without sounding like a total dick; that's a valid option too.
  • 38 43
flag Sirios (Mar 29, 2021 at 8:29) (Below Threshold)
 "perhaps the demographic that NEEDS to ride bikes the most "??
i think you missed the point . it wasn't about NEEDS to ride a bike , but more about CAN ride a bike .
  • 47 1
 @hamncheez: Totally agree with your comment that people need to find a sport or hobby that they enjoy. Then the weight loss becomes a secondary focus and is more sustainable.
  • 61 12
 @hamncheez: Exercise, at least the amount of exercise a normal person that isn't a fanatic or pro would do, is not going to change your weight much. If your diet does not change, you'll drop some weight, but the average recreational rider will maybe be able to drop 10-15 lbs total with nothing else changing. 80% of weight loss is diet. That doesn't mean 'fad diets' or 'dieting' just making sure you're not taking in too many calories and also getting enough nutrition. You need to find a lifestyle diet that is sustainable long-term (basically indefinitely) w/out making you feel like you are starving or denying yourself constantly or it won't work. The process will therefore be slow, but it will be sustainable and help you keep the weight off for good once it is gone. People who do crash diets or a ridiculous amount of exercise (AKA 'Biggest Loser' show) almost always gain the weight back and even more because that kind of eating and exercise is not practical or sustainable long-term. You should exercise to stay healthy and have fun, and it helps with weight, but it should not be the primary driver of weight control, a healthy sustainable diet should be the driver. This is of course often easier said than done and there are many reasons (other than will power) out of people's control that do not allow them to maintain a healthy diet, not the least of which are economic factors, which if not addressed will make issues with healthy diets and weight impossible to correct. But I think the main idea is that you don't know why someone may be heavy, so just don't judge them, and some larger people are very capable doing all kinds of sports. They don't need you reminding them that they should lose weight; and really, unless they are a family member, it's none of your business anyways. The thing to do is just treat everyone the same regardless of their weight. Don't patronize them, and don't assume what they can or can't do. Really that's about it.
  • 111 1
 In the USA, the top 10 causes of premature death are:
Heart disease
Cancer
Accidents
Chronic lower respiratory diseases
Diabetes
Influenza and pneumonia
Kidney disease
Suicide
Septicemia
Liver diseases

Arguably all but 2-3 of these are very, very related to weight. Its the same for many other Westernized countries. If we as a population lost adipose tissue it would decrease premature morality and healthcare costs more than any other thing we could do.

Helping people find a hobby and activity that they enjoy AND that helps contribute to this is what I want.
  • 15 2
 @squid2: I mean....there is a real need though
  • 20 1
 @shawndashf1: Yes, I'm aware (from personal experience too) that caloric restriction is going to be more profitable than hours spend doing cardio. That being said, that 10-15 pounds dropped sheerly from exercise is not a trivial amount. The average american is 25 pounds overweight. Your figure is halfway there.

There are also many other positive aspects of being fit not necessarily related to how fat you are. You can have some extra chub and still be pretty fit, and you'll have a healthier cardiovascular system, lower chance of type II diabetes, etc.

Finally, if you're socializing with other cyclists, and you're spending more time in the sport, what is the likelyhood that you'll start eating healthy?
  • 61 18
 @hamncheez I totally get where you're coming from, and it's from a good place. It's just the framing that has some people put off.

You're essentially saying, "Think of the better person you'll become!" Instead accepting who people are right now. Yes, it's great to encourage people to be healthy, but we shouldn't make it seem like we'd love them more if they were a slimmer version of themselves. We should welcome people as they are.

That's why you're getting a bit of heat. Your message is well meaning, but it still passively signals that who people are right now may still not be good enough. Regardless of gender, it's something that many people deal with and pushes them away from trying something for fear of not fitting in.

Shoot. Look at half the comments online. There is a small, but very loud, group of people that will bash on anyone that buys a nice bike and "wastes it". If you're having fun on a bike, you're not wasting it. If your idea of a good time is gliding down a blue flow trail and never leave the ground then more power to you. You're out on a bike enjoying the sport in your way. Not everyone has to train for Rampage.

just my $0.02.
  • 8 3
 @TrailFeatures: Yes, well articulated!
  • 15 62
flag RBalicious FL (Mar 29, 2021 at 9:20) (Below Threshold)
 @TrailFeatures: If you shuttle more than pedal. That IS wasting a nice bike and is very defeating of the purpose of bicycles in general. The occasional shuttle as a treat is understandable.
  • 10 3
 @RBalicious: But, how does that affect the fun you're having on your ride?
  • 23 69
flag burningpines (Mar 29, 2021 at 9:34) (Below Threshold)
 @hamncheez: How can you watch that video and come away with the notion that it's appropriate for you to talk about how fat bodies are inherently unhealthy when that is exactly the opposite of the message? I know you think you're being supportive, but this is just unhelpful and hurtful. The most powerful part of the video to me was the discussion of the immense trauma we inflict on fat people and especially fat kids by telling them they are not ok unless they change their bodies, and it's on us not to perpetuate this cycle. Fatphobia is a deeply embedded part of our culture and it's on us all to do better. I say this as someone who a decade ago could have easily made the same sorts of comments, so please don't take this as me calling you a bad person or anything, but it's important that we examine our priors here.
  • 21 53
flag burningpines (Mar 29, 2021 at 9:36) (Below Threshold)
 @TrailFeatures: Excellent comment, thank you. We need to stop policing other people's bodies and behavior, even if we think we're helping (usually it's misguided).
  • 81 6
 @burningpines: Ok, this is where I start to digress from people on this topic: Being overweight/obese is inherently unhealthy and it certainly reduces athletic performance.

I encourage everyone to get out on the trails. It is great for your mental and physical well-being, but saying that being overweight is totally ok for your health is just not true.
  • 11 72
flag burningpines (Mar 29, 2021 at 9:49) (Below Threshold)
 @HB208: Why do you feel like it's your place to tell people they're unhealthy? Did they ask for your opinion?
  • 43 5
 @burningpines: I don't just go out and tell overweight people they are unhealthy. Where did you get that from? I am specifically commenting on your post stating "How can you watch that video and come away with the notion that it's appropriate for you to talk about how fat bodies are inherently unhealthy when that is exactly the opposite of the message?"

My point is that it is inherently unhealthy. So are a ton of things. Shit, MTBing can be if you crash all the time and hurt yourself. I just don't buy the whole "healthy at any weight" thing because being overweight or obese is inherently detrimental to your health.
  • 12 44
flag aerob (Mar 29, 2021 at 9:55) (Below Threshold)
 @hamncheez: "Arguably all but 2-3 of these are very, very related to weight." -> is it tied to weight or lifestyle?
Not exercising can certainly lead someone to gain weight and be unhealthy, however, many people are just heavier in general despite a healthy lifestyle and those who are bigger and exercising don't necessarily have an increased susceptibility to these conditions.

The problem with fatphobia is that we're making assumptions about who is healthy and who isn't based off how they look, which doesn't directly correlate to health. Certainly there's an association, but there's also the inverse where lots of thin people don't exercise, smoke, etc and are subject to these same health issues without the stigma from society since they "look" the part.

This is why it's so important to promote exercise without "weight loss" as the outcome. Exercise will improve your health regardless of whether you lose weight as a result.
  • 31 3
 @aerob: Weight and "being fat" are not the same thing, yes. And yes, you can gain weight after exercising due to muscle gain. However, it is fair to say that if someone is 300 pounds and clearly out of shape that it is unhealthy. Just as it would be if someone was skinny, yet frail. I get your point on promoting exercise without "weight loss." However, even the girls in the video call themselves "fat." If that is what you think your own body is, it may make sense to try and lose weight because excess body fat is associated with all sorts of poor health outcomes.
  • 29 2
 @aerob: It's more than a correlation and it's insane that you would want someone to have to defend the obvious causal link between obesity and poor health. Noticed we are in a pandemic? How are the obese making out?
  • 14 1
 @Adamrideshisbike: Agreed. You can get away with being obese while you are young. However, I have seen first hand how miserable life becomes if you are overweight/obese when you get older. Want a life where you are on various medications, cannot move without assistance, and die younger? Ok, well, be obese. My step-grandpa lived until he was 94 and only needed assistance in his last few months and that was due to cognitive decline, not physical. My grandmother-in-law is 78 and cannot walk more than five feet without sitting down and gasping for air. Guess which one I would rather be?

I want to be riding bikes well into my retirement. I don't get there by making poor choices in my youth.
  • 14 16
 @HB208: Yes, but constantly bringing their health into this is just a distraction. The video is literally promoting 1 thing - getting more people riding bikes. We know that is beneficial to health. The health of these women is not your concern. The visibility of seeing more larger people on bikes will encourage more people to pick up cycling and likely improve their health (and maybe even result in weight loss, but again, it's not for us to worry about).
  • 21 4
 @aerob: Ok, I agree with getting more people on bikes. Completely agree with it. However, these same riders have published other articles essentially saying that weight loss isn't necessary. That is a take I disagree with.

I think your tune would change if someone said "I don't need to stop smoking cigarettes to be health." Food addiction and overeating can have the same health effects as smoking (cancer, poor lung health, poor heart health, etc.), so I don't think this is far off.
  • 5 2
 @hamncheez: I've always said that exercising, specifically cycling, to lose weight is just trying to achieve physical health at the expense of mental health. The best way to go about it is to always do something, active such as cycling because you love it, and enjoy the health and weight loss results as a side bonus to the endorphins that being on a bike produces. Awesome video!
  • 6 1
 @shawndashf1: "80% of weight loss is diet."

Hard to pin an absolute number, but I think this is close. And it supports modern theories / science about weight loss.

It's tougher for the >50 crowd too to lose weight, and that is also complicated by body types too.
  • 15 34
flag aerob (Mar 29, 2021 at 10:34) (Below Threshold)
 @HB208: Now you're insinuating they're addicted to food? Did you listen to Kailey in the video? She mentioned her long term struggles with no being able to lose weight by dieting as well as on going time spent with medical professionals. Neither of these women appear to have food addictions. Again, their health issues are between them and their doctors. Plenty of people won't lose weight on a diet due to thyroid issues, metabolic damage, etc.

Again, the whole video speaks to their experience being judged based on their appearance and then the comments section here only continues to do so.
  • 11 4
 @aerob: Look, you are right about these specific individuals. I cannot comment on whether or not they are "addicted to food" just based on this video alone. However, food addiction is a thing that many people who are overweight and obese deal with. Maybe not all.

She talks about overrestrictive eating and I understand that is also unhealthy. I am not advocating people to go from one extreme to the other.

However, based on my own experience, you need to give yourself time to lose weight and get healthy. People are impatient and it doesn't happen overnight. And yes, if you are trying to lose weight, you may be hungry because you body needs to adjust to a new caloric level (I am forgetting the term, but essentially your body gets used to having a certain amount of calories and will fight back against dropping it).

I also get that there is a LOT of mental baggage with all of this. Weight loss is harder when people give you shit your whole life.
  • 8 4
 More people on bikes is good for EVERYONE. Great post. Thanks @shimano !
  • 5 9
flag HB208 (Mar 29, 2021 at 10:47) (Below Threshold)
 @aerob: Also, I don't think "dieting" works. It is more about trying to get a feeling for your body and what you can and cannot eat sustainably.
  • 22 3
 Someone below in a different thread commented "Don't normalize poor health, celebrate the attempt to change it" and I couldn't sum it up better.

@aerob "The health of these women is not your concern." I have lots of concern for my fellow human beings. Empathy is natural and appropriate. I do agree with you though, positive reinforcement is going to be more persuasive than being a jerk, plus at some point someones health is their own business.
  • 9 0
 @hamncheez: I'm in this camp of Western diet/culture has had/will have a huge negative diet and weight related impact on everyone's lives. It seems evident that national healthcare policy will be significantly impacted. Millennials are on track to be in a world of hurt. I'm sure Gen X and Z aren't much better. Politics aside and who pays, the USA will have to address an ever growing burden on our healthcare system.

I'm Gen X and unless I change my diet and habits, I'll struggle to shed the weight gained in 2020 by the end of 2021. Anecdotally, it feels like there are a lot of people in the same position. It wouldn't surprise me if there isn't a CoVid-10-12lbs of weight gain that proves statistically significant and accelerates weight related diseases in all generations.

So I agree that the more people finding cycling and its positive supportive and healthy community, the better for everyone.
  • 20 1
 @aerob: At one point Kailey mentioned that her nutritionist mentioned sort of jokingly she could eat fewer apples. Could be closer to the truth than she knew.

It reminded me of my kid, who loves apples and as a 6-yr old ate easily 4-5 a day, often a few in quick succession after coming home from school.

We couldn't figure out why he was gaining weight. We tried smaller portions for a while and when that didn't work we put him on an apple diet, as in: max 1 apple per day. And voilá! Kilos burned off fast. Turned out it was the fruit sugars.
  • 9 0
 @mi-bike: Yes, the dietician may not have been off. If she was having a ton of fruit everyday, the dietician wasn't being "mean" by pointing out that this may be a cause. People think that fruit is healthy in all quantities, which it is not. Same thing for "fruit juices", which are essentially just soda to your body.

I think a lot of people that were overweight as children have really profound self-doubt. I am all for cycling helping with this.
  • 6 0
 @Texicans: Average weight gain during the lockdown was 20 pounds: jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2777737

I gained about 10, but my wife had another baby and I had massive shoulder surgery, so I blame it more on that for me haha.
  • 25 2
 @aerob: Right we should be enablers to their dangerous food/sugar addiction and not give a crap about their health. We should support alcoholics right to be themselves and not suggest they get help too because that would be drunk-shaming, right?
  • 10 2
 @salespunk:

This is a great comment.

Just wanted to say that there was a thread on MTBR the other day where someone took an unsolicited positive comment (IIRC, like a "you got this" as they were reaching the top of a climb, or something similar), and viewed it as a "was it that obvious that I am that much of a noob" type of situation.

It obviously wasn't intended as a slight towards the user, but because of how they viewed themselves and their place in the sport, what was meant as an encouragement, instead made them doubt themselves.

So I guess I'm just saying that we all need to be aware that sometimes singling out people (even in positive ways) might not be received the way we intended. Which I guess we just have to be positive to everyone(imagine that) Smile .
  • 7 5
 I'd just like to say this was a great video, and I hope no one takes my comments as personal attacks. I loved the beginning edit- shes no pro rider, but they filmed it in such a way that it still was very engaging and exciting.
  • 9 5
 @shawndashf1: agreed. I don’t think this article is about how cycling benefits overweight people, it’s about realizing you shouldn’t assume larger people are out of shape. I owned a shop and had touring cyclists come through.. many stories like this, but I’ll never forget this guy that was like 6’4” and at least 300lb, did not look in shape and averaged 130miles per day with a 50 lb bike towing an equally heavy trailer. He still looked plenty fat and the dude was in great shape. Don’t assume!
  • 4 6
 @TrailFeatures: agreed! And how about the fact that people can look thin and athletic and be near heart attack while you can have some extra lbs and still be in great shape. Assuming someone needs to exercise based on body type is just inaccurate.
  • 10 3
 @emptybe-er: It's about statistical risk. People in athletic shape also die of heart attacks, just at a much lower rate than people who are obese. There are always exceptions and one offs.
  • 7 3
 @hamncheez: No, I do really feel you were coming from a genuine place of love. I also think that a lot of valid points were brought up in this thread, however, we need to remember that no two situations are the same.

At the end of the day, it's about letting people know that who they are right now is good enough.That in and of itself may actually be the positive feedback they need to make a life changing habit.
  • 10 2
 @aerob:
> The video is literally promoting 1 thing - getting more people riding bikes.

I am not so sure that this is what this video is promoting.
  • 6 3
 @emptybe-er: Cycling burns roughy 40 calories per mile, but that's not factoring in a 100lbs bike/trailer combo, so you could probably bump that to 50 calories per mile, which means someone riding 130 miles per day is burning ~ 6500 calories on top of the ~2,500 calories per day a male adult burns just being alive. I guess if you consumed 9000 calories or more per day you would maintain the weight you started with, but it would be incredibly easy to drop that consumption to 8000 calories per day and burn down your fat reserves.

I know I lost 15+lbs quite quickly last year once my riding season started and it was only when I tracked my calories for a few days that I realized I was simply not eating enough for the amount of exercise I was doing.
  • 32 1
 I skipped over this whole debate so I could post something important. If it's repetitive, my apologies. Wife is a Registered Dietitian who handles most every facet of her industry. Councils municipalities & industries to help their employees improve health. Does educational outreach. But her two biggest duties are counseling sessions with:
1. Type 1 & 2 Diabetics
2. Cardiac Rehab clients

Those 2 segments don't just have issues with their weight. The vast majority have SERIOUS MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES that are intertwined with their food lifestyle & their activity lifestyles.

Not just mental health internally induced. Serious, complex issues like molestation, abuse, poverty, social anxiety & depression.

The dark underbelly of obesity isn't brought to light in videos like this, but I'm not sure it should be. They're making themselves happy & much like any endurance activity, riding bikes helps us grab a piece of our sanity back. I'd love to see this piece tied to a mental health piece as well.

To ruin everything I've said, lets all get this straight. We as a society are grossly denying what "OBESE" is by definition. I'm 5'10", 190lbs, wear 34" waist pants. No one except my wife will tell me "YOU ARE OBESE". But I am. My actual waist is above my belt at my belly button and measures 38". Everyone mistakes my build for "healthy" because our minds are so distorted about what healthy looks like.

We are all living a lie of what "healthy" is. The "starving myself" thing doesn't work. It forces the body to do what it's done...save up any calories and slow you down to maintain what it's been taught.

If you want to fix your body and health, consider a combination of doctor/dietitian/therapist. And be HONEST with all of them. They eagerly want to uncover what's hurting your long term health but it's not simple.

Want to break the cycle of obesity in your life.
1. Seek therapy. Bear your soul to them.
2. Call your doctor. Get your test results and use as your starting points.
3. Request your doctor refer you to a dietitian. Listen to what they tell you and make small changes.

Repeat. That 3 pronged, lifelong approach is your best option
  • 15 0
 @cuban-b-can-blow-me: This is my main issue with people saying you need to come to terms with being an "overweight body" or "fat body." I think people should be addressing the root causes for their weight, not just coming to terms with it and acting like society needs to change.
  • 5 1
 @cuban-b-can-blow-me: When I did my capstone for my econ degree, we were studying developing countries, specifically rural India. The average BMI in those places was 17 (in ~2010)! If you subsidized these very poor people's lifestyle with some form of UBI they didn't spend it on more food, so their BMIs stayed the same. I love the USA, I love our way of life and culture, but its not perfect. You're 100% right when you say we need to reframe our perspective on what is healthy. We as a culture put too much emphasis on eating and experiencing food, esp. high carb diets.
  • 3 1
 I went from 5’10, 180lbs to 218lbs from August to February. Quarantine was hard on me.

Each week, I was also taking

500mg testosterone
300mg deca
300mg primobolan

Pretty successful quarantine
  • 1 2
 @Mntneer: how much did you go up in your lifts? I tore my pectoral so I went down like 150 pounds in my incline bench haha
  • 3 12
flag dkos (Mar 29, 2021 at 14:50) (Below Threshold)
 @hamncheez: i think what you might be missing here is the idea that fatness and poor health can be mutually exclusive. one can be fat AND physically healthy, and just as well, one can be skinny/average weight and be in very poor health. above-average weight is merely one of the gazillions of possible consequences of having poor diet or exercise habits - it is not an inherently unhealthy condition.

so yes, we do need to exercise, but I disagree that fatness is necessarily a sign of poor exercise habits.
  • 13 1
 @dkos: No, you cannot be "fat" and "fit". There is ample evidence that excess body fat causes health issues. www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/can-you-be-overweight-and-still-be-fit

Is exercising while you are overweight better than not doing so? Well, yeah, but you cannot be a "fit" fat person.
  • 5 1
 @cuban-b-can-blow-me: I think your statement that the vast majority of people who have type 1 or 2 diabetes and or experience some kind of cardiac health issue have "SERIOUS MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES" is more than slightly over the top to say the least. Type 1 diabetes has no known cause, and nearly 10% of the US population suffers from type 2.

You are right about waist size though, many popular stores 'vanity size' their pants, both male and female, some to the tune of 5+ inches, so someone wearing a '34" pant' is actually wearing a 39" pant and they don't know it.
  • 5 2
 @dkos: My capstone project for Economics was all about BMI. At the time, I was a very fit 180 pounds at 5'9", which gives me a BMI of 27, which is considered "obese". I was offended by this, as I did a lot to stay fit. So I did a ton of literature review, and then did some sum of least squares statistics on negative cardiovascular events (like heart attacks) and BMI, against a dataset of the general population and then again using NFL players. The idea is that NFL players are all super muscular, and, if like a lineman, they have some body fat, they also have good fitness and muscle mass. The result? No measurable difference. How can this be? In the literature, measuring people over time, having high adipose tissue is very, very, very correlated with the above mentioned diseases. And it turns out that most people with high muscle mass, either lean or with some body fat, are typically in that state for a brief time in their 20s and most get as fat as the rest of us, so much so that their brief window of fitness doesn't show up in the statistics.

Point being that not just being fat, but having a high BMI is such a powerful predictor of health outcomes that even with the difference between fit, muscular people with high BMI and the rest of us, the rest of us overpower the fit people (in statistical populations) such that the fit ones don't move the needle, statistically (have I said "statistically" enough yet?)
  • 2 1
 @shawndashf1: I totally agree with on the need for sustainable nutrition. Fad diets or any diet that is viewed as short term is a recipe for failure. Any dietary adjustment should be viewed as a permanent adjustment. With respect to weight loss though, I would actually argue that diet is only part of the equation. Ultimately we're talking about an energy balance of calories in versus calories burned. Steady state cardiovascular exercise is not particularly effective at burning fat, unless to go a long distance and permit your body the opportunity to burn fat. To really trigger fat loss (and muscle development) you need high intensity training, often of an interval format. Weight/strength training is also very effective at burning fat so long as rest time between sets is kept short. That said you can over eat, you can under eat, you over exercise, and you can under exercise. Most Americans that are overweight over eat and under exercise, eat really poorly and have worthless exercise habits (i.e. hours on the treadmill or elliptical and no strength training). Fat shaming isn't okay, but I also wouldn't agree that fat people can't be more healthy. For the two ladies in this video I'm certain something is amiss and I suspect it is high intensity training and strength training. Not all exercise is created equal. Productive exercise will elevate your metabolism for up to 48hours after your workout...that's where the fat burning magic is, not in the time spent at the gym (that is just the stimulus) and not all forms of exercise will spur that kind of benefit. I strongly recommend ATHLEANX or some other similar form of program as an addendum to our mountain biking hobby.
  • 7 0
 how I look at it: everyone should feel welcome to get on a bike without feeling like they need to solve all of life's challenges all at once.

more good things in your life, the better...and bikes are good things.
  • 1 1
 @HB208: Riding a bike on a trail alone (in most cases) will not be enough. There needs to be an element of intensity involved. I would also add that strength training should also be part of the equation. Mountain Biking is not a whole body workout. To have a well functioning body you need to train your entire body. Mountain biking doesn't even provide a comprehensive lower body workout.
  • 3 1
 @HB208: Much better to gain muscle weight than fat weight. Fun fact you can have a "bad" BMI if you are quite muscular and lean since BMI does not differentiate muscle mass from fat mass.
  • 2 0
 @HB208: Much better to lose weight gradually rather than quickly. Steady improvement is much healthier and sustainable than a shock loss. There is a big difference between a caloric deficit and starvation and I think people forget that and lose track of what is means/ takes to establish an effective healthy deficit for weight loss.
  • 2 1
 @CarlMega: Couldn't agree more!
  • 8 3
 @HB208: Here's the kicker... if we tell these girls they shouldn't be happy with their shape, the chances are they will hide themselves away at home. If we can resist the temptation to tell them they need to loose weight and just encourage them to feel comfortable on their bikes, the chances are they will ride more and be happier. They will probably be healthier too and may even loose some weight along the way, but that's none of our business.
  • 2 1
 @uberwax: I agree, encourage biking and plant the seed that if you want to become a stronger rider supplement your riding with high intensity strength training. The person planting that seed, though, had better be doing that very thing too otherwise your placing a criticism rather than providing words of encouragement. You can't force actions on people, you can only provide ideas.
  • 1 2
 @cuban-b-can-blow-me: Nice take, thanks for sharing that info. Mostly though I'm replying because you're user name... holy sh*t, had me dying! But speaking of which, I haven't seen cuban-b post in a while. Maybe I just haven't been looking for it?
  • 2 0
 @hamncheez: Just to be clear the 3rd biggest killer are doctors errors/accidents, not accidents caused by the deceased. Very important to recognize and in America this has been well documented by Johns Hopkins U.
  • 3 0
 @DDoc: Which is why you should stay as healthy as possible and avoid hospitals like the plague.
  • 2 0
 @ChiefSilverback: you're correct. But also short of the entire picture. Managing Type I Diabetes is a double whammy. Most of us know Type I folks who are managers of a health condition out of their control. My wife sees TONS of Type I who are as (if not more) destructive and have worse issues than Type 2. Imagine the double whammy of a chronic Type 1 that you had no part in & being raised with no understanding of food's role in their condition. If I gave you the list of issues of the "average" Type I...wow.
  • 12 1
 Guys, I enjoy reading your different takes on BMI of people of differing mass composition & ways to eat and ways to exercise to "kick in fat burning", etc.

But you're all so far past the simplicity of the most basic issues of obesity. The girl in the video (I'm not speaking about her but the statements regarding food to relay real world examples)...she speaks about a nutritionist telling her to "eat less apples" and another time saying she wasn't eating and still not losing weight.
So take those 2 statements. They tend to illicit "extreme" behavioral reactions. A person tells you they were told to eat less apples... common sense would tell you what the family relayed and what she and/or her parents "heard" is muddled. The statement about starving herself while exercising alot...also an extreme.

The MISERABLE TRUTH of it all is we have to make little changes in life that are increments that are unnoticeable and habitual. A commitment to simply move daily. The diligence to increase the amount by a minute a day until a year later, it's 365 minutes of movement in a day.
Tracking food intake in a week by reducing the amount of sugar in your coffee by a few grams for a month until you have less than 3 grams of sugar in your cup.

Diligent, microscopic change. Just like saving money for retirement when your 18.

But that crap is boring. We lie about what we eat,we want to make big changes, ride in "the fat burning zone", go on "epic" rides and drop 5lbs of water weight...go Keto, etc.

We cannot handle the long haul mundane changes that make our bodies change ina healthy, permanent manner.
  • 11 1
 @cuban-b-can-blow-me: Yeah, but that would require taking personal control and not blaming society. Good luck with convincing people of that in this day and age.
  • 7 0
 @SuperHighBeam: You see how I didn't once mention BMI? That is for that very reason.

The people in this video are not in the category of "very muscular, so the BMI is off."
  • 4 0
 @uberwax: Agreed. I am all for people feeling like they can get out and ride bikes. I am not for people trying to pull to wool over our eyes by saying you can be a "fit" yet "fat" cyclist.
  • 5 0
 One thing I haven't seen anyone mention is the inability to get weight off because of hypothyroidism which affects many people and often goes unnoticed or treated improperly. Average family doctors aren't generally much help in this area. A hormone specialist is a better bet. Also often overlooked is the interaction between thyroid function and adrenal function. It's my understanding that if you are on T4 for low thyroid function but also have low functioning adrenals the T4 will not do much and you will progress. It's a very complicated subject that definitely can't be covered in a few comments but just wanted to make the point that it's not always just a diet/exercise issue.
  • 2 3
 @HB208: Everyone knows obesity statistics at this point. The article is about being inclusive, and due to commenters feeling the need to jump right into health 101 discussion, my point was to not make assumptions.
  • 2 0
 @ChiefSilverback: Maybe he was losing weight?! I’m guessing probably so! My point was to not always make assumptions based on body type.
  • 2 8
flag J-Sheridan (Mar 29, 2021 at 20:52) (Below Threshold)
 How about the advice from a "nutritionist" to the main focus in the video when she was a child "eat less apples". WTF? Worst advice ever. If that's all they had to suggest for improving her diet, it's time for another line of work!

Ride those bikes girls! Love yourself and listen to your body. It will tell you how to take care of it, just listen carefully.
  • 8 1
 @J-Sheridan: Who knows what the dietician really said. Maybe she was eating too many apples and thus getting too much fruit sugar. You are just getting one side of the story.

You can't just "listen to your body" your way out of a serious weight problem.

Again, I am all for as many people riding bikes as possible. It is a great thing for your mental health and physical health AND at least some overweight people who do it will decide to make lifestyle changes to do it better.

I am NOT ok with telling people that being overweight and obese is ok for your health.
  • 5 0
 @TrailFeatures: its not about loving them more if they become healthier.. Its expressing to them that they will be happier with themselves if they do. Not because how they look, but how they feel. Being overweight had an impact on your physical health. Issues with physical health always effect mental health.
  • 2 0
 @radrider: Plus, if you really love cycling, wouldn't you want to be able to do it at the highest level possible for you?
  • 3 6
 @HB208: Eating apples is not why anyone gains large amounts weight, let's be serious. To argue to the contrary is nonsense.

Who said anything about obesity being ignored. It sure is a serious problem here in North America! People with this issue need to be accepted, not continually made to feel as though they must meet some arbitrary standard imposed on them by others in order to be valued.

You don't think that people dealing with issues of obesity can use their own judgment as to what they should do? You don't think that their body let's them know everyday what's up??? Joint pain, restricted movement, etc...
  • 8 2
 @J-Sheridan: No, I don't think that people dealing with obesity can just use their own judgement when it comes to diet. If they could, they would not be obese (for the most part, there are some rare medical conditions that can make weight gain easier).

People with obesity should not be made to feel like shit, but they also shouldn't be made to feel like it is alright and normal. That is where the "living in a big body" thing gets me. Your body and your mind are connected. If you treat your body like shit, you mind is also affected.

Again, she is giving one side of the story. At face value, yes, she probably didn't gain all of her weight from apples, but people who don't want to change their habits or resist it pinpoint one or two things an expert tells them and latch onto it. Without getting the dietician's side, it is impossible to know if she is telling the truth.

I am all for her getting active and out. I don't like how these videos normalize obesity by saying "well, I don't know if I really need to change and I have come to terms with it." At least in my mind, it would be like showing a smoker riding bikes and saying "well, I don't know if I need to quit smoking, I have come to terms with it." The health impacts of obesity are profound and it is fine for society to try and nudge people to change their eating and exercise habits.
  • 7 0
 @J-Sheridan: Just one more thing: The reason you cannot just "listen to your body" for weight loss is that your body fights caloric deficits and gets used to a certain level of calories. So if someone say drops their caloric intake from 4k calories a day to 2.5k, your body fights back with food cravings, even if the lower amount of calories is optimal.
  • 3 1
 @HB208: There is quite a difference between fruit and fruit juice.
Typically, when pasteurized, fruit juice effectively turns into glucose. Yes, fruit juice might as well be soda, but in the case of whole apples, they have a HUGE amount of fibre for a relatively small number of calories (app. 100 calories and 4 grams of fibre;15% of your RDI of fibre.)
I'm not advocating eating fruit all day (vegetables FTW) but the glycemic index for apples is around 35, the lowest of almost any fruit.
There's a reason they say "An apple a day keeps the doctor away"
  • 4 0
 @woofer2609: I agree, if she was eating a ton of apples everyday, that could be it, but probably not. Or potentially she wasn't truthful with the nutritionist, which happens a lot in self-reported diet journals.
  • 3 2
 @HB208: I think the one part you are having trouble with is something you are repeating over and over in the response above "your body", "your body". Its their body, not yours. It's not your place to judge them based on their body. I think most people have some sense of what healthy eating and lifestyle looks like and unlike GI Joe knowing isn't half the battle.

Its just like the example of smoking you provided. Who in the last 50 years doesn't know that smoking destroys your health? Anyone?? It's a difficult battle for some to make decisions that will have a positive impact on their lives. Knowing what needs to be done is not the problem for smoking or obesity, but just telling people to get fit or stop smoking does nothing to improve the situation. In both cases they are fully aware of their issues and the only solutions will come from their own decisions. All others can do is to provide a positive environment for them to function within and accept them one way or the other. The solution must come from within, that's why fad diets and other gimmicks don't work long term.
  • 4 1
 @J-Sheridan: It is their body, but if they are going to be sponsored by one of the the world's largest component manufacturers to bring a message of "its your body and you don't need to change if you don't want to and cyclists need to accept that", I am allowed to have a differing opinion.

"Its just like the example of smoking you provided. Who in the last 50 years doesn't know that smoking destroys your health? Anyone?"

A growing number of people who are overweight and obese literally push the idea that you can be "fat yet fit", so no, people don't look at it the same as smoking.
  • 2 1
 @HB208: I think you are missing the point a bit here and adding a bit of your own context, which to be fair is what humans do.

The message I got was about acceptance and openness to see different types of rides as equal participants in the sport we all obviously love (or we wouldn't be spending time in the comments section of Pinlkbike would we :-) ). I don't remember seeing anything about fit-fat or a pushing the opinion that obesity is healthy. In fact there were a few scenes of real honesty about the struggles of being a larger rider/person.

If people are going to live to their potential (physically and mentally) they need to love themselves first and need to feel accepted by their peers second. I'll take away from the video I could do better allowing ALL people to do both of these.
  • 4 1
 @J-Sheridan: The issue HB is bringing up is that this doesn't exist in a vacuum. There is a large "fat is healthy" movement out there, and this is using buzzwords and phrases from that movement. What if some baseball equipment company in 2021 came out with a video saying "Its ok to chew tobacco", or "smoking is healthy. We shouldn't marginalize smokers" (I actually think we shouldn't, just like we shouldn't marginalize overweight people). Its just a fine line between "healthy at any size", which is wrong, and "your value isn't determined by your weight, but your health is"
  • 4 1
 @J-Sheridan: The comments around 9 minutes in the video are the ones I am latching onto. She more or less says "the motivation of using cycling as a way to lose weight is not a healthy way to approach cycling." On face value, that is a fine statement. However, combined with the other statements, it comes off to me like a way to stop the discussion of weight loss before it begins.

The fat-fit stuff was brought up in this thread.

The acceptance thing is tough. At least in my opinion, you shouldn't accept unhealthy behavior.

She basically says that she has "accepted" being fat in this article:

"In the column, Kailey said she used to try restricting what she ate and refused to use the F word (fat) about herself but finally gave it up and accepted herself as she is, taking what she calls a healthier approach to her life.

I was always trying to change the fact that I was a fat cyclist into being just a ‘regular’ cyclist,” she told the columnist. 'Now, I spend my time loving myself and moving my body because I enjoy moving my body and not as a punishment to my body.' "

"Marley said she often gets asked about how to lose weight by riding. She has to tell people she has no idea. She’s not concerned about changing her body. “At some point, I said, ‘This is who I am, this is me,’ and I embraced it.”"

I agree that moving is a really good thing to do. I don't agree that you should just accept being "fat" and think that a healthier approach is to just accept it and move on. It might be a mentally easier thing to do, but it is certainly not the healthier thing.
  • 2 2
 @hamncheez: I think we all agree that being obese is not healthy and the video did not say that it is. Shimano is not trying to convince you to gain weight or for these two to women to not lose weight. Its just about accepting people as they are and not make them feel lesser for the bodies they have.
  • 3 1
 @hamncheez: Yes, exactly. My issue with this video is more or less that it doesn't say "cycling is a great way to get fit and be healthy." My issue is that it says "do this healthy thing but don't change any of your unhealthy habits AND people who are really into that thing should accept that."

I watched some of their other content on YouTube last night and they take issues with things like "beginner and advanced" group rides because it means "fast and slow" which marginalizes overweight and obese people. Like really? Now you are trying to change the sport to fit your own issues. Fast and slow are perfectly fine ways to accept group rides since it also means fast on the downhills... which can be somewhat independent of fast on the ups.
  • 2 0
 @J-Sheridan: We might just need to agree to disagree. @hamncheez is right in saying I am looking at this in the larger "fat acceptance" movement. At face value, yes, the cycling community should be accepting and I am accepting to my fellow humans. We have plenty of friends who are overweight and I don't just give my opinion to them. I do, however, worry about their health sometimes and I recognize the habits they have that make weight loss hard and weight gain easy, even if they don't themselves. Again, don't give this as unsolicited advice.
  • 1 4
 @HB208: That's a choice they will have to make for themselves, what they do with their bodies. Adding social pressure, even if it is well meaning probably makes the underlying problems worse.
  • 3 0
 @J-Sheridan: I agree. Again, at an individual level I agree with that approach. If they advertise stuff within the Health At Every Size / Fat Acceptance movement ethos, I am allowed to criticize/analyze it. My issue isn't with them as people.
  • 5 0
 @J-Sheridan: The last thing I want to say, as I mentioned above, it is easy for relatively young people to say that you can be healthy and obese or overweight or at least that you just can accept that you are "fat" (which she 100% is arguing). However, the issue is that biology eventually takes over and you start rapidly losing health as you get older if you are overweight/obese. My concern is that if they really do love to cycle, they need to make changes now if they expect to do it later. Injuries start to pile up as you age and it is VERY easy to not get back on the bike, especially if you have weight problems that make it even harder.

My father-in-law woops my butt on long Sun Valley climbs (I am faster them him on the downs Smile ). He is almost 60. As well meaning as these ladies are, they will almost certainly not be biking into their 50s and 60s without changes.
  • 4 3
 @HB208: Your point about age combined with obesity is a strong argument. Although I was road riding in Quebec this summer and passed a German man in his sixties who was about 5'7" & 250 lbs with a BMI around 40. We rode together and chatted for about 20 minutes. He was almost 1/3 of the way into an unsupported bike packing all the way across Canada. People are sometimes surprising!

I appreciate your passion for your opinion. It's nice to be able to discuss a sensitive topic like this amongst adults without it's descending into something personal. I think we actually agree on more points than we disagree.

Happy trails.
  • 1 1
 @shawndashf1: Totally agree!
Exercise helps with general health and maintaining balance, but it will not promote major weight loss in the long term, only adjusting your calorie intake will.
It’s great to see anyone enjoying the sport of cycling, both new and experienced alike, and I salute these women for their efforts, but they’re not gonna see much improvement unless they tackle the nutritional side too.
  • 3 0
 @J-Sheridan: We probably do agree on more than we disagree with.

Like I said above though, it is about statistical risk with a lot of these things. You will always find one offs, but in my community, I know a ton of people who have rode for their whole lives, kept a healthy weight, and are still riding in their 60s and 70s. I don't know any that are overweight that do the same thing and the data seems to bear out that it is not common for someone obese that age to not have significant health issues.

Anecdotal, but I was climbing a trail in the Croy Canyon system in Hailey Idaho, and this guy was ripping down. I figured he was in his 30s based on how well he was riding. When he passed us, it was clear he was at least 70. That was super inspiring.
  • 3 1
 @uberwax: Yes leave image out of the conversation and do not tell them to lose weight directly. I would encourage them to do high intensity strength training so that they can hone their abilities on their bikes. Doing so would inherently result in fat loss and muscle growth. There are ways around the sensitive subject of being overweight. But yes, we should all want them to be happy too. You'd have to be able to sell the idea of ride faster, harder, and longer by doing high intensity strength training as an addendum to biking and that could be tough as they may be content with their current riding ability; they have to want to be better.
  • 1 0
 @jclnv: theme of my life! Surf, cycle, and spearfish. Otherwise I won't do anything. Lolololol
  • 1 1
 @mikealive: i've always wanted to live rent-free (in someones head). although the space is really small and theres lots of spiders and cob webs. Smile
  • 2 1
 @cuban-b: Uhhh.. you commenting on something from a week ago, I surely hope you're not implying that you're living in my head dude, lol. I just recognized the name, that's all. I have no horse in the race when it comes to you and whomever you're beefing with on PB. I could care less. But admit it, the fact that other screen name exists and can actually post is hilarious.
  • 1 3
 @mikealive: i'd check again hahaha. and if my screen name were mikealive-can-blow-me, wouldnt that mean you got into my head so much that i felt the need to focus on your screen name so much that i'd actually include it in my own? the bright side is now i know who the president of my fan club is LOL.
  • 2 1
 @cuban-b: Dude, I seriously don't have any idea what you are talking about. Leave me out of whatever "fan club" PB drama you are involved in, idgaf. Go ride your bike.
  • 125 12
 Nothing makes me happier than seeing a sweaty fat chick out for a run or a ride when I'm on the trail. Don't normalize poor health, celebrate the attempt to change it.
  • 12 0
 This! Folks who are changing their lives by getting back into fitness or into a new sport for the first time are doing a ton of work and should be admired for it, out there sweating and suffering. If someone is jamming to lose weight, they're likely doing a lot more work than those of us that cruise a local trail on an average ride.
  • 18 1
 The counter point is that a lot of these messages basically say that they are perfectly healthy at the weight they are and don't need to change it. I have seen people get upset when weightloss is mentioned.
  • 12 3
 @HB208: Agreed. There is a very fine line sometimes between "acceptance" and "normalizing bad shit"....
  • 15 4
 @HB208: Exactly. It is unfortunate to those who are seeking a healthy lifestyle change to be blasted with body positivity from unhealthy people. We should be encouraging healthy choices of change, not celebrating obesity.
  • 15 0
 @ADGproductions: Yes, it is weird TBH. The whole controversy over Lizzo trying to make some positive changes for her health and people blasting her over it shows that at least some of it is people trying to normalize obesity and getting upset when people try and break that mold. People also got mad at Adele for losing weight. Weird.
  • 9 0
 @HB208: Right. She initially (IIRC) was all about obese positivity and then changed and got blasted. So sad. Like, would those people say the same to a recovering heroine addict who relapses.
  • 8 0
 @ADGproductions: If they were heroine addicts they might. My friend is getting off opioids and current addicts will give you shit for trying to kick it. I suppose it is easier to blast Lizzo for doing a health cleanse than to look at your own issues.
  • 5 5
 Everything aimed towards fat women....what about the forgotten fat men???
  • 12 0
 @Pmrmusic26: Pepperidge Farm remembers.
  • 3 0
 @barp: Holy crap. I'm glad I wasn't drinking or eating anything. That's so specific. Big Grin
  • 7 0
 Fatness is essentially an ignorance of shame felt from avoiding proper self care. That is a difficult and complicated thing to talk about with anyone living with that mindset. But I think it is better to stray on the side of body "shaming"(the shame is a normal feeling for being called out for treating your health poorly) than fat accepting(the easy way out). It is the same with mental illness. If someone is suffering from a mental illness I would hope someone would explain to them the dangers of ignoring illnesses and the benefits of seeking and embracing help by those who can.
  • 102 6
 No motors required.
  • 57 1
 A big part of why I climb and refuse a motor (even though I hate climbing) is to force myself to put in the physical work and stay healthy. Having a lighter bike for the descents is a nice added bonus.
  • 20 9
 Indeed, although I think if e-bikes are less intimidating for heavier beginner riders and can motivate them to get started, that's a good thing, too.
  • 6 70
flag MillerTFB (Mar 29, 2021 at 9:27) (Below Threshold)
 Cringe. Not related to the post or video at all.
  • 53 5
 ^Found the Ebike rider
  • 13 23
flag thereandbackagain (Mar 29, 2021 at 9:31) (Below Threshold)
 Even if they were on e-bikes, this video would still be cool. Whether or not they have an e-bike shouldn't make a difference to the rest of us.
  • 52 19
 Oh it should, I'd never think of anyone being more or less of a "Real mountain biker" because of their weight, but riding an Ebike if you don't have to definitely makes you less of a real mountain biker.
  • 20 1
 Yep. I'm a similar demographic to these gals, and e-bikes do not give me the same satisfaction of climbing a mountain on my own.
  • 14 20
flag Kamiizoo (Mar 29, 2021 at 9:54) (Below Threshold)
 @dbxrace: I feel like if you are out on trails, easy or hard, you're a mountain biker. E-bike or no e-bike. Shuttling, riding, or walking to the top of trails. If you ride trails you are a mountain biker. A "real" mountain biker as you said.
  • 9 25
flag MillerTFB (Mar 29, 2021 at 9:55) (Below Threshold)
 @dbxrace: I actually ride a bike without a chain or gears as I don’t believe motors should be allowed on bikes. The uphills suck but my calves are huge from all the incline hiking.
  • 18 4
 Video does make E-bikers look bad.
  • 4 0
 @pnwpedal: This is why I've tried to get away from an XC hardtail for years but haven't been able to get myself to do it, they're just so efficient and flickable!
  • 3 12
flag thepoolguy (Mar 29, 2021 at 10:47) (Below Threshold)
 @pnwpedal: I agree with you in everything but one day you will discover that a heavier bike on the pure descents are way better felling imho.
  • 6 0
 @thepoolguy: it really depends on the trail and terrain, and then on the riding style. If a trail is so steep that you never need to pedal, and you plan to plow through everything and not pop/jump off things for fun, sure a heavy sled of a bike will work. As long as you have a lift/shuttle to get to the top. Considering that 90% or more of PNW trails are not like that I will stick to a lighter bike.
  • 3 0
 @thepoolguy: and I spent many years in the early-mid 2000s riding 40-45lb freeride sleds that were fun until you had to pedal. Good times, but trails have changed and my riding has changed too.
  • 5 1
 @dbxrace: "^Found the Ebike rider"

Now that's funny. Beer
  • 1 2
 TBH for, lets be real here, fat people ebikes are way to go in the begining. I know multiple people that have hard time riding bike on flat road for 5km's and while ebikes encourgae people to be more lazy it is hugely beneficial for fat people. They have more motivation, and in general they are still burning shitload of calories, but motivation is what matters. They have more fun on ebike which encourages them to ride more. Doing 5km and almost dying in process is no fun at all.
  • 5 1
 @dumr666: What's the non-fat E-bikers excuses?
  • 91 1
 “I feel like a real mountain biker.”

You are a real mountain biker!!! Shred on!
  • 37 0
 Unless The Matrix is real. Then none of us are real mountain bikers.
  • 16 0
 From smiling about a cool video...to staring at a blank wall questioning all reality.


Eek
  • 3 0
 @50percentsure: who is reality, and why are you questioning it?
  • 1 0
 @theoskar57: You just reminded me of this gem: www.youtube.com/watch?v=algKwKo1Z7g Big Grin
  • 78 1
 "I feel like a real mountain biker" shouldn't even be a phrase folks need to say. If you have a bike and you ride, you're a mountain biker, regardless of what level you ride at. Kudos to them and their message. Love to see more and more folks taking up the sport/hobby we love and enjoy so much.
  • 4 1
 Totally agree. It's kind of like reverse-gatekeeping. The only such thing as a "real mountain biker" is a person who rides a bike on not-pavement. And honestly I bet you all can poke holes in even THAT definition.
  • 10 0
 @Lanebobane: Floridians aren't mountain bikers. Let's just agree to disagree. Big Grin
  • 69 13
 My problem with this is that it insinuates that it's ok to stay obese.

I used to be very in shape and race road bikes at a provincial level, other sports at national level, then got fat and overweight, and then started riding mtb again and am now somewhere in between (let's call it on the way back to better shape). I can tell you being overweight sucks - you don't have energy, everything takes more effort, your joints and back suffer, and life is just not as fun - it is not easy to do things when you carry an extra 10, 20, 40, etc. KGs around. And that doesn't even touch the health issues you cause by carrying extra weight.

So while I am all for inclusion, and all for getting everyone on bikes, let's not pretend it's healthy to be obese - it's simply not. Bikes are about the most fun way under the sun to lose weight and get outside and enjoy the outdoors - but it is a hell of alot more fun when you are in shape.

I also have to add, I have not once felt excluded from the sport or groups when I was more overweight (not gonna pretend I am where I should be... yet). The mtb community is extremely inclusive where I live - and I am not just talking about weight here. That said, I know that is not everyone's experience.

Anwyay, long story short, I am for this movement, as long as the end goal is to get all people on bikes... and on a path to health, not to celebrate obesity.
  • 24 2
 Totally agree with this take. I went from lifting weights in college every day and being in very good shape to letting myself go for a year. I was so groggy and generally felt like crap. IDK if people who have been out of shape for most of their lives don't quite realize how big of a difference it is to feel in shape, but I think a lot of the "you can be healthy at any size" stuff would go away if they did.
  • 4 0
 remember, the primary goal is to sell more bikes to more people. this is an ads. celebrating people being obese makes people feel good, but doesnt make anyones life better. good luck and keep on biking!
  • 21 1
 This is awesome. I appreciate the encouragement and support for anyone looking to better their life. As someone who is tall and heavy (6'5" 275lbs), this helps to drive home that activities should not only target the healthy but those looking to find what drives them to better health choices. I would love to see more of this in the overly tall and heavy riders audience.
  • 20 0
 Agree. I am 6'6" and use to weigh close to 300lbs and I am 55 years old. Riding bikes whether it is a road or mountain bike has helped get to 245lbs. Yesterday I did a 75 mile MTB bike ride, 3 years ago I could barely ride 10 miles. Cycling should be for everyone. To me part of the problem is finding bikes, clothing, and shoes that fit large people. Try to find a size 15 cycling shoe for clips in stock, I did find some Giro shoes. I hope these types of videos will help the cycling industry accept larger people.
  • 6 0
 As someone who sometimes doesn't go on the healthy side of things (food, booze & some smoke) and can gain some weight pretty quickly, going back to cycling in the last couple of years, challenging myself, getting in some amateur races, helped me collect some personal rewards that steered me to a much better path to myself and health. Every time I changed something I could almost feel the gains immediately. You don't need to be perfect and skinny to be fit, but you can change a lot of things and aim high, and get there eventually (fit). Or at least balance some of the wrongs lol. lockdowns are tough!
  • 21 3
 I'm all for being supportive of big people riding and getting out exercising in general... but too much of this body positivity movement is about embracing being big and not exercising to get any smaller. Absolutely don't let being big stop you from riding but absolutely stop pretending it's 100% OK to be massively overweight.

If covid teaches anything, it ought to be the danger of embracing and normalizing obesity.
  • 11 3
 YUP. This. tricking people into exercising while sparing the ego does nothing for character development. this is all just a combination of (benign) halo marketing and an attempt to broaden the addressable market anyhow though.
  • 18 3
 this is dope. bikes r cool. everyone should feel like they can b rad on bikes, no matter ur size, gender, skin color, whatever. need more of this.
  • 19 5
 Thanks so much Shimano for making this video and sharing with the world! And of course THANK YOU to Kailey and Marley for being extremely ambitious and outgoing. A true inspiration to ALL xoxoxox
  • 3 1
 Just watched this with my 5 yr old daughter and she didn’t even notice their bodies. She just saw awesome women having a great time riding. We both loved the dancing at the end.
It’s just great to see more people enjoying bikes and the smiles they bring...and encouraging others, no matter who u are, to get out there and discover bikes too!
  • 13 0
 I can remember about 20 years ago at a local hillclimbing race there was a competitor named Joe. Joe was a larger individual that weighed over 300 pounds. Many of the set local elites finished the hillclimbing approximately 1 hour. Joe took 3 hours to get up the hill. Everyone was amazed at how the superfit got up so quick. In my case I was absolutely amazed at Joe's perseverance to complete the hillclimbing challenge. When Joe finished it was like he won the Tour de France - and in the way he had. I'm not really making any comments about this video but wanted to share that this is an individual sport and your individual goals for improvement are the most important!
  • 14 2
 Global Warming, Mental Health, Depression, Boredom, Child Obesity, Lack of Identity, Lack of Community...the list goes on. So many problems can be helped by just riding a bike a bunch and having fun. Well done ladies.
  • 29 19
 I don't get why we need to put focus on this stuff. I was a big guy just a year ago, I never cared about what people thought and I still don't, so I can't relate to what they are saying and I haven't met anyone that have expressed any form of issue in this regard. Maybe it is just where I am from, where a lot of people ride bikes all the time no matter their size or anything else.

I think it is a rather toxic mental state to be in, if you let some imaginary fear of what others think of you being fat and riding a bike. You do you, end of story and we shouldn't sugar coat this into it sounding like it isn't unhealthy to be overweight, just like it is unhealthy to be underweight.
Great for them that they enjoy riding a bike, but I will say it again, do we really need videos like this? I don't see anything impowering about it or similar videos.
  • 30 4
 "it wasn't this way for me therefore it shouldn't be for others" is definitely not how you should look at the world.
  • 4 7
 @oragejuice: I just haven't met actual people IRL that used these types of videos for impowering them or anything. I also think that we are playing a dangerous game right now, but if some can use these videos to make them do what they actually want to do then sure
  • 15 6
 It's not an imaginary fear. What's actual toxic is accusing someone's life experience of being an imaginary fear. If you go into most bike shops, they don't even have clothing that will fit plus size riders. Many bikes have weight limits of 250 or 300lbs. There are significant barriers to getting equipment to get started into cycling, not to mention the judgement of people around you. I've seen it consistently in my many years in the bike industry. Its unhealthy to not exercise. Period. Whether you are big or small. Larger people who exercise are going to be healthier than thin people who don't. Just because this video doesn't empower you doesn't mean it shouldn't exist.
  • 4 3
 @aerob: I don't want a video to impower me? When did I ever say that, and I haven't seen those issues around where I live, most stores where I live have stuff up to 4XL or even 5XL, sure it isn't everything that goes that big. I can't comment about how it is in the US or anywhere where I don't live, but I haven't seen those issues here, sales people where I live have in my experience have been more than happy to help out bigger people as well, ordering stronger wheels if that might have been needed and so on. All I meant was for people to do them and not care what others think, why spend energy thinking about what others might think.

As I said earlier, I don't fully get why people want videos impowering them, because I have never seen the reason for them in my personal life or the people around me, but if they help some then sure make them
  • 11 3
 @aerob: Maybe that is because not many plus sized riders exist so those shops don't want to have a bunch of inventory on hand that they cannot sell? I mean, I am 6'4" and need a 34 waist and 36 inseam pant (which most stores don't carry), but I don't complain about being "discriminated" against by shops because of my height. I just do some research and order online.
  • 8 1
 @NordicRider: So the video is not aimed at you. That's fine. It might hit home for other people, however, and that's why the video exists. It's important to consider that many people have different life experience from you, especially in the US where there is certainly a lot of public health issues with weight (combined with poor health care, fast food, etc), which results in a lot of discrimination. The discrimination is very real for these women and it's unfair to say it doesn't exist because it hasn't been an issue for you.
  • 10 0
 Years ago I was a PT and worked with a number of heavier clients. One client used to talk of how fitter everyone was and how they felt left behind. I then reminded them of a few Harvard studies. Couple I remember;

(1) 70% of females aged 35-44 would hit 70% Max Hr walking up a 5% grade.
(2) By only expending 1000 kcal/week they can reduce % risk of death by 27%
(3) By exercising 4-5 times a week you are in the top 3% of 'athletes' in the country. Considered 'Elite'.

Takeaway was that the world may look slim to them, but thats not the whole story and it doesn't take much effort to make a big difference to your life and feel great.

Glad to see these stories come to life and brands supporting everyone. We are all on our own journey. No better than each other.
  • 19 10
 No issue with the videoI mean, do your thing, Cool.

But can anyone on here legitimately say they've ever seen someone be discouraged from riding because they were fat?

All the dudes I used to ride with back in the day who were big are skinny now and everyone else has put on weight haha, this really isn't something I've ever seen judgement about in MTB
  • 5 1
 not sure why you are getting downvoted. I made the exact same experience. I always respect somebody who is on the heavier side
  • 4 1
 *when i see them trailside
  • 10 3
 @TurboTorsten: Pinkbike is getting like Reddit now, anything that isn't 100% positive and reinforcing the narrative gets downvoted to hell.

Yeah man, seeing big folks on bikes is great, it seems strage to be getting this kind of content through but not stuff about actually making mountain bikes that work for anyone who is over 190cm and over 100kg.

Wuuuh yeah we're so inclusive, things are great. Oh yeah you can't get a bike that'll fit you/suspension will work if you're tall or heavy.
  • 5 0
 @dbxrace: "Pinkbike is getting like Reddit now, anything that isn't 100% positive and reinforcing the narrative gets downvoted to hell." LOL!! It seems like it for sure. Hey, MTBers want to join in on 'cancel culture' too!! Wink
  • 4 0
 When I used to race xc mtb races before I moved to the mountains there was a category for fat people called Clydesdale and they had to be over 220 lbs to be in that category. Figured this was old ass news
  • 3 0
 @wiscobiker: Yeah, that is an excellent point. They've had the Clyd category since at least the mid to late 90's, so there is a great example of the sport (in its racing guise no less) being inclusive decades before it became trendy or socially required.
  • 11 0
 As a former shop rat I found the part where they rode their bikes in the sea horrifying!
  • 8 0
 Of course the point of the article is good... but language like "people in large bodies" just doesn't sound right. People aren't "in bodies", this isn't an episode of Altered Carbon where people change their bodies (sleeves). Our physical bodies are just as much a part of who we are as our minds, as our souls.
  • 8 1
 Love the video and those ladies seem like they are doing a great job being leaders in the community. Cycling is for everyone. I'm fat too and enjoy biking so much more than any other activity. However, it would be super helpful if bike manufacturers and clothing brands paid a bit more attention to the plus crowd. I am a 250lbs guy, usually ranging from 230-260, and it's often hard to find gear that fits. Just trying to find a decent chamois was a bit of a struggle as some cycling brands often stop making clothes for people close to 200lb. Even when you find something that should work, the proportions of the clothes aren't quite right. I have massive legs like most heavy and active people and chamois leg bands are usually the part that just doesn't work quite right. Props to brands like Pearl Izumi that have options, but maybe we need too do a little more testing as proportions don't always scale up. As for bike builds, it would be great if there were options for heavier people. A light shock tune only on a medium bike isn't very inclusive. It would also be great if brands had a couple options for those people above 300lbs. Maybe a road bike and a mountain bike option that's more suitable. Nothing is more soul crushing as a fat person to get hyped about trying something new and then running into barriers like weight restrictions like the man in Halifax that couldn't buy a Giant bike.
  • 7 0
 do they still have a clydesdale category for XC racing? I wonder how that would go over nowadays.

personally I get PUMPED when I see a bigger rider out on the trail working hard and sweating it out, there's really no better inspiration for me.
  • 1 0
 Yes, they do, and in CX as well. I'm talking amateur level...
  • 9 0
 this video was going so well and i'm 100% behind it, then they rode in the ocean water. my inner mechanic just threw up everywhere.
  • 5 0
 Hahaha, yes 100% onboard with the video and the great message...then they rode in the water. @#$&+*
  • 12 2
 Very north american way to see things...
(I'm waiting for all kind of "very French way to..." ;-) )
  • 11 1
 Yes, it's weird because North American diet culture has led us to a point where most of the population is either overweight or obese and now that same population is basically claiming that there is undue social pressure to be skinny? I mean, not really considering our food culture over here is structured to eat cheap and unhealthy food in large quantities.

I have done a fair amount of traveling and it is noticeable in the Midwest and South that you are out of place if you are in shape. People poke at your over it. Where I live (Rocky Mountains), we are generally healthier, so maybe you would feel out of place here.
  • 3 0
 @HB208: the sad thing is that we take the same way in europe..
  • 1 0
 And here come the French with the gratuitous promotion of their famous "Pain of chocolate" diet. Merci non merci.
  • 3 2
 @HB208: I was born and raised in the Midwest (even went to college in beer and cheese-dominated rural Wisconsin) and now live in the South - and I ever once felt "out of place" or "poked fun at" for being a life-long athlete and a lean 6', 160lbs.
  • 7 1
 @SketchyD: I'm glad that was your experience. I specifically remember being a skinny kid in Wisconsin and having my overweight relatives and their friends poke fun at me for being "skin and bones."
  • 3 2
 @HB208: people gonna people
  • 3 0
 @SketchyD: Sure, but the midwest and south also have a food culture that 100% encourages weight gain. They both also have climates that make it undesirable to get outside unless you are motivated (hot and muggy during the summer, very cold during the winter in the north).
  • 2 1
 @HB208: replace "midwest and south" with "America" and I'll agree with you unconditionally.
  • 7 0
 So Pinkbike is just posting videos about beginners learning to ride now? Looking forward to your upcoming '12yr-old on the trail for the first time' series - and the 'dentist on his new 29er riding a fire trail' expose.

Love people getting into the sport, but doesn't mean that watching videos of it is great content.
  • 9 1
 Agreed. Like footage of female riders doing whips. Cool in principal, but undeniably weak video content. I’m allowed to say that (I think) because I have a vagina (Pinkbike woke rules apply).
  • 13 2
 This is rad.
  • 6 0
 It's so easy to believe, "I could never do that, so why try", when you see bike ads with guys/girls with 2% body fat doing back-flips off cliffs. I have huge respect for those athletes, but that's not reality for 99% of bikers. Everyone - all body types, races, genders, economic status - should be encouraged and provided opportunities to ride bikes (preferably mtb's, but that's up to you). Riding provides new perspective on the world, clears negative thoughts that drag us down, and shows us that we're stronger than we believe. Let's try to encourage new or nontraditional riders when we see them on the trail.
  • 40 34
 The only thing stopping obese ppl from riding is dangerous cars, poor cycling infrastructure, and mainly themself.

Never seen a bicyclist or bike shop say or act like “we wont help you cause your: fat, asian, black, woman, trans, slow, ugly, disabled.”

Pretty sick of being told we meed to hold space for, stop shaming, feel guilty etc; sick of having ppl point fingers and shame us healthy white men, or whoever; we really dont have any problem with whoever you are riding and its your pwn damn fault if you dont, so take personal responsibility and stop pointing fingers and making excuses cause faaaar as i can see essentially no bicyclist or bike shop cares and would gladly see you on a bike, as long as your not skidding down the gnar, or a prick, but thats regardless of physical characteristic.
  • 5 3
 Upvoted to keep you at a healthy 60/40 win ratio.
  • 21 7
 I'm glad you brought your considerable experience being "fat, asian, black, woman, trans, or disabled" to bear when basically proclaiming that prejudice doesn't exist towards these groups. Thanks.

What the world needs is more white dudes telling underrepresented groups that their experiences don't matter.
  • 4 1
 Downvoted because there are tools in the cycling industry that typecast different folk, driving them away from enjoying cycling.
  • 10 7
 @getsomesy: you have stirred the ire of Portlandia on PB. Here comes the Woke Mob.
  • 8 6
 @dkidd: ive been involved in cycling for collectively 25 years: road, downhill, enduro, bmx, commuting, dirt jumping, urban, skateparks, motocross, sportbikes, social group rides, and hung with the most backwoods white folk in lil areas with trump flags around; never heard or seen a glint of hate or exclusion for any such reason. Worked in bike shops for a decade. White as they come and dont come off as a SJW, but people are never like dont let the (prejudice term) join in. Rode all over west coast, and a bit in interior USA. If someone was gonna drop racial slurs behind someones back i doubt they would assume they couldnt in front of me. Ive never seen someone excluded, not helped or unwelcomed because of any of these things. Ridden with a sognificant number of “minority groups” (were all just americans, not out skin tone or shape) and those people that ive encountered never whine about oppresion or seem to feel oppressed in the cycling community, when dark skinned people are interviewed about racail challenges, it seems almost all do not experience supressed cyclingopportunity cause of their race.

It seems like the only people on bikes who whine about bigotry in cycling are race bating sjw’s who come to the sport with a chip on their shoulder looking to start shit and point fingers; and it seems they already had their minds made up and see the world and cyxling through their victim filter.

@wellst
Sure people typecast eachother all the time. Probably most prevalent is Wealth and how Shnazzy of stuff you ride/ wear. You’ll get called a kook or squid for riding without a visor even if your the most legit og trail building shredding badass. But that has nothing to do with race or shape. & people make big negative racial assumptions all the time about rural white dudes, so many ppl have been fed and bought this notion that So many of us don't like dark skinned people or whatever, when its really not prevalent, and its moreover the puppet masters of BLM, democratic party etc trying to pit us against each other to divide and conquer.


The usa has a police brutality problem, and a oligarchy problem. Dressed up as a societal racial/sex and in this case body image problem. Speaking for basically every white rural person ive encountered, we dont give a f*ck whats in your pants or what your skin color is, what you look like; just dont come in here cutting the roots out of the trail and making streava tracks and we’ll be fine.
United we stand divided we fall
  • 1 0
 @getsomesy: nobody is cutting roots out of trails in Bellingham, thats just the radical left trying to make you take their mind control vaccines.
My proof is that I do not live in Bellingham, but 300 miles south the roots aren't being cut out, so it must not be happening there either. Doesn't matter that people who actually live there and experience the issue say it's happening; the fact that I, a person who hasn't ridden B'ham more than a handful of times in the last year, say it doesn't happen is now the only truth that matters.
See how stupid that sounds? Thats what it sounds like when a person in the (overwhelming) majority argues that minorities are lying when they share their experiences.
  • 1 0
 @cuban-b-can-blow-me: rip @ blowmyfuse
  • 6 0
 Just went riding with a 270lb guy who is trying to lose weight. I don't think anyone who is 50-100lbs overweight and rides regularly feels totally comfortable. Knowing they could ride much better if they were at a reasonable weight is excellent motivation to change their eating habits. I was fat until i was 24 so i know what it takes to get and stay slim and its very very hard. Fat people can claim they are comfortable being fat, but we all know that is BS.
  • 2 0
 I think fat people claim the stigma from society is what they do not like. They probably know they don't like feeling like crap, but hey, maybe I am wrong. And yes, I have been overweight before and it is energy draining.
  • 8 0
 This "healthy at any size" rhetoric is such bullshit. Yall know that heart disease is among the leading causes of death in America right?
  • 6 1
 There is a *lot* of emotion tied up in this. Which is totally fine, everyone has their struggles in life and I'm not here to judge. If someone wants to bike, they are instantly part of the larger biking community (road, mtb, etc.) regardless of what they look like or where they've come from.

Leave all the other issues at the door.
  • 5 0
 This reminded me of last summer when I was cycling the Great Divide. I met this rad dude who goes by Epic Diabetic. I passed him going opposite directions, but he was a big dude who was riding across the US as a Type 2 Diabetic. When I met him in Wyoming it was amazing to see how bikes can work for everyone. A thing I have realized with the bike industry is they are focused on standard riders when they build bikes. Many have a 300 lb limit even on touring bikes (Tested for 300lbs). Recently I read a story about a giant dealer denying selling a bike because he was over that limit.
  • 2 0
 Agree so much with the last part of your comment. How much of our equipment an bikes are aimed the 70-80kg athletic type, clothing too. I don't have a dropper yet as I've promised myself I'm not allowed one until I'm balanced at sub 80kg.... its taken me Years! An i was 94.5kg at my heaviest
  • 7 0
 as a point of clarification, the Giant dealer said they would have to sign a document waiving liability or the shop would hold the bike for them until they reached the weight limit.
  • 6 1
 Stoked to see this; keep on pedaling and most importantly keep on smiling.

Kudos to Shimano for taking the time to find these ladies and tell their stories, but I would raise a small flag here as a reminder that women aren't the only ones who can feel out of place and unwelcome due to their body image and sometimes men need an ambassador to step up and encourage them, too.
  • 7 0
 Positivity is good and all, but it kinda seems like this video destigmatizes being overweight and leading an unhealthy lifestyle, which is totally not cool at all.
  • 6 0
 Their smiles say it all. Ride bikes, have fun, give high fives to everyone! (Post pandemic of course on the high fives, air fives until then...)
  • 9 6
 I will be honest here. I attended some training on Body Image last week and i was shocked on some of the facts and i got upset about it. What i took away from the training and this relates to myself. It's not what we look like it's who we are as individuals, beauty is skin deep and fuck what other people think or what social media portrays. thrive to be the best you, surround yourself with people who make you feel good for who you are....and yeh have fun, because life is too short. I loved this...
  • 9 6
 Anyting that encourages exercise should be promoted obesity is probably the greatest health problem in the United States people are eating themselves to death but they don't want to hear it it has nothing to do with appearance obesity is simply extremely unhealthy these people should not be encouraged to be proud or accept their big bodies smokers aren't told to keep smoking if a obese person somehow manages to avoid cardiovascular disease and diabetes they will still wear their joints much faster leading to great pain and joint replacement obesity is also costing the United States a fortune in medical and disability claims get fit and enjoy your life
  • 8 2
 Encourage large people to get into biking lifestyles. Discourage people from getting into large people lifestyles.
  • 7 0
 Bicycles, of any type, are fun for people, of any type.
  • 3 0
 Real Question, and honestly asking for a friend. Is there any maximum weight at which you cannot get a proper spring or shock set up at? Is there a maximum weight above which bikes are not recommended?
My buddy is 350lbs plus of absolute clydesdale, but I'm not sure if there are stout enough bikes for him to ride.
Any advice or thoughts from those who know, or are in the same boat?
  • 5 0
 Im around 270lbs and dont have a ton of wiggle room on the max PSI of most shocks Depending on the shock and frame (high leverage ratio would make this more likely I believe) it could prevent you from running the correct sag. Im not near the limit on forks.

I've seen some seats with specific weight limits (SQLabs had one) and Ive seen some wheels with a noted limit.

Cheap hubs are basically a no go for me. Maybe its my weight, maybe its bad luck.

Edit: I should also note that the compression rebound knobs for entry level options wont do a whole lot of good. They will likely be run all the way to an extreme. A beginner probably wont notice a tone but its not ideal. For the high end Fox stuff Ive always had a few clicks to play with but if I weighed much more I would need something custom.
  • 2 0
 I started riding around 310 lbs and I rode a Trek Remedy 9.8 carbon and it held up fine. Granted I wasn't jumping or anything crazy. I'm still a bigger dude and now I have a YT Decoy that has been bulletproof for the past two years and I also have an Intense Primer. Both are carbon bikes that so far have been solid and I go pretty hard on them now. That said, I have to run extra pressure in the fork and shocks which makes the ride pretty harsh, but no bottom outs. I tend to run about 120 in the fork with no tokens and 220-240 in the shock with 2 tokens. At 350 I'd recommend he get a hardtail honestly. At least until he gets down in the lower 300 range or less. 250 - 300 psi is max for most air shocks, and depending on the suspension design he could be in trouble.
  • 5 0
 At 105kg (230lbs), riding trails reasonably hard, I max out most rear shock psi with max volume spacers used. I Used to ride a 650lbs coil on my prevous bike which was fine, but just just - I bottomed it out on bigger drops. And I am not nearly as heavy as your buddy.

So no... the easy solution is to shed a few kg. Alot better on your equipment, back, and knees too.
  • 1 0
 I'm not particularly heavyweight but I'm also not exactly small at around 110-112kg (243-247lbs) kitted up. One of the issues I had with my most recent bike build was choosing wheel sets. You'd be surprised how many come with maximum recommended weight limits under or around my weight and I ride pretty aggressively to boot. Other issues - standard shock tunes. I've often found that I'm outside of the available range for stock compression/rebound tunes, particularly once I get my spring rate dialled in for my weight and riding style. Finally, there's the issue of flex. I'll often find flex in frames where reviews/others won't necessarily notice it and whilst a little flex can often be a good thing in terms of tracking and general compliance if it's intended, it can be a really bad thing if it isn't by design of the manufacturer (i.e. unpredictable handling at limits, significantly reduced lifespan on bearings and bushings, rubbing of frame/components).

All that said though, this can of course also go the other way though. For example, a lot of reviewers of my current bike (Intense Carbine) noted that the front end had a tendency to be uncomfortably stiff, particularly with carbon wheels and carbon bars. Same with my forks (Ohlins RFX 36 Evo) I run this exact set up though and feel that it's actually pretty compliant with my weight bearing down on it, so YMMV!
  • 1 0
 @Rig: Thanks, yeah, I see people up to about 260 lbs riding, but that kinda seems to be the cut off equipment wise.
  • 1 0
 @carters75: Thanks for the input! I know he can get down to 310lbs, but not much lower. He's just got a huge frame,neck, etc.
Great dirtbike rider who has trouble finding helmets that are big enough (XXXXL)
  • 3 0
 Saw a lot of new rider during the pandemic. I ride or do trail work daily. Last summer I saw that lady with her old Norco VPS and turtle shell looking helmet. I was like she’s gonna die of an heart attack. Nope she was back everyday on the trail. Good for her, she’s seemed to have a blast and honestly it made all that trail work worth it knowing someone like her appreciate it.
  • 4 1
 We are trained by media to be lazy. Make life easy with this gadget. Look beautiful with your I phone. Being healthy and in shape is a life style choice but media tells you to hop in you to car and get a cheese burger in drive through. Being healthy takes work and commitment. It's actually very easy and convenient to be lethargic. Some would say it's North American culture. From the words of a famous artist. Get on your bike and ride!
  • 3 0
 Nice video ladies, i enjoyed it and your comments on who you are and what your on about. I ride firstly for the fun, just love it.
A low second is for the exercise /fitness. I really struggle with my training rides for an upcoming event, no fun in that. Your ongoing commitments for others like your self is inspiring, i like to help others too, its such a great feeling. Keep on riding because you love it. You gals will become superfit, hopefully loose some weight, but if not, your health will be so much better.
Ride on ladies, ride on.
  • 10 4
 Kudos to Shimano for making this project happen and shining the light on these beautiful humans. Ride on!
  • 3 0
 Yes I think everyone should feel empowered to ride a bike, and that no one should be shamed for their body image, but we also shouldn't encourage poor health or unhealthy living practices. Yes people are more than their physical image but this is a multifaceted problem that largely boils down to misinformation and exploitation. There is a lot of misinformation about what a healthy or effective diet is and same goes for exercise. This results in many people wasting a ton of money and time on things that yield no benefit that leads to discouragement and abandoning the effort to improve their health. Ignorance is bliss and education is expensive, inconvenient, inaccessible, and painful.Too many businesses exist to sell products to the chronically overweight but few provide programs/ products that address the whole problem; makes for a self fulfilling money making machine and the client chronically unfulfilled. It's royally screwed up.
  • 6 3
 Very brave women putting themselves out there. Video was very well done and I'd like to see more from both of these women to push this narrative more. Anyone can ride bikes. Everyone should get out and ride bikes. Be sure to welcome everyone to our community, no matter what they look like. Love it! Hope to see more of this.
  • 3 0
 I'm (still) a Clydesdale, but have lost about 40 lbs over the last 10 years. My main exercise is mountain biking. When I was at my highest weight, I still had a positive body image. This may be because I am a male ex-athlete.

For me, the biggest downside of spending decades overweight (but highly active; hiking, basketball, skiing, tennis) is the wear-and-tear on my skeletal system. I have daily pain in my back, hips, shoulder, etc. If I had been a greyhound rather than a St. Bernard, I'd probably have less pain now.
  • 44 42
 Can we stop with the bull shit categories please! I’m a female rider, I’m a fat rider, I’m an Asian rider, I’m a professional rider, I’m an avid Muslim, male, senior citizen, single speed, upper middle class rider. Ride the bikes. Bikes are supposed to transcend this crap. ????
  • 66 19
 100% odds this is a white dude.
  • 19 3
 @nottherealbobbybrown: good odds he's into birds too.
  • 15 5
 Biking is for everyone, and highlighting diversity in the biking community allows for the sport to grow! Party on!
  • 5 7
 The long and fitful march of progress starts to turn and go backwards.
  • 10 5
 White man bad!
@nottherealbobbybrown:
  • 2 8
flag dkos (Mar 29, 2021 at 14:55) (Below Threshold)
 I think that's the case if you're a boomer white dude with absolutely zero awareness of the world outside your lifestyle
  • 6 2
 Ultimately everyone is diverse in some way... many ways actually.

How foolish is it to think that you can eliminate issues with differences by constantly pointing them out and somehow linking them to every non related issue.

Short people have it bad, bald people have it bad, red hair people, big nose, moles, scars, its goes on and on. How long before we see some articles and programs for them?
  • 1 0
 Totally.
  • 2 0
 Yup guys nailed it. Super original comments. Strong work on the racial stereotyping and ageism.
  • 1 0
 @Baller7756: Well, Ladies with the Red Hair actually look great, in my opinion...
  • 6 1
 So pleased they didn't over do the use of slow mo just to make it not look slow
  • 7 0
 The editing at the beginning was really impressive. Shes obviously no pro, but it was still engaging and exciting to watch.
  • 4 0
 Nice! I think its great to see more people of all different kinds enjoying bike riding. And best part is that it's good for you whatever size you are Smile
  • 3 0
 Yell yeah! so awesome to see cycling celebrated as fun in this way, without the focus on suffering or going big or whatever. I mean, I like those videos too, but this one here captures why I like to ride bikes best.
  • 5 0
 Oh come on there's no place for that in mtb trail riding! Fingerless gloves are not welcome here at pinkbike.
  • 2 0
 My personal approach is find a physical activity you enjoy doing first. Once you find what you enjoy doing, start working out so you can do that activity better/faster. I enjoy mountain biking just for fun and I workout so I can ride longer/faster. It is such negative way to think of working out as something you need to do so others won't judge you or to feel better about your body. Do it for yourself so you can enjoy the activities you want to do
  • 2 0
 Great story Shimano, Kailey, and Marley! I kept seeing all the PI gear on your IG and hoped something was coming! Need to add that route to the bucket list now. Thanks for sharing.
  • 1 0
 I've been a big guy riding for a long time. I've been trying to deal with my health for a long time. Injuries happen. Life brings challenges. I share the struggles of being a big guy riding on my channel. In the end I won't stop trying.
  • 2 1
 Came to the comments to upvote anti-fatphobia support, found all the health experts. Fat people are given fewer tests and taken less seriously by doctors when self reporting health issues because of fatphobia in medicine. Correlation is not causation. Just look at upvotes here if you need proof
  • 3 1
 I think it's great!! Some of people I know who have ridden bikes from being fuller shapes have had some amazing stories and achievements to share and empower people, so good seeing this kinda thing - more please
  • 3 1
 Really awesome! So cool to see accomplishments and hear the back stories. These ladies definitely have bad ass positive ways of looking at cycling. Looking forward to seeing the next chapter!
  • 5 1
 Man, I want to get out and ride after watching this. You guys are rad, keep ripping.
  • 5 0
 to be a cyclist you just need to ride a bike.... it really is that simple.
  • 4 0
 This is awesome. Content like this will help make sure that everyone can see a version of themselves on a bike. Love it.
  • 8 7
 I think I boils down to whats healthy and what's not, unfortunately it's seems to be on trend to be obese without the question being asked if it's OK to promote it? I can imagine the backlash this comment will get but if being grossly obese and riding a bike is making that acceptable would it be as easily welcomed I the video featured two riders at the other end of the scale. Let's say extremely thin? Grossly underweight even? As far as I can see all that seems to be going on is a trend to normalise being obese? A state of being that's medically proven to be detrimental to health. As with all things on trend it also has the knock on effect of being great advertising and sales boosting....
  • 4 8
flag dkos (Mar 29, 2021 at 14:58) (Below Threshold)
 hey, so I'm really sorry to inform you but the entire fkn point of the video is to normalize obesity, because there's literally only one body in the world you're allowed to give a shit about and it's yours really sorry to hear about how angry it makes you that someone is different than you tho
  • 4 0
 @dkos: Your response doesn't really make any sense I'm afraid??? It's a bit contradictory. Where exactly did you get that I was angry? All I'm getting from you is that your trying to push your own feelings in to my post which you've not really understood
  • 8 2
 Fat bike?
  • 2 0
 Great video and my favorite quote was "Primary reason we go is to have fun!". Bikes are very fun and everyone can enjoy them in their own way (even if I do make fun of roadies sometimes...)
  • 3 0
 0:32 two finger braking. You are NOT a mountain biker. The exit is on your right.
LOL!! Just busting some ass. If you want to ride MTB, you got to talk some smack. Wink
  • 1 0
 I'll put my hand up and say I'm a fat cyclist. All the men in my family from the age of 18 blow up and carry a fair bit of body fat despite dieting and exercising. But after starting to go to the gym to help my cycling I fell in love with strongman and that became my main sport I've trained and competed in strongman now for 4 years and stand at 300lb. The main problem is I'm looking for a new bike and I'm to heavy for a lot of bikes. So it's like a catch 22 I'm fat and need to exercise but I'm to heavy for exercise equipment. ‍♂️
  • 6 3
 first post ever. This is awesome keep up that stoke level, love the positive energy
  • 1 1
 Not sure about that handle though. May be reading too much into it...
  • 9 6
 Shimano only made this because they aren’t the ones that have to warranty their frames
  • 6 2
 Hell yeah Kailey (and Marley)! This is so awesome to see!
  • 3 0
 Godspeed to all riders trying to get out on a bike. Biking is life for many of us.
  • 2 0
 Getting outside and enjoying a rip thru the mountains, or a pedal over to the coffee shop should be something enjoyed by everyone. Keep on spinning ladies!!
  • 6 2
 Shimanos Down with the Thickness
  • 5 3
 Thank you Kailey to Marley for sharing your story. Happy to see Shimano helping to normalize people of all bodies enjoying the outdoors.
  • 5 2
 Hello Greg I'm here reporting from the comment section in which it appears a shit storm has developed
  • 2 2
 Kaily K. is a natural bike rider; they have great balance and position on the bike and a proper pedal stroke. you can't teach that. at least not easily, and certainly not to everyone. plenty of fast riders with tens of thousands of miles of training and years or decades riding still look like garbage on their bikes.
  • 7 3
 eat, eat, eat, sleep, repeat!
  • 6 5
 This inspired me to not get morbidly obese. This 60 mile ride looked so gruelling and uncomfortable for these two women. Hope they both manage to lose weight and live long unimpeded lives.
  • 1 1
 5:23. Either replace or shorten the shock cord in your tent poles! And good on ya for reclaiming the word "fat." If you're hammering out 50kms per day, you're getting some great health benefits. These women are not in the same league as people who eat a low fiber/protein- hi sugar diet and don't exercise.
  • 2 1
 Doctor:
wow, you are NOT in great shape. . . You have high cholesteral & your bmi indicates you are obese. I though you are an avid biker?

Me:
it wast me, it was the liquor
  • 2 1
 "There is no one right way to ride a bike."
"To be a cyclist you just have to be a person riding a bike."

Two of the best quotes I have heard in ages, pretty much back to back. Beautiful.
  • 2 2
 Riding is for everyone for sure!
Awesome to see these ladies getting out there and killing it good on them!

I am a little confused by the intent of the video though.....is it aimed to encourage people to get out riding regardless of their size as part of a healthy life style and help loose weight or is it aimed to make people being comfortable being overweight and ride?
  • 5 5
 Can we celebrate blondes riding bikes? Or red heads riding bikes? This country and this country only has to celebrate dumb shit like "fat people riding bikes" like it's out of the ordinary or uncommon when it's not. Why can't we celebrate people riding bikes or people coming together because as long as we as a country continue to celebrate dumb shit like this we will continue to be divided. How about we celebrate life with all colors and sizes of people???????? Just my opinion.
  • 3 0
 Ride, just ride and explore, any body, any bike, just ride!
  • 4 5
 Can you imagine seeing people with a positive attitude about biking, organize and go on a longer bike pack than you've ever done, and then going to the comments to remind everyone that health matters and begging others to agree that fat people aren't healthy?

So ironic and pathetic
  • 5 1
 internet high fives!
  • 3 1
 Way to go, great approach and I am sure you have empowered many people from this video to get out and enjoy/buy a bike!
  • 2 0
 Awesome. Didn’t know about C2C. Going to ride it soon. Looks like a hoot.
  • 4 1
 Yeah ladies! Rad to watch. Bikes are the bomb.
  • 3 0
 Fun video, I want to get out an ride my bike and have some fun.
  • 2 0
 as someone with a gigantic head and flipper feet, I was really hoping this post was about something else....
  • 3 0
 Awesome. I like the bit where the ride starts right out their front door.
  • 4 1
 "Get on your bikes and Ride"
-Queen
  • 4 2
 FBGMTRWGR
  • 7 4
 Take note all you, light, fit persons with motor assist and be ashamed!
  • 5 2
 I am just going to say: no real cyclist would ride the bike into the sea.
  • 3 0
 Can't out ride a fork... I've tried for years.
  • 3 1
 I thoroughly enjoyed this video. Thank you for making this and I'm glad it's on the Pinkbike. Ride on!
  • 3 2
 In case you didn't think fat people could ride, here is a video showing it. Just accept it people, fat people ride too. Now you know.
  • 3 1
 Well done and i respect them so much more for not using ebikes and taking the easier approach.
  • 3 0
 im 285 and feel thin now
  • 4 1
 Thumbs up
  • 3 1
 Heck yes and great to see. Keep pedaling!
  • 2 0
 I need to lose a few pounds so l can fit an Sls spring.
  • 2 0
 Dammit! No more baconators for me I guess.
  • 5 5
 I'm disappointed in the comments. This shit had the potential to be entertaining. Let loose people, it's funny and you know it.
  • 2 0
 Ok, I'll bite. I bet they use all their travel? I wonder if they get warranties on their frames? Did she washout, or did she see a donut? There you go!
  • 2 4
 Well done Marley, Kailey, and Shimano. Body image and fat acceptance is important to me, and should be to all non-fat people, 'cuz we really have no idea how many little things in life exclude and shame fat people. If you don't think it's a problem, it's because the world was made for you and you aren't listening to fat people. The joy of cycling is for everyone, and it's awesome that more historically marginalized people are claiming it for themselves.
  • 1 0
 The reason men are fat is because, let's face it, we don't want to be here.
  • 3 0
 April Fools?
  • 1 0
 I like my women bigger. And sweat is nature's ky
  • 6 6
 look at those calves!!! i would trade them for both of my toothpicks any day.
  • 4 3
 This is rad! Thanks for sharing your voices Smile
  • 2 2
 If you built bikes for healthier class your bikes will be heavy ass hell, low gearing and probably ridgid.
  • 1 0
 we tall dudes want 525 each on XL
  • 1 0
 Huh? 525 for reach?
  • 3 2
 Cool video, strong women.
  • 3 2
 Awesome! Great content Pinkbike. More of this! Smile
  • 2 0
 That was cool!
  • 1 0
 BIKES are GREAT for EVERYBODY!!
  • 1 0
 Shimano Swampdonkey Slayer!
  • 5 4
 Drop the fork
  • 1 1
 why they crapbout and put the reach as 490 for xl its stupid
  • 2 2
 Outstanding, more of this!
  • 1 1
 Zeppelin Zeerip!!! What a Name! Awesome
  • 2 1
 LOVE THIS!!!!!!
  • 1 3
 Yeah even the new old school low and slack geo isn't long and slack ofe is tall n big dudes all for short crybabies
Below threshold threads are hidden







Copyright © 2000 - 2024. Pinkbike.com. All rights reserved.
dv65 0.082822
Mobile Version of Website