Checkout this new web-based (Vermont) company. Started in 2006 by a woman fed up with not being able to find a bike, she had one made and started a company. Bikes are built for people weighing 300-500.
http://www.supersizedcycles.com/site/1554167/page/45029 Below is the article from the local press ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Bikes for big people Published: Monday, January 29, 2007 By Leslie Wright Free Press Staff Writer All Joan Denizot wanted to do was lose weight. The best way she could to think to do it was ride a bike. But she couldn't find a bike -- not in a bike shop or on the Internet. The 48-year-old from Fairfax endured twinges of humiliation getting sized up by svelte bike shop employees. She was never satisfied with answers she got about structural limitations of bikes. The most manufacturers would tell her was that their bicycles were good to about 200 pounds. Frustrated after months of looking, she was struck with an idea. "Hey, I'm not the only fat person who wants to ride a bike," Denizot thought. So Super Sized Cycles was born. Operating exclusively on the Internet on a shoestring budget, Denizot started to sell bicycles in April. A former professional chef, landlord and mother of four, Denizot is new to Internet marketing and new to bike manufacturing. That doesn't necessarily matter, she said. She finally has a way to exercise that doesn't seem like pure drudgery, and a business that will help others. "It's one more reason I'm excited about it because it can make a difference for people," Denizot said. Building a bike After determining that she wasn't going to find the bike she needed, Denizot shifted gears and focused on starting a company that specialized in bikes for overweight people. On her quest, she met a bike builder from Arizona, Chris Zanotti, in an online forum for bike builders. He was game to design a bike for her. He sympathized with Denizot's plight. When Denizot said she wanted a bike for someone 300 to 500 pounds, he immediately thought of a tandem -- a bicycle built for two. He had no idea whether he'd be able to find the parts he envisioned needing, but that was nothing new. "I work in aerospace and race-car design, and you are always coming up with stuff that does not exist yet. You've got to find a way to make it work," Zanotti said. He started with the type of steel tubing used in tandem bikes and used super strong welding material known as super-missile wire, used more commonly in aerospace welding. He added disc brakes that are typically found on downhill racing mountain bikes and the biggest volume tires he could find. The frame was designed with a low center of gravity to make it more stable and predictable and easy to get on. "We want to have them feel very relaxed and very in control, because they are not looking for performance, they are looking for control," Zanotti said. The bike was named A New Leaf. Adding to the fleet Denizot also found a bike builder already making heavy-duty bikes in New York City. Worksman Cycles builds the Newsboy and Newsgirl models that look like the kind of cruiser bikes ridden by kids in the 1950s with chrome fenders, upright handlebars and coaster brakes. Denizot worked with the builders to make the Newsboy and Newsgirl extra sturdy, selecting puncture-resistant tires and a comfortable gel seat. She also carries tricycles made by Worksman. More models are on the way. Ferrisburgh bike builder Tim Matheson has started to design a modified recumbent bike that will feature a wide seat, Denizot said. Psychologist Nancy Silberg applauded Denizot's efforts. She is administrative psychologist in the bariatric surgery program at Fletcher Allen Health Care. "It's great because exercise has proven to be one of the most valuable tools in maintaining weight loss. It's a very important factor for general emotional and physical well being," said Silberg who also runs a program called the Lifebalance Weight Management Program. After having gastric bypass surgery a year ago, Denizot has lost and kept off 100 pounds and couldn't be more eager to spread the word about her bikes. Super Size bikes range in price from $476 for the Newsboy and Newsgirl to $1,749.99 for A New Leaf. She's also added electric-assist bikes that start at $629.99. Each bike is rated for how much weight it can carry. In the case of the A New Leaf model, the maximum is 550 pounds. The Newsboy and Newsgirl can handle up to 330 pounds. Sales have been in the neighborhood of two bikes a month. Denizot has been impressed by the reach she's had on the Internet. Bikes have sold in Alaska, Hawaii and the Carolinas. She's counting on word of mouth in those places to build sales. In the meantime, she's delighted to have a way to exercise. What's fun about this bike is I get on and I feel like a kid again," Denizot said. Rock on fellow Vermonter, Ellen Pillsbury Regional Planner ARDC 221 West First Street Duluth, MN 55802 218-529-7554 arrowheadplanning.org [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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