20 Best Bikes For Big Guys (2023 Updated)

I have had this bike for about a year and have ridden it year round, in snow, sand, mud and on pavement. This is the best walmart bike I have ever owned. That being said, the brakes are weak for disc brakes.

They do not feel very reliable and they struggle to stop this heavy beast. Stock brakes didn’t have enough power to lock up the rear wheel even with most of my weight off it. I upgraded to some entry level, but name brand brakes which made a huge difference.

After about 8 months of ownership, the derailer cable stopped working, totally froze up. And after about 12 months the free wheel ratchet stopped working. So I am in the process of putting a new cable, new freewheel gear cluster and a few other parts on it.

I highly recommend putting a different gear cluster in the rear to give it better torque, especially if you plan on using this on trails or numerous hills. That being said it is still a decent bike out of the box.

Everyone says it is slow, but it really isn’t once you get into shape. I can keep up with people on conventional bikes on flat ground, and can go places they can’t. If you want to try a fat tire bike, this is probably the best way to start.

There is no way to describe the sensation of riding through snow packed single track with 3 feet of snow on either side, navigating dense forest silently and with relative ease. Or riding along the shores of Lake Superior, or through sandy trails with stability.

It can turn around without stopping even in deep sand. For the first week of owning it I felt like an 8 year old riding a pedal powered monster truck. Seriously, lots of fun. As an added bonus the tires sound like a herd of angry mosquitoes once you get it rolling at a good clip, so other people on the bike path know you are coming, you will never need a horn!.

I was really excited when I got this bike but after assembling it its provided me nothing but problems. It makes a noise when I ride it and after observing the bike I realized the rear wheel where the shifters are came really loose.

I only had to install the front wheel so the rear wheel came like that already. After taking it to a bike shop I found out that the whole part thats loose is actually broken due to the bearings. Im sure this bike is really fun to ride but my luck really struck out with this one as its been the complete opposite.

I am a 5’1″ woman and I ride 10,000 + miles a year mostly on a road bike. But, come the colder months, I enjoy going out into the woods and riding the trails. I have a Trek mountain bike with front suspension that I paid $800 for, this bike is MORE COMFORTABLE and fun to ride than that bike! I looked for 2 years for a fat bike that would fit me.

Because of the size of the tires they have to build a frame to function around them. The 26″ size tire requires a frame that does not fit a shorter person and to be a small person on a heavier bike that is a bit too big is not fun.

Is the bike light, no. But, compared to an adult alloy frame fat bike with larger wheels, tubes, tires along with the larger frame. it is comparable. The bike came 90% built, put on the seat, handle bars, front tire and peddles and you are all set.

I did have to tinker with the disc brakes a bit. But the manual that comes with this is very good. I was concerned with only 7 speeds, not a problem. I have climbed a few hills without issue and gotten some good speed on the road heading to the trails.

The 14×32 freewheel cassette can be changed as there is a 12×32 available on Walmart’s site (for those that work on bikes and have the tools) or take it to your LBS if you need an easier gear or more speed.

As for the twist style shifter, I am not a fan and will be putting a trigger shifter on, but that is personal preference I think. If you are looking for a comfortable casual ride. this is a great choice for the $$$ I highly recommend for the shorter people! Finally a benefit to being short in the cycling world!.

This bike was purchased for a 10 year old boy. He is an accomplished rider that wanted a fatbike. It arrived without damage from California. I assembled it and noticed that the rear derailleur was bent.

The mounting tab was bent. I fixed it, but the assembly is cheap plastic and it is flimsy despite it being a Shimano component. Shifting remains somewhat sketchy. The brake lever bases are also plastic and flex quite a bit upon braking.

The bike is heavy, but that is to be expected for an all steel big tire bike. Again, this is what you get for the money. The only other options we found for this bike were $800. and up. Not going to happen for a kid that will outgrow it in a few years.

I hope it stays together long enough to make it. I can already foresee a rear derailleur upgrade and it has not even been ridden by him yet. I would think that for an extra $50 in components from the manufacturer, this thing would still have a price advantage but not price out of reason.

Try again, Mongoose.

The bike is great. Very comfortabke to ride. My only complaint is that both wheels came out of tru and i had to spend 65 dollars and drive 40 min to a bike mechanic to have them repaired. I shouldnt have to spend that on a brand new bike.

Also on the larger frames it would be nice if they included a larger seat as obviously its not gonna be a petite person riding it and they will likely need more support.

Love it. Got it as a commuter bike for work and so far it’s been faultless. Easy to ride (even for someone that’s not done proper riding in years) and well built. My journey is a third woodland and it copes as easy as it does on the road.

Best looking bike for the money. Performs well but my only criticism is that the seat stem was too long for me. Had to cut 2 inches off. I have only got a 29″ inside leg.

Great all around fat bike in both snow/winter and dirt seasons. A real joy to ride. Unfortjnately, the freehub blew at about 14 months of use. Reading all across the internet sounds as though it’s common problem with defective parts.

Many posters have said their LBS was able get it covered under warranty. There is even talk of there being a recall for defective hub. Shop has been great. However Giant denied my warranty claim and now I’ll be over $300 in building up a new wheel.

I’ve tried reaching out to Giant and left voicemails and emails and have not heard from them. I really like the bike but I’m disappointed that the part failed and I’ve had no support or contact from Giant, sadly it does make me question whether I’d consider another Giant in the future.

I’ve ridden this bike in many conditions (spring, summer, fall, and winter) and it’s a blast! Now I typically only use this bike in winter and it handles the extreme NH winters perfectly. Only issue I’ve had was having the rear freehub break after a year of very heavy use.

However, giant replaced it under warranty for free and I’ve heard they made changes to prevent it from happening as easily. Overall amazing fat bike! I would highly recommend adding a dropper post and changing the seat though.

On snowy or loamy trails, icy climbs and descents, gravel or pavement. This bike is versatile to say the least. With a dropper, awesome geometry and components that are reliable and durable, it is a fun ride for any occasion.

I ride 5psi on snow and 28 on asphalt. These tires roll great in all conditions too. I found this bike on a used website as the owner had knee surgery after ordering it and so it sat unused until Feb this year when I came across the ad.

Serendipity we met and fell in love.

Purchased a Talon 29/2 a few months ago after owning a Klein Mantra I bought new in 1997. I’m into my 60s and wanted a slack geometry 29″ bike for high speed stability, while keeping the maximum full purchase price below 4 digits.

The Talon 29/2 has a more relaxed geometry than my 26″ Klein. The Klein has a 41″ wheelbase, as opposed to about a 47″ wheelbase on the Talon, so there’s a big difference in handling response. I ride the Talon pretty hard and it has held up well.

There are lots of volcanic rock gardens where I ride and the rims have remained true after some rock abuse. The hydraulic brakes can easily stop you quickly with one finger. The 29″ tires roll over rocks with ease, and have lower rolling resistance and higher momentum than the 26″ tires on my Klein.

When the OEM tires wear out, I will be converting to tubeless tires. The 1×9 gears shift smoothly and are wide ratios enough for most riding conditions, and the clutch derailleur keeps the chain on the sprockets when the trail gets rough.

The wide 780mm handlebars give good control over the steering, especially in technical riding conditions and fit my shoulder width well. The front forks at this price point are not expected to be of high performance, and they are marginal at dampening and rigidity, but do help some with big hits using up all of their 100 mm travel.

The stock pedals were too small for my size 12EE shoes and not very grippy, so I upgraded to OneUp flat pedals which make for much more confidence in pedal grip and comfort and fit my feet better. All in all, the Giant Talon 2/29 is a great bike for the price and could be worthy as an entry level hardtail race bike at an affordable price point or just a durable off-road bike for local park trails.

It would also make for a fun city commuter bike with the low rolling resistance of the 29″ tires.

Bike itself 4/5* – slightly overpriced for what it comes with; great paint job (teal blue); house brand suspension is pretty good, save for the issue discussed below Giant as a company 1/5* – doesn’t stand by their product; nonsensical corporate ‘policies’ Purchased this product from an authorized (not Giant branded) Giant dealer in the GTA, 100s of KM away from where I live given the bike shortage.

The bike came well assembled (from shop side) and in good condition, however after the first ride, I noticed suspension fluid on the Giant branded Crest 34 was leaking. I brought it to my local Giant dealer who verified there was an issue but informed me I’d have to pay for labor given their labor wasn’t covered/reimbursed by Giant (as it would be on say, a car warranty).

I have no problems with the shop but reached out to Giant Canada (which was quite difficult) to try and get reimbursed for the $70 labor I had to pay on a $2000 bike just to have it work properly out of the box.

The suspension issue was obviously a manufacturer defect as it was not assembled by the shop. Giant told me it was not their ‘policy’ to cover labor even in the case of manufacturer defect on their own branded parts.

This policy is obviously arbitrary and shows they don’t stand behind their products, even in a bald case of manufacturer defect (I wouldn’t mind paying labor if I broke a warrantied piece by use). Furthermore you can’t even do the labor yourself seeing as a dealer has to look at it to verify the warranty claim.

They try to put everything back on the shop, but obviously a shop I didn’t by the bike from can’t do free labor seeing as they made nothing from the bike. Would never buy another Giant so long as they keep this ‘no labor on warranty policy’, they seem to big to care about you.

I have already recommended several friends go elsewhere.

I think this is a fantastic bike for the money. Nothing needs be be changed when you roll it out of the shop. I own a 2019 Ghost FRAMR 6. 7 and it’s a big 27. 5 enduro smasher that the only things left stock on her is the GX shifter, the Fox 36, and the frame it’s self.

I maybe hit stuff 10% of the time that a bike that big is needed. And maybe. 5% of that you truly need that much travel for. So I got this bike as a sort of build up as a go bike. I wanted to get back on a more affordable hardtail as my everyday tails bike but not so affordable that I would just want to throw everything on it out.

The thing that surprised me the most were the brakes. I actually prefer Magura and Sram but the braking power out of these MT400s was a surprise, so surprising in fact that I may not even go back to Sram or Magura and I am looking at some SLX or XT brakes in the near future over a Magura MT trail set or a set of Sram G2 Rs.

I am actually a Sram fan with the drive train as well but SX I think is actually a step down that the deore that comes on the fathom 2. Now that did the smart thing putting the NX derailer on it as the SX starts to have issues but the NX shift would have been a bit nicer.

The Fork was also a nice surprise, I was expecting to want to replace it right out the gate with something like the bomber Z2 but this fork is just fine and I think a step up from SR suntor that came on the previous generation of the fathom before the crest fork.

It does make a off sounding small checking when locked out but it’s not a Fox 34 or a high end fork. It gets the job done and has all the adjustments u need for a bike like this. The one think I do hate about this bike is on the size M it comes with a 125 MM dropper post.

I am 5’10” and I have to have this thing almost maxed out for the seat hight to be correct. I see no reason why the size M does not come with a 150MM or the option to order it with the 150. And the stock seat is trash In my opinion but saddles are such a personal preference that does not matter much.

And I Did not like the stock stem length or handle bars or grips but yet again all personal preference on that stuff. The bike rides relatively smooth for a aluminum hardtail. The big 29×2. 5 wheels help big time with that.

The bike rolls really nice over chunky stuff and just puts a smile on your face as you are bumping your way down a rock garden. Climbing is not bad at all but remember that this is a trail bike not a XC race bike.

But you can climb just about anything on her but don’t expect to do it quite as fast as ur XC buddies. This bike I think gets down played because it’s “a giant” but I would pick this over any of these “enduro” hardtails out there that the marketing is trying to make us think we need.

This is a perfect trail bike that most rider could be happy of for years and just upgrade as they go.

This wasn’t the bike I ordered. I was waiting for an AR 3, but shortages kept pushing the delivery date. My local Giant store happened to get an AR 1 in my size, so I pulled the trigger and went with the upgraded bike.

While I can’t draw a comparison against the Sora groupset of the AR 3, coming up from Tektro brakes and an 8 speed Altus groupset, this was like going from a go kart to Bentley. Not a high-end Bentley, mind you, but a really good one.

Things I really like: – the Shimano 105 groupset; smooth gear shifting and 1:1 gear ratio for climbing – hydraulic disc brakes; really responsive to the amount of pressure applied – really agile and responsive; not that I’ve ridden any high-end bikes, but moving up from a $500 flat bar, this bike feels more like an extension of my legs.

Things I changed: – the Approach saddle is good, but I have a Selle Italia saddle that is more to my liking; saddle swap-out is par for the course, though – shortened the stem; stock is 100mm, but I swapped it out for a 60mm to make the cockpit a little smaller.

Great road bike! Very light weight bike frame you could pick up with one hand easy. Love the color metallic black. I am moving from my Trek MTB to Giant road bike Contend AR3. This transition was like leaving a bomber plane to an agile quick fighter plane.

The Giant Contend AR 3 has a comfortable seat, light weight and fast! I would definitely recommend this bike I look forward to my rides now everyday after work! I track and monitor my progress with my bike computer I am hitting speeds and climbing ascending and descending quickly I take on any hill now with the ” I got this mentality”.

This bike makes you want to take on the challenges of the road and it can get you to and from with no problem! Hands down the best move I made was to Giant Contend AR3 thank you Giant!.

I have owned 4 previous models of Defy / Contend over the years so have clearly been a happy customer, with the exception of the last bike to the extent that I vowed not to buy another Giant. (Mine was an awful build.

) However given the shortage of bikes at present and the spec of this model I gave Giant another go and I’m really pleased I did. Positives are the near full 105 groupset, the comfort and smooth ride, weight – definitely lighter than my previous Defy disc – tubeless ready wheels (but not tyres), hydraulic brakes, the (34x) 34t granny ring, and the saddle.

On the downside internal fork cabling would be great, not just aesthetically but to help clip on mudguards over winter. The Giant website unfortunately lists two maximum tyre sizes – 32 and 34mm and I struggled to find the answer or what size guards will allow but I’m running 28s (tubeless on low pressures) reasonably comfortably.

I think 32mm max is probable without guards. The welds, whilst not smooth, are an improvement on earlier models I’ve owned and it’s a nice looking bike generally and very efficient; not too far off the more expensive and better spec summer bike.

The colour is more of a grey / green than the website image suggests although I do like it. Overall I’m really pleased with my purchase but it could so easily be a great bike. However I guess that would compromise an already increased cost.

Great bike. Only complaint, should come with a full padset. Great, new old school cruiser.

Shipped quick. Everything was there but they could have done a little better job taping up the box before shipping it out. Overall still very satisfied.

This bike replaces a top of the line Trek hardtail. that was made in 1992. It was time for a 21st century full-suspension and this one fits today’s budget. It rides really nice and so far, the components are working smoothly.

I’m 5′ 7″ which puts me right on the line between a small and a medium frame. I went with the small and as it comes it’s a bit too small. One of the first upgrades I had planned was a dropper seatpost, which took care of that problem.

I like that it IS upgradeable and eventually will go with a lighter front fork, a higher end 1×12 drivetrain, and hydraulic brakes, but I’m in no hurry to do so. All in all, I’m very happy with it after half a dozen singletrack rides.

As someone who is getting older and needs to find a way to exercise more, I tried going to the gym and hated it. I have always loved being outside, so I decided to buy myself a Mtn. Bike. I am glad I did.

I have been out riding and, after some initial soreness, enjoy being able to get out and ride the trails again.

Pretty awesome bike – excellent entry into decent quality full suspension mountain biking. The only issue I have is that I’ll be towing a bike trailer for the kiddos, and there is no way to mount a kickstand.

Not even a clamp on, because the way the bars are built, it’s too tall.

I was primarily a road rider who was looking to improve my gravel skills by spending some time on a real MTB. I had a limited budget, so when Moosejaw had this bike at a 20% discount, I pulled the trigger on the purchase.

The bike is very well packaged when shipped, and requires only minimal assembly. After unpacking, I only had to install the front wheel and handlebars. The drivetrain was properly adjusted, and the wheels were true with correct spoke tension.

The wheels are tubeless ready, but the bike ships with tubes installed. I had a couple of spare tubeless valves in my toolbox, and was quickly able to convert to a tubeless setup. I could remove, and re-install the tires without any tools, and the tires sealed easily.

With the tubeless setup, the bike, size L, weighs 28. 5 pounds. I changed the pedals to One-Up, and have been riding almost daily. The wide tires are a bit slow rolling on smooth pavement, but on the trail, the added grip plus lower tire pressure work really well.

The bike handles all terrain quite easily, and the gearing is perfect for climbing. The relatively short wheelbase makes this bike very good handling, and fun to ride on trails. This is a great bike for skill development, as well as general purpose skill development.

The bike is easy to work on, and I am looking forward to developing my MTB skills with this bike.

Very pleased with this purchase. I’m on Long Island and travel to the white Mountains of New Hampshire often. It has handled everything I’ve thrown at it. If you don’t want to break the bank, and want an awesome bike, don’t hesitate.

Buy the Syncr today. Also, Jenson has been a pleasure to order from!.

I love the bike. I purchased the bike about 2 months ago. It was shipped to my house in a box. The assembly was easy to figure out. I really like everything about the bike. It is definitely a good solid bike for themoney.

I.

After riding road bikes for a few years i thought id like to explore the trails and footpaths around my area. I settled on the marlin 6 as a good medium between price and level of components. When on the road it handles very well and looks fantastic although i do find myself looking for an extra gear.

When off the tarmac this bike is an absolute joy to ride,it handles gravel,mud and grass trails with ease and is extremely comfortable for longer rides. I haven’t been out on my road bike since purchasing this over a month ago.

Highly recommended.

Decent bike for trail use. Not brilliantly assembled. Back break rubbed when delivered and a lot of rattling from the front of the bike. Reasonable price though. Rides nicely but isn’t a really great bike.

Top end gearing too low for prolonged road use.

I brought this bike as a birthday present for my partner and it was a great choice. Its very attractive, easy to put together and rides really well. He loves it. I would highly recommend this bike for any mountain bike beginners.

The only downside was the delivery – the guy left the massive parcel outside and refused to help me bring it up (i live in a flat and couldnt carry it in or upstiars on my own) – he could have brought it up and delivered it to the front door (my actual address) contact free.