Originally Posted by GypsyAngel

Hey Luna! Welcome to the thread.
I would recommend going to a local bike shop and talking to them. Tell them you're interested in getting into cycling for fun and as a form of exercise and need something that will last through the process of getting fit. Have in mind what you want the bike for, what kind of terrain, how often you plan to ride, how much you want to spend, etc.
They will be able to recommend something that will be best. If you find they are stand-offish or don't take you seriously then go to another shop. I experienced one shop early on that seemed to only want to cater to racer type cyclists (and it was a family type of shop, not for the elitist). But I was happy at another shop I went to.
Ride as many bikes as you can and pick what feels good. And make sure the shop you use does a good bike fitting.
I would recommend staying away from the Wal/K-mart type bikes. They're not real sturdy and unfortunately aren't always assembled safely.
I have friends that were around 300 lbs when they started cycling and have found bikes that are great for them. Two of them have Kona Hoss mountain bikes which they love! A couple of them have Specialized (Sequoia and Sirrus) bikes.

This is the Kona website... http://www.konaworld.com/
This is the Specialized website... http://www.specialized.com/bc/home.jsp

Good luck and have fun spinning!

Gypsy

Originally Posted by waklee1

Well just thought I'd let everyone know that I completed my first Half Ironman distance triathlon on Saturday. It was a beautiful 68 degrees in Oceanside, for those not familiar that is next to San Diego, and couldn't have asked for better weather. The 1.2 mile swim was a little chilly to start but not bad. I had a great ride, 56mi, and man was it hilly. One hill topped out at a 17% grade. I did the ride in 3:40 and didn't stop once. Then came the half marathon, 13.1 miles. By this time my body was dead tired, and i was starting to have knee problems. I ended up having to walk the majority of it, but I finished. Alot of people on the course, both competitors and spectators were cheering me on, as you usually don't see a 260lb guy doing a half ironman, or any triathlon for that matter. Needless to say I wasn't doing any low carb for the last month as I needed to fuel my body. Now that it's over though, back to the plan. I gotta lose another 50lbs before my full ironman next year. Hope everyone is doing well, and sorry for the long post, but I had to let people know. It can be done, just put your mind to it. This time last year I weighed 307 and the thought of running 1 mile was absurd.

Originally Posted by gweny70

I want to START riding for the first time since...well since I was a teen...Where I live is GREAT for riding. My problem is fiding a bike that can support my size/weight that doesn't cost a fortune...any suggestions/ideas would be greatly appreciated. I still need to read back through this thread so hopefully I'll find some helpful info there.....but if you have any ideas/suggestions I'd love to hear them!

Originally Posted by lil' annie

Visit all the bike shops in town, and ask to take a look at their WORK bikes.

A work bike is no frills, STURDY, and is strong enough to support most anybody.

Some bicycle shops will only have the very expensive marathon-type of bikes, but you want to find a bike shop that caters to people who simply enjoy paddling around.

Schwinn has several models of work bikes, but only Schwinn authorized shops can sell them.

Go to the different bike shops and tell them you want to try out a bicycle for a trip around the block, and do they have anything exceptionally sturdy as you haven't been biking in years.

Originally Posted by Hairballz

Go to http://www.Walmart.com and look up the "La Jolla" bike - it's the bike we had as kids!!! Big wheels, BIG, wide cushioned seat, FOOT brakes, no gears. As simple as can be. I'm drooling over this bike myself right now, and I know my local store stocks these, so I'm pretty sure it's in my future.