hi, I've been researching online to find information about bicycles and came across this great forum. I've been reading since last week and decided to register.

My first question, at first, was i was concerned I was tooooo old... and also to heavy, but I'm hoping to give this a try after reading so much here on these boards.

I went to my first bike store locally this weekend and tried about 3 types of bikes... the townie (which I liked a lot... a specialized mountain? and a hybrid bike)... The townie i liked the best, but am afraid it might be outgrown quickly... the specialized was not the right size for me, and they didn't have a different one for me to try)... I tried another bike (can't remember which one)... but was so uncomfortable and scared of it... i didn't ride it around the parking lot. I remember "road bikes" as being what I used to call a 10-speed bike)...

Any way... I'm still looking and know enough not to buy the first thing, but my concern is... i'm overweight and out of shape (and 5' 5")... While I don't want to buy more bike than I need, I don't want to buy a bike today (like the townie) and then realize i want something "better" or different.

I like the idea of comfort; right now my plan would be to ride to work (about 2 miles)... I'd like to be able to ride on weekends... yet I also have a friend who lives in the desert area, so not sure the thin tires would be right for the dirt road he lives on.

Any way... I appreciate all the posts I've been reading, just how do you decide before you buy what you should buy? I'm not sure any place local has bikes to rent (saw that suggestion too)...

Also, the shop was nice, and didn't really mention my size in a negative way, but I also know they just said handlebar and seat adjustments could be made; they didn't really measure me or anything... I think I tried a hybrid at 17-1/2 inches (I think)... and then like i say I'm pretty sure the "standardized" brand bike (maybe a mountain one, it had fat tires) it was extremely uncomfortable to ride and the sales guy saw that too.

So, how do you decide which type of bike to get?