Cruiser or Mountain?

[Roadtrip]

Welcome zeviac!!

I bought a Trek Pure (cruiser/upright style bike-- Electra Townie looks like a decent bike too) and I love it-- I bought the sport version with 21 speeds as I live near some pretty nasty hills. Now I have to admit I've been looking at the Hybrids as my next potential bike purchase, I am not one bit disappointed in the Pure. You don't mention if you have other health issues, like knees or back, but one of my main reasons for choosing a cruiser is my back. It allows me to bike longer without feeling like I as hit by a truck the next day.

One thing you'll want to look for is something that's got wheels on it with as many spokes as possible. This means the wheels are stronger and able to support a little more weight. When buying my first bike, that was my main concern was that the bike wheels would be able to support me, so I'd look for something with at least 32 if not 36 spokes.

I had a horrible (unrealistic) dread that I'd climb on one of those bikes at the LBS would just snap the thing in a zillion pieces. It only took a little reading to realize some people biked at 500lbs and completely turned around their lives with the help of the bike. It was sorta like that dream when your giving a speech and all of a sudden you look down and realize you've forgotten to wear pants to school and all the kids are now laughing at you... completely unrealistic, but it's still there in the back of your mind.

I'd also try looking at Craigslist for a nice used bike as I'm willing to bet as your weight loss goals progress, you'll find you're wants/needs in a bike change, so in six months you may very well want a different bike. No matter what you get, just make sure you feel really comfortable on it as you won't want to ride if you're in pain.

I found a really cool bike shop here that listens to me and tries every time I come in the door to help me with anything I've had issues with. Hopefully you too can locate a good shop close to you.

Good luck and let us know of your progress!
Shannon