Want to start Riding but feeling a bit overwhelmed and defeated.

[Penny4]

Welcome Ojo...

I'll tell you my story I hadn't ridden a bike since i was a teenager. One summer (as an adult) I bought a big box comfort bike. After riding a few weeks, I wished I had a bike that could go faster. THe next summer i bought an FX. Based on my goals, the sales guy strongly suggested a road bike. However, I REFUSED to even sit on one....not me, no way, no how will I ever ride a road bike! I rode the FX for a summer, and was able to keep up roadies, but definitely in the slower groups. At the end of that summer, I decided I wanted a a road bike and then bought one

Now, with all of that being said, I'm not sure I would have felt comfortable right away on the road bike instead of the FX, but i think if i would have adapted just fine.

If you get a road bike, you should have someone spend some time giving you a lesson on how to use it. I never had a geared bike as a kid, and barely knew how to work the big box bike. I actually watched a lot of you tube videos and read articles on line to learn how to shift. (I didn't really have anyone to ride with at that time.)

Is budget a factor for you? If not, you could get an FX (or similar) now, and then keep it for light trail riding, knocking around town kind of riding in the future, if you upgrade to a road bike.

Could you rent a road bike for a day to see how you feel on it?

Good luck in your search! Lots of folks post this exact same dilemma when starting out....