Overweight issues

[Geonz]

when I picked my first "real" bike I went to all the bike shops - though in Richmond VA there were only four or five. I was looking for what felt good to ride, and the Bianchi at the last bike shop felt the best of all.
I thought maybe it felt better because wtih all those test rides I was just riding better so I went back and tested some more, but they weren't better. So I went back to the Bianchi, which had been sold and I couldn't afford this year's model.
I asked the guys why it would feel so much better and they said the stem was at a different angle, and they popped a Bianchi stem off and put it on a Giant. Voila! It was the magic proportion!
I think it comes down to finding the bike shop people who will listen and help.
Had experiences like Pachyderm's, though - I recommended that Virginia shop to somebody, who went out there and got a different person who informed him that no, he did *not* want a hybrid, he wanted... YUK! (and I'm not sure, but I think *this* may have been the owner, and I worked with the employees, who were "just" biker - types who wanted to share the fun in whatever way I wanted to get started!)
There are a whole lot more options now, which is good but more complicated! I like my 7500FX a lot - still hybrid, but light and as fast as I want to go.
Pachy, I hope also that the fearless manager had a few words with the other guy about using those two appendages on the side of one's head, not just the hole wiht the tongue flapping around in it.