42 and new to cycling

[Maye]

Congrats on the pounds lost! I have an aluminum Trek Lexa and its a great entry level bike and I LOVE it!! The Lexa's prince range is from $730.00 to 1,430.00. I'm 39 and also a newbie!

[colorisnt]

Welcome to TE and congrats on your weightloss.

I love the Trek financing package and I really prefer Treks to other brands after riding a few. It's definitely a personal preference, though. I love road bikes and always have. I don't think I would ever own something else. I even commuted on road bikes and will again soon. As for buying a flat bar, that could be an option. Bikes that are well-made hold their value - especially small women's bikes. I sold a gently used Giant this Spring that I was using for commutes (or commutes I gave up on). In the end because someone wanted it so much, I sold it within a week for $20.00 more than I paid for it because this lady knew exactly what bike she wanted and she was willing to offer to pay more for me to hold it until she could drive two hours to pick it up.

You definitely can get money for small bikes - they don't depreciate that quickly.