In my quest for an exercise I'll actually do, I decided to get a bike. (I liked riding bikes a whole lot when I was 13, so maybe this will be something I stick with? Maybe?)

I don't want to lay out tons of money -- I'll save that for when I actually drop some of this hugeness and am ready to make a permanent investment.

That said, have any of you had experience with a Target-ish bike? I'm afraid it won't hold my weight, but skinny and fit friends tell me I'm worrying for nothing. (I'm sure they don't realize I weigh twice what they do!)

Thoughts? Suggestions?

Wal-Mart has a nice selection of bikes too. I haven't had one since I was 10 though so that's about the extent of my advice for ya LOL.

I just bought a bike from walmart for 100. It is a cruiser with a big seat for my big butt. LOL

I love it. My husband told me that I look like Pee-Wee's Big adventure riding it. LOL.

I just bought a bike from WalMart for $ 58. and I love it !! My son had bad luck with a bike from Target last year - the frame snapped in half and I understand that this has happened frequently with some bikes made in China. Just keep your receipt because the big chains are usually very good about refunds.

I bought my bike earlier this summer at a garage sale for $12.50. All it needed was new tires, they ended up costing more than the bike did. It's an older 10 speed but works just fine and I've been happy with it. Perhaps you might want to look into getting a sturdy bike of a well known branks that's been slightly used, makes it a lot more afordble.

Last year my husband and I went bike shopping. Since we're both HUMONGOUS, we thought we'd need special bikes, so we started in the custom and specialty bike store. They were very helpful, but everything was so expensive, we decided we'd wait to buy good bikes until we were sure we'd use them. What we learned there helped us pick out Walmart bikes. The bikes we chose were about $80.

What we learned. Make them get the bike down for you, so you can sit on it, to see if the handlebar placement is comfortable. Sitting upright is generally more comfortable for larger bodies. Comfort bikes (old fashioned) and cruising bikes are usually more comfortable than racing styles. If the bike doesn't come with a large gel-seat, buy one. My husband was fine with the seat on his bike, but I had to buy Walmart's largest gel-seat. It wasn't very expensive, and worked fine for me. I don't remember if it was $10 or $20 but you can buy even larger seats if you need to.

Choose a bike with solid post construction, not spring suspension (check under the seat, and in the front of the bike).

Even using all these rules the bike shop guys gave us, we were able to find 4 bikes at Walmart for between $65 and $120 that fit our criteria, and we haven't bent the bikes yet (and hubby weighs nearly 400 lbs), so I think you'll be fine.

Dissenting opinion: go to a bike shop and see what they have. Most bike shops (out here, anyway) will do basic maintenance free, and some give you 10% off all your purchases, too. AND they're a wealth of knowledge about good places to ride, what you can do to get fit, all sorts of things. Right now is a good time to check one out, too--they're getting in 2008 bikes, so a lot of places are having sales!

I just started riding again a couple of months ago, and I've just today finished a "Roadbiking I" class they were having on saturdays. I've been in there sometimes 3 times in one week with problems or questions, and they've helped me every time. It's really nice to have somewhere that can help you.

JMHO, anyway.

My husband rides and says you can find reasonable bikes at bike stores. Sometimes they have used bikes. Look at the weight, you don't want steel if you can find aluminum. Bike stores=better service.

I like cruisers but he's trying to get me to buy a road bike (skinny wheels) so I can go on rides with him. He goes 20 miles each AM, it will be a long time before I can do that!

Good luck

Talk about timely information. I was just on my way out to buy a bike for my daughter for college. If I find a good price I might pick one up for myself as well!

I agree with the bike store crowd. It's kind of like running shoes although probably not quite as important. You get what you pay for. My husband and I both just bought bikes at the local bike shop. We got great service and help in picking them out. They even went so far as making us take 3 each out back to their riding lot to test drive them. They watched us ride and made suggestions, adjustments, and had us ride again. This was on EACH bike!!! They also gave us TONS of information on local biking groups and trails/paths that we might be interested in. They were sharing what they love with us and it showed.

Yeah, you might pay a little more (but maybe not as much as you think) but you'll be happier in the long run (I think) with your purchase.

Support the little guy out there! Shop local!

I think a lot really depends on how much you think you'll use the bike, and how much you have to spend. We only had about $250 between us, so we either had to buy 1 good bike, or 2 cheap bikes. Since we weren't sure if we'd be able to ride (because of our joint issues) without severe pain, we didn't want to make an investment until we knew how much we'd be able to use it. The Walmart bikes were a great compromise, since it gave us the opportunity to make a very small "trial run" investment. I ride a lot more than hubby, so I am saving for a better bike, but my cheapy is doing fine in the meantime. My husband's joints are in much worse shape than mine, so it's too painful for him to bike very often. There are specialty bicycles that he may be able to ride comfortably, but they are priced so far outside our budget, we might never be able to afford them.

If you know from the start that you will get a lot of use out of it, and the cost is withing your budget, I agree that buying from a bike shop or small specialty sporting goods store is a better option than Walmart, but if all you can afford is Walmart, don't let that stop you from getting a bike.

Bike Shop!

Yep, I'm going to have to go with building a relationship with your bike shop guys:

1. It's a larger investment but you're also buying expertise. When I biked over some trash that tangled my bike chain, I brought it in to them and the took about the chain and reassembled it without any cost to me.
2. Support the locals! If you're looking to make this a permanent hobby, there's nothing like getting involved in the local scene.
3. Relationships. If your looking to upgrade down the road, starting with the local bike shop will pay off. They'll be able to steer you in the right direction or look out for used models of what you're looking for later on.

(I also have moral issues with Wal-Mart).

I will say that my dad bought me a Huffy from Toys R Us when I was 18 and it crapped out after riding it for 6 months. I bought my Specialized Hybrid bike for under $300 and it's a joy to ride everyday.

I'm with the bike shop vote. And not just a bike shop - a small, non-chain, local if you can find it. My husband and I both bought Jamis bikes at a local shop and they do all the maintenance on them for two or three years. If you keep taking your bike there and buy accessories, etc., they keep doing the maintenance. And they know SO much! Definitely worth what we paid for the bikes. I love my bike and wouldn't trade it for anything.

Thank you all for you invaluable advice. I learned so much from this thread!

I would have liked to go local as I'm a huge supporter of the little mom & pop store, but sadly the two bike shops around here are outrageously priced (at least for my current budget). I can see myself investing in a better bike in the future, but as Colleen mentioned, I wanted to see if I can even sustain riding again before I lay out serious bank for the purchase. (As it is, I spent almost $100 over what I planned, what with a different seat to accommodate my giant ***, a helmet, pump, etc.)

We visited several big box stores, and I have to say I was less than impressed with the selection at a few of them. It KILLED us to go to Walmart...I can't even express in words how much I detest everything that they represent...but they had tons of bikes and I found one that seems to suit me and my needs. (And it's a Schwinn -- I had Schwinns growing up, and always had good luck with them so...fingers crossed.)

It was so weird even sitting on a bike again. It's been literally 20 years or so, and dude. I don't remember it hurting my crotch that much! I think there's just so much more of me now that everything is distributed differently. Hopefully the new seat will help out in that department, as it's a bit differently shaped and MUCH cushier. And man, I looked like a dork trying to hop on and off a bunch of different bikes in the store. Pure hilarity. Even I was laughing at me.

Right now my boyfriend's in the garage adjusting the handlebars, inflating the tires, and changing out the seat. When he's done and it's all customized for me, I will proceed to try to make it down my driveway without winding up with roadburn. Oy vey.

Thanks again for all your wonderful advice. Will let you know how it goes!

It's so funny you posted this recently. I bought a bike about a year and a half ago, a $48 Wal-Mart bike, because I was afraid I would buy it and never use it. Well, I was almost right...it sat in my garage since then, I think my dad's rode it a few times. Every once in a while I would get it out and tried to ride, but after years of inactivity and not riding a bike, I was wobbly and couldn't go very far so would discouraged. I went riding yesterday, made it five miles...but oh boy, even with a cushy, fancy seat, it almost hurts to sit on soft surfaces today...definitely a lot more of me on that seat then when I was young. I had a great time riding it though, I can't wait to go back out.

Oh, and my cheap $48 bike does hold me, which I was concerned with also...it's not the most comfortable bike, I should have at least spent $58, but it will work until I have the means to get a better one.

Happy riding!