Sertsa

Thanks! I'm looking at something a bit trail-oriented that would also work on rail-trails and gravel. So hybrids, adventure, and hardtail MTBs mostly. I plan to ride in some of the areas in which I've been hiking--gravel and dirt trails with some hills--as well as rail trails. An LBS has a NOS 2018 Rocky Mountain Fusion 40 that I hope to try next week. The shop owner needed to order something for it. (The shop is apparently changing its business model). I'm hopeful it'll be a good fit and choice. (Here's a link to the model on Rocky Mountain's site if you're curious).

For drop-bars I still have a 1990 (or thereabout) Schwinn Worldsport I want to eventually restore with the help of a co-op.

breadbin

I'd stick with the Schwinn but I know the new bike fever is hard to beat😁. I'm the heaviest I ever was at 157kg. About 350lbs. I have an old Raleigh 531c steel that never gives out and an aluminium Brodie Romax that seems to be holding up well enough. I just have to use them more! Will you get a warranty with the new bike? Make sure to check that out. Rocky mountain used to be amazing bikes but now I think they're regular chinesium.

travbikeman

Just remember, weight loss is not going to just occur by bicycling. Biking is huge amount of fun, but It's an overall lifestyle change. Trust me when I say, it's not easy and is easy to get discouraged, but don't. Going from 537 pounds myself and am still hovering around 290 pounds without surgery I have found that the first few hundred pounds easy to shed, but it does take a lot more work to lose more. It will be difficult, but once you get below 400 pounds, you are going to notice huge changes on what you can do compared to what you could not when above 500.

I'm still amazed at how long I had imprisoned myself in my own body and how much more freedom I have earned for myself.

Sertsa

I intend to fix up the Schwinn, but it was a bit jarring on local gravel roads even back then, and I'm looking to go on rougher trails this time. I'll see how the Rocky Mountain feels. I'm fairly certain it'll have a warranty as it's an unsold 2018 from an authorized dealer, but I'll double check.

RubeRad

But don't plan to keep it that way, it's not good for knees long term to have the seat too low (or too high: too low is hard on front of knees, too high is hard on back of knees).

Imagine walking up stairs without ever letting yourself fully extend your leg, how much harder that would be. That's what it is to ride with a seat too low.

There's plenty other info about proper seat height around BF, but my favorite rule of thumb is, if you ride with your heels on the pedal spindles, you should end up with locked-straight legs. Then when you properly put the balls of your feet above the pedal spindles, you'll have just enough knee bend. If your hips rock side-to-side, the seat is too high.

Congrats on getting into cycling! Let us know how the worksman works, man!

Leisesturm

As much as our hearts are warmed by threads like this I wish more of us could do the hard work of being real about someone's chances of making something like this work. The o.p. would have been better advised to get a recumbent trike. Maybe an upright trike but some kind of stable human powered vehicle. I personally would have recommended an elliptical machine and some kind of effective rapid weight loss method of losing at least 200lb. before thinking about a bike purchase. What is anonymity and a total lack of any accountability good for if you can't use it to be brutally honest and therefore helpful?