gcottay

Ask around for a good local bike shop, seek their advice, do long test rides before buying, and set a firm dollar limit.

All you really want is a bike good enough not to be discouraging as you begin riding. In your $500 ballpark that should present no problem. After a few thousand or even a few hundred riding miles your taste in bikes can change enough that you are ready to select something different in the way of style, size or geometry.

I strongly suggest avoiding the fatal mistake that relegates millions of good bikes to eternal captivity in garages, basements and storage rooms. As you begin riding, do not expect more from the motor than it is willing and able to give. Favor your low gears. Accept whatever speed you generate. If you are passed by great-grandmothers on adult trikes, smile and say hello. If a hill is too steep, get off and walk. Focus yourself entirely on enjoyment. Ride often, ride far. Worry exactly zero about speed until you are well hooked on cycling and your body achieved basic riding fitness.