Commuting - bike for big guy

hello everyone,

I have been shopping for a bike lately and am now more cofused
than when i started.
I am a big fellow(6'2,300+lbs.)My riding will be mostly in the city
on bike paths,and trails.For every shop I have visited i have gotten a different opinion.
What choices of brand,style of bike,should I be looking for?
I have 500-600 dollars, to spend, canadian. So far what I have been told is that I would need a mountain bike with double walled wheels.
I have a 12 year old marin pallisade trail which needs a new front wheel and shifter. One dealer offerd me 70dollars on tradein,is this fair?
Any advice what I shoud be asking of these shops,I obviously
want a decent reliable bike that will offer the most value for the money.
Would it be worth keeping my marin and spending the $125.for parts to repair it?

Thanks for any advice you can offer

Bigfellow

The weakest part of any bike are the wheels
MTB wheels have a better strength/weight ratio than larger wheels. In theory larger wheels roll better, in practice, with high quality road tyres, there is little difference between the sizes. Most MTB bikes come with off-road tyres, but these can be switched for slick road tyres when new.
The strength of a wheel is mainly due to its build quality, then its spoke count, then the quality of components. 32 spokes is the modern standard, but 36 spoke wheels will be far stronger. You can get wheels with more spokes (for tandem or expedition touring), but 36 should do.
For practical utility riding, you will want frame eyelets for attatching a luggage rack and fenders. I would suggest that you avoid full suspension bikes, they add to the weight, and sacrifice quality elswhere for your price, but if you want suspension, go for a fork.
Most brands are pretty similar, so pick a bike shop that you trust. Find one with a good wheel-builder and find out if they can check the wheels and "pre-stress" them. This makes factory wheels as strong as custom made ones.

I'm a nig guy too, but getting smaller by riding more. I was in the market for a telecommuter a couple of years ago and my local bike shop steered me to the Gary Fisher Utopia. I was a little concerned about the wheel design as it looked like it had less spokes that I would need. However, I'm not sure what the design is called, but the spokes were sort of grouped in pair not far from one another. I believe the wheel was made by Bartrager (or something like that (too lazy to go to the garage and check!)). Anyway, the bike has been great. I've only had 1 flat and the failure was at the valve stem.

Biggy, the answer is easy. Pay the $125 to fix what you have, ride it and keep looking and saving. Eventually dollars available will equal what you want!
There's not a lot of quality out there in that price range, I'd ride what I have until I know what I want and can afford it! (I know what I want, 'm still working on the saving part!) ;)

I was 330lbs at 6'2 now I'm 290-295. I bent a couple of rims on a hybrid bike and then bought a GT Palomar mtn. bike. The bike came with 36 spoked rims and rides perfect for my size!I did have to replace a rim while I was touring because of my neglect -not a direct result of being too heavy but that's it in four years. This bike cost $350 (US) so thats well with in your range. I would take a good look at this bike, it has been the greatest purchase!

I am a newbie, both to cycling and this forum, but I thought I put in my 2-cents anyway. When I bought a Trek 200 about 6 months ago I was at 300 (I'm 5'6). I've only put about 350 miles on it, but it hasn't given me any problems at all. It has the stock 26' Bontregor tires on it. (I'm more like 270lbs now, and I can't wait til I get down enough that I can try out a road bike!)