General Cycling Discussion - Seeking sage advice...

I just moved to a large city and want to ride a bicycle for practical reasons... better for my health, better for the environment and cheaper than a car.

I'm looking for some cycling experts to give some advice, since I haven't been on a bike since I was a kid. I'm a big guy (around 330 lbs) so any bike I ride has to be able to support my weight, at least until I trim down. I'm mostly going to be riding on paved roads, and I'm on a tight budget. What would you reccomend for buying a bike?

I also have an old CCM Blitz bike that I had as a kid, but it requires some repairs and I figure a mountain bike won't do me much good in the city. CCM Blitz has oversized everything, it weighs so much it could be used as a boat anchor.

Thanks in advance for responses...

Hi there, I am in a similar situation. At 6'2.5" and 315 lbs I am a big dude. I spent $100 on a used mountain bike that fit me well, and put slick tires on it. I did swap different handlebars on it but that's about it. I ride it all around the Reno/Sparks city areas and have no problems. For your weight (and mine) You'll need a mountain bike with their stout 26" wheels (no walmart bikes here) and the lower gearing will help on hills. When you get around 250, or whatever weight, buy yourself a road bike. That is my plan anyway. Here's my ride, attached.

Contact the League of American Bicyclists (http://www.bikeleague.org/index.cfm) to find out if there is an organization or group in your city that offers a Bike Ed or Effective Cycling program to teach cyclists (both new and experienced) how to ride in the roads with traffic and commuting skills.
I'm a League certified cycling instructor in Atlanta (with the Atlanta Bicycle Campaign (http://www.atlantabike.org/ec.htm)) and teach these kinds of classes every spring and fall. Most programs are set up to be one day (usually a Saturday) or sometimes two day classes (two consecutive Saturdays). Each class session is 4-6 hours.