Introductions - Getting back in the game...

Good afternoon, y'all. I'm looking to get back into riding after eight years of not doing it. Used to ride 20+ miles a day over small but sometimes steep hills on golf cart paths, but stopped when I moved off to college and couldn't really ride safely in the middle of a large city. Now I've moved to a more suburban area; still not comfortable riding on the local roads but I have a few places I can go with sparse traffic. Unfortunately, there aren't really any hills here in coastal Georgia.

Anyways, I'd like to get back into riding as an alternative to pounding away on a treadmill or elliptical. I need a new bike, too; my old one was a circa 1991 Schwinn 10-speed "mountain" bike with a homemade sheetmetal CD player, cheap odometer, flashlight speedtaped to the frame for night rides, nice wide padded seat, and a rusty chain that skipped. It took years of abuse before finally rusting out in my garage last year.

I'm looking for what I guess is considered a hybrid now. I don't need anything fancy or expensive, just something with a nice comfortable seat, straight-across handlebars, and regular flat pedals. I'm hoping not to spend more than $200-250 or so, but I'm not sure how reasonable that is.

Any suggestions on a bike or training techniques to get back into things?

Thanks!

Welcome back to cycling my friend!!and welcome to Bike Forums!!

l would suggest looking into Craigslist (http://savannah.craigslist.org/bik/). At that pricepoint you will get the best bang for the buck there. Try to buy a namebrand that is not a department store brand. If you buy a Schwinn, look for a "Schwinn Select" sticker; these are the better Schwinns sold in bike shops.

If you want new, and you're not going to be dealing with steep grades, you may look into getting a single speed. I have a 2009 Schwinn Cutter. The 2010 model (http://www.schwinnbike.com/usa/eng/Products/Urban/Details/1377-S10CUT-Cutter) is better (although a little more expensive than your price range). The "better" is that it has a flip-flop hub so you can try out fixed gear riding or ride it in freewheel mode. It has flat bars (hybrid style). I like my Cutter a lot.

Thanks, I'll look into the used ones. Though I think I'd like to keep the option of multiple gears in case I take it back home to my parents' house soometime and ride there, or go on longer rides with a group.

Upon further research, it appears I had a Sidewinder. I'd like to find another one if I can, preferably around the same year.

Edit, possibly it was a Diamondback Outlook. I can't remember, it was one of those two.