Hi folks, I'm brand new to the forum here. I know this is an old post to be replying to, but I wanted to offer my appreciation because I found this discussion to be pretty helpful. I just bought my first ever bike because I need the exercise (but I'm not interested in racing; I bought a hybrid so I could enjoy the fresh air & take my time) and had no interest in joining a gym. I feel pretty self conscious about it because I'm also a big guy. This thread was pretty helpful.