Originally Posted by
ill.clyde
You're going to hear lots of different advise ...
Basically, sturdy wheels are more important to consider than the frame.
the Kona sounds like a good deal, and is a sexy beast of a bike, but really, for the riding you're talking about doing around town, it's sort of like installing a thumbtack with a sledgehammer.
I'm not a big fan of hybrid bikes myself, but some of our members have had very good luck with Trek Navigators, and you can often find them used.
The most important thing, is don't over think the "purchase" of a bike ... paralysis by analysis. Find a bike, ride it. Ride it lots. Lose some weight. Upgrade the bike's components as needed, or wait as long as possible and buy a brand new bike (as a reward for your weight loss).
Just ride.
What he said.
And ignore the pitches for "Supersized Cycles" and Worksman products. A regular bike, with some thought put into the choice, is what you want.
If you want to look at some other bikes, the Specialized Hardrock was once the "house bike" of this forum, since so many posters rode them. Also, I once asked my bike shop for advice for a 400 pound rider and was directed to the entry-level Trek mountain bikes.