Originally Posted by
iim7v7im7
BACKGROUND:
I am 52 healthy but sedentary and looking to add bike riding into my life as a form of cardiovascular exercise. I also am an engineer and have a tendency to be a bit of a gear geek. I have an hour in the late afternoon after work and of course more time on weekends. I have both semi-country roads and a dirt/gravel canal path near my home. I also have a beach cottage in RI where there are plenty of country roads of varying quality to ride. I am fairly tall, 6'-2"+ and a bit heavy at 215 lb (could lose about 25 lb.).
The "R" word.
"52, healthy but sedentary," "could lose about 25 pounds," "engineer," "gear geek." Add a goatee and you'd be a perfect fit for the recumbent sterotype. I don't know if you're a recumbent person or not but I do know this: If you buy a $2,000 bike without giving recumbents an objective look, you're not doing a through job of investigating the available options.
Unfortunately, investigating recumbents may involve a road trip. You need to travel to a recumbent specialty shop. Such a shop will have several different styles of recumbent bikes for you to pick from. Each style will ride quite differently and have it's own set of plusses and minuses.