Hello everyone from Northern California,

48 years old and haven't owned a bike in about 20 years.

I've been reading the forums for a few weeks and finally made it into a bike shop today. Not my "local" shop, but one close to where I was having breakfast with friends. It was a great experience! Even after telling them that I was there just to look and learn, the salesperson still spent 30 minutes with me. It helped that no other customers were in the store. Learned a lot and decided that a hybrid was best for my needs. The salesperson even suggested Craigslist for a good deal on a used bike, and then buying new if I want to continue.

So that's what I have been doing. Searching ads for a used bike (so many flaky sellers) and learning on this forum.

Thanks for all of the great info!