Is that Jay's Cycle (no relationship! )?

I'm a bit west of Union in Morris, the only bike place I've been to which I'm not sure is there anymore is Get Outside in Ridgewood. There is also a Ridgewood Cycle too I believe over there..

Bergen County, all upscale!

Might want to try a store that has a large parking lot, that is uncrowded, might be hard in Bergen County... But anyway, if you can convince them that you are a serious buyer, maybe they have rentals they could let you learn on. I am pretty sure Cycle Craft in Parsippany has rentals and they have a large parking lot and a small space next to it for demos. Might contact them if that is not too far away:

www.cyclecraft.com

One thing when learning to, you can lower the seat a bit so you can comfortable touch the ground when you are riding. Your proper position typically raises the seat so touching the ground is a bit more of a reach but for learning purposes, you can experiment til you are comfortable.

Jay