Hi Stan,
I just got my first bike in 20+ years last Sunday, so you're not hearing the voice of experience here, just another newbie. My wife and I are in our early 40's and haven't biked in years. We bought comfort bikes (she got a Giant Cypress and I got a Specialized Crossroads). 21 speeds, bigger wheels but not huge like mountain bikes, and shocks in the seatpost and front fork.
We didn't want to spend a lot, and thought we wanted one bike that we could use everywhere--going on errands (she bought a basket for the front handlebars), riding around town, and going on nice dirt paths along the lakes.
Anyways, I was worried that we wouldn't be able to go on longer bike rides using this type of bike. But yesterday, after owning our bikes for less than a week, we went on a 20-mile ride that included street and dirt paths. And we're both overweight.
Bill