+100 on the bike shorts. I just got back into riding myself a couple of months ago. I'm also riding a cheapie brand from target (Huffy blackwater, 15 speed). Having padded shorts makes a huge difference in comfort. I also noticed that raising my seat to a higher position made a big difference in riding. Maybe some more experienced riders can help out with how high to adjust your seat but I read it should be high enough so you can extend your leg fully to touch the pedal. It does make for interesting (clumsy) dismounts but I do notice a big difference in riding. I'm still a bit clumsy with the gears and still learning how to work with them. I don't know if a better bike would help with that. Maybe others could answer that question.