James,

First, congratulations on the weight loss plan. I'm amused that it kicked off on my birthday. But it's not for that reason this former 400 pounder is in your corner. You can do it. Go James Go!

Secondly, the Specialized Hardrock is the unofficial 'uberClyde' bike of the forum. It's biggest fan is Bdinger, a regular poster here who went from 500 some pounds to near 300. Big Ben, got your ears on?!? We need your input.

For another opinion, you might want to look into buying an old steel touring bike such as a Trek 520 and upgrade components. Scott Culshall in Minneapolis dropped from 500 pounds to 200 by riding such a bike:

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle...tml?page=1&c=y