New member looking for tips
Well, I haven't gotten a bike yet. That's one of the reasons I joined here. I'm trying to pick out a bike. There is a paved trail near where my apartment is and it goes for about 6 miles, which isn't much, but I could do laps. Past that, it goes to limestone. (Plus, I'll be living in the mountains of West Virginia, so I can ride the hills if I decide to stick to the streets). I was looking at a Trek 1.2, but now I'm thinking I would be better suited getting something more like the Trek 7.3 FX or a mountain bike.
Ultimately, my goal is to bike for fitness; I weigh around 240lbs and want to get under 200 by my 21st birthday (in 13 months). I used to ride a BMX bike around town daily years ago, so I've always enjoyed biking. And since I never got into running or anything else besides golf, I figured biking is a 'fitness program'/hobby I can stick to.
I have done a lot of reading on this site and have decided against the cheap $150-300 bikes as I would like my first one to last a while. I also realize that I can't make any decisions before going to my local bike shop and trying one out (which is why I'm leaning towards the Treks - the store in town mainly deals with Trek). I would just like to go into the store with an idea of what I am looking for.
I appreciate any input and I'm looking forward to learning more while being a member of this site.
-Frank