Well I'm new to riding bikes. Well not really new, I used to ride bikes all the time when I was kid, but hadn't been on one in years. Since before I was 18 and I'm now 24. So it's been a while.

I purchased a Schwinn Sidewinder from WalMart. And before I hear all the horrible things about purchasing the bike (I did read reviews on it before I bought it), I wasn't about to drop more than $200 bucks on something unless I was going to use it frequently.

I've had it for about a month now and this is only my second ride. The first ride was the day I got it and was only about a mile down the road and back, just to test it out. So today I took it down the Fred Meijer Heartland Trail in central Michigan about 4.5 miles there and back. Of course, that is just a rough estimate, as I've no devices to measure distance, although I am looking into purchasing one. I could have gone farther but I realized I was pretty thirst and hadn't put a bottle and rack on the bike yet. So I went to the nearest bike shop and got one for $6 bucks and put it on. Next ride I'll go farther since I now have a means of taking water with me.

I'm currently 330 lbs. I was 375 lbs. when I started eating right and working out (weight lifting) about a year and a half ago. I first thought of getting back into biking as a means for exercise in addition to working out, and plus, unlike the stationary bikes at the gym, this gets me outside and enjoying fresh air.

Welcome to The Movement!

You might want to consider a computer to help monitor the speed and length of your rides.
That way you can see how well you're progressing over time. It can be a useful aid & incentive.

Despite what you might see here about bike brands, frame comp, clothing fabric, and gear ratios what's really important is that you Keep Riding.

Welcome to the forums! You'll find a ton of advice and support here.

Welcome to Bike Forums. It doesn't matter what kind of bike you have as long as you keep riding it!

Check out the Clydesdale/Athena forum, you will find all sorts of support and encouragement for your weight loss.

WELCOME! And you won't hear a peep outta me about the Sidewinder as I have a '96 model that looks just like new, rides great, and haven't had ANY breakdowns at all. I'm 72 so got a few years on ya, but my son in law gave me the bike in March of this year after he'd ridden it "about 10 miles". He also gave me the receipt from the local Schwinn shop that says he paid $296 for it. I personally don't care what anybody says about Schwinn Sidewinder cuz the proof is in the puddin'!

However, in 100% agreement w/Cfd's post about the computer, just couldn't live w/out mine. Four lines and tells me everything I want to know, paid 20 bucks for it on Amazon. Keep going and break in the Bike! Love my Schwinn!

For under $30, you should be able to find a wireless model with a heart rate monitor. Using an HRM will help you stay in your target zone for fat burning.

Welcome to bike forums...

Thanks everyone for the welcome. What a friendly community!

Definitely going to look into the things you all suggested.