What kind of bike?

[Toxic515]

YAY, I found a used Marin hard tail / hybrid at a local used bike shop! $220 total, with a nice wide-butted gel seat!

[MileMarker60]

Skip the "wide butted gel seat" and get something more typical. The gel seat may seem nice but tend to cause more problems. Get fitted for the seat and break it in, and you'll be better off.
I would do a google search for MTB message board in your area, then post a WTB ad in that group.
Most MTB board (especially local boards) are very helpful. Chances are they aren't going to sale something that junk. Just off the top of my head, I would say look for a used GT peace 9er or a Haro Mary.
Best of luck and great job on dropping the weight. I'll also keep wife in my prayers.

[Toxic515]

Mile: it came on the bike.. At my size, can you enlighten me a bit as to why smaller might be better? It certainly wasn't pushed on me, but I thought I was glad to get it. :-) However, after 20 minutes for my first ride, I'll say that the next purchase is gonna be some padded shorts!! Given the burn in my thighs, perhaps some Ben-Gay as well! :-) I loved it! Was also glad I took my listing gloves to pad the ole hands a bit too.

[Legion]

Good stuff! Have fun, and get out there as often as you can. It won't take long to start seeing the results.

[Jclifton]

Good deal, glad you found a good bike, side note I have been riding for years, close to 11 now with a gel padded saddle, sure it is heavy and not what most folks who ride road bikes use, but I like it and it works for me.
So, I would say keep the saddle, the padded shorts are great too, and happy trails and stay out the way of insane motorists.

[ronwell]

Asking a bike enthusiast what kind of seat to get is sort of like going on here and asking what is the best shaving brush. I think the general issue a lot of people have with gel seats, though, can be summed up by Grant Petersen in Just Ride: A Radically Practical Guide to Riding Your Bike: "Supersoft gel saddles actually feel better on your hand than your crotch. If the saddle is too squishy, your sit bones compress it, and push it up on your crotch nerves." In other words, the gel seat (which seems like a great idea) might actually be the cause of the pain, and switching seats might negate the need for padded shorts.

Read Sheldon Brown's blog. He's basically the guru of everything bike related. This is his article on seats: http://sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html

A decent bike shop will probably let you test ride of couple of seats in the parking lot. Sometimes, though, finding the right seat is...well, back to the shaving issue, kind of like finding the right razor or shaving brush. A matter of trial and error.

[superbleu]

Asking a bike enthusiast what kind of seat to get is sort of like going on here and asking what is the best shaving brush. I think the general issue a lot of people have with gel seats, though, can be summed up by Grant Petersen in Just Ride: A Radically Practical Guide to Riding Your Bike: "Supersoft gel saddles actually feel better on your hand than your crotch. If the saddle is too squishy, your sit bones compress it, and push it up on your crotch nerves."

Read Sheldon Brown's blog. He's basically the guru of everything bike related. This is his article on seats: http://sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html

A decent bike shop will probably let you test ride of couple of seats in the parking lot. Sometimes, though, finding the right seat is...well, back to the shaving issue, kind of like finding the right razor or shaving brush. A matter of trial and error.

all great info, but it really depends on how far/long you are riding. The shorter your rides, I think the less important the quality of the saddle is.
Most well, depending on where you are some shops have a saddle demo program, you pay 50-70 dollars to try a bunch of saddles, when you find one you like you put your demo fee towards the price of the saddle you decide you like best and purchase.
if you are riding longer, saddle selection is VERY important. I just rode 209 miles on saturday(the actually ride is only 204 miles, but I started from my house which added another 5 miles), Seattle to Portland one of the largest organized bike rides in the country. :-)

[M80]

This might be useful for you:
http://www.bikeforums.net/forumdispl...00-lb-91-kg%29

[Legion]

I've got a leather Brooks saddle on my bike, and I think they are great if you ride a lot and a long way. If you are only doing shorter trips for now, stick with the saddle you have. Brooks need to be broken in before they get comfy, and it can take an age if you are not regular about it. Also, you have to keep them dry, which can be a PITA if your bike is your only form of transport and you live in a rainy area.

[Toxic515]

Thanks to everyone! I bought a new saddle for it that at least didn't have a nylon cloth coating. All the difference in the world to me. I also ordered some padded compression shorts. Made my first 1 mile today (in 104 degrees) Thankfully, I also got a water bottle for it! My goal now is 10 miles within the next month. That will let me ride to my doc's office for the next meeting of folks who've had surgery! I think I can, I think I can... As I lose weight, I'll re-evaluate saddles periodically. At this time I like the less slick surface on the new one, along with the slightly wider profile and the strategically placed hole in the horn.

[duotone]

Was reading some articles on the gear patrol website and came across this interesting article about building a bike, something I'm not really into, but I found it quite interesting.

http://gearpatrol.com/2012/07/24/ideal-city-bike/