Cycling is a low impact exercise, which means that it's easy on the knees. Anyone who knows how to ride a bike can just take up cycling and start burning calories. This sport is especially suitable for those who are overweight. For these people, jogging or running is very painful because they have to carry all that weight, and the knees can hurt very badly after a short run. Cycling is comparatively more fun and less painful.
To take up cycling, you have to first decide the type of bicycle you want to ride in. There are many types of bikes in the market, and most are broadly categorized into 2 categories - mountain bikes and road bikes. For a start, it's always better to choose a mountain bicycle over a road bicycle. A mountain bike is much easier to control. You ride at a slower speed, but the ride is definitely more comfortable. You may decided to upgrade to a full road bike once your fitness level picks up.
Then there are different models of mountain bikes to choose from. Before choosing, make a quick assessment of the area that you will be riding in. Is it mostly dirt tracks? Or will there be asphalt that you will be riding on. Different models are built differently to suit different terrain. So to purchase the wrong bike may dampen your enjoyment.
For example, do you know that there are bicycles with full suspension and bicycles with just front suspension? How do you choose?
Well, if you know nothing about mountain bikes, you would argue that the full suspension bike offers a more comfortable ride. After all, all the bumps are mostly absorbed by the suspension. But that also mean that some power is lost in the process. So what if you want a more energy efficient ride or a faster ride?
In that case, the front suspension machine is a better choice. Most of the bumps in the front will still be absorbed by the front forks. However, if the terrain is mostly flat, you can expect the ride to be uneventful. Having just the front suspension means that there is minimal power loss. Most of the power generated by your pedaling action is transferred to the rear wheel. This translates to faster overall speed.
But if the terrain you are riding in requires you to negotiate lots of bumpy dirt tracks, the dual suspension bike would be a better option. You can't go fast anyway, since it's a track with many slopes, twists, and turns. So power transference becomes less important. Control and comfort becomes of ultimate importance here.
So know your terrain well, and you can take the next step which is to start shopping for a mountain bike at your local bike shop.