Profile : Male. 6'2. 140 Kg
Purpose : Leisure. To drop/pick up kid from school. If cycling appeals, may be cycle to work.
Sale : Assuming Black Friday/Christmas period will have the best of sales? Is there a different period where cycle sales are better?
What bike would you recommend?
First time biker - No idea what'd be a good price for a bike. Obviously after the best bang for the buck. An upper limit of $500 seems reasonable.
Is there a specific frame/tyre style/dimension that is more suited to a heavy person?
Even though the purpose is to find out if riding a bike is going to be possible at all, happy to hear middle of the range recommendations so as to avoid a starter bike and a real bike transition. If no sale, and have to go the second hand route - is it even possible to be scammed on gumtree etc when buying second hand?
Frame type; Hybrids make good commuter bikes. They are not too aggressive a position or too relaxed. They can still handle a little rough terrain like the odd gravel or uneven bike path.
Tyres; A good semi slick if you are going to be doing 99% of your tracking on hard surfaces like concrete or asphalt. If you are doing 50/50 hard pack/gravel and asphalt, a cross over tyre. Don't go full mountain bike knobbly tyre, as they are crap in hard surfaces and wear out too quick.
Size; depends on your height. If you're a tall person as well as being heavy, a longer frame will have a better position. Go to a bike shop and sit on a few different sized bikes to know where you fit in the range. And just know that a 21" frame from one manufacturer could be totally different in another.