My younger brother is a video game nerd, which is all well and good, but I'd like him to have some outdoor activities before he becomes a reclusive, skinny, pale...well, before he becomes even more what he currently is. He used to enjoy biking when he was little, and I'd like to get him back into it. Unfortunately, he's had some rough experiences with it. I'd like to know the best things to do to coax him out. Where could I get the best gear? And what would be the best places to take him to go biking?

You may want ot ease him into it slowly - kind of like a person who has had a car accident. Maybe start off with a nice safe cruiser (even a cheapie from a mass retailer like Target, Wal-mart, etc - that way not too much invested if he spuns real activity for his twittering of his thumbs)... If you have a beach, bay or lake near-by maybe take him on a coast cruise - let him work into it gradually. Start off with a lazy weekend maybe, remember his stamina is not going to be very good at first. Just build on it from there...

I think your idea for a coast cruise is a good one. He's also very self-concience, so I don't think he'll want to be biking around anyone else just yet. The fewer people the better.

you can always try to take him far from home and try it somewhere where people don't know him

Maybe try to get to him through computers? Buy him some xtreme biking games and then take it from there?

It might not be necessary to get him the 'best' gear right off the bat. Try for good yet cheap gear. In order to persuade him, you need to get him to see advantages for himself (better fitness which leads to looking better, being able to play sports, getting girls...) in biking. Start off easy, just around the neighborhood and progress from there. Don't worry, people don't pay that much attention to bikers.