Originally Posted by
flip18436572
There are a lot of bikes that can handle the weight. Go to an LBS and talk to them about getting a bike for you. Find the best LBS that actually talks to you and do not worry about the brand of bike before going in. Tell them what you are wanting to do and then make sure that they get you something that has rims with at least 32 spokes.
I ride Jamis, because the Trek and other dealers treated me like crap. I also bought a "hard rock" off of craigslist because I knew what I was looking for after owning a road bike.
Good luck finding a good LBS.
Strong advice, very strong.
If you have a Jamis store, you ought to visit it. Check the site anyway. Look at the Coda especially, look at all the models, use this site as a learning tool.
As the man says, being ABLE to visit a store and having them help you is key.
I was your weight, rest assured there are more than a few bikes to suit you, not just clunky ones either. Bikes that'll still be racy enough if you drop some pounds so don't fret over that. Also like the man said, finding a used works better once one knows just what to focus on, it can be tricky and frustrating IMO