Take a look at the Specialized Sirrus. I bought one about two months ago and am loving it. It was the base model; $420 out the door. It has rim bakes, but some of the higher levels have discs. When I started riding it, I weighed 275, as of this morning, I'm 255. I've added the typical Fred-ish doo-dads to it: computer, blinkies, racks, panniers, etc. It came with 700x32 slicks and moves along pretty quickly. However, as winter approaches, I'll probably swap those out for something with a more aggressive tread. So far, the only issue I've had with the bike is that the rear wheel has needed a bit of truing - but then , that's to be expected at my weight. I'm just up the road from you in Boston, Ma. It's more hilly here than in the five buroughs, but the roads are just as crappy - the Sirrus swallows up the bumps and potholes with ease. I would highly recommend that you check out this bike!
Good luck with whatever you decide on!
