Fuji Touring? Only mention it because you already have a Fuji so you are aware of their process/components and like them.

Of the bikes you mention, I would probably go for the GT and that would mostly be because I constantly lean towards the lesser known brand when presented with a bunch of options. And because the triple triangle has always been a cool look to me. That, or the Giant.

My wife has a Cannondale Synapse Sora and loves it. It has 25mm tires on it though. Its basically an endurance road bike.
Someone I ride with has a Cannondale Synapse Tiagra disc and it is the biggest POS I have ever been around. I am not kidding, it breaks weekly(ridden 3x/week). In just over 1000miles, 4 spokes have broken, the bottom bracket has clicked for 800mi(the shop 'fixed' it for 2 weeks only for it to return), the pedal broke, and the disc brakes have been adjusted probably 10 times.

So take all that with a grain of salt. I think the Synapse is probably a great bike and the guy's is a lemon that was poorly assembled and the LBS is just not doing a good job(any?) of making it right.

I dont like Specialized, but thats an issue with me and how I cant stand the company's approach. Admittedly, they have had a lot of advancements in fit and comfort for their bikes over the last handful of years. Its just all not my style.



Whatever bike you get, I would suggest you consider tire size after fit as the second most important determiner for which to buy. Components for the bikes are basically the same level of quality. Tiagra or 105...meh, really not functionally different. As for cranksets...FSA Omega, or Gossamer, or Shimano R460...all of em are mid-range in the grand scheme of crankset quality(which is a large spectrum).
The ability to fit a 38mm tire could be great for comfort. Wider tires(35, 37, 40) can roll just as well as 28s, if they are a quality tire and the comfort is WAY better. This will also help stability a lot if you do crushed stone paths.

The 3rd consideration after fit and ability to fit larger tires, would be the quality of the stock wheels. The Giant has 32h hubs(vs 28 or less on the other bikes you mention) and also has butted spokes which is a touch of quality. The rims on the Giant are unknown and basically the wheelsets on the other 3 bikes are...unknown. Could be solid, could be iffy. Probably internet review them as much as possible.
I shoot for more spokes any time I can. 32 butted spokes got my attention since I am around your weight.


Oh, the Giant's gearing is really nice too. 48-34 crank? I like the move away from 50T large ring. And it has a 34T large cog on the cassette. Great range, better than the other offerings.