Originally Posted by the beef

Hmm. Don't "decide" on a bike so quickly. I made the mistake of getting my heart set on a road bike before even learning anything about road cycling. I bought it after test riding it down the block twice and in the end I realized I could have made a much better decision (I sold the bike a few months later).

The only thing you might need to know as a 215 lb guy is that some wheels with lower spoke counts will not be able to handle higher weights as well as wheels with higher spoke counts. Bigger riders on dinky, racey-looking wheels often run into spoke failures and the like. Otherwise, road bikes are extremely durable and you should look forward to years of fun riding.

My advice is to really test ride, test ride, and test ride. Get the shop to fit each bike to you before you're let loose on the street (if you feel like you're giving them too much of a hassle, don't. It's part of their job). Make observations about the ride and feel of each bike. In the end, buy something you really like.

Cheers,
Will