Hi. I'm 215 lbs too. I used to sell bikes and, yeah, you're right. Aluminum feels like God's gift on a short test ride but doesn't ride so well in the long run.

For many years I rode a Cannondale R1000. The stiff bottom bracket was nice, great for climbing and sprinting. Wonderful ride on a perfectly smooth road. On anything less than absolutely smooth, that high frequency road vibration would travel right up through the frame and eat at your wrists and back.

The Cannondale finally cracked under my weight.

This last year I bought a Lemond to replace the Cannondale. The frame is steel / carbon fiber but nothing very fancy by current standards. It's not the stiffest, most responsive ride but it feels great. This bike is clearly not as efficient as my Cannondale but I feel so much fresher on this bike at 20 miles and, as a result, tend to ride longer and harder.

As I ride 30-50 mile rides 3-4 times per week, there's just no contest. The stiffness and efficiency of aluminum is just not worth the sacrifice in comfort. And really, I'm worried about the durability of the new Cannondale frames. That downtube is paper thin. So I'm probably going to sell my CAAD9 warranty frame and stick with my Lemond.

If I were you, I'd look at a modern steel frame, something like the Lemond Sarthe at your Trek dealer. If you're hell bent on getting both efficiency and comfort, I'd up my budget and start shopping for carbon fiber. The Trek 5200 is a very nice bike.

What other brands do your local dealers carry?