Heavier Newbie Looking for Bike

I'm also an ex-rower, and at 6'4" and around 93kg also have had problems finding (a) bikes that fit and (b) wheels that stay round, though have now been through the bike upgrade path a few times for both mountain and road, I think I am getting the hang of it.

Having been in your situation with a similar budget I made the decision to go with a decent, but not spectacular Korean built frame, Shimano Tiagra groupset and a good set of wheels (the Bontragers). 20,000km later I have gone past many cyclists riding better gear than me and still firmly believe that the trick to riding a bike fast has more to do with the person pushing the pedals than the bike itself.

On the wheels, the Bontragers were fantastic - I never had to true them - a huge improvement on 36-hole Mavic Open Pro's I was having to straighten every second week. Prior to that I had some cheap wheels (brand unknown) that came with a Merida bike I owned...they were no end of trouble, never straight and spokes always breaking.

Getting a bike to fit, always a challenge - though I have found it is usually worth looking at the Cannondales. Not the cheapest on the market but I find their XL mountain bike frames fantastic and they are the only road bikes I have riden that make me feel small.

Thanks for the comments.

I've now purchased a new bike. I got a Cube copy from Rabe. The frame is stiff and the the Askim wheels are also good enough.

I tried a Trek 1500 with Bontrager (but few spokes) and a Cube with WR550 and found both quite wobbly when accelerating from slow speed.