Sorry another fat bloke thread, would like recommendations for a bike mostly for commuting

Hi all,

I'm around 290lbs, having recently lost 20. I plan on losing more, or trying anyway.

I want a bike for primarily commuting which is around 10 miles round trip, but would also like to be able to get to a local beach and back, which is around 20 miles. I'm having difficulty finding weight limits on a lot of bikes, but I'm assuming my weight is a consideration.

If the weight is a problem am i better waiting till i lose more, i don't want to pay significantly over the odds for a fat man bike but I will if I need to.. Budget is ideally around 2k but could reasonably go to 3k if it makes an appreciable difference (I'm assuming it doesn't).

I haven't had a bike in 20 years or so, and am not sure how buying one works these days, can I go to a shop and try or do you just find the right size and get one online? whats recommended? I have a few shops ive seen nearby, trez, halfords, evans cycles and a couple of smaller places, are there any places to avoid?

Thanks