Need help picking a hybrid

[Lady Hamilton]

I am back from the store.
Well, they only had Vita Elite. It's a beautiful bike, but at over $900 tax in, it really is too much for me to pay.
They did not have regular Vita.
I saw Ariel, it was Ok.
They also showed me Specialized crossroads step over model. I am not so sure about it.
The guy really pushed Kona Dew. It is the same price as Giant Escape 2. Which is a better bike, in your opinion? They looked pretty comparable too. To be honest, I like the look of giant more, but I understand I should not judge based on looks.

So far, I understood only that comparable Specialized are about $100 more that Giant. Correct me if I am wrong.

[Lady Hamilton]

I did not ride any. I went right after work in a dress and flipflops. Not the best riding attire:-)
I will be going back on the weekend though. Elite is absolutely gorgeous (I saw it in purple), light, and stunning. They told me they can swap tires for something that is more packed dirt friendly.
I will be going tomorrow to hopefully check out Jamis Coda Sport.

[TigerMom]

How about used Craigslist bikes?

[Lady Hamilton]

My size, XS, is probably going to be too hard to find.
I found one used, specialized vita eilte 2011 model,in size M. They claim it's practically new. But the $150 difference is not worth IMO not having a year of service, and warranty. Plus, it is already two years old.

[Lady Hamilton]

that's what the guy told me. He said that Koba Dew, Vita, and Ariel are different. Nice thing is, there is a bit of uphill by the shop, so I can check that out.

[Koronin]

I bought a Specialize Ariel last summer. I really like it for nice relaxed rides. Although I actually bought it for a very specific purpose. It and my husband's equivilant is what we take to the NASCAR races in Bristol, TN with us. By having the bikes we can park a good ways farther from the track, ride the bikes to the track and back. Plus the track put in a really nice fence at the entrance to the track and people use it as a nice bike rack. Don't know if that's what it was intended for, but the track doesn't have an issue at all with people locking their bikes up at the fence. I will saw I've only ridden it on pavement.

[Lady Hamilton]

thank you very much for your input. I am still considering Ariel. will be definitely test riding it.