Hybrid Bicycles - Looking for a hybrid

I am completely new to bikes and know basically nothing about them. I decided i wanted to do the London to Brighton bike ride (54 miles) and wanted a good bike i could do it and similar bike rides on. I recently went to a bike shop and was shown the Trek 7.3 FX (£450) which i am going to test next week but from sitting on it, it felt good. As the shop was a Trek supplier i was wondering if their are similar bikes which are just as good and possibly cheaper. I have seen a few online which i can possibly go and see because the shop is reasonably close. Sorry for so many links but i don't know how to narrow them down, they all look good.

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/pinnacle/borealis-30-2009-hybrid-bike-ec018129
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/claud-butler/urban-300-2009-hybrid-bike-ec018821
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/pinnacle/mean-streak-20-2009-hybrid-bike-ec018133
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/saracen/intent-2009-hybrid-bike-ec018398
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/scott/sportster-p6-2010-hybrid-bike-ec020676
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/felt/qx75-2009-hybrid-bike-ec017117
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/sirrus-2010-hybrid-bike-ec020018 (i like the look and weight of this one.)

Even if you could narrow it down i would appreciate it.

Can't go wrong with the Specialized.
But, that first bike is really cool. Not familiar with Pinnacle, but
it looks sweet.

I agree, the first one hits me. ALL the bikes you list are quite excellant, I really like these modern FlatBars.. I can appreciate your liking the Spec. and Felt is a great Co. They're all fine. Not a weakling among them.
You stated yourself; the appeal whether it be color or weight, these are a valid o' determining factors as any in your final analysis.
At the risk of sounding Nanny-like, DO select the correct size, don't compromise that.
Don't over-shop either,(I'm guilty) it detracts form the bike purchasing experience.

would you know if the first one is better than the trek 7.3 fx based on the spec?

Also could you please tell me why the first one is better than the rest? thanks.

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/trek/73-fx-2010-hybrid-bike-ec016510

I believe it is. Assuming the Trek 7.3 is the same as USA, seems so, having checked the UK site. The first Pinnacle has a Shimano crank which looks good. The consensus is that Shimano cranks are better than brands often spec'd on bikes at large that use Shimano component groups; Truative , FSA and the like. Just from what I've read HERE. It's appearance struck me. The second Pinnacle as well as another bike or so have a shape frame a bit to compressed for my liking. Alex rims have their critics but the new ones (and old) are OK. Botrager is the butt of jokes.

Sora long range ders. works as good as anything at almost any price. Deore is good too but Sora's more roadish. Deore's touring and mountain. Acera (Scott's) has always been a lesser group and I believe shifts less crisply. I could go on and on picking away but since you've asked, that's a start.

Treks, even those who buy 'em, agree that they're a bit "over-priced" though I've a great deal of respect for them, Scott, Felt & Spec. To me, the first bike seems exotic as it's not sold here. Pinnacle Co. really broke their heads to formulate it overall. Treks are not at all elan to me. Perhaps I can't speak of them without prejudice.

Again it's a horse race.

Hi,

I was in a similar position for commuting across London. It came down to the Specialized Sirrus, the Trek 7.3FX and the Kona Dew Plus: http://www.evanscycles.com/products/kona/dew-plus-2009-hybrid-bike-ec017269

The Sirrus was too road-oriented for what I needed (doing a bit of off road stuff). The Trek was nice but heavier and a bit too 'straight line' if you know what I mean. The Kona felt lighter than the Trek (though I think it's a little bit heavier that the Specialized) was more maneuverable and a lot more fun to ride. Maybe that's Kona's mountain bike heritage?

Anyway, I went with the Kona and I feel I made the right decision:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?p=9911858#post9911858

As i will only be using the bike for on road do you think the sirrus would be better than the kona, and how much better would the disc brakes be? thanks

Hi,

Best thing would be to try as many out as you can. They can feel quite different and it's finding the one you enjoy the most - whether it's the fast one, the nimble one etc.

Discs might be overkill. They work well in wet and mud - as they're designed for off-road stuff but it's debatable whether the extra weight is worth it just on the tarmac. Today, I was going downhill in the rain - not going very fast - applied the brakes to keep the speed down and the back wheel locked up. It was quite a steep hill so I guess I should have shifted my weight back to ride down it. Saying that though, on another wet day, someone ran out in front of me and I'm sure I would have hit them with regular wet brakes. Quite a cool slide to stop too :)

thanks, ive got it down to the sirrus, pinnacle and 7.3 fx, so i will just test them and try to get the best price.