United Kingdom - Help needed - Deciding on a Bike???

Hi,

I am getting a new bike for my commute to work, which is basically just roads, although I do want it for occassional slightly off road trails (nothing major).

Ive been looking at hybrid bikes (i already have a specialized mountain bike), but I could do with a bit of advice as I don't know much about them.

Is there a point in going for disc brakes rather than traditional? And should I worry about suspension?

2 Im looking at are:
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/kona/dew-plus-2010-hybrid-bike-ec021771?query=Kona%20Dew%20Plus

and

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/crosstrail-sport-2010-hybrid-bike-ec019786?query=specialized%20cross

Which is better out of these 2 and what are the reasons?

Thanks

Both these bikes are fine but another couple just to confuse you- The Giant Rapid and the specialised Sirrus. Both Hybrids and a bit better pedigree than the Dew and the crosstrail.

For mainly road and a bit of smooth trail riding- Then suspension is not necessary. In my opinion- Disc brakes are not necessary either unless you do a lot of wet riding (Just to save the wheel rims) and the cheaper versions that may be fitted to the cheaper bikes- are not that effective or maintenance and trouble free. Others may have different opinions.

Of the two bikes- I would opt for the Dew as it does have slightly better spec- and Hayes disc brakes are not bad. But do look at the Rapid and the sirrus. Better bikes for faster commuting.

If you are going mostly on roads, have you thought of something like the Pashley Roadster? It will be very comfortable on the roads. Unless you are a particularly athletic rider it won't feel much slower than the hybrids. Plus the dynamo hub, drum brakes, hub gear, mudguards, chainguard, dutch-style lock and rackwill make it incredibly reliable and ready to use all year round for only a bit more of an initial cash outlay. If you have an Edinburgh Bicycle Co-operative nearby the Revolution Pathfinder Nexus (http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLqrymode.a4p?f_ProductID=12415&f_FullProductVersion=1&f_SupersetQRY=C431&f_SortOrderID=1&f_bct=c003155c018333c018337)may be worth a look too.

I wouldn't worry about suspension on the road, and for occasional trail riding you won't miss it. The disc brakes will be a bit better than rim especially in the wet, but all brakes are only good up to the point where you lose control of the bike. Drum brakes also offer consistent wet weather braking. They also look a bit less appealing to the chavs who could be eyeing up your parked bike (Especially if you went for the Specialized).