Which is best: Trek 7.2 vs. Trek Neko vs. Spec Ariel vs. Giant Rove 3?
 

I am a 5'3" female looking for a new bike. I need one that I can ride on pavement, tow paths, rails-to-trails,etc. I am not interested in disc brakes. Not sure if I need a rigid fork or not. I have rode the Neko, the Trek 7.2, and the Ariel. Going to check out the Rove 3 soon. Is there any real advantage to one bike over the others? Service at both LBS seems about the same. I would welcome thoughts and suggestions.

7.2 is more a road hybrid. Neko, Ariel, Rove all look better suited for off road. It all depends on what you ride most often. In a pinch, you can ride a trail bike on pavement, or a street bike on dirt or gravel.

That said, If you ride mostly pavement, the 7.2, specialized vita, or Giant escape 2 or Escape 1 might be better than a trail bike. Lighter, and more responsive.

Look at some of the Giant Escapes, included with fenders, etc. Nice bikes, nicely appointed, nice price. Fenders really do keep you and the bike much cleaner.

Ride, and then decide.

FWIW, suspension is not necessarily needed for the type riding you are describing. MHO - If you really want it, that's a different story, and OK

Trek Neko has 4 models, the SLX @ 900$ range comes with Shimano Hydraulic disc brakes ..

I assembled 1 for the LBS, saturday, quite nice ..

First you need to answer where you are going to do the majority of your riding. Is it going to be on paved surfaces, or more light trails? Then pick the bike accordingly.

Right. This comes up often. In practice, it is likely 95% of your riding will be one or the other. In my case, I ride maybe 2 rides a year off road, The rest are either roads or paved bike trails.

Thank you all for your sound advice. It is good to hear from experienced riders such as yourselves. I appreciate it!

Some generic feedback not limited to a particular model or brand:

IMO, youre on the short side of 700c wheels. I would look into 26" wheels also. You might get a better fit.

The advantages of a 26" in this case would be: decreased risk of toe overlap with front wheel, lower headtube height (especially with suspension,) lighter weight.

Just another thing to think about