Hello Rifford,

Welcome to BikeForums!!! Always good to meet another uberclyde. I know I'm pretty late to this thread but you were asking for advice and I thought I would take my turn at offering some. First, I want to congratulate you on your candidate bike choices. You avoided the dodgy, cheap dual suspension and even resisted the front suspension bikes that will rob you of pedal power or cause you to have to lock them out 99% of the time. The choices that you have listed are all around the same quality give or take and the problem area or sticking point is the wheels, which are all 32h.

Therefore, here is my advice. Buy the Giant bike. #1) it seems to be around $100 cheaper than the others (this will be important later in my advisory opinion) and #2) it has with rim brakes instead of disc brakes. Rim brakes are easier to adjust and I have heard that disc brakes add some stress to the wheels. After you buy the Giant bike, use the $100 that you saved to upgrade the rear wheel (something like this would be good http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sun-Ringle-C...ht_2950wt_1207). You could buy a factory wheel that has 36 spokes or even 40 spokes with a Sun or a Velocity rim which are known for durability. Have the shop you buy the Giant from true and tension the wheel for some added peace of mind and ride it like you stole it.

Also, as you can see here on BF you will get a diversity of opinions regarding the same or similar subjects. I have found that pretty much all of these people are trying to help you from the benefit of their knowledge and experience. They are offering you options that might work for you or not. Don't let anyone, no matter how er, forcefully they express their opinion make you feel intimidated or anything. Much luck and don't forget to post pics and updates!