Of the two, I'm only familiar with the Specialized and it certainly is no dud. I'd agree that a hybrid would certainly meet your needs, and if you've decided that you want a suspended forks, then it really comes down to trying out some different options for yourself. I rode a bunch of different bikes in the fixed fork hybrid category and certainly found no duds from any of the major manufacturers. But I did find that one appealed most in terms of fit, feel and overall aesthetics and that's the one I bought. Have you narrowed a large field of options down to these two by riding them?