This spring I bought a Nashbar Flatbar roadbike. Overall it's a fine bike, but it felt sluggish to me - particularly in the higher gears. So after a a long ride I stopped in my LBS and took a Giant Escape 1 for a test ride. It was much quicker and responsive and I ended up buying one. So here's my question. I went back and compared everything between the Nashbar and the Giant to see if I could identify the key reasons why the Giant was the better the bike. I looked at the specs and realized that, on paper anyway, there is not a nickel's difference between them. They're both aluminum frames, weigh about the same, and have very similar geometry. I put "28" tires on the Giant to match the 28's that come with the Flatbar. (I got the 19-inch Nashbar and the Large Giant.) So I am left wondering, "What's the difference?" Any ideas? (Below are the links to the specs for both bikes.)

Nashbar: Nashbar Flat Bar Road Bike - Road Bikes

Giant Escape 1: Escape 1 (2015) (2014) | Giant Bicycles | United States