Originally Posted by
greatscott
Well stock wheels on any bike are usually not that good, so I would upgrade the wheels to 36 for added safety and durability. I'll probably go with Velocity Dyad unless someone has a better suggestion.
The components on the Masi seem to be a tad better than on the Sutra from what I can tell, the Masi uses Deore for front and rear instead of Deore rear and Alivio front; the brakes are the same except the Masi uses a larger rotor on the front than Sutra; the gearing on the Masi is more suited for climbing steep mountain roads with a load than the Sutra is; both wheelsets are just low end heavy wheels and can't really tell what if any difference they are since they're not sold individually; and the Masi comes with Tubus racks which by themselves sell for around $250 and are the best steel touring racks on the market while the Sutra is a lowend aluminum rack that's already had reports of failing when loaded. Handling wise I can't say since I have ridden either.
I think we might splitting hairs a bit. The Sutra wheels seem better because they have 36 spokes and Formula hubs while the Giramondo seems to have generic no-name hubs. While the Formula probably aren't top of the line, Formula is a highly reputable manufacturer. While the Brooks saddle isn't for everyone, most riders would regard as significantly better than the WTB spec'd with the Giramondo. The drive-trains seem pretty comparable. While I do prefer the Giramondo's lower gearing, as I said I prefer the simplicity of a 9-spd cassette. While the Giramondo's drive-train is nominally Deore, it's a lower-end variety, so qualitatively they seem pretty comparable.
The Sutra's Schwalbe Marathon Mondial 700x40c are better both in terms of quality and versatility. They're reasonably efficient on pavement and also suitable for rough dirt roads. The Giramondo's Kenda Quick Drumlin 700x45c are wider and lower quality, so it will be more suitable of dirt roads and and single-track, but will be significantly less efficient on pavement. Tires are one of the most important components since flats and tire-wear is far more common than drive-train failure.
If you compare the geometry, the Sutra has a significantly shorter wheelbase and a slightly lower BB, so it has a shorter turning radius and will be more nimble at higher speeds on pavement while the Giramondo will be more stable at lower speeds and has slightly higher clearance. The Sutra is more or less equal parts touring, road, and mountain bike while the Giramondo is a combination of touring and mountain bike with fewer road bike characteristics. Considering this, I prefer the Sutra because overall the components seem better and I will be doing mostly pavement and dirt road touring as well as commuting and general riding. If my intentions were mainly dirt road and light single-track touring I'd probably go with the Giramondo.