I looked at the Raleigh line and eliminated it from my list of semi-finalists, mostly because it's no longer a "real" Raleigh, imported from their factory in Nottingham. The other reason is they seem very fond of putting suspension forks on just about everything and I do not need or want a suspension fork. For all I know they could be a good value; just not for me.

Of the two, I'd favor Trek.

For myself, I've decided to take as much money as I need to put an old, well-equipped Motobecane that gathers dust in my garage--a "gift" from a student who left years ago--into good, useable condition. For the value, it's the best I can do and it will be cheaper than what I was planning to spend. I expect it will be a good start on a relationship with the local bike shop, because parts are usually sold at a higher margin that ready-to-ride bikes.