I think you need to ride both and see which YOU like. I have a friend who had a CF Kestrel for years and loved it. He decided to get a new bike, got rid of the Kestrel and got a great deal on a Litespeed. He likes the Litespeed but if he had to do it over again he would go back to CF. I know people who are just the opposite as well. You really have to figure out what works best for you, any bike in those price ranges is going to be a good bike.