I have the 2008 57cm casserole which I built to a single speed and believe the ride is much smoother than my Cdale alum mtb that actually has wider road tires. I like the flexiblity (single/fixed/derailleur) of the Salsa, rack and fender points, and the relaxed geometry. I haven't riden the specialized though. I'm not sure how wide of tires the specialized will take. I run 28cm on my salsa with fenders but don't think i could squeeze 32cm with fenders.