Well, I don't know anything about th bike you mentioned, but I do know about the Raleigh Aspen. I just got one over a month ago and took it through Scandinavia for 800 km. Wow, what a great bike. Suitable for touring, lkong stretches on the road, and also handles great off the road. The tires are thinner than a mountain bike's but thicker than a racing bike. I can't say enough great things about it.