Bike comparison

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I've been looking into buying a bike and I'm after a bit of advice.
I'm mainly going to use it for riding around the city, but every now and then I'll be doing a bit of off road riding, but nothing too rough.
Some that I've had recomended to me from a couple of local shops are:
Marin Bolinas http://www.marinbikes.com/2002bikes/active/view-bolinas.html
Giant Rincon http://www.giant-bicycles.com/au/030.000.000/030.010.000.asp?model=9693&lYear=2003&bikesection=8783&range=31
They are both the same price (the Marin one was much higher but it is on sale). What would you recomend? I havn't heard much of marin before but they offer a lifetime warrenty so I guess they must be ok.
Are there any other models that I should look at? I'm hoping to not spend more than $700 australian.
Thanks.

I'm a huge Giant fan (sounds funny, doesn't it?).

I don't have a lot of experience with Marin - but I have a Giant road bike and love it.

Giant is known for giving you the most bang for your buck.

Which one feels right?

Hi Jeremy, do you want to start a war on this site. Everyone around here ownes the BEST bike, just ask them one at a time. :D :D
Have you considdered trying a Hybrid? Best of both worlds, or so they say. I know that Trek has some good ones. try this link-
http://www.trekbikes.com/bikes/2003/citybike/index.jsp
Good luck.

Marin designs their cables on the downtube, making them susceptible to mud and other crap that may ruin good shifting. Giant and many other makers design their cables on the top tube, putting them out of the way of mud, etc.

Marins are also made in Taiwan, whereas Giants are made in China. I don't think there's much difference in quality.

What I like about Marins over Giants is their tube designs. Instead of making large diameter tubes, they use bends in their tubes, making them look less circular and more rectangular. This is supposed to make the bikes lighter, but I think it's more of a cosmetic touch than anything else.

I'm also in the market for a similarly priced bike, and I'm looking into Trek or Giant.

If the Marin was more expensive, it's likely to have better components. This is the most important thing in a bike at this price point, the frames will be very similar in quality.

Don't listen to the top tube cable routing crap. In fact, some argue that BB routed cables attract less problems. The horizontal position of the rear cable stop means you don't get water straight in the end of that final loop, which is alwars the section that goes first. I subscribe to this view, but I think in the long run it makes very little difference. Cannondales use under the BB routing, so it can't be too bad. I've had both designs over the years, and found both still get worn cables over time no matter what.