Which of these bikes do you the jury consider best?

[neil_merseyside]

It really isn't. Just the same as Shimano.

We've both had two or three hire bikes with SRAM on and the single lever shifting is odd, and whilst old dogs can be taught new tricks if we have the choice we'd have Shimano, saves having a mixed stable of bikes plus has redundancy in spares in favour of Shimano.

 

[neil_merseyside]

WTF, a chain is chain to lubricate, changing a cassette is changing a cassette, inner cakes need I go on??

OK maybe maintenance was a bit vague, and if every adjustment exactly as Shimano that's great.

 

[neil_merseyside]

It always amazes me how people ask total strangers about what bike to buy and they are spending 2k+ ........

If I was spending that kind of money I am pretty sure that I would be road testing bikes that were in consideration and making my own judgement

He can and will try all the bikes listed and have to make a judgement at some point, but if someone just said "actually that model/brand is a bit pants because" it would potentially save time. I looked at Cube for him as I was passing a dealer, the top tube paint/vinyl was blistered on six bikes(!) so that's them off the list, so if anyone chimed in with "double check the welds on x brand" we'd maybe avoid them, or check carefully.
As has been mentioned no-one has all these bikes to ride them side by side, so then it is down to a remembered first impression of the first bike when trying the second/third etc. And a simple hint of "x will feel really very twitchy compared to y, best to try y first" would help neutralise some of the geometry change 'shock' (longer chainstay etc).
Edited for better wording re geometry.