Buying a bike

goo

I'm very close to buying the basic Specialized Sirrus for 600, just wondering what people think of the price, if there are similar bikes for less money or better bikes for the same price, that sort of thing.

The impression I have is that its a good bike, and so its not so much a matter of good or bad but more a matter of how well suited it is to what I'm going to use it for. I haven't had a bike since my last one got stolen and until now I've just had cheap mountain bikes. I'm mostly going to be using it for short trips, but I really think I'll enjoy long cycles too, I just can't know for sure until I buy a new bike. Does anyone have any experience with the Sirrus?

TinyExplosions

It's not a bad bike for the price really... in a similar range are the Giant FCR 2.5, which is a nice bike, with a carbon fork, or as I've reccommended to one of the guys in work -the Focus Corrente a little more expensive, but very well specced for the money

penexpers

The Sirrus is fine for short commutes. For longer spins it would get a bit uncomfortable because of the straight handlebars.

blorg

I had a Sirrus for many years, indeed still do and was very happy with it. Mine was a 2001 model when it was one of the only type of this sort of bike available- I think a fair bit has changed since then.

johndoe77ie

You can pick up a giant FCR 3 in mcconveys for less than €450 euro.

goo

penexpers wrote: »

The Sirrus is fine for short commutes. For longer spins it would get a bit uncomfortable because of the straight handlebars.

I'm guessing you mean for any hybrid bike, or is there something special about the Sirrus?

MadHatter

I commute daily on a Sirrus - 25km+ round trip. It's a nice bike, no major problems. It's classified as a "fast commuter", a road bike with flat bars, so it is suitable for long commutes. I have done spins up to 50km but it did start to get uncomfortable at this point.

If you can spare the extra money, I'd recommend you go one step up the Sirrus Elite. For the extra money you get some better components, carbon forks and seat posts and puncture proof tires. I ditched the original tires on my Sirrus after 3 weeks and 3 punctures and bought armadillos - cost 30 euro each, so it'd b better to get them from the start.

If price is an issue, you could order it from the North e.g.

Sirrus: http://www.mcconveycycles.com/products.php?plid=m1b0s20p3262
Sirrus Elite: http://www.mcconveycycles.com/products.php?plid=m1b0s20p3263

If it's short commutes (e.g. < 5km) and short weekend spins, the Specialized Globe might be a better bet. A bit cheaper and probably more comfortable.

milod

I've had a Sirrus Sport for nearly 5 years now and can't complain. As blorg said, on longer runs it can get uncomfortable, but I do 30k spins without any probs. The geometry is good and the bike is light and manoeuvreable in town.

It's a great commuting bike and the sprung saddle gives a little bit of protection on those bumpy streets. I now run mine on 23c tyres which certainly makes for a faster ride. So i'd say go for it - but beware crap after sales service in Cycleways - just in case that's where you're planning to buy...

blorg

It was penexpers that suggested discomfort on longer runs but I would concur, drops give you more hand positions and your weight is generally more balanced between pedals and bars, not just all on the saddle. This would apply to any hybrid, nothing special about the Sirrus. With flat bar you can add bar ends which helps but still not as good as drops. Up to 30km, maybe 50km spins I reckon you would be OK on the Sirrus. Sirrus absolutely fine for commuting.

goo

milod wrote: »

I've had a Sirrus Sport for nearly 5 years now and can't complain. As blorg said, on longer runs it can get uncomfortable, but I do 30k spins without any probs.

Is it especially uncomfortable because its layed out like a road bike but you don't have dropped bars? Sorry I'm not catching on more quickly.

milod wrote: »

...but beware crap after sales service in Cycleways - just in case that's where you're planning to buy...

Oh...that is where I was looking.

I'm looking at the cyclesuperstore site and confusing myself haha. How would the Sirrus stand up to bikes like the Lapierre RCR 100 and...all those bikes by Giant?

dub_skav

The Sirrus is a good bike by all accounts. I was in the market for a flat bar racer (street cruiser/road end hybrid) and looked at the Giant FCR series, the Sirrus and the lapierre RCR range.
Ended up with the lapierre RCR 500. Bit higher than your range but the 300 is 715 and the 100 is 475.

I have no complaints on the lapierre, I love it. On the long distances I did the Wicklow 200 on mine and had no problems (well none caused by flat bars anyway).
I would recommend trying out the Sirrus, the RCR 100/300 and the Giant FCR 3/2 and seeing which feels best.

/Obligatory Lapierre plug

goo

blorg wrote: »

drops give you more hand positions and your weight is generally more balanced between pedals and bars, not just all on the saddle. This would apply to any hybrid, nothing special about the Sirrus. With flat bar you can add bar ends which helps but still not as good as drops. Up to 30km, maybe 50km spins I reckon you would be OK on the Sirrus. Sirrus absolutely fine for commuting.

Thanks very much for clearing that up.

penexpers

goo wrote: »

Is it especially uncomfortable because its layed out like a road bike but you don't have dropped bars? Sorry I'm not catching on more quickly.

Exactly. The drop bars give you a far wider choice of hand positions, which in turn helps comfort because your hands aren't in the same position all the time.

goo

penexpers wrote: »

Exactly. The drop bars give you a far wider choice of hand positions, which in turn helps comfort because your hands aren't in the same position all the time.

Thanks again. So would something like the Giant SCR4 give basically the same experience but have the benefit of the dropped bars?
http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=35&idproduct=18165

I've never cycled with dropped bars, is there a reason flat bars are preferred for short trips? Are dropped bars a bit awkward?

TinyExplosions

It's a personal thing I think... there are plenty of people on here that commute around town on drops, but I'm not one of them. I prefer the protection bar ends give my hands around traffic (I have bullhorns, but it;s the same thing), and like bar top brake levers -I find I'm not as confident around town on my road bike as I am on my commuter beast

penexpers

I think the general opinion is that flat bars can be narrower than drops and will give a more upright riding position which is what you want when you're cycling in traffic (while still having easy access to brakes).

You could still commute with dropped bars, riding in the hoods gives a reasonbly upright position.

irishmotorist

I ride that Sirrus (06 model) and I find it great. I don't have anything flashier/more expensive to compare it to though. I find it well built, reliable and comfortable. I'm commuting 50k a day between 3 and 4 days a week and did the WW100 on it. I'm training up to the Ring of Kerry and while I'm a bit stiff feeling after a LONG sping on it, I would guess that's more to do with my body and fitness than the bike.

goo

I mostly made this thread because I was worried the Sirrus was a stinker or some elaborate joke and I hadn't heard haha so its definitely served that purpose. Thanks to everyone who replied.

blorg

TinyExplosions wrote: »

It's a personal thing I think... there are plenty of people on here that commute around town on drops, but I'm not one of them. I prefer the protection bar ends give my hands around traffic (I have bullhorns, but it;s the same thing), and like bar top brake levers -I find I'm not as confident around town on my road bike as I am on my commuter beast

The only problem with commuting on drops is that it sticks one of the most expensive components on your bike (STI shifters) in just the place you might otherwise be using to lop off car wing mirrors. Drops thus encourage a more careful and concilliatory approach to squeezing down gaps between cars ;-)

If anything standard drops are usually narrower than standard flat bars.

stuf

Got an RCR100 7 weeks ago and love it to bits - 20-30km spins at the weekend and a daily 2 mile commute.

I will be looking to upgrade the cassette soon. It comes with a Shimano HG30 11-30T and the Crankset is 48-38-28. I'll be looking to go to an HG50 12-25 to give a bit more control in the middle for longer spins.

It's worth giving the gear ratios a thought before buying although at around €15-€20 for the new cassette then it's cheaper than going to the RCR300 if that's the only issue with the cheaper model.

I've also just had half-platform SPD pedals fitted which are just brilliant - no near death experiences yet and so much easier than toe clips