dwojo27

Hi all, I am new to the forums and a newbie in biking an bike knowledge in general, mostly just been researching on here and learning a lot. I recently moved to Minneapolis for a job and have fell in love with the bike trails and biking ability of this city. I rode for a few months in September and October when I first moved here and have started again now that the weather is warming up (finally). I've been borrowing a coworkers bike to use on the weekends and get a feel for the biking scene and absolutely love it as a way to get around and get exercise at the same time. Well I work in a big biking office where a lot of my coworkers and bosses bike to work during the summer. I've just been informed that since I've been here over 6 months that I am eligible for a one-time reimbursement up to $750 through a company bike program (super excited).

Needless to say I was thinking about buying a hybrid bike anyways and have been researching them for a few weeks on the internet. Was just curious of the differences and value of each and don't mind spending a little of my own money on top of the company reimbursement if it makes sense. Well here is the list of bikes I've been looking at and would be grateful for any insight that experienced riders or anyone with these bikes could give. I will also, obviously be test riding all that I can in the coming weeks before making a decision.

* Specialized Sirrus Elite
* Specialized Sirrus Sport Disc (difference between sport and elite model other than disc brakes on the sport)
*Trek 7.4fx
*Cannondale Quick 4

I think I prefer the looks of the Specialized or Trek and have reputable dealers close to me that carry those bikes. I guess my biggest gripe is who makes a better bike, Trek or Specialized or is it mainly a preference deal. Any other bike suggestions worth checking out is also appreciated. I can't wait to start looking and get a nice bike of my own.

badger1

Welcome to this madhouse!
That said, seriously -- no snark intended -- all of the bikes you mention have been/are being discussed endlessly on this board. You'll likely find open/active threads on them simply by looking at the index. Read them if you want, or ...
... much much more importantly: ride the bikes and make your own decision.
They are all much of a muchness in terms of overall quality; what matters is how they (each, and relative to one another) feel to you and fit you. One of them will 'speak' to you.

Wanderer

Ride and decide which one you like the best. They are all good, and nobody complains about buying all the bike they can afford. $ usually equates to quality of the overall bike. The more you spend on a given line, the more you get. The sweet spots are usually in the middle of the specific lines.

If you can narrow it down to a few you like, and have ridden, we can help explain the differences.

If you can come up with a budget, we can help.

If you can explain the type of riding you plan, we can help.

dwojo27

Thanks, I am gonna try and ride a few tomorrow after work and test ride into the weekend. Budget would probably be anywhere from 750-950. But anything less than 750 too so have room for accessory purchases.

I will basically be riding on paved bike paths and some road riding through the city while commuting. I like the feel of the upright hybrid over a road bike with drop bars.

Wanderer

MHO, you are looking for something with carbon forks, with no suspension, Like the Escape, Sirrus, FX, Absolute, Quick, etc - the list is endless.

Carbon forks are huge when it comes to comfort.

I really like disc brakes, but Vbrakes are good too.

28-35mm tires.

9 spd, compact double , or triple, with at least a 30 tooth cog on the back, down to 11 or 12.

Ride multiple bikes in a line, because subtle differences do exist. In the Sirrus, I would ride Sirrus, Sirrus Sport, Sirrus Elite, both kinds of brakes. FX would be 7.2, 7.2, 7.4, 7.5, etc, etc, etc.

Then, start winnowing them down to 2 or 3.

Little Darwin

The opinions on what components/considerations are most important are almost as varied as the number of bike options available. Your best bet is to go ride the different bikes, and see what makes the biggest difference to you.

If you will be riding in the wet, even us riders who generally see disc brakes as a gimmick would suggest giving some consideration to a disc equipped bike. I personally don't know, but suspect most riders couldn't do a blind test and tell the difference between a low end carbon fork and a nice metal fork... you just need to try them to see if you can tell.

The hard part about test riding for someone who hasn't done a lot of riding is to determine when something is just a minor adjustment, or a real difference of bicycle geometry. For example, if one bike feels perfect, but the handlebars seem too close to you, mention it to the shop, and I would suspect they would be willing to make a stem swap for free (or very cheaply) to sell the bike. But, if the bike feels too twitchy or sluggish, then it is probably an inherent characteristic of the bike... neither type of handling is inherently bad, it just comes down to preference of the rider.

AlmostTrick

Agreed, it's the tires that make the greatest difference.

dynaryder

Swapped the alloy fork on my old Absolute for CF and noticed a major difference. My CF fork was replaced with steel after a recall on my old Civia Hyland. Again,I noticed,although it wasn't as dramatic. Tires make a big diff,but so does the design of the fork.

yashinon

"I've just been informed that since I've been here over 6 months that I am eligible for a one-time reimbursement up to $750 through a company bike program (super excited).

* Specialized Sirrus Elite
* Specialized Sirrus Sport Disc (difference between sport and elite model other than disc brakes on the sport)
*Trek 7.4fx
*Cannondale Quick 4"


First of all it is sweet that you get reimbursed. Are they hiring by chance? 8-)

You've mentioned very nice bikes and you will get a wide variety of opinions across this thread. Go test, try to strike a deal with the LBS, and enjoy! Big Prince fan here - Minneapples is a great city!

Digital Gee

I just bought the Sirrus Elite and I LOVE IT. Just sayin'

MRT2

They all seem like worthy options. The Twin Cities are home to QBP, which includes All City, Civia, Salsa and Surly. Well worth checking out, IMO.

AlmostTrick

Ditching my CF fork for steel has left me a whole lot more comfortable. Road feel had little to do with it.

marimorimo

When I was shopping for my first "real" bike, I was choosing between the FX 7.2 and FX 7.4 (leaning towards the 7.2 as it was cheaper). I hardly knew anything about bikes then but I could clearly feel the difference between the carbon and metal forks. I suspect it was the weight. The carbon fork felt easier to maneuver for my jittery hands. I went with the carbon-forked FX 7.4 even though it was a major leap in the budget for me.

coolcamaro12

I am going to agree with you. I LOVE my 2013 model and tried the 2015 models which is just as good. The Sirrus is such a versatile bike. As my riding style changed the bike could adapt to it. At first it was a casual fitness bike. Next I was able to add some more lightweight components and 25c tires to turn it into a flat bar road bike. Now that I bought a dedicated roadbike I threw on some large 35c knobbies, fenders, and a rack and now it serves as a commuter/gravel bike. Truly a jack of all trades.

dashingcarter

Same here mate but that we already know
I would say go ahead and try the ones you mentioned though i also recently got the Specialized Sirrus Elite Disc but before that i tried 4-5 different bikes including a Trek FX and a Scott but somehow felt that Specialized was much better.In the end it all comes down to what you feel better on while test riding

dwojo27

So yesterday I went and tried out the Sirrus Line of bikes (Sirrus Base, Sport, Elite and Elite Disc) as well as the Trek Fx line (7.3, 7.4) and have to say I liked the Elite the best. I loved the look and feel of the bike and just felt more comfortable on it. I liked the disc brakes on the elite disc but will not be using it much in rain or on major hills so don't know if I can justify the extra money. I think I've decided on the 2015 Sirrus Elite and am hoping to pick it up sometime this weekend. Thanks for everyones help and advice, Ill definitely be trying to stay active on these forums as I am excited to get more serious into biking daily.

ChrisZog

I'm an uber clyde riding on a 10 year old Sirrus Elite and it feels great. I've made some recent changes and it rides like riding a road endurance bike on the tops in terms of aggressiveness but is pretty comfortable now that I got a new saddle.

As a heavy rider I hated the suspension seatpost. I don't know if current models have them but mine had to go as soon as I got it from previous owner. My knees were tired and the suspension made it really hard to get a great fit (seat would be higher when I was off and measuring it against my body while standing and lower when sitting on it. Took me weeks to figure out why).

Most low to mid range bikes come with cheap saddles. You don't have to go incredibly expensive (local Trek shop got me a Sefras saddle that feels great so I spent 70ish instead of the 100-200 I was afraid I'd be out). My Sirrus's stock saddle was pretty worn out. Original owner said he only rode a single 160 mile ride event but I'm betting he did some training and light to moderate riding over the years.

Some of the Shimano components feel a bit sluggish, especially shifting my rings. Previous owner upgraded some parts (I see some 105 and Tiagra on there) but again they are up to 10 years old. Technology has come a long way on groupsets and I've heard that the current generation of 105 and Tiagra are great and even some of the lower end parts are not as bad.

Bar ends. Get them. 1 hand position is rough. I also got some ergo hand grips to make gripping more comfortable for multi-hour rides.


Other than that and any changes the original owner made (looks like new Ritchey wheels and Bontrager tires along without whatever he changed in the groupset) the bike still looks and rides great. I'm out of shape and well over 100lbs overweight (about 140 is my guess but I'll never know until I get closer. Only dropped about 25 of my original 165 goal so far) and have only been ramping up the riding since the end of February. In that time I've gone from riding 10-11mph to 12-14 and yesterday I jumped up to 15-16mph. I'm still riding near the top of the middle ring on a 3 ring set. So there is still plenty of power left for me in that bike. I'm betting that in better shape I'll be able to eventually get it to 20mph during interval training and 17-18 as my cruising speed.

---

That's not to say that Trek or anyone else is bad. Heck I'm looking at either a Giant Defy Advanced or Trek Domane when I drop enough weight and am ready for a road bike. But Sirrus seems to be a pretty dependable bike with a fairly aggressive setup for a hybrid and seems to be comfortable to someone like me. And still comfortable for me petite wife (she rides a 2013 Vita Sport so same idea).

Wanderer

You will love that Sirrus Elite. And you will be happy with either one!

Let us know, once you put some miles on it.

Digital Gee

What Wanderer said.

dynaryder

Rivendell approves.

badger1

That was close ... almost sprayed red wine all over my laptop. Well played, DR!

AlmostTrick

Retrogrouch too!

The Retrogrouch: Carbon Forks - No Way

I believe that CF forks are plenty safe, and seldom fail catastrophically... and that steel forks are safer still, and even less likely to fail catastrophically.

Apparently, the company that recalled your fork agrees.

Also, that in the rare cases when a fork does fail, the results can be disastrous. All jokes aside, do you disagree with any of this?

And who is that guy you linked?

ColonelSanders

I don't think he does.

"Steel isn't strong, boy, flesh is stronger!"

ColonelSanders

Where your concerns only the possibility of catastrophic failure?

Grey.

Don't you know the Riddle of Steel?