semax10

I am in the market for a bike. I found a specialized sirrus online but want to see what the concensus of it is before I waste the sellers time. I'd be used for commuting and getting around. Thoughts?

Stacy

Love my sirrus.

mtalinm

buddy of mine has one. combo of drop bars and disc brakes is unbeatable for high-speed commuting. wish i had one

Stacy

Most Sirruses don't have drop bars and disc brakes. Your buddy must have swapped out some parts.

Wanderer

The Sirrus is a very nice bike. What year, model?

NYYankeeGirl

My boyfriend just got the 2011 model, which is about $100 cheaper than the 2010 model. He likes it thus far. It seems to be faster than my Trek FX 7.1.

LongIslandTom

I ride a 2007 Specialized Sirrus LTD. I like it very much. Shimano Ultegra drivetrain and 107 brakes.

The only problem I had was the stock Shimano R600 wheels that it came with... The rim developed cracks after about 1000 miles. I had those replaced with Mavic Ksyrium SLs and it rides nicer than ever.

I've put 5000 miles on the bike so far.

Stacy

I don't know how many times the guys at my LBS have looked at my Alex rims and groaned. I actually thought about upgrading to Shimano R600 or R550 until some bad reviews began to pop up. Ironically I now have about 16,000 miles on these wheels without a problem (knock on wood)

semax10

NYYankeegirl, where did your boyfriend 2011 model?

I've read that the 2011 doesn't have as good of components as the 2010....do you think they are comprable to the 2010 and the Trek Fx 7.1?

LongIslandTom

Semax10 and NYYankeegirl: They release the 2011 yet? I checked the Specialized website today and it's still showing the 2010 models. The componentry levels look about the same between the 7.1FX and the lowest-end Sirrus... Acera on the Trek vs. Altus on the Sirrus. I would guess the 7.1FX might have a slightly less harsh ride because of its steel fork vs. the aluminum fork on the Sirrus, but the Trek will be a bit heavier.

Stacy: Yeah the Shimano R600s sacrifice durability to reduce weight. The front R600 wheel only had 16 spokes while the back only has 20, while the Alex you got probably got the full 32 spokes. The cracks that appeared on my R600 rims were propagating from the area between the brake track and the spoke hole. I guess that's testament to how much tension the spokes were under, because there were so few of them. Every time I climb hills, I'd hear the rims and spokes make pinging sounds. Scary.

When the R600s cracked, I didn't want another set of R600s to replace them. So I plunked down the cash for the Mavic Ksyrium SLs. Much tougher than the R600s and even lighter. I thought spending that much money on just wheels (four figures!) was nuts, but after witnessing the performance of the Mavic wheels, I am a convert!

NE Tiger

The speculation about the 2011 is correct, and the the components are not as good as the '10 model. It is available at some places. Supposedly the Specialized website will reflect the new models on September 1, according to a response to an email inquiry that I sent to them.

At Wheelworks in Belmont MA, the price of the 2011 is $40 less than the 2010, $429 vs $469. I was considering the Sirrus and called to ask why this was the case, was this correct, etc after seeing it on the website. I was told that the components have been downgraded slightly for 2011 to make the bike more price competitive with the Trek FX series, specifically the 7.1

By the way, the Sirrus is a good bike, but I went with the FX myself.

Scorer75

The '11 are cheaper but with lower level components, nice bike.

NYYankeeGirl

It makes sense that it's cheaper components since it's $100 cheaper. It's still a solid bike though.

He bought it at Bicycle Habitat in NYC: https://bicyclehabitat.com/product/sp...us-72313-1.htm

He tested out the Trek FX 7.1 (which I have), but he liked the Sirrus slightly better.

The 2011 Sirrus Sport is probably more comparable to the 2010 Sirrus: https://bicyclehabitat.com/product/sp...rt-72314-1.htm

Stacy

Wow. That's less than I paid for my Sirrus six years ago after Bicycle Habitat gave me an end-of-season discount.

semax10

Hey, I was planning on going to bicycle habbitat...do I have specifically ask for a end of season discount or is just one of the lucky things?

Stacy

All I did as ask them how much the bike was. It was the third week in August '04 and they said they'd give me something off if I bought the '04 model and a bit more off if I took the white floor model since it was the last one in stock. That worked out to $435. If I wanted it in black that would've been the '05 model and the full price which was something like $550 at the time.

pocky

Semax10,

The Sirrus is a lovely city bike (I took a friend of mine bike-shopping a few years ago and she bought one), but I see from your other post that you're new to biking after a number of years, so the most important thing of all is to test ride the Sirrus along with a few other bikes, and see which fits you best. Don't just buy the Sirrus without riding others and comparing. Make sure the shop will take the time to find the right frame size for you, really adjust the fit, and swap out the handlebar stem for a different size/angle if necessary.

There are numerous similar bikes out there at similar price-points, from many different brands. My personal favorites are any of the Kona "Dew" series. $409 for the 2011 base-model. Their geometry is on the "long" side so they fit monkey-limbed riders like myself a bit better, YMMV.