thecursedfly

Hi everybody,

First post on the forum after having read quite a bit about hybrid bikes, as I want to buy a Specialized Sirrus.

My situation: 30 years old male from Italy, first sporty bike (had a cheap citybike until I moved here from abroad, and a cheap mtb 15 years ago), planning on riding mostly (90%?) on paved roads with some occasional gravel roads. Budget of 500-800€
Planning on taking it as a habit of going for bike rides on nice weather weekends and to go for small photography trips in the countryside.
Possibly, the aim would also be to be able to stay at the wheel of a friend with a road bike (no race, just leisure tours), while maintaining the flexibility of everyday use and the gravel roads.

I had a clear mind on getting a 2016 700€ Sirrus Sport Disc (https://www.specialized.com/it/it/bi...rt-disc/106268) until a few days ago, when suddenly the new models of 2017 came out right before ordering one.

Now I see that model is replaced by two bikes (both in uglier colors imo):
1. 590€ Sirrus Disc https://www.specialized.com/it/it/bi...isc-int/115355 - I believe equivalent to the following GB model: https://www.specialized.com/gb/gb/bi...isc-int/115355
2. 750€ Sirrus Sport Disc https://www.specialized.com/it/it/bi...s-sport/115229 - I believe equivalent to the following GB model: https://www.specialized.com/gb/gb/bi...s-sport/115229

And of course I cannot decide which one to get.
Budget wise it's nice to save some money as I also have to buy some biking clothing, and perhaps some accessories (was thinking Zefal mudguards, hybrid pedals, Ergon bar ends, an extra set of tyres).
But I could stretch it to the more expensive one if the upgrades are worth a 27% price increase. But that's what I'm not able to judge.

Is there anybody able to tell me if the cheaper model has any components of bad quality, problematic or that break easily?

Comparing the two I understand that:
- number 1 has more gear combinations, so is more flexible, at perhaps the expense of negligible additional weight? not sure why fewer chainrings would be preferable
- number 2 has a carbon fiber fork, which should weigh a little lesser than the aluminum one, but those grams might be a negligible difference for an untrained person?
- they have different disc brakes, with different pads; no clue what the difference is between the two, and whether that would affect my use

And that's about it, as far as I can tell.

Any info and tips is greatly apreciated, thanks! There is very little info yet about these new models, as they came out just last week.

TMassimo

You can get a 2016 Sirrus Comp for £699.

https://www.cyclestore.co.uk/special..._bike-ID_67508

It's hydraulic brakes and Shimano Tiagra 10-speed.

Much better value for money than the other two, imo.

It ships to Italy. It says free shipping on orders over £110, but it not clear if that includes bikes. In any case, even with shipping, it's still good value.

n0thing

Specialized changed the gearing on the Sirrus Comp from 2015 to 2016 to give it more hill-friendly gearing as well. Add in that it has the carbon fork and lighter frame and it makes it a winner IMO.

thecursedfly

Thanks a lot for the tip, it looks really great, also for the colors. But unfortunately they only have it left in Medium size, while I would need it in Large, being 178cm tall.
Btw, I understand that the bike delivery would be 40£.

n0thing

The Sirrus frames all fit the same geometry-wise (when comparing frame size of one model to the next) so you might go and check out the sizes in person. I say that because I'm 5 foot 10 inches and both a medium and large frame fit me. Granted not all body sizes are the same and all, but it might be worth trying both on for size just to see as that's a much better bike for the money.

TMassimo

that's a shame. Unfortunately, most shops have sold it out.

You can still get the Sirrus Elite for £599 + shipping - if you don't mind the bright red. (Click here)

It's pretty much the same bike as the Comp, except for the Sora groupset which is still good.

The shop is Google Certified, so you can buy with confidence.

thecursedfly

Seems to me that it's similar to the 2017 Sirrus Sport Disc I linked in my first post; shipped price would be more or less the same. The color is debatable, not a big fan of either of the two.
Buying the bike from a local shop I would probably get better assistance or fine tuning from the guys there, this being my first decent bike.
But if the Elite here is a better deal than the Sirrus Sport Disc I might just get that one. Are you able to compare the components between the two and tell which one is technically better?
For example the brakes: Tektro Auriga VS Shimano M315. Small wheel size difference, but that's kinda neutral I think.
Looking at the photos, the frame of the Elite looks better and with some internal cabling. Tempting.

thecursedfly

Well, I just decided to take the leap and bought the Sirrus Elite Disc linked by TMassimo.
Got tired of wondering about the small technical details; the main features I want are there, and I actually started to like the idea of having a flaming red bike
Now waiting for it to arrive in the coming days, I'm excited!
Thanks again TMassimo for the links you posted, they didn't answer the questions I had initially (they actually made me doubt more!), but they got me a bike!

AU Tiger

Photography is my serious hobby, so I find myself using the bike for that purpose also. Along that line, I have two recommendations to consider. One is a rear rack and trunk bag to carry your camera and lenses. And second is a harness such as this one which I've found keeps the camera tight to my chest without flopping around while riding.

I doubt the brand of brakes will matter - they're both hydraulic disc brakes, which is the main thing.

The carbon fork isn't just about weight. On a bike like this, it's mainly about helping to reduce vibration, making the ride more comfortable for your hands and wrists. Bar ends and wider tires probably matter more, though, so I wouldn't let this be a make-or-break issue.

The difference in gear combinations will really only matter if you have steep hills. The lowest gears are 28/32 (0.875) and 32/34 (0.941), so the Disc will be a little better for hills than the Sport Disc (lower is better for hills). Not night-and-day better, but on steep hills it might be enough to notice.

If none of those three things matter much, either bike will serve you well. And it's good that you're also considering the cost of clothes and accessories - those add up pretty quickly.

TMassimo

Here's more doubt...

I think the most significance differences are the lighter frame and the groupset.

Sora is a road bike groupset, whereas Alivio is a mountain bike groupset.
https://www.evanscycles.com/coffeest...heir-hierarchy
https://www.evanscycles.com/coffeest...heir-hierarchy

like "AU Tiger" pointed out - Not night-and-day better... - it depends...

if you're going to ride the Italian countryside off-road, then the Sport might be slightly better with the wider tires and being easier on the hills.

Certainly buying from a LBS is preferable than online (especially from abroad). I've never bought a bike online but a lot of people do without any issues. I hope it will arrive intact and all goes well.

You're getting a real nice bike

thecursedfly

Thanks for the tip, I will check it out after my first 1-2 camera trips; first I want to see how much of an issue I would have with carrying my camera sideways as it's a small one (Sony A6000). I will go with a small backpack for the few lenses I would eventually take with me.
This could indeed make some difference over long distances or on gravel roads, so I'm glad that the bike I chose has a carbon fork. Thinking also about a set of larger tyres, but those would be more dedicated for offroad, so I'm actually curious of how wide and knobby I can go for that.
In center Tuscany there are hills basically all over the place, but usually not too steep, apart from some short village alleys, so I'm not too worried about that. Also, a reason more to keep my legs well trained

thecursedfly

This is basically my only current remaining gripe. I hope not to have issues with the bike or it will be a bit awkward to go to the LBS (the only one selling Specialized bikes in a circle of 50km) to ask about or fix stuff. In fact I went there last week asking for some Sirrus models; the visit was actually useless because they didn't have any model available in the shop apart from the carbon high end one. If I have to blindly order them, I might as well do it from an online shop.