agenteff

I'm a MTB rider looking to make my first proper hybrid purchase and was hoping I could get a little advice on the bikes I'm currently considering. The main purpose of the bike will be to commute to work and get around town. With the state of the world and the coronavirus and quite simply the fact that the spring is here and the weather is getting nicer, I'm trying to eliminate travel by any means other than bicycle.

The primary function of this bike will be for use on paved roads and bike paths, but I live near the forest and could potentially run into some packed dirt paths for short stretches. For anything more off-road I'd go with one of my MTBs. In addition, I live in Sweden, where summers are short and periods of poor weather and bad road conditions are longer. I figure it may be necessary to add that as it is one of the things I'm somewhat concerned about when moving over to bikes more tailored for road use. I'm 39 years old, consider myself to be fit and in good health 5'9" (175cm) 160 lb (73kg) - if any of that matters.

​​​​I narrowed down my search to the following and will list my biggest questions concerning these bikes below:

Trek FX sport 6
Specialized Sirrus 5.0
BMC AC 01 One

Coming from a MTB background, I guess my biggest concern is tire width. I don't like drop down bars, want a bike that is light and fast, but I like the stability of a wider tire - even though I understand that contradicts the whole speed and weight argument to some degree. I'm not going for top times or anything like that, but more of something that I know has some giddy-up to it and that wouldn't slow me down on the roads the way my MTBs do.

With the FX 6 my biggest question is how much clearance is there to add a wider tire? It comes with a 32c if I'm not mistaken. I tested the bike and it feels excellent, but knowing that there is gravel covering our paved roads from October to April to combat ice and snow, I'm just kind of wondering how much I could potentially fatten it up to handle changing conditions to give me greater stability and a bit more confidence in what I'm riding on? Other than potentially the tires, I would prefer to ride stock options for a little while to gauge what I actually like on the bike and to keep costs down - at least initially until I am ready to commit to the bike for several seasons.

With regards to the Sirrus 5.0, my biggest question is the 1x11 setup. I'm not used to a single track. I'm not against it by any means, but just wondering what others think and if anyone has any input on this, as I suppose it could potentially be a pretty big thing. It comes fitted with 38c tires, which I like, and I have experience riding specialized downhill bikes. Understanding that they're quite different bikes, I guess I just have a level of trust for Specialized based on experience. Also, can it match the speed and handling of the FX 6?

The BMC is the bike that I find most intriguing, but the one that I'm probably least likely to purchase. I'm curious about so many things. The design looks awesome and I've heard good things, but I've never used a gated chain setup. Admittedly, I'd prefer the AC02 One, but want a carbon fork and am struggling to personally justify paying that much more for specifically one feature in a bike that would be more of a "hey, let's give this a try" kind of thing than anything else. Kind of feel that the carbon fork should be provided on the AC02, anyway at it's price. But maybe it doesn't matter all that much? Has anyone ridden both of these that can make a comparison?

Also, it is probably worth noting that I have a shop about 1km away from my house that can provide support for Trek and Specialized bikes, whereas the BMC would be considerably further away.

Anyway, ya, I'm totally pumped to start spending more time on the road and would greatly appreciate any thoughts or recommendations anyone may have. Hope you're all out riding and staying safe!

SteveD51

I ride an FX 6 and it is an amazingly quick and responsive bike. I put fenders on mine but I could still go to a 35mm wide tire. Without the fenders I'm certain you could go up another notch in tire width. I bike on gravel roads with mine, but wouldn't want to venture onto anything really loose, rutted or rocky. The Shimano 105 gearset is so much quicker and precise than anything I've ridden before.

agenteff

Cheers for the response and sorry for a slow one in return. I'm still looking and trying out bikes, but a lot of the ones I mentioned being interested in are not available at any of my LBS. Probably a lot to do with people opting to bike more now with Coronavirus and all that and that it's late in the season.

Trek was the bike I was most interested in from the off because it really flies. Nice to hear about the clearance as we get some really rough conditions around here and gravel is something that's used consistently to combat the weather.

I should add that I'm going to be test riding a Cube SL Road SL this week. It's on sale and I've heard good things... And more importantly, it's in stock. So, I will see how it goes.

Glad you like your fx 6 and thanks again for the response! I will certainly keep your advice in mind.

Beavis5220

A BMC fan......finally! I ride an AC02 ONE and absolutely love it. The Gates drive is incredible for getting around town. You can be going full speed, come to a stop, shift five gears while stopped and then take off in that new gear in an instant. I have over 3,000 miles on the bike and zero issues, no maintenance whatsoever. The bike is fast, agile and gets lots of compliments. I'm also your size and the medium fits perfectly.....like you I wanted the carbon fork but got a great deal on the AC02 and have not regretted the purchase at all. I live in a town where everyone has Trek/Specialized and it's nice to stand out from that crowd. Good luck with your purchase.......

simonsez

Since you have the Sirrus X 5.0 on your list you may also want to look at the just released (2021 MY) Specialized Diverge Evo, looks like it may suit you better since you seem to like an aggressive (faster, more stretched out) geometry. The Comp E5 Evo is similarly priced to the Sirrus X and comes with 42c tires (with room for bigger I believe). Mind you the Sirrus X is probably an excellent bike but is more comfort oriented. Good luck in your search!

LesG

When (or the next time) you go look at the Trek FX 6, take a caliper with you and just measure how much room you have for a wider tire. That way you'll know exactly how wide you can go.

I too am looking to buy another bike and I've got it pretty much narrowed down to either the FX 4 Carbon or the FX 6... I keep going back and forth with myself about the 1x chainring vs. a double. Like you one of the things I want is to put wider tires on it. The Trek website used to say the FX line maxed out at a 35 mm tire width. While researching this I found little out there about max width for the FX bikes but did come across a review somewhere that said you could go up to 39 mm width. I'm not taking that as "gospel". but more akin to gossip! So in the next few weeks, when I go to the Trek store, a caliper is going along with me.

agenteff

Ya, I've actually narrowed my search down a bit after trying a few bikes and now that the new releases are starting to pop up, some are a bit discounted.

I tried the AC02 one as the store didn't have the 01 one in at the moment and it felt amazing! The shop was in the centre of town, so I didn't really have a chance to try it on any hills, which I have a bit closer to my place. How does the 1x8 work for you on hilly sections? I figure that if it handles well, I may just go and get this and stop mucking about with looking any further.

I must say that I've also tried Cube SL road SL and I also loved that, plus their urban bike Editor that comes with an alfino gated chain and I absolutely loved that, too. It's a little more expensive than the AC02 one, though and I honestly figure that the BMC would be perfectly fine for what I intend to do with it. Does the 1x8 range tick all the boxes for hills?

agenteff

Looks like a really nice bike. I'm not a big fan of drop down bars, though, so I'm primarily looking for something with a flat bar. That opinion may obviously change in the future, but I can't see myself putting that much into my first drop down. I will remember the advice and keep an eye out in the future, though. Thanks for the tip.

agenteff

Good suggestion, but I'm currently leaning towards other bikes at the moment. The trek 6 is a speed beast, just that where I live and the amount of gravel they throw down to combat snow and poor weather (which doesn't get cleaned until april/may) makes me want a bit of a thicker tire. I think I'd probably love the trek for three months of the year, but then be annoyed with it later. I found the Cube SL road SL to be a better option based on my needs. More space for wider tires, still crazy fast and a fair bit cheaper - albeit in aluminium with a carbon fork.

Good luck with your search and hope you are happy with whatever you decide on!

agenteff

Nevermind, I see they have a flatbar option. Interesting...

Beavis5220

can't help you on the hills question....I live in south Florida so the only "hills" I encounter are causeway bridges which the 1x8 handles just fine

LesG

agenteff, I've haven't done much research with the Cube bikes but they sure look like a good choice and what you want. I've read that Cube is in the process of expanding their USA market but it hasn't happened anywhere near me. So there's no dealer near me and I definitely want to ride anything before I buy even if it is only for a short distance.

After taking a closer look at the Trek FX 4 Carbon, it seems Trek geared it ( 1 x 40 chainring and eleven speed 11-42 cassette) leaning more toward a gravel bike but kept the frame/fork the same as the other FX models. That doesn't let you put wider tires on it although I don't know exactly how wide you can go but Trek does say 35 mm max (found that somewhere on the Trek website just yesterday). So it's still in the running for me but not as much so as before... wish it had a Sram 42 chainring and a 12 speed 10 - 42 cassette not to mention the unknown (to me) width of tire you can put on it.

Les

agenteff

So, it's been about a month since I last posted and in the end I went with a BMC AC02 One. Very happy with the bike so far. It's everything I wanted and at a little bit less than the AC01 One. The 8 gated gears are completely adequate for my needs and the bike is both fast and stylish. I've got a little bit of a problem with it making a few creaky sounds so I am going to take it back to the shop and have it looked at. Other than that, the bike is as silent as can be. Love the option of being able to shift without pedalling. Assuming the noise coming from the crank gets sorted, I'd easily recommend this to anyone looking for a hybrid that is more for road use. It can handle paths without problem, but nothing with roots or anything too choppy.

I'm not allowed to post a picture until I've reached 10 posts but as soon as I get there I will share with everyone.

Big thanks to everyone who chimed in and contributed to this thread. It's much appreciated!

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