hormone1971

Admin - correct if posted in the wrong spot.

I have narrowed it down to the 2022 Trek FX 3 and the Specialised Sirrus 3.0.
The Sirrus is $200 more.


I have sat and rode both bikes and both feel good on a short test ride.
I am 188cm and 100kg is that makes a diff.
I would ride on weekends for fitness.



This is the most I will spend on a bike so every cent counts so I wish to make the best decision for the budget.


Just wondering what the folks who have experience with them may be able to impart.
Cheers

xbimmers1

I purchased the 2022 Trek FX 3 Disc this month. I went with it because of the Deor components and carbon fork. I rode both the FX 2 and the FX 3. The hardest part is finding one in stock. For FX 3 the flat black color model is harder to find than the Blue to dark Blue model. I went with the Blue model.

Rides great and is comfortable.

FYI - due to supply issues, I received Promax hydraulic brakes instead of the listed Shimano brakes. Unknown what the difference in performance or longevity is.

Sorry I can't comment on the other bicycle you are considering.

Sardines

Trek FX have market equivalent components for the price point and are generally a good bike to buy, except for stupid non-industry Isozone handlebars, which limits the number of accessories you can add to the bar ends. Other thing is the fender mounts on the seat stays is about 3-4mm closer to the tires, so some 3rd party fender bridges like the SKS Al Edge won't fit.
The Specialized S-3 I'm not too familiar with, but our SX5/S6 showed gearing to be quite a bit different from the FX, so if the geometry fits you ok, then I'd look at the things like gearing, accessories (esp from 2nd party), things that may not be too important now, but may be later when you start growing your cycling personality.
You may also want to check out Canyon, Giant and other brands for options.

hormone1971

Thanks for the opinions so far.

rumrunn6

fwiw - I always buy pre-owned. everyone in our family of 4 has a Trek FX. mostly early models. anyway I've found them to be reliable & durable & not-expensive, as pre-owned bikes. have you investigated the used market near you? I'm about your weight & an inch or two shorter. mine is an XL but I think a L is more my size. I got a good deal on the XL & it rides fine, very comfortable. but technically I think I should be on an L

hormone1971

What do you means regarding the gearing? Is that how many 'speed' it is?
Just noticed the 2022 FX is 1 x 10 (11-46t) and the Sirrus is 2 x 9 (11-34t).
is 1 x 10 (11-46t) and the other is 2 x 9 (11-34t).

Sardines

The overall gear ratios. Looking at the FX, I assume it's a 40t crank? I assume with a 2x, the Sirrus is either 48/32t, 46/36 or 46/30t. I'd go by that than choose by brand.

hormone1971

Sorry but I dont get a word you talk about. LOL. I know nothing about that kind of thing. None of those numbers mean a thing to me (said in the nicest possible way).
I would not know why one lot of numbers is better than the other.
apologies for the ignorance but my mind still works in 'the bike is a 21 speed racer' from the 80's.
Trek is: Prowheel alloy, 40T narrow-wide ring, 175 mm length
Sirrus is: Forged aluminum arms, 2-piece, 24mm spindle, 46/30T

Virtus

Gearing and speeds are essentially the same thing; speeds is more of a marketing term that's easier to understand/explain.

What is important when comparing these is the ratio of the number of teeth on the chainring (front) to the number of the teeth on the cog (rear). The more teeth on the chainring equates to a higher or harder gearing ratio; inversely the more teeth on the cog equates to a lower or easier gearing ratio.

The Trek is a 1x10 - 1 chainring in the front (with 40 teeth) and 10 cogs in the rear (ranging from 11-46 teeth). So 10 possible combinations or 10 speeds.
The Sirrus is a 2x9 - 2 chainrings in the front (one with 30 teeth and the other with 46) and 9 cogs in the rear (ranging from 11-34 teeth). So 18 possible combinations; this would be called an 18 speed but it's not truly as there are some overlap in the ratios so there is probably "only" 14 or so unique gears.

You can google bike gearing calculators and enter all of these specifics to compare for any combination of drivetrain but the above two have equivalent low gears but the 2x9 of the Sirrus has a higher top end ratio so can be faster. They're close enough that I wouldn't let that be your deciding factor though.

Also FWIW, I recently was shopping for a similar bike and am almost exactly your size (187cm and 100kg) and ended up going with an FX 2 which has a 2x9 similar to the Sirrus 3.0. I found it to be the sweet spot in value to me; also considered the Giant Escape 2 (which was actually $50 cheaper) and it came down to a test ride between the two to decide. I briefly considered a Sirrus but Trek and Giant offered higher level components for less money.

I would highly encourage you to test ride the bikes you're considering if at all possible; it makes deciding much easier. I ended up going with an XL FX but would've been a L for the Giant.

hormone1971

Thanks heaps for the replies to all - and I thought a bike was just a bike.

Sardines

I'll just add that gearing of 40t to 46t in the crank is a pretty big difference, depending on the riding you do. In top gear, the difference could be 4mph at 100 cadence. On the low gears, having to switch the front and rear derailleur to get the "right" gear, is a tad more technical, so a 1x is somewhat simpler to ride. I would definitely look at the other brands like Canyon, Giant, Cube and even BMC as well.

hormone1971

Canyon, Cube and even BMC all over the $1500 price limit sadly.

Sardines

Are you sure that's up to date? My kid's roomie in college just bought a Canyon Roadlite 7 that's coming in Mar/Apr? Cube/BMC has local agents who can order your bike?

hormone1971

Possibly you are in the US? as I am in Australia.

Sardines

Yes I am, but if you check out the Cuba SL Road, I think you'll find the specs are much higher than Trek or Specialized for the price. The cabling routing on the Cube and Canyon are so much better than the Trek, which goes to one side and thus has a pull when at rest. Canyon and Cube are also higher spec than the Trek for the same price. I'm very sure I've seen Cube in Melb and Syd in bike shops when I was there in Jan. The mid range Cubes SL roads are definitely less than AU$1500. Do a google search.

hormone1971

Thanks again for the comment.

• REAR DERAILLEURShimano Claris RD-R2000, 8-Speed
• FRONT DERAILLEURShimano Claris FD-R2000-BM, 31.8mm
• SHIFTERSShimano Claris SL-R2000

Seems the Claris is rated not so good as a groupset when reading from a review site - could be the site is skewed to other models?
And yes, found it for $1100 so in the price bracket, a few places are $400 more which is what I saw first.

Sardines

Well it's a suggestion for alternatives. Also check out the Giant FastRoad. It's made for fitness paved road riding.
I would choose based on geometry and weight requirements, depending on what you're using the bike. FItness without loads (rack/commuting etc) means you will easily be able to choose any of the bikes. If you want to do bikepacking as an option, then you need bikes rated to take you + luggage. Good luck.

Lady82

We have just purchased my husband Trek FX 3.0. For the MSRP it ticks every box compared to Sirrus. It has a carbon fork, Shimano hydraulic brakes, 10 sp Deore transmission, hollow tech bottom bracket. I am actually surprized that Trek offers so much more for less money. We are long time Specailized ppl, but I find their current prices unreasonable for their offerings. Trek FX offers more than Giant at the same MSRP!
I have a Sirrus X and I love mine, but there was no way we were paying $400 Canadian more for a bike with Microshift transmission (Specialized Sirrus 3.0).
Luckily for us, the local Trek dealer just got a bunch of bikes in stock. Made a great Father's Day present.

GeoffNA

I have a 2021 Sirrus X5 and love it. That said, it is overpriced for the components you get, especially with this year's price increase. If I was buying again, I'd seriously consider Trek.

BiciMan

I like Sardines' advise.

BTW, I'd guess that Giant builds most or all of these bikes, though I don't doubt that the differences matter.