Hybrid Bicycles - sirrus vs Cafe Latte disc

been riding crap cruiser/MTB all my life. Now looking for a "real" bike to commute to work. It is a somewhat hilly 3 mile ride on pavement/concrete. If possible, I would also like to do some light trail.

I really really like the Specialized Sirrus (by looking at pictures online). However, the LBS doesn't have it and wants a 150$ deposit to order one to let me test ride it. He said I can use the deposit for other things if it doesn't work out, but the other bikes in the shop are either bikes I don't want or something way beyond my range. So I am wary of tying down so much money just to try it out.

Cafe Latte Disc from BD (http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...tte_x_disc.htm) seems like a very nice alternative with the same price. Obviously cannot test ride that, so can any owner tell me how it worked out for them? Dealing with BD, tweaking the bike, is it worth it for a noob like me....

or, maybe I just need to hit walmart and get a do whatever MTB again. so much time looking for the right thing.

I am 140lb and 5'7"ish and have some basic experience and tools from assembling internet bought Schwinn prelude. That was a disaster: went through the assembling/disassembling process twice and rear tire blew out both times when I was NOT RIDING.

Thanks in advance.

I purchased the Motobecane Cafe Latte (no disc brakes) for my wife and she loves it. It is a pretty fast bike. Weight in about 24-25 lbs. Components seems pretty good. Bikesdirect.com has pretty good bikes, but you do need to be a bit mechanical to assemble and make adjustments if needed. Unless you take it to a LBS. Don't get a Walmart bike. It's a waste of money. Some Walmart/Target bike like the Schwinn Tourist is a pretty decent bike, but who knows how long it will last. One of my brother has a Schwinn Tourist. I rode it and it was pretty decent, but like I've said. who knows how long the components will last. Shimano Altus components with sunrace crank set. He could keep up with me though.

You wrote that you would like to do "some light trail." What did you mean by that? As in limestone bike trails? Or off road dirt paths? Smooth stuff or something with a few bumps in it?

I wouldn't pay to get a test ride either. Do you have other bike shops where you can try out other brands?

If you're not mechanically inclined you could always have a bike shop assemble it for you. Depending on where you live that could cost about 40 - 80 bucks

Thanks for the replies. where is Ms. Goldberry? The local trail I mentioned is a 34 mile long mix of pavement and light gravel. definitely not heavy duty dirty path. I suppose I'd need a new tire/rim set to ride there, right? okay so the moto bike is good. in terms of mechanical aptitude, how far will ample time and available advice manual/online/(sheldon brown site) get me? If I assemble it myself and only takes it in to get a tune up, how much would that usually cost? There is a trek store that I have also been to twice. Their bikes are a lot more expensive even compared to the specialized place. Is that normal? Only a couple MTB there are < $500. The non suspension bikes are way out there. again appreciate the replies guys. open to other suggestions too. this is suppose to be a bday gift but 3 month later i still havent decide on what to get haha

Some of the lightweight hybrids have 28mm tires. You can run those on limestone trails. I see people do it. Personally I like 32mm's with a heavier tread, as it cushions the ride a bit and reduces flats. Most hybrids can fit a 32 just fine on their standard rims. I run 700x32 tires on a limestone trail at 80 PSI and it's a perfectly fine ride. Not as smooth as my older hybrid with a shock suspension and 700x38 tires, but still fine. I have a friend who does centuries on limestone trails (yes, 100 miles in one day) using 700x28 tires. He's never converted me over to that.

If you think you might like drop bar handlebars, you could consider this: http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/gravity/zilla.htm
It offers a lot for $500.

Holy sheshkabob. If I don't hear back from the other specialized dealer that is 40 min away, I would really like to pull the trigger on the zilla. Fat tires = less shock on trails & less flats right? The parts esp the crank set seems to be better than the cafe latte's and probably more than the sirrus too. Is the frame good though? Any gravity zilla owner here?

You can search but the Gravity frames have gotten good reviews around here. The Zilla is more of a mountain bike geometry with drop bars. You might want to consider this bike which has a more traditional road bike geometry which is better suited for drop bars IMO.

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/gravity/liberty_cxd.htm#size

Unless you're going to be riding in a lot of mud and/or rain you can skip the disc brakes and save $100. Or use the money to get a better spec'd bike like these two:

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/fantom_cross_cx2.htm

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/fantom_cross_cx3.htm

Here's a list of all of their cross bikes BTW:

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/cross_bikes.htm

If you can assemble your bike, you should be able to do your own tune-ups. Even if you do need to take it in for a tune-up, it will be a year before you need to do that. Plenty of videos on Youtube to learn from

If you are open to using drop bars, I would give some consideration to the cyclocross bikes listed above.

The Gravity Zilla was discussed in this thread: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/780920-Seeking-purchase-advice?highlight=zilla

Just what I need, MORE choices....JKJK but more questions

Is there a difference between a cyclecross bike and a road bike frames? components like tires vary but what about the frame material and geometry?

Geometry: From what I understand, in general mountain bike geometry is more comfortable since it let you "sit" more and "hunch" less, placing more weight on hip. Road bike geometry is opposite that but more aerodynamic and hence faster in the right position. How much does it matter? I possibly want to ride 5 days a week 20 miles one way to work in the future or take a road trip. Will that road bike geometry difference help much? My intent is purely about commute and fun not race. riding in a pack is a maybe in the far future.

Tire width: my guess is Wide tire -> more weight/friction -> slows you down maybe? How much does that matter? Standard MTB tire is 26X2" = 26X50. the zilla has 700X40C, the others 32C, 30C, 28(moto cafe). should those 2mm be a factor at all in deciding.

Frame Material: should I be concerned about these kind of disclaimers? all i know is that 6061 and 7005 AL are popular from wiki. (Due to incredibly high demand, Motobecane USA is building these frames with either 6000 or 7000 series aluminum alloy. Specs, weight, performance engineered to be the same)

okay so tune up is not a problem. I have never rode a drop bar except for 15 min on my aforementioned disastrous schwinn. Definitely open to and want to try it out though. Aero bars seems to be more comfy; was looking to add those to the sirrus or cafe latte in the beginning.

liberty seems to be the only one with carbon fork. is that suppose to be really light. color is bleh though haha. the phantoms seems to have nicer compos? what is the difference between 24/27 gears. do you need that many of them

thanks again.

If buying from Bikesdirect. I would rather get the Motobecane Cafe sprint. Carbon fiber forks, 9/27 speed, better components and a better crank set.

I have a 9 speed/27 speeds total and I find myself hardly have to shift to the smallest and largest chain ring.

Just what I need, MORE choices....JKJK but more questions

Is there a difference between a cyclecross bike and a road bike frames? components like tires vary but what about the frame material and geometry?

Geometry: From what I understand, in general mountain bike geometry is more comfortable since it let you "sit" more and "hunch" less, placing more weight on hip. Road bike geometry is opposite that but more aerodynamic and hence faster in the right position. How much does it matter? I possibly want to ride 5 days a week 20 miles one way to work in the future or take a road trip. Will that road bike geometry difference help much? My intent is purely about commute and fun not race. riding in a pack is a maybe in the far future.

Cross bikes have space for wider tires and slightly shorter gearing for better climbing. Also, they aren't designed to be super light weight like most road bikes.

A road bike frame is designed to stretch you out but was designed with drop bars in mind. A mountain bike frame is not so when drop bars are added you get a pretty stretched out position on the brake hoods. The Zilla top tube is on the long side for a given frame size but nothing a 10-20mm shorter stem can't fix. So six of one, half dozen of the other...

I don't know why you got off the hybrid bandwagon though. Most flat-bar hybrids can handle 38mm+ size tires which are more than adequate for limestone, gravel or packed dirt.

Thanks to everyone! pulled the trigger on Moto fantom cx triple. liked the dual brake design a lot and want to try out drops at least once in my biking career.
whew, finally, no more staying up late researching comparing parts and processes.
now i am anxious to see how much tweak the bike will need...got my tools ready haha

Thanks to everyone! pulled the trigger on Moto fantom cx triple. liked the dual brake design a lot and want to try out drops at least once in my biking career.
whew, finally, no more staying up late researching comparing parts and processes.
now i am anxious to see how much tweak the bike will need...got my tools ready haha

Hope you love the bike. Which color did you get? I like the all black or the silver one.

all black! spend extra 30$ for the triple just for the color..