raqball

Ok.. Here is the question.

I have a 2013 Specialized Sirrus Limited SL4. Here are the specs on the bike:

Specialized Bicycle Components

When I post in the Hybrid forum I was told it's not a hybrid.. When I post in the road bike forum, I am told it's a hybrid..

In my opinion it's a road bike with a flat bar..

So what is it???

hybridbkrdr

I'd say flat-bar road bike. The double crankset, tire size and derailleurs tell you it's a road bike. I suspect the type is "endurance" (versus touring, cyclocross, sprint etc.).

Panza

Road bike with flat handle bars.

Get some drops and a different pair of shifters on her she'll look and behave as a true road bike : )!

raqball

No thanks on the drop bar.. I have a bad back and love the flat bars.. Descent shifters??? It has Ui2 (Di2) shift on it now so I am not sure what you mean by that...

ahsposo 

That doesn't hurt your hands after a while?

If not then stay with what you got and enjoy.

All good bikes are personal.

Panza

If you love the flat just go with it and ride how you like it : ) I always want to replace my flat bar on my hybrid with drops to get more power, but I love the handling of it in the city. What do you use the bike for?

raqball

The flat bar? Not at all.. I generally do 40 miles a day 5 times a week.. Once a month I do a 60-70 mile ride every so often I do a century..

I've never had an issue with hand numbness.. I move them quite often on the bar (out of habit I guess) and use the bar ends for cruising..

raqball

Fitness / enjoyment riding... I am pushing 50-years-old so a speed demon I am not..

A typical 42 mile ride for me is about 18 miles of city and 24 miles of open roads..

no1mad 

It qualifies as a hybrid as a "performance" or "fitness" bike.

raqball

Everything about the bike (specs, components ect...) screams road bike so I am curious why it's a hybrid.. Because of the flat bar???

Panza

As long as you love it and ride it that's all that matters.

"Ready to roll and dressed to kill, the SIRRUS thrives on getting you there fast, and in comfortable style. Its GO! GO! GO! attitude comes courtesy of the road-inspired, lightweight alloy and carbon frames, making it a prime candidate for beat-the-traffic commutes and heart-starting, weekend rides. This fit is dialed and ready, right out of the box, so there’s really only one way to ride this versatile beast—flat out."

Road-inspired comfort bike -- Specialized's website makes it sound like it's marketed as a hybrid.

raqball

No doubt the Sirrus line of bikes are hybrids (in my opinion at least) but mine is a totally different animal.. They only made 300 of them (Limited SL4) and they loaded it up with better specs than most road bikes come with..

The only thing on my bike that is different from a road bike is the flat bar..

It's really no big deal to me as I'd just like to post in the correct forum..

bikejrff

My 2008 Sirrus Pro was my first real bike. Used to ride it about 3K per year before I got my first drop bar road bike, I still ride it at least 1,000 miles a year, mostly on 40-50 miles rides on county roads and I've done three centuries on it. I just rolled over 11,000 total miles on it last week.

Here's the specs Specialized Bicycle Components

I also have a 2010 Cannondale Quick 1 with Ultegra. I classify both bikes as flat-bar road bikes. They do have a noticeably longer wheelbase than "race" bikes.

raqball

Sweet!

My last 3 bikes have all been flat bars.. When I went to my LBS to buy a new bike it was a no brainier for me... I wanted another flat bar..

A friend has several road bikes with drop bars and he let me use one for a week.. We fitted it to me and I rode it for a week straight.. My back, my back, my back..

I have a bad back and the reason I went to flat bar years ago was because I could do distance on them without back problems that I get with drop bars.. On my friends bike, after about 25 miles (most in the city) my back was in massive pain...

The Limited SL4 is the best of both worlds for me.. It's a road bike in my opinion with the flat bar that my back needs...

I guess I am just trying to find out what forum I should post in.. Road bikes or Hybrid bikes.. Either is cool with me..

bikejrff

Either way you'll get yelled at. All my friends call mine a hybrid; it's not, it's a road bike. I never thought I could ride a drop bar bike and be comfortable (back issues) but I found that I can with no problems. I'm lucky. BTW your Sirrus is AWESOME!

Retro Grouch 

How thinly can you slice the baloney?
At exactly what point does a rainbow change from red to orange?
Would a rose by any other name smell less sweet?

raqball

True... I didn't really get yelled at, yet, but wanted to post in the correct area..

Thanks.. I love it! Had my LBS owner never told me about it, I would have never even known it existed (the Limited SL4 version that is)... My goal was a road bike with flat bars and I honestly thought they would need to build me something.. I was amazed when I saw the specs on this thing and it rides like a dream!

Astrozombie

Hybrid

raqball

Same Q I asked no1mad.. Why? Because of the flat bar? I'm just curious, that's all....

mcmoose

I'd call it a flat-bar road bike. The only "hybrid" feature I see is the gearing of cassette; hybrids like to give you that nice, high-tooth sprocket while road bikes tend to keep the change between sprockets small. But even that feature gets customized to the buyer.

As for where to post, it sort of depends on the question/topic. But your riding pattern is much more "road" than "hybrid." I use my road bike for rides like yours; I use my hybrid for commuting and rides taking me off pavement.

But as others have said, the main thing is that it's a wonderful bike and you're having fun.

mrodgers

I see a "Hybrid" forum. I don't see a "Road Bike" forum. I do see a "Road Cycling" forum in which "Bike" is a noun and "Cycling" is a verb. I take from the titles and from checking it out that if you ride on the roads, you certainly can be visiting the "Road Cycling" forum. I hadn't prior, but now I'm riding on the roads instead of just a bike trail with my new bike, which happens to be a hybrid (Giant Escape) and thus I started reading on the "Road Cycling" forum.

I see other hybrids being posted in the "Road Cycling" forum in the picture threads. If I had a question on my hybrid, I would post it in the "Hybrid" section, but if I had a question about riding on the roads no matter what I was riding, I would think "Road Cycling" would be where to go. If my bike had road bike components, then it would be more pertinent to post in "Road Cycling" as well.

Or, just go to "General Cycling Discussion".

Just my thoughts.

Little Darwin

It could be either... Pick based on your priorities.

1) Post in the road forum if you are mostly interested in wheels, tires etc where the component mix better matches with road bikes.

2) Post in the Hybrid forum if most of your interest is in the hybrid "style" (for example, non-performance related riding) Although you will see some in the Hybrid forum interested in performance as well.

3) 50+ forum if you can relate more to the age group... Young in mind, with plenty of life experience.

4) Here, because it is a nice even tempered forum as well.

I used to hang out in the road forum part time, and the bike I ride is nowhere near a modern road bike, definitely a hybrid... but I rode mostly on the road. (I now prefer rail trails with an occasional road ride) You just need to learn to ignore the nay-sayers. The road forum is a bit more testosterone driven than any of the other alternatives... if you want to push yourself hard, that would be the place to fit that attitude, otherwise, the other forums may have more to offer.

cplager

The Road Cycling forum doesn't mention drop bar handlebars or "road" bikes by name in the description. It is intended, I believe, as you and I use it: for those who ride on the road.

To the OP: His description of the forums is quite on point. I'll recommend the 50+ forum even if your 50- but getting "close enough". They don't card at the door.

danmc

I have both a road bike and hybrid, and the positioning of the rear tire is totally different. In the road bike the rear tire is pushed more forward, much more under the seat and closer to the seat tube. On the hybrid the rear tire is pushed farther back away from the seat tube. The geometry on a hybrid also keeps you much more upright than on the road bike. I'd call that bike a road bike with flat handle bars.

WestPablo

Hybrids are usually described as being some type of bike modeled between a mtb and a road bike. Most road bikes with flat handlebars are classified as "performance hybrids". All you need to do to change them into road bikes would be to replace the flat handlebars with drops.

OTOH, there are some mtbikes without suspended forks, that are casually referred to as, "hybrids". I've personally seen some hybrid "comfort" bikes with suspended forks that look exactly like mtbikes to me. So go figure