remiarcs

Hello everybody, i just signed up to this really cool forum and already found a lots of really useful informations.
Still, bit of a newbie when it comes to bikes and i can use a bit of help.
I'm looking to buy my first "proper" bike, and i was looking at several manufacturer, and to be honest, i'm really confused.
Got a budget around £650 and was looking at the Specialized Sirrus Sport or Elite which seems like what i am looking for...or the Sub 40 from Scott or or or there is so many
I know i have to try by myself and already tried the Sirrus Sport, and really like it. Now i will be using it mostly on road, BUT there will be time where i'll be riding bit off road (gravel road, little bit forest).
Is the Sirrus Sport or Elite good enough for theses kind of roads ?
I asked the guy in the Evans shop, but to be honest it seems like i had more knowledge than he does!!!
Thank you in advance for your help and any bike suggestion much appreciated!!
Remi

meanwhile

Specialized can be a bit overpriced in the UK and the Sirrus - well, it isn't completely unusable off road, but it as unsuited as any hybrid gets. It was designed as flat bar road bike and that's what it is. Only you know how well this matches your priorities.

Buzzbait

I have a 2010 Sirrus Sport. It's a positively awesome bike for onroad. But it is very much a flat bar road bike, as Meanwhile said. If you're looking at Specialized, and want to take it offroad sometimes, I'd look at the Crosstrail Sport. It is much more suited for offroad, but still halfway decent for onroad with its lockout suspension fork.

meanwhile

I don't think a suspension for has much point for the very light offroading described. I'd suggest sticking with a rigid fork and performance riding position but going for a bike with more tyre clearance than the Sirrus - it's the Sirrus's limit here that make it tricky off road. You really have to watch for every rock and tree root using 35mm tyres - 40mm are a lot more forgiving. The Cotic Roadrat would be ideal if it wasn't so expensive. (Google it.)

remiarcs

First of all, thank you both of you for having taking the time to reply to my question.
In my mind, Hybrid bike was considered as a bike who can go on AND a little bit off road...Mhmmm... guess i was wrong on this one (with the word "Sirrus sport" i can be forgiven).
Buzzbait, the crosstrail might be more suited for what i'd like to do, and Meanwhile you are right, the Cotic Roadrat is a little expensive. On a top of that you have to build the bike as well...i'm not really comfortable with that yet.
The sirrus has 28mm tyres and i thought it was big enough for a bit of off road.
The tag price in Uk is � 400 ($600), which is 100$ more than US...and Cotic Roadrat $1335
If you have any other suggestion for �650 from other brands, i'll be happy to look at them!!
Thank you again for your help

Wanderer

I love my Crosstrail; but, I changed the 45 OEM tires for Schwalbe Marathon Supremes in 35mm for the front, and 40mm for the back. The rear wheel was replaced with a stronger 36 spoke version, (Alex Adventurer) and has worked very well.

It goes almost anywhere, comfortably, capably, and semi quickly. Has good load capacity - and is a great do it all bike.

meanwhile

You can take any bike off road. But some require more skill and attention to ride there than others. Hitting an unseen tree root with a 28mm tyre is not a joyous experience unless you're a masochist with a mud fetish and lots of cash for repairs.

Oh - it's easy to order a Cotic frame package and have an LBS or local mechanic build the bike up. You might just squeeze it into your budget if you used lightly used components bought on ebay.

It can fit some 35s, but 40mm are better. And frame angles matter a lot - the Sirrus's are set too twitchy for off road work. Plus it isn't a bike designed to have the strength I like in an off roader. I remember talking talking to a courier who trashed his original Sirrus and two warranty frames before Specialized gave up on him. Courier work is tough and he might have been very unlucky - but if you're buying a bike to take off road occasionally, I think everything adds up against the Sirrus.

Three strong suggestions:

1. Wanderer is right about those Supremes, and the stock tyres and most bikes are awful. There's a version of the Supreme with improved offroad abilities called the Dureme: fit these (in 35 or 40mm - go wider if in doubt) to your bike. Ideally get one that can take a 40mm tyres and still fit fenders in case you want them

2. Go to a UK bike site and ask for advice there. Prices are different to the US and some of the best bargains are store own brands. Tell people exactly what you want to do with the bike. Remember that some of the people who answer will be idiots!

3. Repeat the same at a good bike store if you can get a recommendation for one. If you can't get a strong recommendation then don't - most stores are eager to shift whatever has the highest profit margin.

Other than that, I'd suggest these:

https://www.kenellerkercycles.co.uk/p...6s2p1117&rs=gb

https://www.kenellerkercycles.co.uk/p...6s2p1118&rs=gb

I've not ridden one (my bike is a drop bar cyclocross bike; I'm "slumming" here) but Trek and Fisher both have a high reputation and the spec seems very sensible. They're a little heavy, but that doesn't really reduce performance much. They're tough brutes with the same disc brakes and frames as real Fisher mountain bikes but with modifications that make them faster on the road. The disc brakes are a nice feature to have in the rain. If you buy one, remember to change the tyres - I've heard the stock ones are especially poor. Otherwise, on paper, they are a great buy.

But, obviously, don't buy one until you have test ridden one!

EsoxLucius

You should also check out the Giant Roam XR3.

remiarcs

Guys,
Thank you so much for all theses informations, got a clearer mind now and i shall make my way to the bike store...right now!!
Good tip as well for the tyres. I'll let you know what i'll end up with and be on the road soon!!
Thank you all again

lucille

I have toured on my 2004 Sirrus (with 36 and then 32 tires) and rode some dirt roads and gravel roads with no problems. Sure, it's better on pavement, but you can take it off road a little as well.

Have fun bike shopping!

meanwhile

32mm tyres for a light rider can be like 38s for a heavier one. Your name does suggest that you're of the less testosterone driven sex , so I'm going to guess that you don't weigh +180lbs. While a Sirrus can go off road, it is less and less suitable as rider weight increases.

big_al

I really like the sirrus after seen them in person..

remiarcs

Hello everyone,
Just a quick update on my researches...I finally tried several other bikes like the Scott p3 which was looking the kind of thing i am looking for and the Crosstrail extreme 2010 from Specialized. Both bikes are more or less similar prices and if i have to be honest...i'm bit confused. The Crosstrail is more comfortable to ride, while your position is bit more straight (don't know if this is the right word, i'm not english ), but the P3 felt much more balance, but the gear changing was really cranky (not smooth at all, maybe wasn't setup properly). Didn't get the feeling i should get one of theses two, even if they look really nice.
So i carried on my research and came across a few things that i never heard of before :
Cube Bikes -

https://www.cyclex.co.uk/product/cube_bikes-cx/

They look really well built (looking at the Cube SL Cross Pro) which can do the 85% road and 15 % off road i intend to do.
Cube SL pro, or Cube Nature or if i stretch a bit Cube Sl Cross Team which is $1500...

Now i never heard of it, seems like it's a german company, so if any of you got some good knowledge about the gears, can you tell me if they are worth...

And Ghost bike -

https://www.ghost-bikes.de/2010/bikes/convenient/cross/

Look really good as well, though a bit more expensive that what i'd like to spend.

Thank you for the help and wish you all a good week.

remiarcs

Quick other question as well...for what i'm going to do (85% road ~15% off-road) is it better to get rigid fork or front susp ? I know this been discussed probably million times before, but i guess everybody's different
Thank you all again!!

meanwhile

That really depends on how you ride. My opinion is that I'd rather have a rigid fork off road unless I'm riding serious singletrack and can have a damn good suspension fork. People who aren't as happy using their body's natural suspension have other opinions.

If you do get a bike with a fork, make sure it has a lock out mode.

meanwhile

$1500 is crazy money to spend on a first hybrid. It would even buy a raceable cyclocross bike. As these two brands, I doubt you'll find anyone who has ridden them.

Did you ask about the gear changing on the P3? Could you try it at another store? There's no reason it should have a problem changing - it has Shimano Deore derailers and shifters, which are pretty high end hardware. If you like the bike otherwise, I'd tell them that you'll take one if the shifting is fixed to your satisfaction.

remiarcs

Meanwhile, your help is really appreciated!
I did told the guy at the shop, regarding the ridding position of the specialized and he told me "yeah, you're right, buy this one", after i told him i prefered the P3 for the balance and he told me "You should get that one"...no help at all, as regarding the gear changing, he didn't even looked at it and said "yes, it happened sometimes with this kind of bikes". I'll have to try it somewhere else.
Now regarding the prices, got a old mountain bike and some friends told me that for bikes, it's always better to get the best you can afford for the quality of the gears. My budget is around $ 900-1000, was ready to stretch a little bit more if needed (been saving for while for this But if you tell me that the gears on the P3 are good enough, i'll definitely give it a try again...that's what i like about this forum, you find peoples who knows (most of the time) what they are talking about...not like in the shop where i went!!!!!!!

meanwhile

These days even a £300 bike should have good gears. If they're not then final assembly has gone wrong - a job done in the shop. Because of this finding a good bike shop is in many ways more important than finding a bike with the right theoretical specification.

If you are in London, then Condor is a legend. They used to sell mid range hybrids in with the racing bikes and courier specials. In the NW the Bike Factory in Chester and Ron Spencers in Warrington are both good, as is the Bike Doctor in Manchester. If you're somewhere else try asking where to go on BikeRadar. Of the chains the Edinburgh Bike Coop is better than the low average and Halfords worse. (A pity as they handle Voodoo in the UK, the brand of my one my favourite designers, Joe Murray.)

Brands that are normally extra safe buys include Trek, Kona and Giant.