Now here's a question for you
 

So after a few days of riding around my neighborhood getting used to my new (for me) bike, I did my first ride of any length just now (about 7 1/2 miles). I am going to preface my question with the statement that it has been about 20 years since I have been on a bike of any kind. When I was riding this evening my steering felt uhm....twitchy. I was wondering if it is the bike or if it is the fact that I have forgotten what it feels like to ride a bike.

BTW I ride a Specialized Sirrius Sport in case that helps.

Your bike may feel "twitchier" than other bikes you have ridden due to its shorter wheelbase, steeper rake, straight forks, and (relatively) narrow tires. It has been designed to be responsive to rider input. IMHO once you get used to it you will come to appreciate it. I had the same experience when I bought my latest bike.

Thanks, I was thinking that would probably be the case, but wasn't sure.

It is possible that the forks are bent.

I guess that I should clarify the "twitchy" description. A better way to describe what I am feeling is when that the steering is very responsive to my inputs. With it being so long since I have been on a bicycle I was just curious if this something that I have forgotten the feel of. I did check the forks after I read your post and they appear to the naked eye to be straight.

If the previous owner ran head on into something, that could push the forks back which will make handling more (too) responsive. If the upper part of the fork legs appear to be in line with the headtube, it's probably not bent.

The Sirrus Sport looks kinda er, 'sporty' to me, so it may indeed be a more responsive ride than bikes you may have ridden as a kid. I think you'll appreciate the quicker handling once you get used to it.

As a hybrid, it should be somewhere on the middle on the twitchiness scale, not too hard to handle, like a criterium or triathlon bike might be.

Enjoy the ride! Let us know how it goes.

WHY bum him out with doom and gloom??? Hybrids tend to be twitchy by design especially if they are all aluminum. I think he would probably know if the forks were bent. There isn't a lot of tolerance between the tire and the frame.

Yes ma'am.

So tonight I went for my longest ride yet (9.4 miles). It was mostly flat with some rolling hills. I am discovering that what irclean said is starting to be true. I am becoming more comfortable on the bike and the "twitchy" feeling was not as pronounced when I finished tonight as when I started the other day. I am slowly learning the gearing system and how to make it work for me so that my rides are productive in terms of fitness.

Thanks to all the people on here who are making my transistion from non-rider to rider easier.

The Sirrus has a more a more aggressive geometry which gives it a more responsive steering, but considered to be less stable, specifically at lower speeds.