Originally Posted by
sportsfan266
I do have another question (all in the interest of the best use of my $$$ right now) - the Specialized Sirrus Sport I have right now is technically a flat bar road bike. Would there be a significant performance difference between an entry-level road bike and the Sirrus Sport?
"Flat bar road bike" is a category I just don't understand at all.
The big difference of course would be in the handlebars and the shifters, which in turn lead to a more aggressive (i.e. leaning farther forward) stance when riding the bike compared to flat bars. IMHO the advantage of this is that you have the ability to shift your position on your bike by holding the handlebars in different ways. You're more "aero" as well in this stance, but you don't care about racing, but maybe you want to go a little faster...
If the difference is not huge, I may just keep the Sirrus Sport. I do not plan on going for crazy long rides or using it for races - I just like to ride to work once in a while and get some exercise on it whenever I can. Anybody wanna sell me on a reason why I should or shouldn't get a road bike?
What do you consider "crazy long"? I did a 65 mile ride with a guy on a hybrid bike last year, and he lead the whole way. Your bike and handlebars is not the thing that is holding you back from riding long distances.
For the record, for $750 I'd get the Jamis Quest Sport. It's a lovely starter road bike, and the new Claris 2400 shifters/derailleurs are a great budget groupset, but many on here will tell you to get 105 at least ($1500)!