Originally Posted by
imperius
If your friend needs a new bike you could sell it to him to get some money back, or give it to him if you don't need your cash back.
But also, I'm in the market for a hybrid and also deciding between a crosstrail and a sirrus. Could you describe how differently they compare? What are some main differences you noticed?
Obviously pretty similar. My Crosstrail is a 2013. The Crosstrail is aluminum, the Sirrus is a 2016 carbon, so that is going to bias what I say a little bit. Crosstrail, naturally, is heavier. Both have disc brakes, both are fairly comparable in groupset.
Crosstrail is a little more like a mountain bike, IMHO, while the Sirrus is definitely a flatbar road bike feel to it. I feel more confident on gravel or dirt trails with the Crosstrail (hence the name Specialized gave it, I guess). I put wider mt tread tires on the Crosstrail. Right now, I have near slicks on my Sirrus. Other than the random stretch of dirt road around here, I won't ride the Sirrus off pavement, just not confident in its ability to handle loose substrate.
The front suspension with the lockout on the Crosstrail is a really nice feature. When riding smooth pavement, it makes for a better ride as far as I'm concerned. Sirrus doesn't have a front suspension.
Handling, therefor, is the main diffence I see. Some of the little things, like better ergo grips on the Sirrus, are just upgrades based on model and year.
I can't see how you could go wrong with either one. But, based on versitilty, I would go with the Crosstrail. If you are looking for a little more pizzaz, and carbon, Sirrus (unless they make a carbon Crosstrail by now)