Specialized Sirrus Question
 

There's a guy on CL selling a 1990 or 1991 Specialized Sirrus (pre-brifters?), he says it's in excellent shape but needs a tune up. He's asking $175. There is no picture and I'm going to look at it tonight so I wanted to ask you all if this seems like a fair price and what else can you tell me about this make and model from that time period. I haven't found much of anything by Googling, anyone here know alot about old Specialized bikes? And is there anything I should look out for when inspecting the bike?
I'm just looking for a decent commuter/wet weather bike for a cheap price and that's where my interest lies with this bike.

Thanks,

Andy

not exactly sure bout this. may seem high.
my bro bought a new 2005 specialized sirrus for under $400

That price seems a little too high. It also depends a lot on the condition. Make sure you test ride it a lot - check how well it shifts and brakes, etc.

If it has a freehub at the back, the price is a little high. If it has a freewheel at the back I wouldnt pay more than $75. My daughter had a 91 specialized (not Sirrus) and I thought it had decent components.

How do I tell if it's a freehub or a freewheel? Will there be some kind of indication on the hub?

This Park Tool page shows the difference. http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=48 If it has 6 cogs at the back it will be a freewheel. If there are 8 or more it will be a freehub. If there are 7 it could be either. The bearing arrangement in a freehub makes it much stronger, so is the way to go, if you weigh 235 lb like me. If you weigh 150 lb it shouldnt matter to you, but is a good reason for getting the price down.

Old Sirrus models came with drop bars and I believe mostly road bike components whereas the newer versions are flat bar bikes with a mix of touring and road components. I think the new models make great commuters for mixed terrain. The base model sells for over $500 (retail) though.

There were lots and lots of bikes made with 7 freewheels and not just a few with 8 speed. There were even some 6 speed freehubs made, so cog count isn't a good indicator. Take a look at Sheldon Brown's site about half way down the page. One way to tell the difference is that freehub/cassette bikes tend to have a little bump out behind the cogs on the right side of the wheel. Freewheel hubs tend to be more symmetrical. This is not always true but can usually be trusted. Look at the pictures at the bottom of the page to see what else to look for.

For an early 90's bike, I'd suspect that the bike has a freehub. $175 for a 15 year old bike is okay but, if you want to update it, you'd probably spend less on a whole new bike.

Well, my hope is that the components are going to be in good shape. The owner claims that it's been hanging up in his garage for the past five years. So it probably needs a tune up and the tires might be dried out. I'm just looking for an inexpensive but good quality commuter/wet weather bike.

I don't want to spend alot of money on a new bike - I live in an inner-city neighborhood and I've had one bike stolen already - that one was purchased new and cost me around $600 (it was a C'dale mntn bike). Ouch, that hurt. I've replace my mntn bike with another C'dale (F500 hardtail) and that one doesn't go anywhere except on the trails. I even lock it up in my basement. So I'm not going to convert that one into a commuter. Just too risky around here. But I wouldn't be so upset if someone ripped off a bike I only paid $100-150 for. I wouldn't be happy about it but it sure wouldn't hurt as much.

I do appreciate all of the information you all have given me and I'm taking notes with me when I go to look at it on Saturday. The owner doesn't know what the frame size is so it's quite possible that it might not even fit me. If it's in excellent shape and the ride is terriffic then I'll offer him $100 for it but I'm not going over $150. If it's a real beater with some rust I'll either pass or offer him $50 for it.

Thanks again,

Andy

I have a 90's rigid tail MTB I commute on and I think they make good commuters. My vote is that's too much to pay unless it has been hanging in the garage for most of its life and is in mint condition. I think closer to $100 is better.

My Dad gave me an early '90's Raleigh M30. He bought it new,put only a few miles on it,then hung it in the basement. Gave it to me in '05 when he bought a Giant Cypress. It was in literally perfect condition. I swapped the tires and added some Freddy fenders,and wound up selling it for $80,just enough to get back the cost of tires/fenders. For $175,that Sirrus better be mint. Maybe $100 if it's really primo,but over that is silly.

The general opinion seems to be that the seller of the Sirrus is asking way too much for the bike. I'm glad I posted this here because I wouldn't have had a very good feel for what the bike is worth otherwise. As you said dynaryder, "that Sirrus better be mint" - and if it's not I'm going to start the bargaining around $50. And even if it is mint I'm starting to think that I should stop around $100. He has had it on CL since Jan 24th. However, if the seller has upgraded all or most of the components then I might have to rethink it abit. I'll find out on Saturday morning.

My buddy recently got a drop bar model Sirrus for free off Craigslist, so yeah, 175 may be a bit pricey for a unique fixer-upper opportunity... Luck with your deal.

And the saga continues . . .

This is unbelievable, I called the seller this morning to tell him I was on my way and he told me he has decided to take the bike to a lbs and have them do a tune up and clean it up (glad I called first). This is a good thing; however, he said to call him back in about three or four weeks - darn it. My gut instinct tells me that he's either going to be firm on his $175 price or he's going to raise the price once the bike is tuned up, lubed and clean. I wonder if he is a poster here on the Bike Forum or if he has a friend on here who linked him to the thread. Or maybe I'm being paranoid. Although, I did post this question in three different forums on here - hmmmm. Nah, I'm being paranoid.
Maybe I'll find a better deal between now whenever this guy decides to sell his bike.

Keep looking. 90s MTBs are not that hard to find. Also it looks like the REI outlet website has some really good deals on Marin MTBs right now.