Hi everyone. I guess this is my intro to the forum and a reintroduction into biking.

I'm buying my first bike since I was a child and I've run into a situation that I could use some advice with.

I started looking for a bike that I could ride around town and eventually commute with (about 8 mi. round trip). At first I thought an MTB would be the thing to get but then I actually rode bikes and realized how inefficient they are when compared to road bikes or hybrids.

So then I fixated upon the Trek 7.3 FX...it was and is nice but I don't love it. I want a bike that I really actually want. Then I came across the Specialized Sirrus Sport in white....love. The color, the carbon, the ride...great.

Well it turns out that Specialized is done making the '07 Sirrus and that NONE are available in my size (XL). So I can either wait 4-6 weeks for an '08 that will be in some kind of white or silver, or buy the 7.3 FX and save some money.

A petty sidenote: The Sirrus is available in "Uglyass Blue" but I have no interest in it.

So rather than asking you to make a decision for me...what do you think of the 7.3 when compared to the Sirrus Sport...and is it absurd of me not to want the blue Sirrus just because it's blue and has chrome (blachchhh) hardware?

Also, any other recommendations?

Nitin, from Santa Barbara

I was in the same boat. I had no idea what kind of bike I wanted. I used craisglist.com for my shopping and it was fabulous. I test drove the 7.3 FX and road bikes and an older Trek Hybrid. I absoulutely loved the road bikes. I couldn't see myself riding a hybrid now that I have my road bike. Even if you love that brand, there's tons of nice road bikes out there. Take your time and find the perfect one for you. I must of test drove a dozen bikes before I settled on my bike. And it didn't break the bank either, only $300 bucks.

If you are looking for a flatbar road style bike and are willing to spend the coin it sounds like you are, do yourself a favor and check out the Jamis Coda line. Jamis bikes are typically a great value for what you get. Flatbars will be fine for the commuting distance you mention, but if you think you will ever want do longer rides on a consistent basis, reconsider the flatbars for drops.

Unfortunately I don't have any Jamis dealers near me.

I think I will try out some real road bikes and see how they feel.

Most bike shops have pretty narrow tires on their road bikes. A 25 or 28 makes a road bike feel very different, and makes for a more comfortable ride. Just something to bear in mindwhen you're trying out road bikes.

do not compromise. if you have the cash, buy what you want. that way you won't have the shoulda/coulda/woulda feelings later.

that said, it sounds like your budget is $500-600? if you can afford a little more a Surly Cross Check isn't a bad way to go. if that's too steep, Kona's Asphalt line has a number of flat bar commuters that are in a decent price range. consider a road bike though, they really aren't that uncomfortable. you don't have to have a 5" saddle to bar drop if you go that route you can't go wrong with bianchi. they're a little more expensive but very much worth it.
i'm going to plug Felt since i have one and i love it. they jumped in price from 06 to 07 and i imagine they're going to jump again, but their Z series relaxed geometry bikes are still pretty reasonable.

I could see myself spending about 700.

Does anyone have the pdf of Specialized 2008 catalog? I can't seem to download it.

nitin00 AT gmail.com

There's your answer right there. If its true love then you'll be able to wait 4-6 weeks for that special 'one'. I say wait and get the '08 version of the one you love, the wait will just make it so much sweeter when you finally get her in your arms.

Crikey, I'm turning into a bluddy sheila! "Nurse, start him on an IV of VB STAT!" (a bit of Aussie humor there )

I looked at those bikes as well. You may also want to check out the Raleigh Route 24. I ended up buying the '07 Diamondback Century for $429 at Dicks. Same components except aluminum fork (Tiagra rear). The 28c tires are fantastic--comfortable and fast. The Century is an understated aluminum color.

Another consideration is the Fuji Absolute line of bikes. Very nice, and a good buy for the money. I'm not personally a fan of flat bar bikes...but maybe you'll be okay with that set up.

Color is NOT a petty reason to choose or eliminate a bike choice. Many things on a bike can be changed very easily...but color is not one of those things. If an ugly colored frame sports more of the components I want...but a frame that I like the appearance of does not, I'll go with the visually appealing frame. Realistically factor in the cost of new component buys, but switching some parts is a fairly easy proposition.

I'd take the time and have some fun shopping around. Lots of bikes in that style, and if you don't find something else, pick up the Sirrus when it shows. The Sirrus is a more aggressive rider then the FX, so maybe also check out the Giant FCR, Kona asphalt series, or the less aggressive road bikes ala Bianchi Volpe.
Enjoy the hunt.

Good news.

So Specialized didn't have ANY left so I figured my only chance of getting an 07 was to call every shop I could find and see if they had one sitting there in the right size.

On Thursday I called 25 shops...basically every Spec dealer within 70 miles of here. No luck.

Today I decided to call two more and the second shop had one in my size, in white...for a good price.

I drove down to LA today in rush hour traffic and picked up my brand new bike.

I love it...now I just have to get into shape.

I'll keep you updated and will ask many, many more questions. Thanks for all the input.

Nitin

Congratulations!

Congrats on the new ride. I know the feeling of not wanting to compromise on color. I fell in love with the sage green LHT frame the first time I saw one and had a small breakdown when Surly announced the new colors because I couldn't buy a frame before they changed. Then I found a wonderful person looking to move up a frame-size who was selling the older, sage, frame. Now it hang on my rack calling out to be built, and when I start working again (just finished grad school) it will.

Someone else here posted a while back that compromising on the color is a BAD thing, if you buy a bike you don't love you don't ride as often, and that's the real point isn't it?

If I purchase a bike in a color I can not stand then the purchase would be pointless IMHO.

I would use the 4 to 8 weeks to test ride a few other bikes. Try out a touring bike or two and a few cyclocross bikes. Heck throw in a few regular road bikes in the mix. Drops are very nice. Also if one only has a single bike, something with fender and rack braze ons would be an appropriate choice. If you do not plan on hauling anything and have reasonably decent roads a skinny tired road bike may be the thing to have.