Hi all, I'm new on here and was looking for a bit of advice. I've set my mind on either a Sirrus Expert Carbon or Diverge Comp Carbon. I will mainly be riding with my wife (who will get a similar bike to what I decide to get) along cycle tracks and country lanes etc around Cheshire in the UK. It will be for fitness and pleasure, I like to cruise along, enjoy the scenery and stop to get pictures etc. Occasionally our teenage sons will come along on their mountain bikes but I'd also occasionally like to go for rides with friends who have road bikes and they average 17mph. I prefer a slightly more upright riding position as I don't want to be head down, arse up so would the Sirrus that I've mentioned be able to keep up with friends on say a 30 mile ride or would the Diverge be better and upright enough for leisurely rides with the family?? Thanks everyone.

The Sirrus and Diverge are in fact, despite what you will hear in subsequent responses to your post, very similar in all practical respects including the cycling position their respective geometries will place you in. You will also be told that the Diverge will be "faster" than the Sirrus. That is false. You will be told that drop bars are inherently more "comfortable" than flat bars. That is false.

As far as your specific questions are concerned:

-- yes, you could keep up with your friends on group rides on the Sirrus, no less easily than you could with the Diverge, and
-- yes, the Diverge is suitable for leisurely rides with your family.

The Diverge is light years ahead and has drop bars, which I prefer. So you'll be able to ride on the hoods for most of the time, but get aero in the drops if you need the extra aero while descending or whatever.

The Diverge has a 50/34 front and 11-32 rear -- which the 50 is going to where you are primarily, and should allow you to keep up with everyone on the road bikes.
The Sirrus, on the other hand has a 48/32 -- which isn't going to be THAT much different, but it is still going to have a lower top speed.
Couple that with the fact that it's going to be easier to get lower on the diverge as your fitness improves and your ability allows, if you did want to take a break from fighting the wind on a windy day/ride.

The Diverge is just a better all-around, better built bike that is capable of much more than the Sirrus in my opinion.

As far as fit, make sure the bike shop fits you, and make sure you're comfortable. If they're not able to do this, then find another bike shop. The should be able to adjust the handlebars for you to an angle that you're comfortable with (where you can adjust as fitness improves or simply leave how it is), or flip the stem over for you to get you more comfortable, etc. Many many things they can adjust to dial that in for you, and IMO any reputable bike shop will do that all for free when you are serious about making a purchase.

I think if you get the Sirrus, you'll always be wishing you got the Diverge. But I don't believe the opposite to be true. The Diverge is truly a machine of beauty and very capable of tackling any gravel path or group ride you can throw at it.

Thanks for your advice guys. I'll have to go back to the Concept store, I sat on both and the seat on the Sirrus felt a lot more comfortable but I think that was due to the seat being lower on the Sirrus so more of my weight was on my feet, they didn't have pedals on them for security reasons to stop people pedalling the bikes away

You really can't learn anything from sitting on the bike without pedals. (and even if you could glean something about one saddle as opposed to another, you could always put the better saddle on the other bike) You need to test ride both bikes and/or have the staff put the bike on a trainer and ride it for at least a few minutes, preferably longer.

It mostly comes down to which you prefer; flat bars or drop bars. I prefer drop bars. In my neck of the woods, local road riding clubs seem to prefer drops to flat bars by about 9 or 10 to 1. So you take that FWIW. People who ride regularly 2 to 6 hours a day for recreation several days a week at a minimum seem to prefer drop bars. I believe this is because when you are on the bike for 90 minutes or more without taking a break, to avoid hand numbness and fatigue, you need to change hand positions. When I used to ride a flat bar bike, I found that after 2 hours or so, my hands, neck and shoulders would start to ache, and at times, I envied those riding drop bar bikes the ability to change body positions by moving the hands to the hoods or drops. On the other hand, ergon grips are pretty nice and there are people who prefer flat bars.

There is quite a difference in price between the two models you listed and even the top of the range Sirrus is still $500 cheaper than the Diverge.

I really think it comes down to whether you want a flatbar handlebar or dropbars.

Yes indeed, it really depends on whether you prefer straight or drop bars... I bought a 2014 Sirrus Elite and, while I really liked it for 3 weeks (!), I really regretted not getting a road bike instead. Riding it became more of a chore, and in fact stopped riding it mostly until a year later I bought my 2015 Roubaix. Boy what a difference! Sure, you can just go by what badger1 said ("You will be told that drop bars are inherently more 'comfortable' than flat bars"), or you could give drop bars a real try and decide for yourself. Like for many people, to me the many hand position choices on drop bars are heaven. I started with mostly hoods with the occasional flat bar position when climbing, but now on flats I very often use the drops for extended periods of time.

I since have purchased a Diverge, and I do love that I have the same hand position choices as my Roubaix. The Sirrus? It's been collecting dust for 2 years, because I've been too lazy to post it for sale

I get why many people consider a hybrid bike as their first one, because to many people drop bars initially look/feel too extreme. But I feel many, if/when riding more often and longer, end up with a road bike. It certainly has been my experience, although others of course remain very happy with their hybrid.

Good luck finding the right bike for you and your wife!

Geoff

Hi everyone. Just to let you know that I went back to the Specialized Concept store again today and I've decided to go for the Diverge Comp Carbon. I sat on a 56 size frame and it felt perfect and really comfortable, I'd sat on a 54 size on the last visit and that didn't feel anywhere near as comfortable as the 56. I can't wait to get it, so I'd just like to thank you all for your help!

Niiiiiice. Enjoy!!!

Geoff