Awesome
 

OK, just saying to the Dad - That is AWESOME!!! Nice fish, nice bike, GREAT Dad-duty!
Good for you.

RLS

Sirrus Update: I put about 100 miles on the new 2017 Sirrus Expert Carbon. Great bike, but I took it back to my bike shop (Basalt Bike & Ski, Carbondale, CO) for a full return minus a $60 cleaning fee. Since I ride with some roadies, I needed a lighter, faster, downbar bike. The guys at my bike shop were great and happy to help. I would have replaced it with a Specialized Roubaix, but they didn't have one in stock in my size/color, so I took home a Giant Defy Advanced Pro 1. This is (currently) my only bike. When I start to accumulate a collection of bikes, which I've been told will indeed happen, a Sirrus will be in my collection for a quality, easy-to-ride, commuter style bike. But for now, I need something for 20-30 mile rides including lots of Colorado climbing.

So, that's my update. Enjoy your excellent Sirrus bikes!

RLS

Interesting.. I generally do 30 miles a day on my flat bar road bike. I have a Sirrus and a BMC. Once a month I do a 56 mile ride with a fairly large mountain climb and once a year I do a century.

Why do people think a drop bar bike is able to go further distance or faster? If you are not racing then I question the need for drop bars.

Either way, enjoy your new bike and pedal on!

Still no word on 2018 models. :innocent:

I was thinking the exact same thing, I ride 100-150 miles a week on my Trek carbon flat bar bike, and my downbar friends keep trying to get me to convert to a downbar bike. Though I have no issues staying with the pack, and I tend to pull away on steep hills, why would I want to give up the comfort and power ?

Noob
 

New to the forum! Ordered my Sirrus Elite yesterday and can't wait to get "back in the saddle" after years of not riding. Have always loved black everything but decided on candy apple red. I'll get some pics posted when I pick her up in a week! Cheers! :beer:

I think this is the one?

http://mikesbikes.com/images/library...e-264034-1.jpg

Fantastic colour!

This, and the white one posted earlier, are really eye-catching.

I'm sure you'll love it. :ride:

Yep. If one is strong enough to ride with a given group at that group's level, short of elite/pro-level training rides, it's not going to make a jot of difference, for all practical purposes, if one is on a drop bar or flat bar road bike of more-or-less equivalent quality -- assuming proper fit, set up, etc.

At anything other than a genuinely competitive level, choice of bar type is simply a matter of personal preference. That preference can be conditioned by all kinds of factors, not excluding 'image' and peer-pressure.

It's my guess he succumbed to roadie peer pressure as we all know they generally scoff at flatbar bikes. The Sirrus he had was all carbon and has fine components. The Sirrus is probably about the same weight as the Giant he exchanged for and is more than capable of keeping up and maintaining the same speed as the Giant. The only real difference I can see is the tires are larger and heavier on the Sirrus but you know, that's easily resolved by buying different tires.

As long as he is happy that's all that matters. I hope he didn't make the swap due to peer pressure though.

I think I quite understand why he took the bike back. It feels a bit sluggish when compared to a good road bike.

I love the bike. It’s perfect for me. I was looking for a fitness/commuter bike and that’s what I got. The Sirrus carbon is one of the best commuter hybrids you can get. It’s a joy to ride and is very, very quick (I’ve yet to see a bike pulling in front from standing), but on long-distance rides, some of these road bikes (the good ones) seem able to ride faster with at minimum effort.

I’m not talking about racing here; just riding at my own steady pace I’m often passed by one of these bikes in a less-effort manner. Of course, I could keep up if I wanted to but I would’ve to work harder than what seems normal pace to them. You can image on a 50 miles ride it makes a difference.

The bike does feel sluggish at times. I don’t know if it’s to do with my level of fitness which is very, very poor (I only do 20 miles twice a week atm, and nothing else), or the geometry of the bike that is not designed for long rides, or the position of the derailer in respect to the crank, or the bike not being fitted properly or even the wrong size. I don’t know.

This is just my experience based on me riding the Sirrus (I’ve never ridden a road bike). If I could compare the two directly then I’d know for sure.

All considered I think this is why he returned the bike


To give an example, look at how effortlessly these guys pass that single rider. It's like he's riding uphill and they're riding downhill :foo: (start video at 4:45)

The video you link actually demonstrates nothing except a broader point: it's not the bike(s), but the rider(s). That fastish group on drop-bar road bikes is passing another lone cyclist on a drop-bar road bike.;)

In the context of recreational (however 'serious') cycling, there is nothing about the geometry, weight, or anything else of a current carbon Sirrus, correctly sized and set up, that is inherently going to make it noticeably more sluggish/difficult to ride at a given speed for a given effort than an equivalently-fitted drop bar bike of comparable quality -- short rides or long -- for any given cyclist/his or her level of fitness.

Can the drop bar bike be ridden slightly more aggressively/quickly on descents? Yes -- slightly -- if one stays in the drops. Conversely, the bar style on a Sirrus lends itself to slightly more efficient climbing -- slightly -- because one's chest is more open > slightly better breathing.

What you are noticing is almost certainly simply your own level of fitness relative to that of other cyclists you encounter. Their lower apparent level of effort has nothing to do with their bikes; it has to do with their levels of fitness relative to yours. Happens to all of us!

Nonsense. The only thing that will make the Sirrus any slower is the stock tires which are wider and heavier. This is easily solved.

If the Sirrus has the same 9r carbon frame, fork and seat post ect, the same 105 or Ultegra components, and the exact same tires what exactly makes it slower or more sluggish? Nothing that's what.

I pass roadies all the time on my flat bar bikes and they pass me all the time as well. Passing or getting passed has nothing to do with anything bar type related for the most part. I tool along at about 16-18mph and I don't do that silly chase and catch garbage. If I pass someone it's because my normal speed just happens to be faster than theirs. Also consider that some of the ego crowd see a cyclist ahead and they intentionally go faster so they can chase, catch and pass in some odd attempt to impress.

Video from about a year and a half ago. Me on my Sirrus carbon bike passing a roadie on a drop bar. This is a steep climb and what you can't see in the video is that I am seated the entire climb. I wasn't trying to pass him, just doing my normal effort on this climb.

https://vimeo.com/147785502

Well said and I agree!

They all seem like they are holding the bar like it was a flat bar. Not a single rider holding the drop bar.

I don't own any drop bar bike but I guess people feel like they are faster b/c it cost more than the sirrus Carbon. I think my sirrus X1 is plenty fast.

How you liking the bmc, raqball?

Love it! In the spirit of this thread, it is a little slower but that's because my Sirrus has 700x23 tires that weight about 1/3 of the 700x28 tires on the BMC Alpenchallenge. The BMC is my favorite though as I feel like it gives a smoother ride (again it's mainly the tires) and I like the geometry of it a little better.

Snap from yesterdays ride:

https://s17.postimg.org/8iiet2rv3/20...13289454_o.jpg

And here is my Sirrus:

https://s30.postimg.org/k115zqqfl/16...02345308_o.jpg

I’m talking about the ability to endure a faster pace for a longer period of time which seems in comparison to take less effort, and you show me a video of you riding uphill at 0.5 m/ph. :lol:

I pass plenty of bikes with minimum effort. In particular, all of these low-budget MTB styles are so slow in comparison, but also many road bikes. For example, the other day I was riding behind a young woman who was on a road bike. She seemed to be pushing :giver: on those pedals, whereas I was riding at leisure at the same speed. I could have easily passed her but I just stayed behind. At some point, she glanced back and saw I was a few metres behind and that made her push even more. After a couple of miles we go across Vauxhall Bridge and then she slows down and stops. I could see she was knackered, whereas I just kept going with minimum effort.

The Sirrus is a fantastic bike, but some of these expensive road bikes seem to ride easier. It’s probably to do with fitness more than anything, I guess.

The fact is, he returned the bike. So, I’m thinking there something wrong with the bike but he doesn’t wanna say it.

As previously stated it probably has more to do with fitness level and not the bike.

So please tell me why a Sirrus with the same exact frame and components as a road bike would be sluggish or slow?

My guess as to why it was returned was peer pressure. The comment was made he was riding with roadies and needed something faster and lighter. Ahh, ummm... If they both have 9r carbon, they both have 105 or Ultegra and they both have the same tires then neither is faster nor lighter than the other. The geometry will be different but not much else as long as they are similarly equipped.

The only other argument that I'd maybe buy is that the Sirrus puts you in a more upright position and thus you are catching more air/resistance. Maybe,...

[MENTION=364583]raqball[/MENTION], I don't know. I probably need to get fitter and ride more.

Riding more is always a good option! :thumb: :D

For what I paid for my flat bar bikes I could have easily purchased a super high-end road bike. My Sirrus has Di2, is 10r carbon throughout and retail on it was like $5,000. Retail on my BMC was like $2,200.

I love flat bar bikes and have no desire to ever own a drop bar bike. My Sirrus and BMC are just as fast as a road bike, and in the case of my Sirrus, it weighs a whopping 16.5 pounds which is less than 99.9% of the road bikes on the road.

Very nice -- both:thumb:

Heh. I hear that last argument all the time, on here and elsewhere. "Maybe" is exactly right. Yes, one can get a very aero positon on a drop bar bike; so too can one on a flat bar road bike.

My ageing (like me) Sirrus (below) is set up so that my position -- torso angle, arms, etc. etc. -- is exactly the same on the bar ends as I would be on the hoods on a properly-fitted Roubaix or any other 'endurance' road bike. In fact, my position on the grips (= tops on drop bars) is more aggressive/aero than would be the case on the tops. I am missing only the drop position on drop bars, which I can't use anyway and so don't want, and I prefer braking and shifting flat-bar style. Personal preference.

Nice bike!

I agree.. Sizing is important as is getting the bike properly fitted. If those 2 are accomplished, there is little difference. The problem is most people are riding improperly sized and fitted bikes. The LBS I go to has several certified fitters but the only person I deal with on size and fit is the owner.

Very nice looking bikes. It was difficult choosing between the BMC and the Sirrus. I could've easily gone with the BMC. It was very comfortable. :beer:

Thanks. My Sirrus is an oddball bike. It's extremely light due to everything being 10r carbon and I have 700x23 tires on it. The BMC is probably about 6 pounds heavier and those 700x28 tires on it are less smooth and has a more aggressive tread than the ones on the Sirrus.

Both are spectacular bikes but for my fit and comfort, I prefer the BMC. I am 6"1 with a 32" inseam and I weigh about 165 pounds. The Sirrus is size 58 and it has a Roubaix frame which makes the fit less Hybrid'ish. The BMC is a Large has more of the traditional Hybrid geometry, which I like, and for me at least, I prefer it on longer rides as it feels more comfortable. Yes the BMC is a little slower (it's heavier and the tires) but I don't really care about speed. I tool along at 16-18 no matter which bike I am on. I am 52, retired, and ride for fitness. I generally do 30-40 miles a day 5 days a week.

The new Sirrus bikes look really sweet and before I bought the BMC I actually considered them. I wanted the traditional Hybrid geometry that my oddball Sirrus does not really offer.

I think in general that the Carbon Sirrus' are a light and fast bike and the speed of the bike is as fast as the fitness of the rider, but more expensive road bikes have lighter wheels and tires. With riders of equal fitness and with stock Axis wheels the Road bikes are faster and lighter.