I'm honing in on my first hybrid, and looking hard at a 2016 Sirrus Elite (MSRP $810 but reduced to $690) and a 2017 Sirrus Sport (MSRP $750 - a lot of changes from 2016).

Which would you buy and why? Note that whatever I buy will stay stock - I have ZERO plans to upgrade any components, so I have to be happy with it out of the box.

2016 Elite:

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bi...s-elite/106384

I test rode this one last night and it rode really well - really a nice bike. Met my expectations of how a bike should ride at this price point.

The good:

-Great frame (flat bar road bike frame in E5 aluminum with smooth welds)
-Internal cable routing
-Looks great (brushed finish, decals are more of a fluorescent red)
-Very light, wants to go fast
-Carbon fork with Zertz insertz
-Good ride quality

The bad:

-At this price point I'd really like disc brakes on a hybrid since it's an everyday kind of bike so never know when you'll get caught in wet weather
-Not thrilled with a triple crankset, too many gears, too much fuss, more likely to drop chain? I know the obvious answer is just don't use the granny gear, but yea...I'd rather have a double for my flat landscape... just simpler and easier
-Not sure how I feel about the narrower tires and overall flat bar road bikeness of it? This is kind of odd, but maybe I want my hybrid to be more hybridy and less road bikeish? Thinking to down the road if I do get a road bike I don't want there to be toooo much overlap/redundancy?
-Not sure how much abuse the 30 mm tires can handle. I realize the Sport tires are only 32 mm, so barely any different, but they look about 2x as wide. Am I going to have to worry about getting flats just going on/off sidewalk bumps at speed wherever the bike path/sidewalk crosses the road? Or do I need to be way more careful like a road bike?

Bike 2 is a 2017 Sport, which looks fantastic at $750 - looks like a real sweet spot for price and components. Not in shops yet so haven't ridden:

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bi...s-sport/115229

The good:

-Hydraulic disk brakes
-9 speed double crankset
-Looks great in charcoal
-Carbon fork (don't know about Zertz yet, description says yes but picture doesn't show them)
-More traditional hybridy with wider (albeit heavier) tires

The bad:

-The only real unknown on this and really the only possible detractor is microSHIFT shift levers and front derailer??? I've scoured the internet only to find mixed reviews if not slightly leaning negatively, but most of what I find is 4-6 years old
-No internal cable routing but the cables are routed under the down tube so as long as they aren't along the top tube where I pick the bike up it doesn't really matter tbh
-If you want to get real technical the frame isn't as good as the elite (A1 aluminum and not like a road bike), but only in comparison to the Elite
-Weight? Not sure how much heavier this is going to be than the Elite

I realize when you buy a bike you're really buying into a frame, but I have zero plans to upgrade any components so I want something I like out of the box as a complete package. At the end of the day this is just for recreation/fitness, but I do like a bit of quickness.

What do you see as the pros/cons of each bike and in particular what are your thoughts on the microSHIFT stuff? Which bike would you choose?

As soon as you stated your distaste for the triple, I stopped reading. If you don't want to fuss with it, don't even think about buying one, because you're just going to be posting next about how to change your triple to a double.

Break out the popcorn for my response. But it is what it is, I've been down that road before.

Paralysis by analysis. You need to decide what you really want. Once you do, do not let yourself get distracted or blown off course by secondary or tertiary matters. In your other thread, you were going to go for an entry level hybrid ($500 or so budget) to get the hang of riding, then maybe jump to a nicer road bike in a few months, or years. Now you are looking at slightly upgraded hybrids possibly because they seem like good deals, but worrying that this one has disc brakes while that one doesn't (even though you apparently live in a relatively flat area where V brakes would be absolutely fine.) Or one has a triple, while another has a double.

As for a triple, to each his own, but for an around town jack of all trades bike, I would take a triple over a road compact double any day. And if simplicity is your thing, you might consider a 1 x system over a double. But a triple really isn't that complicated. 3 x 9 isn't 27 speeds. It is a 1 x 9 speed when using the middle ring, a 1 x 5 when using the small ring, and a 1 x 5 when using the big ring. All said, you get the same 18 to 20 gear combinations with a triple as you get with a double, only you don't have to cross chain on a triple, whereas you do on a compact double. For riding between 12 and 18 mph on flats, you will find yourself in the middle chainring comfortably in the middle of the cassette more than 90% of the time. Easy. The big chainring is for long, fast rides going downhill or with a tailwind, and the little ring is a bailout for long or steep hills. You might not need it very much but when you need it, you will appreciate it.

At $750, you are knocking at the door of entry level road bikes.

Hello, I got my thread about 1 gear. I am planning to get 1 gear bike, the Sirrus x1.

This has absolutely nothing to do with this thread.

So, just an update - I bought an Elite about an hour ago after a third test ride (this was the third Elite I rode, first one at one shop rode nice but had a scratch, second one needed some serious adjustments, and then this one - cosmetically perfect and mechanically great). As soon as I took it out in the parking lot for a test ride and sat on it it just started to roll on it's own like it really wanted to go and I knew immediately this was the bike. Spent about 15 minutes riding it and testing out all the shifters and brakes and another 5 looking it over for any cosmetic issues. None found, seems perfect.

They are putting on a bottle cage I picked out (the Specialized one that has you take the bottle out from the right side) and doing their once over to make sure everything is dialed in and good to go, then I can go pick it up later this afternoon.

The more I think about it, the more this bike seems like a no brainer at $690 (normally $810).

I think you have found the perfect bike for your circumstances. Congrats.

Here are a few pics - I still need to get front and rear lights to replace the reflectors, a little computer, and a mini saddle bag to stick flat repair stuff in. So far just have a cage and bottle, I spent enough money today:

Wow, that is a gorgeous looking bike.


I'd take it over a Trek 7.5FX any day.

I have the exact same bike my friend. Rides nice and miles just click by on it. Only thing I did was put a set of race face chester pedals on it and a selle smp trk saddle. Enjoy your new ride.

Do you see anywhere on your bike or manual says it is a 2017 bike?

I just bought the Sirrus X1 this past Sat and the LBS says it is the 2017. But I dont find anywhere that mention this.

Just wonders how you can tell.

Wow, nice bike! Really like the colors!

Specialized's website. It's not a '17, it's a '16. Serial number can tell you too, I think.

I took a picture yesterday and between my lower crank it say this on the sticker: ISO 4210-2:2014

Is that it? A 2014 bike?

What does your sticker say and its on your photos.

Congrat with the new bike Mr Chong
Let us see some pics off your beauty in the Sirrus thread?
There was no x9 in the sirrus line in 2014. Maybe your lbs custom build a x9 with a 14' frame? Need pics Chong, but use the Sirrus thread

Nice ride! I have the 2016 Sirrus Sport. I enjoy it but it sure has had to have a lot of maintenance.