Trek 7.5 vs. Specialized Sirrus Elite - City Bike
 

Thought I'd throw this one out there to see if anyone had any thoughts.

USE: General Fun. Commuting. Urban Warrior. Weekend Trips.

LOCATION: Manhattan

I realize the reprocussions owning a nice bike in the big bad city, but you only live once and I figure, what the hell. Yes, there will be stretches of time, probably 2 hours max where the bike is locked up outside unattended. But I'm thinking with locking pins on the hubs, seat and stem, a hefty lock and a small amount of cosmetic camouflage, so to speak, I'll be able to ride one of these bikes in the city safely
The question is which one?

I'm 44. 6'4" 205lbs

So far the Trek has seduced me, but I haven't ridden the Specialized. Does anyone have any experience with the Specialized Elite where they can chime in? Any comments on the 7.5 are welcome too. It would appear by the specs the 7.5 gives a little more of a forward angled ride, where the Elite is more upright? Not sure until I ride both. They both cost about the same, which isn't necessarily cheap - But I do love the Deore LX components on both bikes. Lastly, any durability issues with Specialized? I've read a few criticisms of the long term durability. Thx!

The two bikes are pretty much identical, so ride both and buy the one that grabs you. If you can't decide between the bikes, decide based on the bike shop. If that doesn't work, flip a coin; they're both good bikes for the money.

I ride a 7.5, but the Elite was on my shortlist. The deciding factor was the bike shop.

I can't comment much on the Sirrus Elite, or the 7.5FX. However...

After 1000 miles on my base model Sirrus since March, no problems yet. I think for the most part, they're built to similar quality.

Long term durability has more to do with the quality of the components and how well a bike is mantained than it does a specific manufacturer.

Bingo! Take care of your bike and it will last a long time. I believe Trek and Specialized are on the same quality level for bikes, both make an excellent product. I prefer Specialized myself.

You may consider one of the Jamis Coda line, as well. Steel frames would suck up a lot more bumps and vibration of bad city roads :) And, for the same price, Jamis does offer a little more for the money it seems.

I test rode a Sirrus Elite today and it's starting to win my heart. The bike shop built the bike specifically for me test ride. The only qualms I have with the bike are:

The shifting was all wonky. I'm guessing the bike needed to be tweaked a bit as it was just built, but even after taking it back for an adjustment I couldn't quite engage the bigger sprocket. Frustrating on an test ride. The Trek shifting was smooth as can be. I hope this isn't a Sirrus thing because the components are almost identical.

The other issue I experienced - after riding the 7.5 and the Sirrus Elite back to back, the Sirrus seemed to be a bit rougher on the bumps. It might be a function of the saddle but my ass felt like it was bottoming out when the big bumps hit. Perhaps a different saddle could help, but it felt a little odd. A smooth ride is extremely important in the city.

The Sirrus has a slightly more upright feel to it. I'm not used to that coming from a mountain bike geometry. I'm wondering if I'll miss the more aggressive forward posture. Otherwise, this is one good looking bike. And it's fast. It didn't quite feel as nible as the Trek on sharp turns but perhaps it'll just take some getting used to. I can't wait to finally make up my freakin mind on which one to buy. Sigh.

Looking at a side-by-side comparison, the Sirrus has 28mm tires to the Trek's 32's. The carbon thingeys on the seatstays might not compensate, or you might have a cushier ride on the Sirrus with equal width tires. I doubt if a Sora derailleur vs a Deore LX would be the cause of bad shifting - indexed derailleurs/shifters need to be dialled in a bit before they operate smoothly, and grabbing the big gear is usually the last adjustment to be made on a rear.

Actually both the Elite and the 7.5 come with 32 mm wide tires..

Keep in mind both 2010 models have the exact same derailleurs on them

I didn't realize the 2010's were out yet. The point about the derailleurs still holds, I spent a couple of days getting my SRAM 7.0 to grab low gear, a 30, now it's smooth as silk. As you can tell from my handle, I look for bargains - I'd be looking for a price on a 2009 right about now. :thumb:

I was in the same predictament. Torn between the Trek 7.5Fx and Sirrus Elite. Able to test ride a 7.5, but not an elite. Did try a Sirrus Sport which is one level down from the Elite. My observations; the Trek shifted much more smoothly, ride not as harsh as the Sirrus. I've decided on the Trek and will be purchasing in the Spring as it has already snowed here in Minnesota!

Although you may be safe; while secured for two hours at a stretch in Manhattan, your bike unless it is under the constant watchful eye of someone prepared to intercede will not. You can forget about cosmetic camouflage too. Today's bike thieves can spot a quality group or other valuable items on a real beater or one made to appear to be one from the other side of the street.

Spray paint or any other attempt to marginalize the value of the frame and they will just cut your frame in half in seconds with an angle grinder. It's no joke out there.

Buy the 7.5 or the Sirrus and I am sure you will be well served by either. They are both very good bikes. That being said, whichever you decide upon do not kid yourself into thinking that if left unattended your bike will safe. It would just be a matter of time before your day was ruined. The odds would be stacked against you.

Hey prizm, what did you end up getting?

FWIW I have a 7.5 and love it.

I ended up buying a Sirrus Elite. After an extensive test ride session back and forth between both the 7.5 and the Elite, the Sirrus won out. I LOVE this bike. I just outfitted it with a rear rack and pinlocks on the hubs and Ahead set/fork. Also just got a glue gun to glue up the hex bolts on the shiny components. Not fool proof by any means, but it would delay anyone trying to take off components. I wrapped the frame in black bar tape to cover up the Specialized logo. I must say, the bike looks pretty bad ass right now. And now that I'm used to the handling, it's incredibly fast and agile.

I'll try and snap some photos and post them in the near future.

The 7.5 was a very, very close second. The 7.5 felt a little fragile for some reason. A little more slender and road bike-ish. I like the mountain bike/road bike feel of the Sirrus. Now I just need to be careful locking it up during my quick errands. My chain is a security beast, and I feel comfortable locking with it, but I might incorporate a small u-lock into the mix to give me additional peace of mind.

How can you possibly look at these two bikes without looking at Giants comparison. The FCR/Cyclocross/Cypress bikes are pretty equivalent.

I hit 4 bike shops and test rode bikes. The Giant wasn't at any of the shops I checked out. I was tired of walking around the city, I wanted to be back on a bike riding. After my bike got ripped off two and a half weeks earlier I needed to get my two wheel fix, so I took the plunge on the sirrus.

Isn't it amazing that one bike can feel so much better than another? Especially when they are sooooooo much alike!

The same thing happened to me when I was in the market. One ride, and I knew.

That's why it is so important to ride so many bikes. One ride, and you know......

+1000 on that.

I thought I was in love with the Giant Seek until I rode one. I liked everything about it, including the price point. I rode it and it was like, ** hum. I'm sure other people ride the same bike and just have to have it, and it works out great for them, but not me. Then I go ride a Felt X City D, basically just to eliminate it so I can move on in my search, and BAM! That was my bike. Crazy.