Specialized sirrus, kona phd or Dr Dew

amaudsley

I am commuting 27 miles each day witha steep hill in the middle. Having just been run off my bike a month ago I now have to choose a new bike. I was using a Hardrock with smooth tyres and had no problems until hit by a car changing lanes. I have borrowed a friends bike OCR racer for a couple of days but came off when a bit icy but I loved the speed. I am now looking for something fast but sure footed with flat bars (I'm a mountain biker at heart!). Does anyone know anything about the sirrus, phd or Dr Dew. Just now my ride is all tarmac but could they go on a canal path?

Any help much appreciated.

bryanm

Well the Sirrus is the fastest mode of transport across London according to Top Gear!

secretsam

Sirrus, of those

Kona's are a bit "Ooh, look at me, I'm so different" IMHO :twisted:

And I've got a Sirrus

But the bars are too wide

And for a ride like yours I'd want drops

GrantyBoy

I use a Sirrus as well for daily duties, two thumbs up from me.

Underscore

GrantyBoy wrote:

I use a Sirrus as well for daily duties, two thumbs up from me.

Me too. I've had for around 5 years, I think. I did have one problem, though. After about 500 miles I started getting spokes snapping on the rear wheel. Specialized got the LBS I bought it from to rebuild the wheels with stronger rims and it's been fine since - only needing chains and cassettes so far. I think that the Sirrus now comes with stronger rims than mine did anyway.

Also, for the distance you're riding, I would highly recommend the Ergon GR2 Magnesium grips that I've just put on my Sirrus; they are much more comfortable on longer rides, as well as giving a range of hand positions.

_

Edit: Regarding the spokes snapping, I do use panniers, so I guess the rear wheel does take quite a bit of pounding...

alfablue

SecretSam wrote:

Sirrus, of those

Kona's are a bit "Ooh, look at me, I'm so different" IMHO :twisted:

And I've got a Sirrus

But the bars are too wide

And for a ride like yours I'd want drops

It is a simple matter to cut down flat bars very neatly with plumbers pipe cutters

Sea_Green_Incorruptible

For what it's worth I'd definately go for a drop handlebar too. Once you get used to them they really are unbeatable over distance and up hills. You can always mess around with a shorter or differently angled stem if you feel their initial position is too low or uncomfortable for you...

Get a decent pair of slightly fatter (25), hardwaring tyres (I use panaracer Tourguards - they are awesome) and you could probably manage a few rougher surfaces on occasion too.

If you're really planning to use it off road regularly you probably need something fatter and more robust. Having said that if you spend 99% of your time on tarmac then go for a bike that is designed for it (the difference in practice day in day out really is enormous) and maybe get a cheap mountain bike for the other 1%. .

RufusA

I've also got a Sirrus which I really like and am using for daily commuting.

Dresses up nicely with a rack and full length mudguards, but takes away a lot of the looks!

Personally I wouldn't be too happy taking over canal towpaths, unless they are a lot smoother that the ones round our way.

Highly recommended!

HTH - Rufus.

Ashtrayhead

I've got a Dr Dew which I use in winter and it's just as fast and agile as my road bikes.

(I'm also looking after my sisters' 2006 Dr Dew which she wants to sell....hardly used, never been wet, 54in frame)

A - W

I have a Sirrus, I like it and thoroughly enjoy riding it.

Never had any problems in nearly a year of commuting.

doyler78

Oh well here goes another vote for the sirrus. Had it 3 1/2 years and love it however as others have said now I am really looking for a road bike with drops. I still love the sirrus don't get me wrong but on those windy days I just long for a lower position.

Definitely agree that you need some sort of bar end to give you extra hand positions. I usually have mine wrapped round the ends of the bar end and the flat bar. Rarely use the flat bar itself.

Aidocp

I'll just add to this list, as I've got a Sirrus (sports 06) too and like Doyler78, I was tempted by drops and got my self a bike with them eventually. I've still got the Sirrus its a great bike too. I used to use it to cycle the 17.5mls home at night and it was ideal for this, I've now moved closer to work and commute on a cheaper hybrid. IMO the hybrid is better in traffic but definitely not as good as drops for distance, the Sirrus seems to fill the void in between.

PS Ive taken the sirrus on canal paths and the like but not regularly

amaudsley

Thanks everyone, one last question what is everyone's thought on the new Cannondale synapse tiagra flat bar for the same route?

If it is not suitable then it will be the sirrus. :?

NFMC

Just add my vote to the Sirrus consensus.

I'm on my second and I have to say it's near perfect for me.

I'm a hefty chap and I regularly cycle it with a child rack on the back for my two year-old and it copes perfectly.

I use it on a 6-mile tarmac commute apart from today when I needed the car and I really miss it. Even in this weather!

delcol

i to am an avid mtber and decided it was to much a chore commutin on my mtb even with slicks on it,..

i looked around at various bikes but due to budget ( misses was expecing our first child at the time) i couldnt afford thing like a sirrus or marin i had set my heart on,..

i then seen a scott speedster s60 fb fb being flatbar it rrp £400 fitted my budget and a quick google soon found me one for £339 even better,..

so i have a scott speedster s60 fb same geomtry as the drop bar but has flats,..

i love it i only use it a my commute bike it has mudguards on it to a tight squeeze but they do go on,.

its been nick named missile by my work mates cause according to them im so fast on it,..

might be suitable for off road use though as it is basicly a road bike with 700cx25..

its a decent light bike with confortable riding position to..

ddraver

Konas are just......awesome though, Can't tell you why, they just are, everything is just...there, and its somehow more fun as a result....

baudman

A LOT of ppl ride Kona Dews (of various levels, basic, deluxe, Dr, PhD) here in Melbourne. It's either the Dew, or the Giant CRX (again, of various levels) that seem to be the bikes of choice. I'd say the model above the base model would be the most common, in both varieties.

I've seen the odd Sirrus, but not many. I think that could possibly be a pricing difference.

caherconree

I've got a Kona PhD and it’s phenomenal. Had a road bike but found the ride position too severe for a commute. Tried the Sirrus which was great but having an mtb Kona already I knew that I liked that kind of geometry.
The bike is deceptively strong – my mtb instincts allow the occasional foray’s along rougher sections.

Vivica

caherconree wrote:

I've got a Kona PhD and it’s phenomenal. Had a road bike but found the ride position too severe for a commute. Tried the Sirrus which was great but having an mtb Kona already I knew that I liked that kind of geometry.
The bike is deceptively strong – my mtb instincts allow the occasional foray’s along rougher sections.

Thats really interesting, i'm looking into buying a new commuter bike at the minute and tried out an Allez and a Sirrus, i think i did prefer the Sirrus, but i also think that's probably just because i'm used to flats and drops were abit confusing.

I'm sure i'd get used to drops, but for a 5 mile commute, which is almost all up and down hills, i'm not sure they're really a good idea.

It seems like i'm in the same sort of a possition as the guy who made this thread.
Drop bars feel really weird... but i want to give them a try.
That being said... i don't want to spend £600 on a bike like an Allez or Tricross if i'm going to go and buy it flat bars... Hmm.

caherconree

No I did not get on with the drop bars at all. I found myself placing my hands full time on the top of the bars so I thought I might as well get flats. I have added cane creek bars ends for climbing.
It’s the frame that I was attracted too. Kona's are made in Canada which has similar and worse weather than the UK so I reckon the bike must be fairly hardy.

ddraver

drops take a few rides to get used to but offer the possiblity of going out on a fun ride (as in, not a commute). If you ONLY commute through central london then i'd go flatbar and bar ends simply for the better braking options, more so if you go with mechanical disc brakes instead of rims

Vivica

Not meaning to take over this thread from its creator... But i tried out two bikes, one with flats one with drops, and drops did feel REALLY weird.
My ride involves alot of hills, and the roads are pretty terrible, but i still think i want to try out drops... I guess i can always fit flats to a Tricross if i don't get on with drops...

Basically, i'm just trying to convince myself its the right bike for me, any other suggestions?
For further details of my riding situation please see http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=14653563

Thankyou, and apologies again for the hijack.

Pretre

Another vote for the Sirrus (I have a Comp) - use it about 3 times a week for a 9.2 mile (one way,18.4 total) commute. I even took it to France in Sept for a week of centre-based riding - did 203 miles with no problems, apart from sore feet - changed the pedals for clip-ins & proper shoes & now no problems. Buy it.

dogpower

I'm thinking about a Kona PhD; just started cycle instructing, need to get to schools with bike 100% then demonstrate traffic manoeuvres, schools are up to 20 miles away and I'll need to carry tools to fix cheap bikes (spanners) and a load of paperwork, hi-viz vests, stuff to keep me alive all day, etc. I'm also likely to stray offroad even if I don't mean to........can it handle all this? Also I'm about 5ft 3 and female, do I need the smallest size?

A - W

Holy thread resurrection Batman!