spec sirrus - sport vs elite

mcowan77

folks

just back from lbs

decided to buy spec sirrus, on c2w

sport is £500, elite is £650

is the differnt spec worth the extra £150???

ELITE
Front Derailleur:Shimano Deore
Rear Derailleur:Shimano Deore
LXShifters:Shimano LX Rapidfire
Chainset:Shimano FC-R443
Chainrings:48/36/26 tooth chainrings
Bottom Bracket:Octalink
Cassette:Shimano HG-50, 9-speed, 12-25 tooth range
Chain:HG-73

SPORT

Front Derailleur:Shimano Altus
Rear Derailleur:Shimano Alivio
Shifters:Shimano EF-50, EZ Fir
eChainset:Shimano FCM-191
Chainrings:48/38/28 tooth chainrings
Bottom Bracket:Sealed cartridge, square taper, 68mm
Cassette:Shimano HG-40, 8-speed, 11-32 tooth range
Chain:KMC Z-51

everything else is the same

cheers

RufusA

The Sirrus is a good choice (I've had mine as a daily commuter for prob 3 years).

For me the main reasons I chose the model of the Sirrus I did was:

1) Rapidfire - easier to operate and better brakes IMHO.
2) Road gear ratios rather than ones designed for mountains.
3) Black and not silver/grey frame (black as everyone knows is the second fastest colour in a bike).
4) Carbon front fork - make a huge difference to vibrations from the road.
5) Better puncture proof tyres as standard.
6) They had my size in stock whereas in the other model they were suffering from supply problems from Specialized!
7) A hefty discount as a sweetener.

I think mine was probably the "Sport" model in circa 2007, but Specialized how down-specced the range so it's probably closest to an Elite in 2010!

Most of your differences are drivetrain related. Both will function well and probably reliably. The Elite's is better, probably more serviceable and the gears ratios are more sensible for commuting on normal roads IMHO.

If it was me, then with the C2W then the difference in cost amounts to about 1 poncy coffee a week! There's no reason not to with the discount you get from C2W.

If money is tight then the cheaper bike is still good, and you can always upgrade components as / when you want. BUT you won't be getting the advantage of the hefty C2W discount on the components!

Personally I'd make a pest of myself with the bike shop and try and ride both back to back. Also worth checking what they actually have in stock / available as if Specialized is anything like previous years, they won't have all of the colours in all of the sizes!

Also don't forget that you can get some accessories on C2W, so get the shop to supply (AND FIT) mudguards, rear pannier rack, lights, saddle wedge, lock, helmet, fingerless gloves etc. as part of the initial purchase so you get a discount on that as well!

HTH - Rufus.

mcowan77

cheers mate

Jamey

I'd say that Deore mechs, LX shifters and an Octalink BB are probably worth having over the other stuff. Not sure if they're really £150 more expensive but if it's on C2W then, as has been said, you might as well.