Specialized Sirrus 2010 Hybrid Bike or Boardman

brucebanner
brucebanner Posts: 256
edited June 2010 in Commuting chat
Hi,

I'm looking for a bike I can use to cycle to and fro work. It's 6.7 miles or 22 mins by car. I'd also like the bike to double up as something that I could use on dirt trials and such. I used to cycle a lot when I young and I know I'd like to get back into it.

I've narrowed it down to the following

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/spe ... e-ec020018 (Specialized Sirrus 2010 Hybrid Bike @ £399.99)

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165499 (Boardman Mountain Bike Pro Medium 2010 @ £999.99)

I'm not sure If I'll be buying the bike from Halfords as they don't seem to be taking part in the Ride2Work scheme.

I'll get getting the cheapest available clothing and accessories.

Many thanks

Comments

  • asprilla
    asprilla Posts: 8,440
    You can only get the Boardmans from halfords, they are the sole supplier.
    Mud - Genesis Vapour CCX
    Race - Fuji Norcom Straight
    Sun - Cervelo R3
    Winter / Commute - Dolan ADX
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 18,879
    Between the £400 bike and the £1000 bike, I'd go for the £400 bike.

    Don't skimp on the cost of your accessories. You get what you pay for, especially in the critical things like locks, lights and shorts
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • MrChuck
    MrChuck Posts: 1,663
    What TailWindHome said. The stuff you're paying extra for on the MTB will be wasted on the kind of riding you describe, and it won't be as good on the road as the Sirrus.
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    If he wants to hit the dirt tracks though, the MTB will be better there.

    Not sure why the two prices are so far apart, why not look at a 1000 quid road bike too?
  • brucebanner
    brucebanner Posts: 256
    supersonic wrote:
    If he wants to hit the dirt tracks though, the MTB will be better there.

    Not sure why the two prices are so far apart, why not look at a 1000 quid road bike too?
    for example?
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    What I am saying is why have a 400 budget for one type of bike, and 1000 for another?

    But as above, if you plan to go offraod then these bikes are a no no anyway - if you plan just the road then maybe the top end boardmans.
  • brucebanner
    brucebanner Posts: 256
    supersonic wrote:
    What I am saying is why have a 400 budget for one type of bike, and 1000 for another?

    But as above, if you plan to go offraod then these bikes are a no no anyway - if you plan just the road then maybe the top end boardmans.
    Which particular one did you have in mind? If you could give me a model that is available via Halfords, that'll be great.
  • RufusA
    RufusA Posts: 500
    @brucebanner can we go back to beginning.

    Are you just limited to Ride2Work (i.e. Evans Cycle's own scheme), or is your employer using a different scheme. Depending on the answer to this you may need to forget Boardman's.

    What's your maximum or preferred budget - how much of that are you planning to spend on clothing / accessories.

    Will you need to carry anything heavy on your commute i.e. change of clothes, laptop, books, lunch etc. Are panniers a requirement?

    What's your commute likely to be like - fast level/even roads, a pot-holled hell with plenty of gradient or something a bit muddy / towpathy?

    How much are you going to plan to use it for "dirt trials" and how important is this aspect. What type of tracks - rock strewn downhills and muddy forest tracks or gentle weekend outings over smooth park pathways.

    Would you have storage space for two bikes if this was a better option?

    Think that might be enough to be going on.

    If it's any help I have an older (higher spec) Sirrus as my commuter bike. It's fast, has panniers and mudguards and has been reliable. However it's not suited for anything other than tarmac IMHO. I've already had to replace the rear wheel with something stronger, due to cruddy spokes and a heavy laptop not liking each other.

    Rufus.
  • brucebanner
    brucebanner Posts: 256
    RufusA wrote:
    @brucebanner can we go back to beginning.

    Are you just limited to Ride2Work (i.e. Evans Cycle's own scheme), or is your employer using a different scheme. Depending on the answer to this you may need to forget Boardman's.
    My employer is in the process of setting it up. I guess Halfords is also an option. Does that mean I should get a Boardman?
    RufusA wrote:
    What's your maximum or preferred budget - how much of that are you planning to spend on clothing / accessories.
    I don't mind spending £1000 on a bike, but I'd therefore like the accessories to be rather cheap. Here's what I have in mind;

    - Any helmet that does the job
    - Cheap, and somewhat relaxed, shorts. I might consider lyrca in the future.
    - Cycling shoes.
    - Bright vest.
    - Longsleeve cycling top.
    RufusA wrote:
    Will you need to carry anything heavy on your commute i.e. change of clothes, laptop, books, lunch etc. Are panniers a requirement?
    I intend to carry a backpack. The heaviest thing it's likely to ever contain will be a 13" laptop.

    No, I don't intend to carry clothes. There's a wardrobe at work for that.

    Panniers; not really, but I guess it'd be great if the bike could also support that.
    RufusA wrote:
    What's your commute likely to be like - fast level/even roads, a pot-holled hell with plenty of gradient or something a bit muddy / towpathy?

    It's definitely not muddy / townpathy. I'm not really sure how the roads are, but I'd hazard a guess and say it's even 50% on the way and the rest is slightly less even. It's not uphill either.
    RufusA wrote:
    How much are you going to plan to use it for "dirt trials" and how important is this aspect. What type of tracks - rock strewn downhills and muddy forest tracks or gentle weekend outings over smooth park pathways.
    Just to cycle through the park.
    RufusA wrote:
    Would you have storage space for two bikes if this was a better option?
    Yep, I was starting to think having two bikes would be the ideal option.
    RufusA wrote:
    Think that might be enough to be going on.
    RufusA wrote:
    If it's any help I have an older (higher spec) Sirrus as my commuter bike. It's fast, has panniers and mudguards and has been reliable. However it's not suited for anything other than tarmac IMHO. I've already had to replace the rear wheel with something stronger, due to cruddy spokes and a heavy laptop not liking each other.

    Rufus.
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 18,879
    I don't mind spending £1000 on a bike, but I'd therefore like the accessories to be rather cheap. Here's what I have in mind;

    - Any helmet that does the job
    - Cheap, and somewhat relaxed, shorts. I might consider lyrca in the future.
    - Cycling shoes.
    - Bright vest.
    - Longsleeve cycling top.


    Not to be smart but you'll need a lock, which should be a good enough quality to safeguard your £1000 bike and some lights to see where you're going and be seen.


    These aren't areas to save money on
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • Stevo_666
    Stevo_666 Posts: 58,172
    The Sirrus is fully rigid and only has 28mm tyres - it will be rubbish for dirt trials or anything other than the gentlest off road. If you have to have one bike for both, get the MTB it is more versatile.
    "I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]
  • Salsamander
    Salsamander Posts: 53
    I commute on a sirrus, I've had no problems with it, I've got a rack and panniers too. Panniers are brilliant, cycling with nothing touching your back is much nicer than your back getting all sweaty.

    I'm not the most elegant cyclist and i've done a bit of offroading with the sirrus and it has come off fine, and gone over some awful potholes and the wheels have held up pefectly.

    If you have any imput into what scheme your employer is going to start, I think it would be best to not go for the halfords one so you have a greater choice of bike available to you.
  • RufusA
    RufusA Posts: 500
    If you have any imput into what scheme your employer is going to start, I think it would be best to not go for the halfords one so you have a greater choice of bike available to you.

    I thought Halfords used to be able to order in any bike from any manufacturer (except possibly Bromptons) even ones they don't usually sell /stock!

    Is this no longer the case?

    I know Halfords scheme is possibly to be frowned on for variable expertise / bike assembly, but I wouldn't fault them on choice (unless their scheme has changed)!

    Rufus.
  • RufusA
    RufusA Posts: 500
    From the OPs answers, assuming a maximum budget of £1k through a cycle to work scheme, then for accesories we are looking at:

    £60 - Helmet & gloves.
    £100 - Couple sets of cheap clothes
    £60 - Shoes & pedals.
    £50 - lock
    £30 - lights & reflective vest
    £20 - mudguards
    £70 - track pump, puncture repair, tool wedge.

    = £390 - gulp!

    So that leaves about £600 - 700 for a bike!

    On that basis of your answers I'd recommend either a flat barred road bike type hybrid. For example Specialized Sirrus, Trek FX, etc. On the proviso that it won't enjoy too much offroad treatment.
    Or if you prefer drops, then look at a cyclecross, Specialized Tricross being in your budget and perfectly capable of a bit of offroad fun!

    You best bet is to find a friendly shop who won't mind being mucked about too much (for example Evans) and try a few out to get a feel for what works for you!

    HTH - Rufus
  • Norky
    Norky Posts: 276
    I'm not sure If I'll be buying the bike from Halfords as they don't seem to be taking part in the Ride2Work scheme.

    Halfords operate their own thing ( http://www.cycle2work.info/ ) based upon the DfT's Cycle to Work Scheme. If your employer has signed up with Ride2Work and wont entertain the cycle2work scheme as well (it's more work for them) then you're out of luck with Halfords.
    The above is a post in a forum on the Intertubes, and should be taken with the appropriate amount of seriousness.
  • brucebanner
    brucebanner Posts: 256
    Thank you all for your input. I've decided to go with evans as a friend works there and I can get the bike discounted by a significant amount (i'll buy it at the price Evans buys it from, say, Specialized themselves) without having to go through the hassle of the cycle scheme.

    Can someone recommend a bike from there that is at least par with this

    http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_746517_langId_-1_categoryId_165534

    I'll also settle for a mountain bike, I guess.[/i]

    edit: i've come across these

    1. http://www.evanscycles.com/products/tre ... e-ec020767
    2. http://www.evanscycles.com/products/tre ... e-ec020769
    3. http://www.evanscycles.com/products/tre ... e-ec016514
    4. http://www.evanscycles.com/products/tre ... e-ec016510
    5. http://www.evanscycles.com/products/spe ... e-ec020014
    6. http://www.evanscycles.com/products/spe ... e-ec020016
    7. http://www.evanscycles.com/products/spe ... e-ec020015
    8. http://www.evanscycles.com/products/spe ... e-ec020017