Got the Sirrus BUT

[Chris James]

He adjusted the seat so the balls of my feet touched the ground and then he said that it would be fine.

Oh dear.

This thread makes me feel glad I have never bought a bike from Halfords.

 

[skwerl]

from what I've read i don't think the bike is too small.
it's a 56cm frame. Ideal for someone who's 5'11.
As COG says it's most likely it feels a bit different to what you're used to.
The Sirrus is pretty much a flat-barred road bike so it will put you into a position that gets you onto the bars. If you're not used to that your core muscles won't be strong enough and you'll feel as though there's a lot of weight on your hands.
You could always put a steeper stem on but remember to get one that's longer to account for the change in length brought on through change in angle

 

[The Jogger]

Right been out and had a look at the label, horizontal is 53cm vertical 51cm S just above the word specialized, which I thought S was for specialized as oppossed to small.

 

[Maz]

You've deffo got the Small frame bike there. Even the table is consistent with that (at least the 'horizontal measurement').

If you're of 'normal' proportion (I hope I'm normal!) then I think you might feel 'bunched up' with the handlebars feeling too close/underneath you (possibly?)

 

[The Jogger]

Yes, thats what really brought it to my attention. I felt it was a bit like that. I've emailed Halfords again and will contact my company to see if they can make a difference.