Specialized Sirrus

[Phixion]

I've been scouring the internet constantly since mid July looking for a decent and inexpensive bike.

I was originally aiming to get a bike for ~£600 but I also need to upgrade my PC so I'm having to compromise.

I've been looking at the Specialized Sirrus and it seems like a decent looking bike with decent components, it lacks drops but I'm wondering whether I really need them, I was diagnosed with a curved spine when I was younger and I have issues with back pain, I'm unsure whether drops would aggrivate it.

Anyhow, the new 2009 Sirrus looks nice and comes in a range of colours. Anyone here with a Sirrus? Hows it ride?

The only problem I see with the new 2009 Sirrus is the shifters are Shimano Revo:

Do you think my LBS would be able to swap them over for some better shifters?

Also, does anyone know of bikes in the similar class/price range to a Sirrus (road bike ~£400 without drops).

Cheers!

 

[HLaB]

I ride a Sirrus Sports '06 and I love it and it handles well and IME is robust. I use it as my winter bike and for light touring. I changed my wheels, put narrower tyres on, inverted the stem and a carbon post and its one fast machine. For me it faster than the drops over short distance, mainly because my dropped bikes a 50 tooth ring and the my Sirrus is a 52 but over a longer distance the dropped is better and more comfortable.
We are starting the Bike to work scheme soon and a colleague is looking at getting a Cannondale Synapse ,a similar type of bike but there's lot of alternates out there, I've heard Marin are good.

Edit: I'm not to sure about those Revo shifter though. I've only had them on one bike, shifted well enough but they weren't the most comfortable, My thumbs would often blister.

BTW there's been lots of threads on the Sirrus, feel free to browse around for other opinions.

 

[Disgruntled Goat]

Give em a ride!!