Please compare these bikes!!

[zoso7]

Scott Sportster P6 2009 Hybrid Bike Vs Specialised Sirrus 2009 Road Bike

both available for the £300 mark, which is my upper limit in budget.

I am looking to get into cycling over the summer to keep myself fit and seeing a bit of the great outdoors. I don't intend on commuting so this bike would be used at weekends and maybe 1 or 2 nights a week. I intend on doing some loops on the road upto maybe 50mile or more, gradually building up depending on progress but i want to be able to ride along the canal or a light trail also on occasion.

As a total beginner I may be wide of the mark but have been researching and these 2 bikes seem to suit my needs, however, i would like to know what is the better bike regarding components and what you think may be better suited to my needs. If it was purely aesthetically i would choose the Scott but i would rather get the better bike. The tyre size on the Scott is 700x37 and Specialized is 700x28, would both of these be suitable for my uses?! i want to be able to get a fair old speed going when travelling on roads.

Sorry for elaborating soo much, any info is greatly appreciated.

Z

 

[garrilla]

A key difference, other than the tyres, is the Spesh has twist-grip gear shifters, which are crap. I would go for the Scott on that basis alone.

 

[mickle]

Some twist grip shifters are indeed crap but not all. There are lots of advantages, less weight, less likely to be brok in a fall, faster shifting, less strain on the digits as they are operated by the whole hand. I happen to love Grip Shift and have it on two of my bikes. Don't let it put you off an otherwise acceptable bike. You could always change it later if you hate it.

The Specialised's 28c tyres will be faster on the road than the Scott's 37c but will struggle a bit on rougher terrain, and vice versa.

The biggest decider for me though, all things being equal, would be that Specialized usually have better dealers and much better warranty.

 

[Sittingduck]

I always get the impression that you are paying over the odds for the brand name more on Scott. The Sirrus is a proven winner & the tyres will be faster on the road.

Spesh all the way for me (although I ain't a huge fan of Grip Shift)

Regards
SD