The Specialized Sirrus has been a very popular hybrid for many years now, and for good reason too. It's reliable, comfortable, looks good and rides very well.
The X 3.0 model is no exception to this. It’s a really brilliant do-it-all hybrid that is just as happy around town as it is on the byways according to our reviewer, therefore making it a worthy taker of our best overall hybrid bike.
While riding along the road or other tarmac surfaces, the Sirrus X cruises along well. Even though this particular model features a single chainring on the front, the lower gears that the casette produce help you to accelerate with ease, making nipping away from traffic lights or junctions easy. Moreso, the quick handling allows for effortless change of direction, such as when manoeuvring around street furniture or traffic. Not to mention that the brakes this bike is built with are also fantastic, which if used while riding to work or around unpredictable road/bike path users, is definitely worth having.
Altogether, the Specialized Sirrus X 3.0 really is a great hybrid for those wanting something that can do it all, be it the ride to work, riding with your family at the weekend or exploring the countryside. A great versatile hybrid from a big name like Specialized, for a very reasonable price.
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Hybrids are great. Even if you use high end road bikes, it's useful to have a nice comfier, pracitical bike you can use for going to the shops, pubs etc. The Carrera is fantastic value, even at the higher price that it appears to be now. So good to see they've put thought into supplying it with practical addtions for a winter commute. The Dawes is also a bargain, shame it doesn't have a double chain ring though, the gearing looks a bit limited on it, for hills.
One problem with hybrids in a psycho bus driver and cyclist-hostile police road environment is that the bars are too wide. I know that if a vehicle catches that sticky rubber grip sticking out beyond my shoulders I'll be straight under the wheels with the police issuing the routine 'our hearts go out to his family' monumentally-insincere-o-statement in no time. Cable discs made a reversion to narrower road bars possible
Heated handgrips?! seriously, if they work that's a fantastic idea on a winter commuter.
A friendly note to road.cc staff: "Simplistic" means excessively and problematically oversimplified, and it has a strictly negative connotation. You keep using it to mean uncomplicated and straightforward, in a positive sense, when the word you really want is just "simple".
Also, that Goldhawk review is totally bonkers.😬😬
That'll be our simplistic approach to sub-editing, apologies for that...
Re the Goldhawk... the chap loved the bike, who were we to judge!
Thanks for this, it's nice to read an article about bikes that fat 51 year old me likes (commute on a Subway) instead of the usual bikes that 18 year old me lusted after but could only dream of being able to afford.
If I had fitted mudguards that badly though when I worked part time at Halfords in 1990-ish the full time bike mechanic would have never let me forget it.
Think I will retire with a Giant Escape. It looks fantastic.
Good piece.
My only ride is a tuned Boardman Hybrid (touring triple and all the necessary accessories etc), and the worst thing about it on arrival was the 50/34 chainset with a 11-30 cassette too narrow to make up for it.
That Subway AWE looks like a superb inexpensive option for N+1 for visitors to ride. Just perhaps needs a bit lopping off the bars, a kickstand and horns fitting. Then it's ready to go. Great to see that Halfords have evolved their approcah, and are continuing to use Mountain Bike insights in their hybrid range.
Back in 2015 when I bought my 2014 model the frame was iirc essentially the same between the hybrid and the cyclocross bikes, with different gubbins.
All seem like good hybrids, but the "categories" seem a bit shoe horned in. The "Best high-end hybrid" is only the 4th most expensive on the list, and given several of the bikes on the list have carbon forks (including the "Best overall") it's not quite clear what the category of "Best hybrid with carbon fibre forks" is meant to indicate.
Slightly suprised not to see any of the Boardman Urb/Hyb range on the list - I've been toying with the idea of a hybrid as my town bike and they are on my shortlist.
(My problem with trying to pick a "town bike" is I keep thinking of things that would be nice to have - a belt drive, hub gears, dynamo lights etc., and before long I've specced a bike that costs more than my "nice" bike!)
I'm waiting on delivery to the LBS of a new Stevens City Flight Luxe. It'll be my new commuter. Rack, guards, dynamo, belt drive...1300 euros.
Does look like a nice bike, and good value for the equipment provided. But still more money than I'm comfortable spending on a bike that I might want to leave at the station for a weekend! (Also Stevens aren't readily available in the UK)
Seems that between 1100 and 1400 euros is the going rate for similar bikes with a gates carbon drive and all the accessories here in NL. The prices just seem to vary depending on whether you get a 7 or 8 speed Nexus hub, and if they fit a pair of cheap crap suspension forks that will rust solid after a couple years. Just need to source a decent locking skewer for the front wheel...no idea why but a QR front wheel seems to be normal on these here too.
Agree re boardman not getting a mention, or v similar Pinnancle from Evans. I've bought 2 of these for my youngest https://www.evanscycles.com/brand/pinnacle/lithium-3-hybrid-bike-939173#... First was a Medium, now on an XL! 40mm tyres + mudguards perfect for school ... plenty of room in the frame for 2.1" tyres for tackling proper off road and bikepacking. Very versatile, tough enough for most things and cheap enough to not worry about (with good Dlock) at school or in town. Definition of a hybrid to me.