Another new commuter

[RawToast]

I'm looking for a new commuter, with a budget of around $1,000 (on top of that I will also pay for a dynamo hub linked to front and back lights).

I generally just ride into work and back, which is about a 9km one-way trip mainly along a stand-alone bike path but with some riding alongside cars), and my knowledge of bikes is not extensive. I've generally ridden Giant hybrids, although my most recent bike was a Sportivo Torpado which I loved. I enjoy being able to push my bikes hard, whilst also appreciating the safety of hybrid/city bikes over road bikes.

My local bike shop sells Specialized and Avanti, whilst the next closest sells Merida, so my starting point is to choose between those.

I'm currently thinking of the Sirrus X 2.0 or the Speedster 100. There's a deal on the 22 Sirrus X 2.0 for $649, so am leaning towards that, given that the specs seem pretty similar between the two bikes (or Giant Cross City) according to this: https://99spokes.com/en-AU/compare?bike ... isc-2-2024

My main point of hesitancy is the more limited drive train of the Sirrus (I do tend to change gears more often than most of the people I've ridden with).

Any and all advice is appreciated.

[twizzle]

At that price point, I'd be more worried about brand/shop reputation and the quality of the wheel hubs. No-one wants to be going back to the shop repeatedly for wheel bearing issues. Most cheap bikes don't get ridden much.

Dynamo hub for disc sounds like an expensive accessory for short rides.

[Retrobyte]

Dynamo hub for disc sounds like an expensive accessory for short rides.

Absolutely. You'll get a week of commuting per USB charge from decent lights, a lot cheaper than a dynamo hub

[RawToast]

Thanks, that makes a lot of sense in terms of the lights. (I've had a dynamo hub in the past and loved it, but can see the illogic of getting one for this bike.)