2023 Specialized Double Diamond Frame | Cycling Weekly
Specialized has launched a brand new Sirrus 6.0 and Sirrus X 5.0. The bike has been designed to sit at the very top of their lifestyle/hybrid range and serve those who just want to enjoy being on two wheels. The bike features a brand-new frame design, which is being referred to as a double diamond shape. This is thanks to the new 'compliance junction' which is claimed to provide an even smoother ride. According to a patent Specialized filed back in February 2023, the compliance junction creates 172% greater vertical deflection and 75% great horizontal deflection when measured at the saddle compared to a conventional frame shape. Let us know, what do you think of the whacky new frame design, would you buy one?
Transcript
00:00 Today Specialized has launched this, a brand new Cirrus and Cirrus X. Now you may remember in early
00:08 February a pattern was discovered which showed a pretty wacky frame design and we all thought
00:14 at the time that it could be a new Roubaix or new gravel bike but how wrong we were. Instead it was
00:20 the latest iteration to their hybrid lifestyle lineup and it has resulted in two builds like I
00:27 said the Cirrus and the Cirrus X. There is a fair bit to get into with this bike and obviously we're
00:33 going to start with the most blatantly obvious thing, obviously that new double diamond frame
00:38 shape. We need to know what is it, why did Specialized create it and what is the point in it?
00:44 Well Specialized claim that it helps the feeling and it says that the bike is forgiving, flexible
00:51 and quick enough to move at speed. Now this double diamond frame shape is a result of this, the
00:57 compliance junction. Specialized claim that it's been designed to give just the right amount of
01:03 flex and forgiveness but what is that? Well Specialized aren't claiming any numbers at the
01:08 time of the launch but what we can do is look back at that pattern that surfaced earlier this year
01:14 to look at some of the numbers in there which I do have and it said as reflected in the test
01:19 results the main frame produced 172% greater vertical deflection and 75% greater horizontal
01:28 deflection at the seat during the vertical stiffness test compared to the conventional frame.
01:34 Specialized said according to wheel based by increasing the vertical deflection at a greater
01:39 rate than the horizontal deflection the ride comfort is increased without substantially
01:44 increasing the rearward saddle tilt. While these numbers do sound pretty impressive and the very
01:50 quick spins that I've had around the car park do feel incredibly smooth I don't think that that's
01:55 entirely down to this new compliance junction. I think the fat tires here and the 1.5 gen future
02:03 shock actually do the bulk of the heavy lifting. I'm sure the compliance junction does have a very
02:09 positive impact on the ride feel however I believe that the visual impact is actually the feature
02:15 that Specialized is banking on to have a larger effect on the market. It's no doubt going to turn
02:21 heads and I'm sure any owner of this bike is going to be asked about it whenever it's presented with
02:26 fresh faces. I mean look at it it is pretty striking and this makes sense when you consider
02:32 that Specialized are trying to get this bike into the hands of an entirely new audience.
02:37 They want it to be bought by more of the lifestyle rider rather than your already keen cyclist. It
02:44 will not surprise any of you that while Specialized tries to target that new market it does have the
02:49 price point to match. The city going road version the Cirrus 6.0 will be £2,400 here in the UK
02:57 or £3,000 over in the states and the light gravel friendly Cirrus X 5.0 will be £1,950
03:06 or £2,250. So the differences between the Cirrus 6.0 and the Cirrus X 5.0 do mainly come down to
03:16 the specification and the components that are on those bikes so they do share a lot of similarities
03:21 because they both use exactly the same 9R carbon frame and that frame will accommodate up to 42CY
03:28 tyres or 38C tyres when mud guards are fitted. Specialized says that it will be selling a set
03:35 of fenders for the bike and you can also fit a rack if you so wish. In terms of weight Specialized
03:42 claim that the 6.0 comes in at 20.3 pounds or 9.2 kilos and the Cirrus X comes in at 24 pounds or
03:51 10.8 kilos. When we look towards the gearing both bikes come with an 11-50 cassette so you do have
03:57 a massive range but the front chainrings they ever so slightly differ. The Cirrus X has a 38 tooth
04:03 chainring while the Cirrus has a 40. One other key feature about this bike that I think is worth
04:09 talking about is actually the number of bottle cage bolts you have. From sizes medium to extra
04:15 extra large you can fit four bottles on. You can fit one up here on the top tube, two inside the
04:21 bigger diamond and then actually one here underneath the down tube. Now for sizes small and extra small
04:28 you can fit three and the place where you lose that fourth one is from the diamond because
04:33 obviously it's going to get a little bit tight up in here but that's quite cool. I think that will
04:39 also mean it makes it quite accessible for long days in the saddle because it's not just bottle
04:44 cages you have to fit to those things but up top you could put a top tube bag and just fit it for
04:48 the snacks. One other very small difference between the Cirrus and the Cirrus X is actually the seat
04:53 post that it uses. The Cirrus has a carbon Terra seat post while the Cirrus X just has a standard
05:00 alloy post so it will be a little bit heavier. We'll pop up on screen some of the other key
05:05 differences between the two models but really it kind of boils down to the drivetrain components
05:10 that are offered and the different braking systems. The geometry of both new bikes is
05:15 different to the previous Cirrus and Cirrus X but that's mainly because of this new compliance
05:21 junction. They are incredibly similar and you wouldn't really notice a difference between the
05:25 two if you were to ride one after the other. As of yet we haven't had any proper time with this
05:31 bike. This is purely a first look not a review so when we can get our hands on one for the long term
05:37 be sure to check the website for a full review on this bike. I'm really interested to see how this
05:43 is going to perform in the long term. Let me know what you think about this new bike down in the
05:48 comments. Do you think that this is actually a prime example of form over function or the other
05:54 way around? If you enjoyed the video then please do drop it a like, subscribe to the channel for
05:57 more content and I will see you again very soon.
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