featuretile
11-25-2009, 02:04 PM
I just bought a new (slightly used) bike yesterday. It is a 2007 Ruby Comp. I wasn't really looking for a new bike quite yet, but was casually looking thru craigslist when I saw this much more expensive bike than I would think of getting for $1500, and it only had 100 miles on the bike - mainly on a trainer. Husband had bought it for his wife, who then became pregnant and didn't ride it, so it had sat in the garage for 2 years. Could not pass up the deal even though my previous bike is very good.
I took it out for its first ride today and had trouble shifting the large gear. I thought it was because I just did not know how to use the shifters. Then it would not shift at all. So I stopped at a nearby bike shop, and not only were the gears not working correctly, but the rear wheel was not attached correctly. So, I had a safety check/tune up. I had assumed that since the bike was barely used that it would be perfect. Apparently, the parts are all perfect, but the shop that assembled the bike did not do a good job. So, I am telling this story to urge anyone with a used bike to take it into a shop before you ride. And now, it shifts and rides great! (And the wheel will not fall off....) The very nice mechanic said 'now you have a new bike'.
It has so much more power than my previous bike and feels much faster. I have gone from a Specialized Globe Hybrid, to a Specialized Vita Sport flat bar road bike, to my new Specialized Ruby Comp in less than a year. Each step up feels natural because I really like the fit of Specialized bikes, so they are like an improvement rather than a radical change. I thought a 'real' road bike with drop bars would be too scary, but it's not.
I took it out for its first ride today and had trouble shifting the large gear. I thought it was because I just did not know how to use the shifters. Then it would not shift at all. So I stopped at a nearby bike shop, and not only were the gears not working correctly, but the rear wheel was not attached correctly. So, I had a safety check/tune up. I had assumed that since the bike was barely used that it would be perfect. Apparently, the parts are all perfect, but the shop that assembled the bike did not do a good job. So, I am telling this story to urge anyone with a used bike to take it into a shop before you ride. And now, it shifts and rides great! (And the wheel will not fall off....) The very nice mechanic said 'now you have a new bike'.
It has so much more power than my previous bike and feels much faster. I have gone from a Specialized Globe Hybrid, to a Specialized Vita Sport flat bar road bike, to my new Specialized Ruby Comp in less than a year. Each step up feels natural because I really like the fit of Specialized bikes, so they are like an improvement rather than a radical change. I thought a 'real' road bike with drop bars would be too scary, but it's not.