Review-First new road bike in 20+ years.- Long post.
Well it was time to retire the old Scapin SLX that was too big anyway, so I searched the internet for information on what can be had in small women’s sizes. I wanted to keep ‘in budget’ which meant around 2g. I ended up with the Specialized Ruby Elite. I’m a casual cyclist and cycle for fun (and these days, to lose weight), and it seemed to provide a lot for the money. As my old bike had Dura-Ace, I thought I could switch out anything that was sub-par on their bottom end model. Here it is as it currently sits (please excuse the crappy phone photo):
http://home.earthlink.net/~tzvia/images/bike3.jpg
Specialized put together a package that mostly works; it shifts and brakes well, it feels stiff and lively while providing a smooth ride. The shorter top tube and narrower, shallower handlebars put my upper body in a good position, without stretching me out on my short arms. The compact gearing provides a good range without the extra baggage of a third chainring, or the extra shifting issues it may bring. And BRAVO for the 105 shifters with the short-reach shims. They work. My short fingers actually reach the levers without having to pivot my hands forward uncomfortably. Even the no-name brakes work ok. And I cannot find fault with the 105 derailleurs either. They click off shifts almost as well as the Dura-Ace I have on my old bike.
But all is not sweetness and light. The seat was the first offender. Off it came and in its place is a Sella San Marco Aspide Glamour that is firm but comfortable. The next offenders are the wheels. They felt like I had forgotten to pump up the tires, they were soft and mushy feeling- and kinda dead. A shame on a frame with such promise. So I grabbed my old wheels, built on 9spd Dura-Ace hubs, Mavic Reflex SUP UB rims and 14/15 DBLbutted spokes and I put on new Vredstein TriComp tires. I removed the old 9spd cassette and put on an Ultegra 12-27. The Specialized tires were ok, neither good nor bad, but the Vredstein’s feel almost like sewups (and yea I used to run sewups 20 years ago so I know that feeling well). One ride with them and I am hooked. I then removed the no-name brakes and put on my old Dura-Ace, along with my Dura-Ace rear derailleur.
Eventually, as parts wear, I will replace the heavy FSA cranks but as long as they work, I am in no hurry.
Maybe for some women, the ‘WSD’ thing is not so important, but for short women like me, with short arms and fingers, it makes a word of difference. If I had not been ‘spoiled’ by good wheels in the past, I would probably have been very happy with the overall package that Specialized had put together. They should have used the 105 brakes and crankset, but all the same, what they did provide does work just fine. For casual Saturday riders it’s a good ride; more serious cyclists should look higher up in the Ruby line for better wheels and components, or expect to swap out the mediocre.
