OMG - my Ruby is ready already!

i went shopping on saturday while dh had the kids out. We had plans to meet up for dinner. At first I was looking seriously at a Felt (can't remember the name fo the specific model) but we just could not get the fit right. The sales person suggested a specialized multi sport - the wsd one - and I told him if I was going wsd i was getting a ruby. Turns out the multisport and the ruby have almost identical geometry. So they adjusted the bike fitter to the ruby specs and i tried it out and it was perfect. I threw a deposit down and then had to sprint to my car to make dinner with the family.

Yesterday (tuesday) I realized that I did not have an expected ship date so i called the store. They put me on hold and when a person came back to the phone he told me, you are not going to believe this, but UPS just delivered it while you were on hold. So now they need to assemble and put my peddles on, and I can go for a fit this evening or tomorrow.

woohoo!!!!!!!

congrats.. which one did you get? comp? expert? or pro?

I've been looking for a new road bike for several months, since my old one (a men's Motobecane that feels like a jackhammer every time I go over the smallest of bumps) wrecks my shoulders and neck. I tried many bikes over the winter and decided that a women's geometry was best for me. I held off test riding a Ruby because I knew that when I did, it would be all over for me. Well, about a month ago, I walked into my LBS and was told that there was a Ruby Pro in my size at the "blemish warehouse" -- it had a paint defect on the seat tube and I could get $1,000 off the price. I test rode a Ruby the next day and ordered the blemished Pro. And, since I was saving $1K, I decided to go all out and swamp in Campagnolo parts.

Well the bike arrived 2 weeks ago. The "blemish" was nearly undetectable (the paint stopped about 1/8 of an inch from the clamp at the top of the seat tube -- the LBS put a slightly wider clamp on the bike and covered it up). I had ordered a combination of Campy chorus and record parts. Unfortuntately, the guy who placed the order at the LBS screwed up and ordered all record. They gave me price on the difference in cost and now I have a Ruby Pro with an FSA carbon compact crank and Campy record for all other parts. I absolutely love my bike.

Which version of the Ruby did you get?

Susie

I got the comp - I figured this was going to be such a huge upgrade from my old cannondale hybrid that I didn't need to spring for one of the upgraded versions. DH just got in from work and told me to go, so I am off.

Cris

Congrats to you Brina and to Susie as well!! I've not seen one in person but have seen pics of Caligurl's and those are GORGEOUS bikes!!!

Don't forget to post pictures ASAP!!! (susie, you are behind on this one... two weeks already!!) ;)

Enjoy your new 'rides'!!!

Tracy

omg, I got to test ride last night. I cannot believe how fast she goes. I had to leave her to get the aero bars and computer connected, but come friday she is all mine.

Oh, congratulations on such a wonderful bike. I have a Dolce Comp and really happy with it. One day I will test ride to see how much different the Ruby Carbon is.

Sending many happy and fun riding miles your way!

~ JoAnn

joann... there's a huge difference! i have a dolce elite (04) and the ruby pro is MUCH smoother on the roads... i'm sure it's a combination of the carbon frame... zertz inserts and carbon handle bars!

and of course the whole bike is lighter!! i was really surprised though, when i picked up the ruby comp in the store... it was actually "heavy"! :eek: :eek: :eek: but the lbs guy was telling me that the carbon used to make the pro frame is even lighter than the carbon they use on the s-works! :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

however i LOVE that you see the weave on the comp (black) and elite (blue)versions... the carbon on the pro is different and you don't see that distinctive weave! especially the comp... but that's cuz i love black bikes!

Not to throw water on the parade, but did anyone see the pic of the S works broken in two from the TOC? I think it was a Gerosteiner (sp?)rider.
It was pretty gnarly! Of course since I just bought a CF bike it kind of freaked me out!
The picture was floating around on the slowtwitch forum under a thread called "specialized catastrophe".. All I can say is it must have been one GNARLY crash!

I finally had time to take some photos this weekend (after a 50 mile ride yesterday) of my new Ruby Pro. I have to say that I can see the carbon strips through the paint and clear coat finish, but I just can't get any photos that show the detail at all.

Cheers and is anyone out there going to ride Solvang next weekend?

Susie

The Ruby Pro is one pretty bike. Wishing you much luck with it Susie. I love seeing pics.

Cali, thank you for all the info now and in the past. I am hoping to ride 3 centuries this year the first one is May 21st then one in August and the last in Oct. Between them and my regular cycling, I might look into getting one next year. You do so much more riding than I am able to do so I feel you "deserve" it. If I pass 2000 miles on my bike this year I might feel I deserve one also. That probably sounds silly, but that is just me. On the upside I did make 1800 miles this year and my outdoor cycling ended on Labor Day because of fracturing my shoulder, so I was almost at 2000. :)

~ JoAnn

joann... anyone can "deserve" a new, pretty bike! we each have our own goals and aspirations!!! i think you or anyone else can "deserve" (and "earn" a new bike!) heck... did i REALLY need a dura-ace bike? uhm.. NO! but i wanted it... :D (hubby really wanted me to wait til i had been riding longer..especially since he was jokingly calling me "crash" for a while! but in the end didn't argue or even try to sway me to one bike or another when i was looking! he let me choose what i wanted all the way!) don't sell yourself short! if you want a new bike.... then get one and don't feel guilty about it! cuz we all deserve nice things.. nice bikes! :D :D :D :D :D

susie... is your bike "flat"? or is it the way the picture is taken? mine is shiny.. but the pictures of the one taken at interbike looks flat.. like yours... and i was upset that mine is shiny since the only real life pic i had seen up til getting mine was what looked like flat paint!! did they change the paint on the second batch of pros? :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:

Cali, you are so sweet. Your posts always make me smile, I love your outlook on everything.

~ JoAnn

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by caligurl

joann... anyone can "deserve" a new, pretty bike! we each have our own goals and aspirations!!! i think you or anyone else can "deserve" (and "earn" a new bike!) heck... did i REALLY need a dura-ace bike? uhm.. NO! but i wanted it... :D (hubby really wanted me to wait til i had been riding longer..especially since he was jokingly calling me "crash" for a while! but in the end didn't argue or even try to sway me to one bike or another when i was looking! he let me choose what i wanted all the way!) don't sell yourself short! if you want a new bike.... then get one and don't feel guilty about it! cuz we all deserve nice things.. nice bikes! :D :D :D :D :D

---

Caligurl is 100% right. When I first started looking at bikes with my DH I kept saying Oh I cant have that because Im only new and I would look silly on a nice bike when I ride so slow. My husband just shook his head and said what a load of c*ap. You ride so you are a cyclist and speed or miles does not qualify or disqualify you from having a nice bike. I still ride slow but I ride whenever I can and when I get that next bike I will buy what I love no matter how fast or far I go.

Caligirl -- mine is shiny. It's just hard to capture in photos. I saw a matte finished Ruby (the "flat" one) at the Specialized reception in San Jose during the Tour of California. I really like the shiny one better. You can see the carbon through the finish and, frankly, the matte finish I saw was really dull and all scratched up.

I completely agree with your post above. Did I really need to put Campy Record on the bike -- hell no. But I decided that I'd deck it out all the same. If I didn't, I'd spend the next couple of years dreaming about all of the things that I'd like on the bike and probably start piecing it together. BTW -- we weighted it at the LBS on Saturday and it came in just under 16 pounds. Now if I could only lose 10-15 pounds, I should be able to climb a bit better ...

Susie

lol! ok... i fell better now that i know i didn't get "screwed" by betting a first batch bike! and that it seems they all are shiney! :D