Ruby Comp or Ruby Pro

[caligurl]

i figured out what "turns me off" the blue ruby.... the paint job is almost identical to my dolce's paint job! (the dark and light blue!)

if you can stand the black.... go for the expert.... that is really your BEST bet... you get the better ultegra parts without spending the PRO price....

ok.... one other thought.... most times it's cheaper to buy a whole new bike than to upgrade significant components..... so say you do buy the comp... but want a whole drivetrain upgrade... that's gonna be spendy..... (example... when we were looking at getting my MTB hubby was gonna upgrade a couple things... fork.... whatnots.... it was RIDICULOUS! he ended up with a whole new bike, too!)

sooooooooooooooooooooooo if you really think you're gonna want to upgrade (and VERY big possibility i would think with the 105)... and you hate the gorgeous black then just buy the pro..... i guarantee you will love the ride!

however..... since you seem to feel guilty about spending the money (don't we all!) then, as i said... if you can get past the black.... that is really the best bang for your buck.... you won't feel the need to upgrade the ultegra!

gee.... i'm not much help, am i???????????????????

to me it's between the expert and the pro.... i, personally, after looking at the specs (and color) wouldn't get the comp..... but that's ME!

[TxRider]

Wow - I didn't realize that the Expert changed colors this year although I guess I should have since they usually do yearly.

I know it's probably unlikely, but maybe a bike shop somewhere has an Expert "left over" from last year? Maybe your bike shop could call Specialized & check into that for you? Probably a long-shot (my bike store didn't even stock them b/c they thought there wouldn't be the demand), but just throwing the suggestion out there.

[Jo-n-NY]

Indysteel gave you some great advice in her post about fitting & feel of the frame. If the 51 fits you in the Comp, it will fit you in the Pro. Mine is actually a 51. The feel of the ride will also be the same.

When it comes to components I agree with Cali, if you are deciding between the Comp and the Pro.If the Pro is in your budget, I would go for it. I can assure you will not be dissappointed.

As far as triple or compact double, I used my granny gear on my Dolce Comp a few times only so I do not see a problem using a "compact" double.

I cannot wait to hear how your trip to the LBS turned out.

[indysteel]

ok.... one other thought.... most times it's cheaper to buy a whole new bike than to upgrade significant components..... so say you do buy the comp... but want a whole drivetrain upgrade... that's gonna be spendy..... (example... when we were looking at getting my MTB hubby was gonna upgrade a couple things... fork.... whatnots.... it was RIDICULOUS! he ended up with a whole new bike, too!)

I agree generally with that, but that is what has me a bit confused about Specialized's pricing for the Comp and Pro. You can buy a full Dura Ace groupset for less than $1600, e.g., at Colorado Cyclist. Since I can't seem to find any other difference between the Comp and the Pro, I have to wonder what justifies the big price difference between the two bikes. Specialized doesn't indicate what wheelset is used on each bike. Maybe the Pro has better wheels. That would explain it....

Sorry to beat what may be a dead horse, but I've been scratching my head about it since this thread started.

[li10up]

I agree generally with that, but that is what has me a bit confused about Specialized's pricing for the Comp and Pro. You can buy a full Dura Ace groupset for less than $1600, e.g., at Colorado Cyclist. Since I can't seem to find any other difference between the Comp and the Pro, I have to wonder what justifies the big price difference between the two bikes. Specialized doesn't indicate what wheelset is used on each bike. Maybe the Pro has better wheels. That would explain it....

Sorry to beat what may be a dead horse, but I've been scratching my head about it since this thread started.

On Specialized site the have this info:
Rims: Pro - Roval Classique Fusee, 24 hole
Comp - Mavic open sport

Means nothing to me............?????????????

[Jo-n-NY]

On Specialized site the have this info:
Rims: Pro - Roval Classique Fusee, 24 hole
Comp - Mavic open sport

Means nothing to me............?????????????

To the best of my knowledge that is an upgrade along with:

Pro- Carbon Headset
Pro- Carbon Crankset
Pro- Roval Classique Fusee Rims, front & rear hub- this is the wheel set and this is what "mainly" makes the Pro a far better bike than the Comp.

Also, I am not sure how much his matters, but the spokes DT stainless, butted aero, hidden aeros, which I guess is another plus.

I hope this helps. I pass this info on to you from my husband as he knows far better than I about stuff like this. All I know is, I love the ride.

~ JoAnn

[indysteel]

Thanks for clarifying that for me Jo-Ann. That further explains the price difference.

[li10up]

Well, I went to the LBS last night and got fit on my current bike. I think it went well and I feel more comfortable on my bike. He said I am on the right size frame. He rotated the handlebars upward…my hoods were down too far for me causing me to extend my wrists. Now the drops aren’t really in the right place so I may have to rotate the bars down a bit. But at least I know how to do that now. If/when I need to replace the bar tape I’ll move the hoods up a bit. He also raised my seat and moved it forward. I’ll see how it feels on my ride tomorrow. He also said I have a good pedal stroke…hey; at least I’m doing something right!

We then talked about bikes. I wanted the Expert but I can only get it in black, sorry Calgirl, but I just don’t know if I can go with that look. Just a personal preference. But I had them price me out three options.
Pro - $3897
Expert - $2815
Comp frame with Campy Chorus group - $3600

I really don’t know anything about Campy but it was the bike shop owner that really thought it was the way for me to go. But he may have alternative motives since he is in the business to make money, I assume.

So, I still don’t know what to do. I still haven’t even see the Ruby frame in person or taken a test ride on one. Close up it might not look anything like the pictures I’ve seen. In another post I said I test rode a Pro at a bike demo but it was actually the S-works bike…SWEET! Maybe I should just wait until the 2008’s come out and see what color the expert comes in.

[Jo-n-NY]

hmmmmm I wonder why there is Campy on the Comp. Specialized does not sell it that way. They do not use Campy on any of their bikes. My dh is not a fan of campy as he feels shimano has a smoother way of shifting.

For a few hundred more you can have the Pro.

If you are more comfortable on your bike this may give you more time to think about what you want, and maybe look around a bit more for a shop that might have even an expert or pro for you to try since he doesn't have any instock as you mentioned you have not even seen one yet.

~ JoAnn

[caligurl]

I wanted the Expert but I can only get it in black, sorry Calgirl, but I just don’t know if I can go with that look. Just a personal preference.

hey.... no problem! that's why there are so many bike (or so many of anything!) we all have personal preferences! you like blue i like black!

i feel with bikes it really IS important to like the look of it! some people don't care..... I do!!!!

[indysteel]

Thanks for the update. I'm glad that they were able to tweak the fit of yoru current bike. Having followed this thread from the beginning, I'm curious: What bike are you currently riding and, if you don't mind me asking, what do you most want to achieve in upgrading to the Specialized?

But back to the current debate: I'm a Campy girl myself. I don't have Chorus on my current bike, just a mix of Veloce and Mirage (and a Chorus cassette thrown in for good measure), but I'm quite pleased with it. Everyone claims that the shifting with Campy gets better over time as it gets worked in, and that's been my experience as well. I run a Campy Ultranarrow chain and shifting in the rear is very smooth, minus the occasional r/d adjustment.

That said, I'm not a fan of the brakes and, having read up on it, it's the one part of Campy's line that doesn't always get rave reviews. If and when I have the pleasure of building up my dream bike, I'm going to use a different brand.

While I am a Campy fan, I'm not sure the LBS's proposal to swap out the 105 is very cost-effective. When I swamped out a few of my components, my LBS essentially charged me for the price difference between the Mirage and Veloce. From looking at the numbers your LBS quoted, however, it looks like they're charging you the full cost of a Chorus groupset (I'm basing that on Colorado Cyclist's price of $1215 for the 10-piece group; you could probably by a cheaper set on Ebay ). So, based on those figures, you're actually paying for two groupsets--the 105 that comes on the bike and the Chorus. At least to me, that doesn't make sense.

So, while I think the Chorus components are arguably a lot better than the 105 (and many Campy fans would argue that they're better than DuraAce, but let's not go there), I have to wonder whether it makes sense to do it that way. I still maintain that if you're willing to swap out components, you'd be financially better off doing a few choice upgrades to the Comp, e.g, your rear derailleur, to improve its performance. Otherwise, keep it simple and just buy the Expert or Pro.

[caligurl]

Specialized doesn't indicate what wheelset is used on each bike. Maybe the Pro has better wheels. That would explain it....

yes they do... and each version has different wheels...