Yet Another Ruby Question...measurements

[nonsmoker3]

I am 5'5" with a 29" inseam. I ride a 48 Ruby and absolutely love it. It fits me perfectly, like it was custom made for me. It is the compact double that I am trying to get used to.

[GLC1968]

At 5'6" with a 29" inseam, you obviously have a long torso (like me)...but how long are your arms? Mine are short, so even though my torso is long, my reach is not. I rode a Dolce Comp for over a year and it fit me pretty well. I also have a 28.5"/29" inseam (I'm just over 5'4"), but with my short arms, I still needed a shorter top tube (I had a 44cm). I'm thinking that if you have longer arms, it might feel too cramped for you. In that case, you might be better off with a non-WSD bike in a smaller size.

[michelem]

Hmmm . . . I think the WSD-type bikes like the Ruby are made for people with longer legs and shorter torsos - at least that is how I am built and I love my Ruby. I am 5'2" (on a "tall" day) and ride a 48" Ruby with an 80mm stem - interesting to see that nonsmoker3 is 3" taller than me and rides the same size Ruby. Just goes to show you have to get on the bike to see if it fits you . . .

[TriMom217]

I'm 5' 3.5" and ride a 51 cm Ruby. I have a 30" inseam, short torso, and a long reach. My previous road bike was a 47cm Allez which fit pretty well. The other think I love about the Ruby is the way the bars are sized for a woman. You mentioned that you have small hands, so you will love the way the bars are sized and shaped. I can ride the hoods and reach the brakes/shifters or I can ride in the drops and reach them as well.

I'm willing to bet that you can be fit on a Ruby.

[Starfish]

Thank you, this is interesting to me. I suspect a men's frame is better for me (although I have never measured my arms...really don't know how long they are!).

I currently have Shimano 105 levers and although not women's bars, some fairly shallow bars. I still have my brakes double shimmed, and it is not ideal braking, although nice to reach the levers. The short reach set-ups I have felt in the bike shops feel better to me. My longest finger is barely 3" long, and the others are at least a 1/2 in shorter. Most of my fingers are like 2.5 inches long!

So, I'm trying to avoid too much customizing...

Anyhow, just was curious if anyone with a long torso like me fits their Ruby well. Thanks!

Edited to add: Eden, yes, the Tarmac and Roubaix are both on my list to test. Thansk!

[li10up]

I too am 5'6" with a 29" or so inseam. I have a 51cm Ruby Pro and love it!

[malaholic]

I'm about 5'3 and my inseam (to the ground, not to the ankle) is 29. I ride a 51 cm Ruby and I love it....I had a fitting done where they adjusted the saddle fore/aft position, dropped the stem angle, and rotated the bars a little bit to fine-tune the reach, and it works beautifully for me.

I think I'd also have been OK getting a smaller (47 or 48 cm) men's frame, but had I done so I'd probably have had to replace the handlebars to get something narrower and with more shallow drops, as well as shimming the brakes for easier reach.