Ruby Versus Madone (again?)

[sundial]

All Specialized bikes are imported, so I don't know about better built? The zertz inserts seem like a gimmick to me.

Most US bike manufacturers have sold their soul to the asian market, so it's rare you'll find one that's not assembled in China. As for the Zertz, it does provide a smoother ride. Hubby has Trek, I have Specialized. My bike provides a smoother ride.

[tulip]

For a similar price, you could go custom. Luna, IF, Seven...just a few.

[VeloVT]

My boyfriend bought a Madone last summer. It was before the new redesign. At that point Trek was only using two different levels of carbon -- OCLV for the Madone line and TCT (I think?), for the 5000/5200s. We test rode both, and the OCLV had a dramatically better ride. Both stiffer and damper feeling. If you are going to be spending the $$ to buy any bike in the Madone line it's worth trying the different carbons, because there can be a much bigger difference than you might expect.

I have never ridden a Ruby, so I have no advice there. We tested a bunch of bikes for him though (we're almost exactly the same size so I got to be the second opinion), and it came down to the Madone 5.2 (2007 version) and the Cervelo R3. The R3 was a really special bike and had a delicious, seductive ride, but cost two grand more for about the same component spec, and so the Madone won out as a better value and a more sensible decision for him, since he has no plans to race. We thought the Madone was a very nice combination of nice feeling carbon and quick, but not twitchy handling. He's happy with it. There are lots of nice bikes out there though (I also liked the Cannondale Six13 a lot, but he thought it was harsh and again, the Madone was just a really good value), and my advice is to ride everything you possibly can and then consult your bank account .

Some Treks, including carbon frames, are still made in Wisconsin. BF's Madone is US made.

[Eden]

Most US bike manufacturers have sold their soul to the asian market, so it's rare you'll find one that's not assembled in China. As for the Zertz, it does provide a smoother ride. Hubby has Trek, I have Specialized. My bike provides a smoother ride.

I'm sure China loves to hear you say that, but most of the higher quality bike manufacturing facilities are in Taiwan and they consider themselves to be an independent country

[Mr. SR500]

She is 5'6" with a sort of long 31" inseam. We knew the previous Madones fit her perfectly in a 51 WSD. However, for '08, Trek changed the sizes and geometry. They went to a 50 and 52 and both bikes have more rise then the previous Madone. The top tube of the 50 looks like a better fit, but the 50 would require a "tall" seat post cap, see here:



So we decided on the 52, although she may need to shorten the stem a hair. The bikes generally are very close, I think the tall cap is fine, but like bikes with a more or less neutral fit.

I don't know about R&D at Specialized, but would have my doubts that they put more effort in that Trek. Specialized is a importer and specs bikes to be built. I'm sure they do R&D, but are still constrained by the manufacturer building their bikes.

Trek designs and build their own high end bikes. And just looking at the major innovations in the '08 Madone would prove this out. New head tube and bearing design, massive bottom bracket, and new seat mast design. All together make it lighter with excellent handling.

As for riding an '08, there are some out there. We found one in Columbus, Ohio (about 2 hours away), so took an afternoon to go over and ride. This confirmed the size and ride. Although, I'm not real pleased a Trek Superstore in Columbus has one on the floor, and Trek still can't deliver one to our local dealer.

All that said, too many variables, so go with fit first and the rest will fall into place.

P.S. Nothing wrong with Specialized, just take everything you hear with a grain of salt, also our 5 year wants a Specialized Allez jr, very bad...