Ruby? Amira? Advice please!

[violetpurl]

Beautiful bike! I'm going to to stop by the Specialized Women Demo Tour tonight at one of the LBS. I have the opposite problem - I love this bike (looks), but am not fond of the shop. The shop I like carries Trek and Cannondale and they do fittings. I tested a Carbon Synapse Feminine 3 this weekend - sweet ride, but I don't love the looks. Ahhh - and the price. I'm trying a Madrone next. I'm also in the boat of do I really want to spend that much money?

[NbyNW]

It can be tough to find a bike that does it all, especially if you are petite. You didn't say whether you plan to ride on campus -- if you do, I'd be concerned about theft. You never want your bike to be the nicest one on the rack. For that matter, do you have safe, secure bike parking at work?

One thing to consider about components it whether the brake/shift levers fit your hands well. I'm 5'1" and I don't consider my hands particularly small, but I had Ultegra on my first road bike (which I had purchased secondhand, so it just came with that build) and found the reach to be almost painfully uncomfortable. It's possible the discomfort also had something to with the handlebar design, but not really sure. Bottom line was I never got comfortable controlling my speed on descents, and I was thinking about changing the components when that bike was stolen.

My current bikes have Campy Mirage and Shimano Tiagra, which as I understand it are lower-end, but in combination with the handlebars they are mounted on, fit my hands much better. Two years with both of these setups and I'm not thinking about upgrading. They perform just fine. If I had money to burn, I can think of many other things I would spend it on than upgrading my components.

Best of luck with the bike shopping!

[MommyBird]

I am not short (5'7") and I even have difficulty using my husband's Ultegra. The reach is just too long and I end up just using my finger tips. It feels very risky when I shift or brake.
Adjustable levers are available.
I have Tiagra on a WSF and the reach is perfect.
I am not sure if Ultegra on a WSF would have the shorter reach.

[Eden]

I think it may be what you are used to, as far as levers go. I'm small - 5' nuthin. I have small hands and small feet. I have ultegra on my rain bike, DA on my race bike and short reach on my cross bike. None of them feel particularly any different to me. Certainly none of them feel dangerous. Then again I've been riding since I was a wee one and have had bikes with regular sized (non-adjustable - that's a pretty new thing) levers probably since I was about 11, so I'm very used to it.

[Julie13.1]

I am not really qualified to talk about ultegra vs 105, but I do have a 2 year old Ruby that I truly love. We do a lot of group rides, and I often commute to work on her. She fits me like a glove (I am 5'4"), and the only thing I have replaced is the saddle and bar tape.

Oh, and I have done 3 tri's with her. The first tri I was last in my age group out of the water (can you say*sorry swimmer*), but ended up being 2nd in my age group on the bike! My LBS hung the result sheet with my name highlighted on it in the shop. I had quite a big head for awhile there!

The point I am trying to make here is that a Ruby is very versatile. I just took a long time to say that!