Long Torso, Short Legs.

[kelleil]

Ladies, I couldn't get off the Amira. The ruby and roubaix were fine (48 and 51 for the ruby, 49 for the roubaix. Of the two I liked the roubaix better.) But with the Amira, my upper back didn't hurt, it was effortless in the drops, and I had this deep sense of joy. My butt didn't love it as much tho, so the ruby/roubaix gets a point there.

My bf tried to talk me into the ruby due to the cassette being better for climbing as we've got 2000 ft climbs here but the Amira won hands down.

Granted I had a hard time getting started on any. On my commuter I stay on the seat with a toe down. To start from standing is going to take getting used to.

And then the clips... I'm not ready but I'm thinking MTB clips.

Oh what have I gotten myself into?

There will be crazy descents! I don't have health insurance!!

Ayeee!

[Owlie]

Ladies, I couldn't get off the Amira. The ruby and roubaix were fine (48 and 51 for the ruby, 49 for the roubaix. Of the two I liked the roubaix better.) But with the Amira, my upper back didn't hurt, it was effortless in the drops, and I had this deep sense of joy. My butt didn't love it as much tho, so the ruby/roubaix gets a point there.

My bf tried to talk me into the ruby due to the cassette being better for climbing as we've got 2000 ft climbs here but the Amira won hands down.

Granted I had a hard time getting started on any. On my commuter I stay on the seat with a toe down. To start from standing is going to take getting used to.

And then the clips... I'm not ready but I'm thinking MTB clips.

Oh what have I gotten myself into?

There will be crazy descents! I don't have health insurance!!

Ayeee!

The Amira is an awesome bike. (I'm actually considering one, since I think the Ruby may be too upright for me.) You can swap out the saddle. It may be more comfortable because of the extra padding in the Lithia/Riva as compared to the Jett.

As far as clipless pedals are concerned, I'm currently using SPDs (Shimano MTB pedals). I like them. There was a bit of a learning curve there, but I like them. I'm probably going to be changing them out for Speedplays or Looks on my next bike, but they're fine to get started.

[winddance]

My bf tried to talk me into the ruby due to the cassette being better for climbing as we've got 2000 ft climbs here but the Amira won hands down.

There will be crazy descents! I don't have health insurance!!

Ayeee!

...Yeah. That was my argument to myself about the Ruby or the Trek, because I have a compact on my Amira and live in some pretty hilly territory. But!! I love riding my bike so I figured that would help me get strong enough to ride on those hills instead of having a sort of, "meh" feeling about the entire situation. And the descents are fuuun.

Give yourself time on clipless. No need to rush. Enjoy your bike!

[Eden]

Cassettes are cheap (relatively - maybe about $100...) and easily replaceable... in fact they are a part that wears and *needs* eventual replacing. That certainly shouldn't be a deciding factor.