Ruby or Amira?

[ny biker]

I don't know anything about the bikes you're considering, but I really wonder how much faster you would be on one vs the other, especially over a relatively short distance.

I do know that being in pain can slow you down, especially over a long distance.

[Caren]

I think the best thing to do is to just rent them both if they will let me. I already know I'm going to buy a bike there and they credit all of the rental fee to your purchase so other than a trip back and forth to Cleveland, I'm not really out anything. And I suppose I could rent it for just one day and doing my riding for the day there and drop it off before coming home so I don't have to make a trip back.

I don't expect the bike, either one, to make me any faster. It's like my 8 year old trying to tell me one pair of shoes over another make him faster. I know a lighter bike, or me dropping some weight would help, but over all it's about me and my fitness. The pain though is actually the real issue and that's why I'm getting so overly stressed out. I have a bad shoulder from flipping a jet ski when I was to young to know better and I have arthritis pretty bad in my hands. Most days the max I can ride is 40 miles, my hands just can't take the drops on my bar and that's how I prefer to ride. I know riding 50+ miles something will probably be achy somewhere at some point, but I know I can make it better and I also know I won't be in the financial position I'm in to buy a great bike again for a long time.

And I'm just obsessive. About everything. So getting it "right" will drive me over the edge until I know for sure that I've found "the" bike. Besides, worrying about a bike is a break from worrying about my real problems.

[Kiwi Stoker]

The Amira came about because semi pro and pro riders where finding the back end of the Ruby too flexible for their power out put.

My friend, who after coming 11th fastest woman in a 160km event (with over 10,000 riders) decided to get serious. She got a Ruby but found that the power output she had make the rear end "wag" when she dropped the hammer.

OK so who is the Amira designed for? Someone who is truly racing, like crits, road races etc who is averaging 35km/hr+ speed wise and is doing national road races etc looking for gaining places in professional teams, national cycle teams etc. Take a look at the rear stays of the Amira- they are so much thicker than the Ruby and the head tube is lower to be more aerodynamic. That is not to say that someone else cannot ride this bike- if the fit works best for you, buy it. Just that the Amira is designed with a different purpose to the Ruby.

[zoom-zoom]

But on a daily basis, I want to go out and blaze 25-30 miles, not ride a long slow 100. I don't want to suffer through this MS event if I go with the Amira because it's a "racing" bike but I don't want to sacrifice my daily riding preference either by getting something "plush" or "relaxed". Are these just adjectives they are throwing around or do they really mean anything?

I can tell you that I've always been happy on my Cannondale SuperSix (comparable to Amira), even during 147ish mile rides across the state of MI. It's a stiff, "aggressive" frame, but it works well for me. My previous bike was the same size Synapse (comparable to Ruby) and it felt too upright and soft to me.

All of this is a very YMMV sort of thing. The bike you will be fastest on is generally the one that fits best, assuming comparable bike weight. If you're uncomfortable anywhere it will waste a lot of energy.

[pinsonp2]

I have a 2010 Amira Comp (bought new old stock last month) and a 2011 Madone 5.2 WSD. They both fit great, but different. I can tell that the Amira is a bit harsher ride and the steering can be twitchy, but it is a fast comfortable ride. It depends on what frame of mind I am in as to which I'll ride. The point being, although the Amira is labeled as aggressive geometry, it still can be a very comfortable bike. Ride both and buy the one you like best. Both are great bikes!

P2