Amira vs Ruby

[tlnbmd]

How does the Ruby climb? I live in a hilly area and I am trying to decide on either the Amira or Ruby.
Thanks

[azfiddle]

I can't speak to the Amira, but I take my Ruby up a lot of climbs around Tucson. The cassette is 11-28, compact double 50-34. I do get into the lowest gear a lot on long climbs like on Mt. Lemmon here (constant 4-7% grade for miles).

[tlnbmd]

My husband said that the Ruby was heavy at 19 lbs for a carbon frame and it would affect me on the hills. He suggested I look for something lighter but I love the fit of the Ruby and Amira.
His bike is custom and weighs almost nothing, you can pick it up by a few fingers so he is really biased.
I am leaving a hybrid so everything seems lighter to me!

[ehirsch83]

As the other girls said in other posts, the weight is coming from the components/wheels not the frameset itself.

When you are looking at the difference between 15-19lbs, in reality your legs will make the biggest difference.

From the sounds of it, that you are coming off of a hybrid, you will probably enjoy the Ruby more then the Amira. On that note, get the one that fits and is in your budget and then work on conquering the hills with it. The more you ride, the stronger you will get and the easier everything will become!

Also, over time, you can upgrade your wheels and other components and see a difference.

Weight isn't everything, granted I live where it is pretty flat- but I had a super light BMC last year but never felt great on it. I now have a Ridley that is heavier! along with my heavy power tap training wheel, but I feel better on my bike(even on the short hills we have around here) due to the fact that I am more comfortable- so my power transfers through to the pedals better.

I wouldn't look at it as this bike is 19lbs and the hubby's is 15. I would look at it as you are losing 25lbs off the hybrid and gaining a bike that has the geometry to help you climb better

[Jo-n-NY]

I agree with Ehirsch83. I also posted in the other section were you posed the question. The Ruby is an awesome bike which I rode 10,000+ miles on her including plenty of climbing. That said, I love the Amira. Climbing is almost effortless and she parctically takes you up the hills.

[ny biker]

As the other girls said in other posts, the weight is coming from the components/wheels not the frameset itself.

When you are looking at the difference between 15-19lbs, in reality your legs will make the biggest difference.

From the sounds of it, that you are coming off of a hybrid, you will probably enjoy the Ruby more then the Amira. On that note, get the one that fits and is in your budget and then work on conquering the hills with it. The more you ride, the stronger you will get and the easier everything will become!

Also, over time, you can upgrade your wheels and other components and see a difference.

Weight isn't everything, granted I live where it is pretty flat- but I had a super light BMC last year but never felt great on it. I now have a Ridley that is heavier! along with my heavy power tap training wheel, but I feel better on my bike(even on the short hills we have around here) due to the fact that I am more comfortable- so my power transfers through to the pedals better.

I wouldn't look at it as this bike is 19lbs and the hubby's is 15. I would look at it as you are losing 25lbs off the hybrid and gaining a bike that has the geometry to help you climb better

+1 on this.

A couple of years ago I switched from an aluminum road bike to a carbon one and I am no faster going up hill despite the fact that the carbon bike is lighter. A few pounds from the bike just does not make a difference. And if I really want to worry that much about weight then I will focus on losing it from my butt.

I am a bit faster when I coast with the new bike, which I think is due to having a better wheelset with bladed spokes. But really that does not make much difference in my average speed at the end of the ride.

In general I'm still relatively slow when I dust off the cobwebs in the spring, and I get faster by putting miles on the bike.

[Crankin]

90% the rider and 10% the bike.
My bike weighs 14.7 without the bag, etc and I still am not that fast!
Your DH is coming from a different perspective .

[Owlie]

As the other girls said in other posts, the weight is coming from the components/wheels not the frameset itself.

When you are looking at the difference between 15-19lbs, in reality your legs will make the biggest difference.

From the sounds of it, that you are coming off of a hybrid, you will probably enjoy the Ruby more then the Amira. On that note, get the one that fits and is in your budget and then work on conquering the hills with it. The more you ride, the stronger you will get and the easier everything will become!

Also, over time, you can upgrade your wheels and other components and see a difference.

Weight isn't everything, granted I live where it is pretty flat- but I had a super light BMC last year but never felt great on it. I now have a Ridley that is heavier! along with my heavy power tap training wheel, but I feel better on my bike(even on the short hills we have around here) due to the fact that I am more comfortable- so my power transfers through to the pedals better.

I wouldn't look at it as this bike is 19lbs and the hubby's is 15. I would look at it as you are losing 25lbs off the hybrid and gaining a bike that has the geometry to help you climb better

This.

[tlnbmd]

I really appreciate all the comments.
Thanks for the help.
Still road testing bikes, tried the Madone 3.2 50cm, nice fit. Feels like the Ruby to me.
I want to try the Amira one more time. The more aggressive frame felt odd but I am game to give it one more chance since some of the experienced riders have gone from Ruby to Amira,...well 3 that I know of. Does that frame geometry make it easier on the hills? The Ruby and Amira are the same weight given the same components and the fit feels the same except for the lightness or road feel of the front. I don't feel stable enough on the Amira to grab a water bottle but that may come in time.
I rode a hybrid that could ride in a straight line with no hands...ok, not that I did that often.
Will try the Giant and Felt tomorrow.
Hopefully will have a decision this weekend.
Mahalo!

[TigerMom]

As everyone above has said, take your budget into consideration. Obviously, the higher end the bike with the better wheelset will get you a lighter bike that climbs up hills. Personally, if your husband has a $5000 custom road bike, then maybe you should too

Also, as everyone has said, the "engine"/rider is the most important part of climbing up the hills.

I personally liked the Amira better because I felt the handling was less ackward than the Ruby. When my LBS weighed the Ruby/Amira with similar components in front of me, the Ruby was 1/2 pound heavier. But, maybe you should rent the Ruby/Amira for a day and ride your hills. Most LBS will credit back the rental price to your bike purchase.

We can't wait to read what you end up choosing!

____________________________________

2012 Specialized Amira Elite, upgraded carbon handle bars, Jett saddle 143mm switched to 145mm 2012 Selle Italia Max SLR Gel Flow saddle

2011 Specialized Ariel Sport,suspension post,Serfas Rx Women's Microfiber saddle

[ny biker]

Personally, if your husband has a $5000 custom road bike, then maybe you should too

Either that, or you get to spend ($5000 - cost of bike) on cycling clothes whether you need them or not.

[MGM]

I wouldn't look at it as which is lighter-therefore-the-better climber. I'd look to see which one has more comfortable geometry for your body type. I tried quite a few road bikes, both aluminum and carbon, and for me it was love at first ride on the Ruby. The Amira had me too stretched out, and I felt more road vibration on it. Some people like to feel the tranmission of the road through their bike. I loved the feel I got on the Ruby Comp, so I bought it. I really liked the Ultegra components, too.

Traditionally speaking, though, the more stretched out racing type frames are considered better for climbing because you have more of your weight over the front end. It is not the weight of the bike so much. If you want to make your bike lighter, as others said wheels make a big difference as does the component group. Most hardcore roadies upgrade their wheel set from the stock ones.

I've been taking a friend of mine shopping for road bikes, and last week he tried a Roubaix (men's version) along with some other bikes. After testing he loved the Roubaix, but there was something I noticed that I haven't seen with any of the other bikes he tried. He looked like he was just gliding on air, almost floaty. I don't know how else to explain it. When we ride together he's commented that I look like I'm just gliding, smooth and effortless. I had no idea what he was talking about until I saw him on the Roubaix. He got that same feeling from an Orbea as well, though I couldn't see it on that bike. The salesman (a knowledgable one ) did tell him that the Roubaix would feel a little bit heavier than some of the other carbon frames, until he got going. Then that would disappear. It did. Coming from a mountain bike where he averages 12 mph he went whizzing down the road at 25mph!

I really do love my Ruby. It's a much better/faster bike that its rider, lol. Try them all out and see what feels best to you. Try to ride up some inclines in the area to get a feel for the bike's climbing abilities. It may be that the Amira is more what your looking for, or the Madone, or even some other brand/model.

[tlnbmd]

oh boy, liked them all.
Today I tried the Trek Madone 3.2 (did not have the 5.2 in my size) felt very much like the Ruby but weighing less.
The Felt bike was light and fun to ride but they put me in to a 45 cm, felt ok but I just can't get over how tiny that sounds.
I took a 48 in the Specialized, 50 in Trek and now a petie 45 in Felt?.

Does Felt run big?

I am going to try another Felt dealer to see if they agree. I thought the small frame fit ok too...a tad of a reach but not bad. They said they could move the seat forward.
I am getting quite the work out and education trying all these different bikes.
I wish they had a rental program where you can rent them for a few days at a time.

[Koronin]

I don't know anything about the Felt Z series which is what I'm guessing you are testing instead of the F series. I own a 48cm F-5 which I love. The F series does not have a WSD version. For comparison I would ride a 44cm Specialized and a 47cm Trek. Hope that helps you a bit.

[ny biker]

oh boy, liked them all.
Today I tried the Trek Madone 3.2 (did not have the 5.2 in my size) felt very much like the Ruby but weighing less.
The Felt bike was light and fun to ride but they put me in to a 45 cm, felt ok but I just can't get over how tiny that sounds.
I took a 48 in the Specialized, 50 in Trek and now a petie 45 in Felt?.

Does Felt run big?

I am going to try another Felt dealer to see if they agree. I thought the small frame fit ok too...a tad of a reach but not bad. They said they could move the seat forward.
I am getting quite the work out and education trying all these different bikes.
I wish they had a rental program where you can rent them for a few days at a time.

If they think you move the seat forward when the reach is too far, they don't know about bike fit.