Considering a Ruby Compact with Sora

[mamakass]

Hi all ... new to the forum.. hope this is the right place to post this question... I started riding last year on an old steel schwinn my son found on craigs list. It was probably a pretty good guys bike about 20 years ago (ha ha). I did a women's sprint Tri last summer and discovered I really enjoyed riding. I use clipless pedals and ride about 14mph average speed on the trails. I'm not super competitive but like to be able to do my best and enjoy it. I've really only ridden on trails around town (Kansas City) which are great but have their drawbacks (narrow, crowded, bumpy, twisty, etc).
I am looking to up-grade my ride and found my way to a store which sells Specialized. They are showing me the Dolce Elite with Tiagra for $1250 and the Ruby Compact with Sora for $1450. (Specialized has put the Ruby's on sale this month). For a carbon bike, that Ruby price looks pretty good to me... but I am wondering if I should consider something else...a different brand or price point... (this is higher than I thought I would be going).
Would love any advice about what else I should be looking at...or what might be an interim step here before plunking down such a big amount.

I think one of the things I need to figure out is do I stick with a road bike or should I be looking at a different type of bike. So far the only riding I have done would call for a road bike... but if I wanted to do a multi-day ride, for exapmle, could i put paniers on the Ruby?
thanks girls!
Mamakass

[deanywalker21]

I have a 2008 Ruby Triple Compact and love it. Last year I added a Specialized Vita Elite to my bike collection. I am 5' 2" with short legs / long torso and have found that the Specialized bikes fit me better than Trek or Giant (the other two brands popular in my area). You might want to check out the Vita. It will take fenders and a rack. The Ruby will not. I use my Vita as a commuter and often taken it out "just for the fun" of it. If I could only have one bike the Vita would win out over the Ruby and my Trek MTB.

[mamakass]

I have a 2008 Ruby Triple Compact and love it. Last year I added a Specialized Vita Elite to my bike collection. I am 5' 2" with short legs / long torso and have found that the Specialized bikes fit me better than Trek or Giant (the other two brands popular in my area). You might want to check out the Vita. It will take fenders and a rack. The Ruby will not. I use my Vita as a commuter and often taken it out "just for the fun" of it. If I could only have one bike the Vita would win out over the Ruby and my Trek MTB.

This is very helpful - Thanks... my mom lives just 2 miles away and I often think it would be nice to ride over and see her but too much of a pain to put on the clipless shoes, re-fill the tires etc just to tool over for a visit. As such I simply don't ride my bike around town.
This is one of my big concerns... that I get committed to a very expensive road bike and it limits the kind of riding I can do... but for now, I have only ridden on trails... hmmm...

[MGM]

Welcome to TE Mama!

The order of importance to consider when buying is frameset first, then components (drive-train group), then wheels. Components are easy to change out. So are wheels, but I'd do components first. Based on that, I'd get the Ruby.

That assumes the bike fits perfectly, and suits your riding style.

You can also ask if they have any deals on upgrading the Sora, sometimes they do when you purchase a bike. Just depends on the shop and how much they want to move it. But you can always wait to upgrade, too. Or you can just enjoy the Sora on a nice bike. If it were me, I'd skip Tiagra and move up to 105. But Tiagra is nice, too.

That said, there is nothing wrong with the Dolce.

Agree with all the above. The Ruby is a great bike! If you're looking for big upgrade from an old steel frame you will love the Ruby. Though there's nothing wrong with the Dolce, once you ride that nice, light carbon frame you do get spoiled. And for the minor price difference I'd definitely go for the Ruby. The components will be fine, but of course the pricier ones are lighter and smoother. You can always upgrade later should you choose to.

I tried many, many road bikes last year, both aluminum and carbon. I chose the Ruby. Your shop's price is excellent!

[mamakass]

Great to hear... thanks MGM

[mamakass]

Great help guys - thanks for the responses... just went out and further confused myself by riding a Felt ZW5... I do think the Carbon is the way to go for these tired ol' bones and NOW I see why people pay more for the slicker components...this bike had Tiagra and even newbie me could tell the difference from the Sora. So - Felt vs Specialized... any opinions?

[MGM]

Which frameset had the more comfortable fit for you?

This ^^ is all-important!

Felts are great bikes also, that was actually my second choice. They're a little cheaper than Specialized, so you get more bang for your buck. But in the end, you will be buying one bike, you should go with the one you love riding.

Nicer components DO ride better. Which is how I ended up with Ultegra when I originally went in to buy SRAM...try the Ruby with the next level up components to see if it's the bike you like better or the groupset.

I look at it as it was cheaper to get the bike I really loved to ride, than to keep getting upgrade-itis...

[mamakass]

I'm actually having a hard time telling which is more comfortable for my body. when I come back from a test spin they always say "well, we can push the seat forward or change out that stem" I think the specialized might have fit better... just not really sure.
BTW the Felt was listed at $1750 but think they may come down a little... I am also thinking now that I have a better idea of what I want that i should consider buying used. How hard is it to get the right bike, in good condition, for a decent price?

[luvmyguys]

I'm actually having a hard time telling which is more comfortable for my body. when I come back from a test spin they always say "well, we can push the seat forward or change out that stem" I think the specialized might have fit better... just not really sure.
BTW the Felt was listed at $1750 but think they may come down a little... I am also thinking now that I have a better idea of what I want that i should consider buying used. How hard is it to get the right bike, in good condition, for a decent price?

So if the Ruby's are on sale, what would a Ruby with higher end components cost? It might not be any more expensive than the Felt.

$1450 for that Ruby is a GREAT price. And I have loved (loved loved loved) my Ruby.

FWIW, my husband tried a similar Felt (in a men's/unisex) and a Roubaix (the men's/unisex bike the Ruby was based on), and he liked the ride on the Roubaix better.

In terms of used, I think it depends on your size and where you live. I haven't noticed any screaming deals on my local Craigslist, and my size (44 cm) is so hard to find anyway that I wasn't going to have much luck. You might have better luck.

[Owlie]

It depends on your city and the cycling community there. Here in Dayton, the used bike market is terrible. In a few of the close-by larger cities, it's better, with the capital being better than the other city to the south. It seems like most of the used bike market in either place is for HUGE bikes.

[MGM]

Though finding a good used bike might not be too difficult, I think that finding the RIGHT used bike, what you want and in your size, could be very difficult! In my case, not too many people (if any) are selling their Rubies with higher end components in a 54cm size. In fact, I had to drive two states away to even try one with Ultegra in my size. I just couldn't judge how comfortable I'd ultimately be by trying the smaller frames that the shops had, and didn't want to commit to ordering the larger size when I wasn't sure what components I wanted.

People sell their bikes usually to upgrade, so lower end bikes are easier to find. And certain types of bikes - hybrids, mountain bikes, are more prevalent in the used market.

But once again, if you are getting a carbon frame for under $1500 it's a steal!

[MGM]

So if the Ruby's are on sale, what would a Ruby with higher end components cost? It might not be any more expensive than the Felt.

$1450 for that Ruby is a GREAT price. And I have loved (loved loved loved) my Ruby.

FWIW, my husband tried a similar Felt (in a men's/unisex) and a Roubaix (the men's/unisex bike the Ruby was based on), and he liked the ride on the Roubaix better.

.

I took my BF road bike shopping, and after many bikes the one he liked the best was also the Roubaix. He ended up buying a Specialized Tarmac APEX because the clearance price was too good to pass up. He had always told me I looked like I was gliding effortlessly on my Ruby, and until I saw him ride the Roubaix I didn't quite understand what he meant. He went by me looking like he was floating on air. There's a special quality to the Ruby/Roubaix ride.

[mamakass]

This is all very helpful. The Felt sales person is a very cool woman/triathlete/ironman who was one of the coaches in my Tri training. She used that gizmo that measures your leg angle...but didn't use any tools to diagnose the arms/reach. I told her I thought the angle of the Felt gave my neck some strain and I wasn't sure that i had enough bend in my elbow when on the hoods. More comfortable in the drops. This bike is called a M which she said was about a 52. I am 5'5 1/2" formerly 5'6", and think i have pretty average length legs/arms/torso for my height. I tried out both the 51 and the 54 Specialized and I think the 54 is a little better - we had the seat WAY up in the 51. I will take your advice and go back and try the specialized Ruby with the next level components but now it's getting really pricey!

I don't get the impression that the KC used bike market is too great.
thanks again

[TigerMom]

It's true. We all keep upgrading.

I try to restrain myself, but I am pretty addicted. Interestingly, I normally have zero interest in shopping for clothes/fashion.

[azfiddle]

I love my 2010 Ruby, with 105 components. My first bike had Sora front, Tiagra back and the 105 was much better. If there is any way to upgrade to the 105- the cost over the life of the bike will be minimal compared to how you will feel on the bike. BTW, I am 5'1" and ride a 44, which fits me great.