Specialized Ruby Expert - By Karen Cooper
- Specialized FACT 8r carbon frame, Az1 construction, Designs for Women compact design, Zertz inserts
- Specialized FACT monocoque carbon fork; full carbon legs, crown and steerer w/ Zertz inserts
- Shimano Ultegra SL 10-speed Drivetrain - 50×34 Compact Crankset
- SRAM OG-1070 cassette, 10-speed 11-28t
- Roval Echappee wheelset
- Body Geometry Ruby Women’s saddle
- MSRP: $3300
On their website, Specialized describes the Ruby Expert as “a pure performance racehorse, engineered for women who like to fly”. The Ruby’s heart and sole is its light weight FACT carbon frame, well proportioned for a typically feminine body, controlled by handlebars and brakes with travel reducers that are perfectly scaled to fit a woman’s hand. The Expert comes with Shimano’s new smoky gray Ultegra SL components, rolling on durable Roval Echapee wheels and Specialized’s All Condition Pro tires with a reputation for all-around performance and long life. During the course of this review, I’ve had plenty of hours in the saddle, and logged lots of miles to put this Ruby to the test.
Specialized provided the bike the 3rd week in May, a week before the Team in Training century around Lake Tahoe that I’d committed to back in February. That gave us a short window of time to get the bike properly set-up and fitted in time for the event. It’s a little risky to change equipment so close to a major ride, but my husband and I were confident that we could sort everything out in time if we duplicated my training bike’s ride position.
Tahoe would be my first century, so I was initially anxious about the demands of a 100 mile ride, at elevation, with a decent amount of climbing; but the TNT program brought us up to speed and helped instill the confidence that I was strong enough to pull off the distance. With all the training miles, the coaching on ride technique and group skills, and the team’s enthusiasm, I felt ready to roll. The biggest challenge was my old bike, a stiff, one-size-fits-all aluminum frame with a mix of 105 and generic components, typical of a cheap first bike. Durable enough, but heavy and not very responsive, it was a stretch to fit. It wouldn’t be the best ride for a tough century. I was looking forward to testing the Ruby.
Specialized designed the Ruby Expert to fit a woman’s body, and the initial set-up proved that accurate. The 51cm frame had the perfect seat-tube length with a proportionally shorter top tube. The alloy bars are designed with shorter reach for a better ergonomic fit. Moving from the tops, to the bends and drops is easy with the right sized handlebar. Travel reducers at the brake levers enable smaller hands to have full control. The woman’s specific Body Geometry saddle has the right balance of width, padding and flex. Plus it’s a stylish package.
