New Starter Road Bike - Help!

shapez

Hi Folks,

After a few years of absence I am starting back into cycling. I am hoping I can get some help/advice regarding a particular bike I am being offered.

It is a Giant OCR 4 2007 model. I don't want to say what the price is yet, but can people give me a rough idea what I should expect to pay for this model also considering that it is being phased out and replaced by the SCR?

Many thanks.

cunnins4

shapez wrote:

Hi Folks,

After a few years of absence I am starting back into cycling. I am hoping I can get some help/advice regarding a particular bike I am being offered.

It is a Giant OCR 4 2007 model. I don't want to say what the price is yet, but can people give me a rough idea what I should expect to pay for this model also considering that it is being phased out and replaced by the SCR?

Many thanks.

I thought it was the other way around? I tried to buy and SCR1.0 a few months back on winstanleysbikes.co.uk and they said the SCR range was being discontinued but they had an OCR1.0 for 400quid more or something.

Someone will correct me if i'm wrong though.

How much wear is on the bike? If it's an 07 model it should still be in decent condition. I'd venture a guess that €300 would be an appropriate amount, but then again I don't know as much as others. How much does an OCR4.0 retail at?

the boss of me

Hi Shapez,
Like yourself I have started again cycling after a long absence. I bought an OCR4 from www.cyclestore.co.uk in June and it cost £225 sterling with £30 on top for postage. Total cost was about €380.

You're right about them being discontinued, replaced by the scr I believe.

Quigs Snr

OCR4 discontinued in 2006. Bought one for the missus for about 370 euro including delivery. Used to retail for about 450 here in Ireland. Would not recommend. Fine for rolling around but the bike is super heavy, and I am not exaggerating. The 7 speed Shimano drivetrain is not very upgradeable at all, and the rest of the parts are poor enough, the wheels in particular are dreadful, I used the front one on one of my bikes once in an emergency and my bike was noticeably slower (albeit to be expected, vs my Carbon superlight wheels).

The new SCR4.0 is not a whole lot better but it is an improvement, I think its a slightly better setup and the one I held felt lighter than the OCR4. The real entry level is at about 650-700 ish where at this time of year you might get a deal on a specialised allez or trek 1000. You would be better off spending 400 on a secondhand trek 1000 than the same money on a new OCR4. Still if its just a bit of commuting and you are not using it for sport it will do the job. If there is a possibility that you will want to move on a bit and get into the sport more, then the likes of the trek 1000 are better, they are still entry level, but they won't hold you back quite as much. I am pretty much as quick on an old trek 1000 as I am on a state of the art carbon dream machine, well I can keep on on club training rides on either, however I cannot on the giant ... Gearing is quite low so lose it on fast downhills and flat out level work sections.

Either way, if the Giant gets you into cycling and you upgrade later, then it didn't cost much, you should be able to recoup a lot of the cost if you keep it in good nick (with the rise of triathlon as a sport the market for cheap entry levels is getting bigger every year, I could have sold 10 OCR4's back in may if I could get my hands on them). So overall it would be money well spent.

shapez

Folks, many thanks for your time and advice.

Whilst searching the web, I've come across a Giant SCR4.0 from Wiggle and CycleSuperStore for around the €540 mark. This seems good value as the budget I had in mind which was €500 for a bike.

I will definitely check out the Trek & Specialised bikes.

shapez

Hi Folks,

I have being doing a lot of research and come across a lot of options. A friend of mine is going to lent me one of his bikes for the winter to see how I get on and if I like it and want to continue then I shall invest.

I've come across some starter packs that I think are reasonable... what do you think?

http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=0&idproduct=14952

http://www.wheelworxbikes.com/product_info.php?cPath=46&products_id=150

If I'm honest I think the LaPierre bike is lovely.

blorg

My personal view with the starter packs (Cyclesuperstore's in particular) would be only to go for them if you want every item and every item is exactly what you want, as the discount is not outstanding. Alternative is to build up slowly as you need items.

RobAMerc

I bought my third "starter" (bought wrong sizes from web - wont do that again) bike from Hollingsworth cycles on lower Kilmacud road .

Its a Specialized Allez - and I have to say after the other two this is by far the best. And I got a great deal too. 08 Spec for 750 - 10% for cash.

I couldn't beat that on the web and the crowd in town came no where close.

Quigs Snr

I think the starter packs are too low end. I'd rather choose my own bits and pick them up over time. As for the Lapierre, well its a looker, but I tell you this, the Specialized is better equipped, and a better bike to ride. The Giant SCR3 in that other pack is ok, but I'd still take the Specialised any day.

E@gle.

Quigs Snr wrote:

I think the starter packs are too low end. I'd rather choose my own bits and pick them up over time. As for the Lapierre, well its a looker, but I tell you this, the Specialized is better equipped, and a better bike to ride. The Giant SCR3 in that other pack is ok, but I'd still take the Specialised any day.

the gear you get with the starter packs is pretty crap tbh, better off buying a bike from local store and getting the correct size which is essential.

i agree with quigs here on this one go for a trek 1000,Specialized allez or giant scr 3.

The new giants SCR are better that the old OCR which weighed a ton

shapez

Folks,

Many thanks for your advice and opinions. I will take everything into account and take my time researching before spending on a bike.