Road Cycling - Wadayathink of Giant Road Bikes?

I am thinking of buying a Giant OCR Touring bike. I test rode one yesterday at a Lexington LBS, and liked it. They wanted $1,195 for it. It has an aluminum frame, mucho braze-ons, mechanical disc brakes, a Shimano 105 27 speed group, Mavic 224 touring wheels, and internal cables. Giants are made in Taiwan. The LBS wouldn't come down on the price. Is this a good deal? Are Giants good bikes? Thanx for your input.

Giant bikes tend to give you good bang-for-buck but the sizing scheme always concerns me. If you happen to fit into one of the three or four offerred sizes then great... proceed to the next square. The value of the components and the quality of the frame are pretty decent. IMHO, aside from a few of their higher end models, there's nothing exceptional about them though. The OCRs ride predictably although the ones I test rode (OCR1 and OCR2) were slightly heavy and I thought they were a little sluggish but then again my normal ride is a lightweight carbon bike. For the most part, it'll do the job without fuss or fanfare and it'll do it for less money than much of the competition. It's worth a look as long as you can get one that fits.

My uncle bought an OCR-1 this year, and simply loves the bike. As stated above, fit is the most critical factor with any bike purchase. You may want to ride a few more bikes in order to get a handle on which fits you better.

Good luck!

I am a big fan of Giant. I have the TCR 1 carbon and love it. I picked mine up in June and have over a 1000 miles on it so far. A great bike for the price. I negotiated with my LBS on the price they came down $300 so I was a happy camper.

trmcgeehan - I bought a OCR Touring from most likely the same LBS (PP'er?) in Lexington. $1199.99. Yor right, they won't budge on price. But a factor that may be harder for you (since you live in somerset) is that they will tune it and fix it free for a year. I LIKE mine, Extremely well. I figure to do some touring but have so far only hit the local roads. I especially like the triple crank. Gets me up some really big hills. I also have a Litepeed, I average about 17 mph on it (25 mile trip) vs a15.5 to 16 on the OCR. I've had to have it tuned once @ 50 miles - wouldn't shift to high on triple, and need to do so again (its at 354 miles total).
Its according to what you use for , the litespeed is a porshe, the OCR a good solid BMW. BTW- I just reveived a flyer form PP'er (LBS) big sale going on tomorrow night and this weekend, might be worth a call. Good Luck!

I would look at TCR's on Ebay. If you can go to the LBS and get sized, you can get a nice TCR for the amount you are talking about.

Like this for instance:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3622798271&category=7298

Should you go that route be sure to let the shop know up front you will not be buying from them and just want to be fitted.

Longrider:
'Your' item Bid as of 7pm EST was $1300. I'd rather have the OCR Touring for what I paid plus free tune up and repair for a year (even if I had to travel 60 miles) Just my $0.02,
I did see a OCR Touring last week go for $810 plus ship ($60??) but I'm with rev Chuck, I'd be upfront with the local bike shop on fitting.

I'm not too crazy about Giant bikes, but I must admit, you do get a good bang for your buck. Like everyone has said already, fit is the most important thing. As far as my opinion on Giant, I'm just not too crazy about lightweight, aluminum road frames. However, as far as a touring bike goes, you'll have fatter tires that will definitely dampen road buzz. I really wouldn't expect the LBS to come down on the price though. They probably aren't making much money off the bike to begin with.

For another $100.00, Ill take the Dura ace, me thinks. :D

do you really need all that crap? I hate to bring this up again, but why bother with discs? why bother with a touring bike? its all just weight and bulk that you don't need. are you going to be touring?

I have three Giant products. My wife and I each have a comfort bike Sedona DX and I have about 1100 miles on an OCR 1. Love them all, especially the OCR. I found the price to be fair and the bike very reliable. I am a 51 YO solo roadie who never races and usually do 10 - 30 miles at a time. Certainly there are better bikes out there. For the price though, I think Giant gives you a lot of bike. Fit is important of course.

I agree that a touring bike has a lot of extras if you're not going to use it for touring. If you're looking for a comfortable ride, you might also test ride the Specialized Sequoia. It's designed for more recreational riders, and is set up for doing tours also.

Thanks for all the good input on Giant. The Lexington LBS thinks I need a medium size, which seems a little small for me (I ride a 58 frame now). He said going with a medium rather than a large frame will mean less frame flex. He appeared to be very knowledgeable, but I don't know. If I get it, this will be my everyday bike, and I may eventually do some touring on it. At age 65, I liked the long wheelbase and fatter tires -- they made for a gentler ride on my brittle body. I also tested a Cannondale road bike (don't know the model, but they were asking $1500). I rode both bikes over the same downtown course, and the Giant was much more comfortable, and the cockpit was bigger, which I like. The Cannondale ride seemed harsh, and the steering a bit too quick for me. The Giant tires carry only 65 pounds recommended.

Originally posted by trmcgeehan
I also tested a Campy road bike (don't know the model, but they were asking $1500).

I didn't know Campy made bikes. I thought they just made components.

trmcgeehan, I have a size 56 Litespeed and I chose a large OCR frame. I too felt a medium was too small (which they recommended). I also agree with your comment about the Giant tires and longer wheel base. I like that. Also tried the Cannondale (1600 I think), didn't like it much. Did you get a sale price? friend got an OCR-1 at a good deal. BTW- I'm 56.

I ride a Specialized Allez (which is a Giant) and am very pleased with it.

cAPS

I have a Giant CFR1 1996 which is carbon fibre with aluminium lugs, and a carbon fork with steel steerer tube. This bike has been excellent, a bit heavy now and the Shimano 600 needs some coaxing to get off the big chain ring, but a great bike. I liked it so much that I bought the 2003 TCR1 composite which is also excellent. I have been very impressed with Giant bikes. They make some great MTB's also.

CHEERS.

Mark

Appreciate all your good feedback, but all this may be moot. My darling daughter, a freshman at University of Kentucky, just pledged a sorority. The sorority wants $500 now and $500 in two months, which will only cover the first semester. Every time I get $$$ ahead for a new bike, something comes out of left field and steals my new bike nestegg. I think God is trying to tell me I should be happy and satisfied with my 1985 Ross!

Originally posted by trmcgeehan
Appreciate all your good feedback, but all this may be moot. My darling daughter, a freshman at University of Kentucky, just pledged a sorority. The sorority wants $500 now and $500 in two months, which will only cover the first semester. Every time I get $$$ ahead for a new bike, something comes out of left field and steals my new bike nestegg. I think God is trying to tell me I should be happy and satisfied with my 1985 Ross!

Hmmm... well, she's your daughter and it's your money but I've always considered sororities and fraternaties to be an optional part of college. Are you giving her the money to join or loaning it to her? If you'll get the money back then perhaps it'll only just be a delay of a few months before you can get a new bike which might not be such a bad thing since you may be able to get the OCR-T at an even better prce on clearance (assuming some are still left). Maybe check with the bikeshop to see if you can do a layaway.

Odd coincidence, My prior bike to the OCR & Litespeed is a 12 speed Ross Signature. I thought it was world class. In fact I took it in to replace the chain on it when I saw the Litespeed. Its sitting in the basement as I write this, with the old chain still on it. Hardly any comparison. I haven't been on it since I bought the Litespeed & OCR -. I figure if I reach 'old age' (when ever that is) I'll ask myself 'Would I regret buying 2 FINE expensive bikes? Riding both bikes I mentioned above I now know the answer.
You say your 65 ?, My friends training partner is a 65 year old woman, regional champ for her age class, I don't think - No - I KNOW, I could not keep up with her. UK has is a great school, one of my kids went there, the student loan program was excellent. Not telling you what to do, but I've made peace. Its awful hard to spend so much money on yourself instead of your kids, but this was 2 decisions I'll never regret. Either way you decide - Good Luck, and keep pedaling - it will keep you young and around for some time.