stapfam

Now have had the road bike long enough to evaluate the worth of it. To recap- I am a Mountain Biker but decided to get a Road bike to enable me to ride a bit more in the evenings in the Summer. I got a Giant SCR 3.0. Have not seen it in the US catalogue so presume it is a European model- but as the OCR is dropped in Europe this year- presume that it is the replacement bike. Alloy frame and about 2lbs lighter but the range seems to have similar spec to the OCR. Cost of my cheapest model in the range is about $800 so a not a great deal of high spec parts fitted.

OK its a starter bike but so far I am pleased with it- and that includes the stock saddle that I thought would be the first thing to change. Using brake levers to change gear with took a bit of getting used to and so did the riding position. It has a triple ring of 52/42/30 and rear 8-speed cassette of 12/26. Thought this would be a problem but did a ride last Sunday and although the gearing is higher than my MTB- I found myself most of the time in the 42 sprocket and up the 15% hill- the 30 /26 was just about low enough. Had to get out of the saddle to keep the cadence sensible but I knew that the higher "Lowest" gear would take some getting used to. It rode well and I am surprised. Riding position is comfortable- even when I did get down into the drops on the fastest part of the ride, and only slight problem was control at slow speeds on the top of the bars. On the hoods was better but weaving in and out of other riders on some of the hills did cause me a few handling worries.

I am used to narrow tyres from the road use on my MTB but I did not appreciate the Hard ride that comes up through the Straight pull spokes on the cheap wheels. Reckon a spare set of wheels may be on the cards for next year. I have compared the set up of this bike to my MTB and saddle position is the same- and hand position on the MTB equates to mid position between the top of the bars and the hoods, although the road bars are about 2" lower. Reckon that there will be some slight adjustment but riding position seems to be nearly there. Actual riding appears just as enjoyable as offroad- although it is completely different. Speed is a lot higher and the High gearing is not noticed on pedal effort- till you look at the computer. Don’t notice the increase in speed- except downhill where the acceleration hits you. Brakes still work on new rims and blocks so no comment on them yet. Same with the gear changes. No difficulty in changing and no crunching yet. Dare say that will come as wear appears, but the changing is not as crisp as the XT that is fitted to the MTB.

So far so good. I cannot see this road bike replacing any of my Offroading, but I can see it adding to my rides. So easy to get the road bike out and do 20 miles or so in the evening. I can also see it adding a different dimension to my riding. I know I am not out there to race or do high mileage on it, or even do a ride at a high average although that will come later. What it will do though is get me out more often. As to me turning into a roadie- Don'’t think so- but when and If I ever get fed up with going out on the hills with all the cold and rain with no grip up the 15% hills that go on and on and --. I might change my mind.