$649 + tax, does that sound reasonable or expensive?

That sounds MSRP.

Advice: Spend the extra dough on the OCR2. You won't regret it. Good first road bike.

+1 for going for the OCR 2 even if it is a bit of a reach...

No deal for sure. We paid $550 for my wife's OCR3. Shop it...if you cannot get the price down, ask for extras such as water bottle cages, water bottles, maybe a discount on some clothes, spare tubes or pump. These add up and you'll need them anyway.

Sheldon

I agree, although very happy with my ocr3, try to upgrade it you can.

$650 ain't a deal at all for an OCR 3. That's MSRP. The low $500s would be a deal.

I was told I could order a 2007 OCR3 and get it in two days. The color has changed and it looks nice. I freaked out about the typo that said 9 speed Sora, but no such luck. You should be able to get an '07 now. Also, the crank has changed to an FSA, not sure of model, from the Truvative.

By "upgrade", I assume you mean to buy a different bike. Replacing parts on an entry level bike is pretty silly , except for changes that improve your fit on the bike.

The OCR 3 is a perfectly fine bike. My friend rides the OCR 3 and has had no complaints so far. The best part is, he picked it up for $525, so $650 is not much of a deal.