Sequoia Elite or OCR 2?
 

Please be gentle. I'm sure a lot of you get sick of the newbie "Which Bike" threads but they really help us out.

I have pretty much narrowed my list of bikes down to the above 2. They are at the same LBS. They appear to have very similar components and a short test ride was pretty much the same on both. If anything the Giant felt a bit better but neither was completely dialed in. The Giant is about $250.00 cheaper. Is the Specialized a better quality bike? What am I giving up for saving $250.00?

To throw another thought out, the OCR 1 is the same price as the Sequoia Elite and has 105 throughout.

By the way, I've also ridden the Pilot 2.1, the Felt Z80 and the Trek 1500. The Specialized and Giant both feel better to me. Those are my choices unless I want to drive 120 miles to St. Louis.

I'm 44 years old, 5'11" and weigh 205, with plans to loose at least 10 more pounds. I expect I'll be able to do that since I've lost 80 in the last year. I'm currently riding about 50 miles a week on an old Trek Multi-track 720 steel bike. I ride mostly on the Katy trail but have really been wanting to get out on the road more. I rode 25 miles this morning on the trail with my Multi-track in a tad over 2 hours. I'm not fast!

The riding position of the Trek 1500 was just a bit much for me. The relaxed bikes feel a lot better.

I can afford all of the bikes I listed. I just want to get the best value for my money.

Thanks.

Joe

The first thing that jumps out at me while looking at the photo of the OCR 2 is that it has an awfully low spoke count for someone weighing 205#. The wheels on the Sequoia are going to be more reliable just on that alone.

I personally hate the Avatar saddle on the Sequoia but that's just me.

Hi,
if the Elite is their top of the line, I can't figure out why they want so much for it.
My impulse would be to go for the Giant, but upgrade the wheels at the time of sale. It will cost you some, but it will also be worth it.

Have to agree about the Giant wheels. I got an OCR3 last year and the only thing letting the bike down was the wheelset. Weight is not a problem for either of these bikes--Except for the wheels. I am not a heavyweight but I got a set of training wheels built by a Wheel builder and they transformed the bike.- 105 hubs on Mavic CXP33 rims and 36 spokes. These wheels were not a fortune and are indestructable. The wheel builder has two Clydesdale's riding on them and only has the wheels back once a year for retensioning. The same as he would for ordinary riders.

+1 on the CXP33 rims. If I couldn't kill them, no one can.

There are lots of good wheels out there, and your shop may
cut you a deal on something nice. But the CXP33s are a good choice
if available.

After the initial post I went back to another shop and rode the Trek Pilot 1.2 again. Let's throw that into the mix as well. It felt better than I remembered. Any serious shortcomings there?

Thanks again.

Well, OK, but take into account Trek is supposed to discontinue the Pilot next year. BTW, I haven't looked to see what brifter/derailer groups you get with the models you've mentioned, but I would stay with the 105 group. IMHO, wheels can come later.

I have the sequoia expert 2 year old model with 105 group setup . Its been an excellent bike
and I have had good service from specialized with 2 warranty issues that I had with it. I bought it used
and specialized still took care of the issues. The one thing that I have like about the bike was the
adjustable angles on the stem. I am able to adjust it from 45 to negative 20 . I started at 45 , I
never received a professional bike fitting. But I have adjusted it over time down to 0 now.
I like the bike for the long hauls but would like to buy something different for short runs. But then
again I bet all of us would have a reason to buy another bike:)

Dynodan

I was looking at the Sequoia Elite and OCR2 a while back. Actually ended up with an OCR1. I love it.

I'm 6'1" 175 lbs...no problems with the wheels for me.

I also have a Sequoia Expert (2006), and it's a great ride, very comfortable over the long distances.
The Sequoia Elite has carbon seatstays whereas the Giant does not (I believe), as well as the zertz inserts, which might be worth the extra dollars to you.