Beginner good bike
#1
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Beginner good bike
hi, i have allways wanted to tour and am finally able to purchase a bike. I am lucky enough to afford a half decent bike and am thinking of buying the giant ocr tour 2005. Its about 1700 canadian. Can anyone tell me if this is a good purchase for serious touring ...im 200lbs, and will be packing appropriate amounts for long distances. thanx
#2
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Hi
Is the 'tour' different from the normal 'road' bike? If no, it makes a good training road bike but would be of little use for touring as the rims may not be up for it but more important it has no fixings for a front/rear rack therefore you would not be able to carry panniers.
Have you considered a Hybrid bike, they tend to be more comfortable, stronger and better value for money. I hope this might be helpful.
Will
Is the 'tour' different from the normal 'road' bike? If no, it makes a good training road bike but would be of little use for touring as the rims may not be up for it but more important it has no fixings for a front/rear rack therefore you would not be able to carry panniers.
Have you considered a Hybrid bike, they tend to be more comfortable, stronger and better value for money. I hope this might be helpful.
Will
#3
Shoot Your Car
A much better touring bike is the Urbanite
https://ucycle.com/bikes/item.php?nam...r&cat=urbanite
You can use either road or mtn rear hubs as it has 132.5 mm rear spacing.
And remember STEEL IS REAL,
Aluminium is for making beer cans
https://ucycle.com/bikes/item.php?nam...r&cat=urbanite
You can use either road or mtn rear hubs as it has 132.5 mm rear spacing.
And remember STEEL IS REAL,
Aluminium is for making beer cans
#4
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Originally Posted by vancouverboy
hi, i have allways wanted to tour and am finally able to purchase a bike. I am lucky enough to afford a half decent bike and am thinking of buying the giant ocr tour 2005. Its about 1700 canadian. Can anyone tell me if this is a good purchase for serious touring ...im 200lbs, and will be packing appropriate amounts for long distances. thanx
I would measure the rear chainstays. Anything less than 45 cm on a medium frame (56 cm) is too short for touring. The bike will be very squirrelly under load which is never a good thing. The front end geometry looks to be a bit too steep also. A more relaxed head angle will be more stable.
Finally, considering that most touring bikes last forever, I not convinced that the integrated headset on the Giant's will last a long time. There are some problems with the headset that are design related and can't be fixed if the headset wears out. The Chris King website has an indepth article on the problems with integrated headsets.
The Urbanite bike quoted by another poster looks good. I have a Cannondale T800 that is a great touring bike. The Fuji World Tour and the Trek 520 are worth a look too.
Stuart Black
"Aluminum: most abundant metal on the surface of the planet. Why not make bikes out of it."
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hi,
if you live in Vancouver, B.C. try La Bicicletta on Broadway. They carry Vitali and Marinoni Touring bikes. They are a bit more expensive but worth the money. Very knowlegable staff. ckeck it out.
good luck
tradewind
if you live in Vancouver, B.C. try La Bicicletta on Broadway. They carry Vitali and Marinoni Touring bikes. They are a bit more expensive but worth the money. Very knowlegable staff. ckeck it out.
good luck
tradewind
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You might waht to check out the Bruce Gordon Cycles BLT (Basic Loaded Touring)
https:www.bgcycles.com
Bruce Gordon
Bruce Gordon Cycles
https:www.bgcycles.com
Bruce Gordon
Bruce Gordon Cycles
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Sorry, can't help you out with that. Don't know too much about Giant bikes I'm still waiting for a reply regarding the Redline touring bike I would like to purchase.
#8
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I looked at the Giant OCR Tour, the Cannondale T800, Fuji's Touring bike and Trek's 520. I rode all but the OCR Tour, but the stress a disk brake buts on spokes turned me off. I am 195 and have concerns about breaking spokes with my weight and the 30-35.bs of gear I will carry front and back. No need to make the problem worse.
As for steel vs aluminum, go with what you like. "Steel is real" is so overdone and annoying. For big guys a good aluminum frame makes a good deal of sense, much less flexy then steel. I bought a T800 and it felt much better to me than the Trek 520. Plus, the out of the box gearing for 2005 rocks! Component spec for a bike that will see a lot of hard times is nice too.
As for steel vs aluminum, go with what you like. "Steel is real" is so overdone and annoying. For big guys a good aluminum frame makes a good deal of sense, much less flexy then steel. I bought a T800 and it felt much better to me than the Trek 520. Plus, the out of the box gearing for 2005 rocks! Component spec for a bike that will see a lot of hard times is nice too.
#9
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Originally Posted by gordons9
I looked at the Giant OCR Tour, the Cannondale T800, Fuji's Touring bike and Trek's 520. I rode all but the OCR Tour, but the stress a disk brake buts on spokes turned me off. I am 195 and have concerns about breaking spokes with my weight and the 30-35.bs of gear I will carry front and back. No need to make the problem worse.
As for steel vs aluminum, go with what you like. "Steel is real" is so overdone and annoying. For big guys a good aluminum frame makes a good deal of sense, much less flexy then steel. I bought a T800 and it felt much better to me than the Trek 520. Plus, the out of the box gearing for 2005 rocks! Component spec for a bike that will see a lot of hard times is nice too.
As for steel vs aluminum, go with what you like. "Steel is real" is so overdone and annoying. For big guys a good aluminum frame makes a good deal of sense, much less flexy then steel. I bought a T800 and it felt much better to me than the Trek 520. Plus, the out of the box gearing for 2005 rocks! Component spec for a bike that will see a lot of hard times is nice too.
As for steel vs aluminum, I have both. The steel bike (an old touring bike) is slightly more comfortable for in town, unloaded riding. The T800 I ride is a bit harsher but when it's loaded is much more stable then the steel one. That's why I bought it. The old one would develop a very nasty shimmy on fast downhills with a load and, living out here, it's kind of hard to avoid fast downhills! Even when riding to work!
Stuart Black