Giant OCR Review/Opinions? Buying a new bike.

[NewRoadBike]

Hi, I am new to road cycling, just about to get into it with a mate of mine. I already do a fair bit of riding on my mountain bike and thought I'd be better off with a road bike. I have found a second hand Giant OCR3, with shimano sora gearing and alex wheels. It costs AUD$280 negotiable. Is it worth it, and is it a good quality bike for a good price for starting off?

[Duck!]

Not a bad bike to start with, but above all, be sure it's the right size for you!. The frame is pretty robust, and although not the slickest-operating stuff, the Sora components are pretty reliable; just make sure it's been looked after and nothing is too worn out, although parts at that level aren't ridiculously expensive.

[athman]

I started out with a sora-spec OCR3 about 10 years ago. I rode it as my primary bike for three years and then upgraded to a carbon framed Giant TCR (which I still have). I hung on to the OCR3 for a long time after that because it was a useful second bike and I only sold it last month.

I did a lot of distance riding in it, including the 200k Around the Bay and my first Alpine Classic 130k. I even started racing in it. I did about 5 criteriums?criteria? crit races and then decided to go carbon.

I did wear out a lot of components along the way, but that is because I was riding much more than it was designed for. The wheels went first, then the headstem bearings, then the chain and cassette just through wear and tear.

A higher spec bike will have better component life (which is one of the reasons I upgraded to an Ultegra spec bike). However a lot depends on your approach to riding. I 'didn't know how much cycling I'd do until I got into it. I just decided to get a solid entry level bike and take it from there.You may ride a lot, you may not. There are plenty of people who start with lots of bling and great intentions, only for their high-spec bikes to end up gathering dust.

I've just got into kayaking and I took the same approach, I bought a good, but not spectacular, kayak and I'll just see how it goes.

[Mulger bill]

If the running gear and frame are in decent shape, yep.

The last of the OCRs were great rides

[rodneycc]

Might be worth taking it to a LBS and getting a service on it if you do buy it. They might recommend replacing the cables If they are worn and could make a major difference to the feel so maybe factor in another $120-150 and then you will have a pretty decent ride.

[stoogey]

Hi, I am new to road cycling, just about to get into it with a mate of mine. I already do a fair bit of riding on my mountain bike and thought I'd be better off with a road bike. I have found a second hand Giant OCR3, with shimano sora gearing and alex wheels. It costs AUD$280 negotiable. Is it worth it, and is it a good quality bike for a good price for starting off?

Like others said, make sure the bike fits you properly. I started commuting on a Large MTB hardtail frame, which fit because geometry was more forgiving. Now I'm on a Small sized road bike (Bike fit charts say I should be a Small to Medium). If unsure it's always better to get a smaller frame with a longer stem because if the frame is too big you'll never be able to adjust it to your fit.