# Trek 1.2 or Giant OCR3??



## generalmotors.corvette (Feb 9, 2008)

Hey guys! I am super-excited to be jumping from the mountain biking world over into the roadies! Major problem though, where do I start? Let me tell you a little about myself. I've been mountain biking for fun, ie., not racing, since I was a kid, so I have a lot of bike experience, but my old bike is aweful on the road, espcially at about 45 lbs!!!! I am getting married in June to my girlfriend of a few years, & I have tried to get her into the mountain biking scene, but I don't think she really ever got comfortable with it. So we are going to take on road cycling. So, here is the question, what bike should we start with? Like I said, I am a pretty avid biker, I have just never done any road stuff. I have been looking at both the Giant OCR3 & Trek 1.2. I was thinking of trying to get some used bikes online, but some of the threads on here kind of pushed me away from that for our first bikes, (not really knowing what size road bikes fit us.) We are both about 5'7"-5'8". I think for the price, we can't beat these bikes, (leaning more towards the Trek now), but I am concerned that we might "out grow" these bikes, in the areas of skill & endurance, too soon. I am pretty competitive & also pretty hard on my mountain bike. (Lots of broken axles, etc.) What do you guys think, should we go with the $700 beginner bikes, & then maybe upgrade if this is something we really want to get serious about, or should we look for a slightly more competitive bike? If so, what do you suggest?? Any help would be awesome! Thanks!


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## mymxv (Sep 28, 2007)

I have test rode both of these bikes when I was buying my first road bike. The most important thing is FIT. They are both excellent beginner bikes. You might want to check out Specialized Allez as well. I ended up buying the Allez because it was a better fit for me.


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## asnpcwiz (Feb 19, 2008)

Sat on and test rode both bikes. However, I ended up purchasing the Specialized Allez. I like the geometry of the bike more than the Trek and I liked the fact that it seemed so light and nimble compared to the Giant. The Giant just seemed way too long of a bike for me and it seemed hard to control on some turns. It's all personal preference, but the Allez was my choice as well.


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## slicknick (Apr 12, 2007)

The OCR series are good bikes and I was considering buying a used OCR1 for myself. After test riding the OCR I felt the geometry was to relaxed and I tried a TCR and ended up buying a used TCR instead. The OCR is more of a comfort relaxed geometry where the TCR is a more aggressive racing geometry. I to was an mountain biker before getting into road cycling and the bike shop I talked to, when considering a road bike, steered me towards the TCR knowing that I would be more into fast paced rides and racing. Either way Giant makes great bikes and so far mine has been very dependable. Specialized and Trek also make great bikes, just make sure it fits.


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## Lakemichchip (May 19, 2008)

Trek hands down!!!


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## hayduke1972 (Oct 3, 2007)

*Step up*



generalmotors.corvette said:


> I think for the price, we can't beat these bikes, (leaning more towards the Trek now), but I am concerned that we might "out grow" these bikes, in the areas of skill & endurance, too soon. I am pretty competitive & also pretty hard on my mountain bike. (Lots of broken axles, etc.) What do you guys think, should we go with the $700 beginner bikes, & then maybe upgrade if this is something we really want to get serious about, or should we look for a slightly more competitive bike? If so, what do you suggest?? Any help would be awesome! Thanks!


The frames on both are very good quality, but since your talking about being pretty competitive and hard on bikes, I think your going to quickly outgrow the components. The Giant comes with mostly Shimano 2200 parts which are roughly equivalent to Alivio parts on mountain bikes. So if your used to higher performance, 2200 probably is going to disappoint. On the Trek, you've got Sora which is marginally better...but still in the Alivio range equivalent. I would step up to at least Tiagra or even better 105. 

So you might consider the Trek 2.1 or Giant OCR 1. You might also check out a Specialized Allez Elite

:thumbsup:


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## calle_betis (Jun 30, 2006)

generalmotors.corvette said:


> Hey guys! I am super-excited to be jumping from the mountain biking world over into the roadies! Major problem though, where do I start? Let me tell you a little about myself. I've been mountain biking for fun, ie., not racing, since I was a kid, so I have a lot of bike experience, but my old bike is aweful on the road, espcially at about 45 lbs!!!! I am getting married in June to my girlfriend of a few years, & I have tried to get her into the mountain biking scene, but I don't think she really ever got comfortable with it. So we are going to take on road cycling. So, here is the question, what bike should we start with? Like I said, I am a pretty avid biker, I have just never done any road stuff. I have been looking at both the Giant OCR3 & Trek 1.2. I was thinking of trying to get some used bikes online, but some of the threads on here kind of pushed me away from that for our first bikes, (not really knowing what size road bikes fit us.) We are both about 5'7"-5'8". I think for the price, we can't beat these bikes, (leaning more towards the Trek now), but I am concerned that we might "out grow" these bikes, in the areas of skill & endurance, too soon. I am pretty competitive & also pretty hard on my mountain bike. (Lots of broken axles, etc.) What do you guys think, should we go with the $700 beginner bikes, & then maybe upgrade if this is something we really want to get serious about, or should we look for a slightly more competitive bike? If so, what do you suggest?? Any help would be awesome! Thanks!


Buy the best bike that you can afford. If you're going to put a lot of miles on, then avoid a Sora group and try and find a bike with Tiagra or 105s. You be happier with the higher quality. I spent about $800 on an entry level bike about 4 years ago (Masi Nuova Strada)and I have been happy with it, especially after upgrading the wheel set. It came with Tiagra front and 105 back. Price the group seperately and it's worth the bike. 

Get clips that have some play/float in them like Keos. I started with Welgos and the messed up my knees.

Make sure that the bikes fit well.


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## Slim Chance (Feb 8, 2005)

Plenty of others will make recommendations on what to buy, but here’s a tip that might make your marriage get off on the right foot. Keep your GF involved in the selection of the bike and don’t make her get something she doesn’t like. Yes, color counts. You sound pretty enthusiastic, but is she? While it might make perfectly good sense for you to buy a bike for $1,500, which should be great and not require any upgrades for years, she may be less enthusiastic. If this is the case I’d stay on the lower side of the $. The one caveat is don’t buy something that won’t work smoothly for her. You want to keep frustration out of the equation. If she is the kind of person who doesn’t mind groups like this, then maybe she would like to drop by the Women’s forum. The ladies there are sweet, knowledgeable, and eager to help.


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