# 2003 Giant OCR1 for $250 to buy or not to buy?



## AbbyL (May 27, 2013)

Hello there!

I am a new member to this site and I am looking for as much insight and advice that any of you have out there. I started road biking about 2 summers ago and I really enjoy it. My road bike is a steady chome-moly steel frame Schwinn Le Tour from the early 80's with upgraded shimono shifters. Now I am a complete noob when it comes to knowing and understanding component terms about my bike, which is pretty embarrassing but I am learning more slowly on how my bike actually works mechanically. I recently moved to the east coast from California and to my sad dismay I ended up leaving my bike behind due to lack of space in the car. Anyway, I feel I have out grown my Schwinn and would like to graduate up to an entry level road bike. Now I am only completive with myself so I don't see myself joining any triathlons any time soon, but I do love to go fast. I have found (on craigslist) a 2003 Giant OCR1 for $250, I feel it is a great deal, I have looked up their retail cost (around $550) I am going to look at the bike later tonight so I haven't seen it in person, however it looks great in the photo. The only things I am concerned with are the current owner took out the granny gear, meaning the lower gears and also pedals are not included. Now I have never tried clipless pedals, for the fact that I know I will fall and hurt myself but also because I do not own cycling shoes or cleats. Now if anyone has any advice on shoes, cleats, and pedals I would love to hear from you. Also, I am a female with size 8 feet and my height is almost 5'6.


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## SBard1985 (May 13, 2012)

First thing, make sure the bike fits.
Second, you can always get a new cassette at your LBS if you feel you need another gear for climbing.
Third, you can always just ride platform pedals until you're used to riding your new bike. Then upgrade to shoes and pedals later. Everyone's feet are different, just try on some shoes, decide what is comfy for you. Then decide what pedals fit your needs and what fits your new shoes. 
Lastly, I'm sure more people will chime in on slightly better advice.


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## Zeet (Mar 24, 2013)

Back in '03, Giant OCR1's cost about eleven hundred bucks! $250 is a good deal, provided that it fits and is in good condition. Make certain that some pedals are attached for your test ride. Don't buy anything used without at first test-riding it!


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## Randy99CL (Mar 27, 2013)

First, Welcome!

Obviously I don't know you or what you know but you will see that most advice to less-experienced riders here includes: get a bike that fits!

Getting a bike that fits you is more important than what brand/model you buy.

What size frame was your Schwinn? What size is the Giant?
What kind of riding do you plan to do? Are you looking for a hard-core racing bike or (like most of us) something less aggressive, more comfortable and relaxed?

The best thing a new rider can do is buy a bike from a good shop that will get you the right size and fit it to you. You almost have to do that to learn what fits and how much of a difference a good-fitting bike makes to your cycling.

I'm sure that you know that many companies make female-specific bikes and they do that for good reasons. 
Some shops have great prices on last-years' womens' models because they don't sell quickly. I'm sure that you can find a lot of new bikes for under $1K, maybe as little as $500, and when you're a new rider it really helps to have a dealer you can rely on for service and advice.

You may be experienced enough to know what size you need and be able to find a bike on fleabay or CL. But if you don't know exactly what size or how the geometry affects the sizing, handling and ride of the bike then you're really much better off buying new from a dealer.

Obviously, just my two cents, good luck!


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

Some good points made re: the importance of fit, and along those lines...

Take first things first. As someone mentioned, what size is your Schwinn? If it fit well, we can compare that geo against the Giants (once we know IT'S frame size).

Also, to reiterate what was already stated. Don't fret over the pedals not being included. For the time being, just go with running shoes (or similar) and platforms, but _make sure you test ride the Giant prior to committing to the purchase_. IMO, any reputable seller will provide suitable pedals for a test ride, even if not included in the sale. 

Lastly, I'll go out on a limb and say that (generally speaking) given Giants sizing, someone 5' 6" and of normal proportions will take either an XS or S, so if this bike is above those sizes, I'd bet it'll be too large for you.

On the off chance the Giant doesn't work out and you would like more advice, you might want to measure your cycling inseam (we can tell you how). That would give some indication of how you're proportioned and whether or not WSD bikes are a better option.


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## AbbyL (May 27, 2013)

My Schwinn was 52cm and it fit me well. However this Giant is labeled as a medium sized frame, the owner states the it would fit someone between 5'4 up to 5'9 at the time Giant did not label frame sizes in cm. I am having some issues looking up what the OCR1 medium frame size actually is in cm or inches. But I have not seen it in person yet or ridden it. And I would not buy it unless I was able to ride it so he better have some pedals on it when I go visit.  




PJ352 said:


> Some good points made re: the importance of fit, and along those lines...
> 
> Take first things first. As someone mentioned, what size is your Schwinn? If it fit well, we can compare that geo against the Giants (once we know IT'S frame size).
> 
> ...


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## Camilo (Jun 23, 2007)

AbbyL said:


> My Schwinn was 52cm and it fit me well. However this Giant is labeled as a medium sized frame, the owner states the it would fit someone between 5'4 up to 5'9 at the time Giant did not label frame sizes in cm. I am having some issues looking up what the OCR1 medium frame size actually is in cm or inches. But I have not seen it in person yet or ridden it. And I would not buy it unless I was able to ride it so he better have some pedals on it when I go visit.


Best thing is to try the bike on for size. My _guess_ is that it will be a tad too large, but might be doable. My daughter rides an OCR XS - she's about 5-2 or so and the bike is just about as big as she can fit, length-wise. I believe - but you can check - that a M is best suited for someone 5-8 to 5-10, give or take. This is sort of consistent with my personal categorizing of measured frames in that a 50-52 are smallish, 54 and 56 are medium-ish, etc.

All that said, I really like that OCR frame. It's very comfortable and can be very versatile in that it's easy to put wider tires (my daughter's fit 28's easily) on it if you want, and I believe it's even got rear and front eyelets for fenders and/or a rear rack if that suits you.

If you can't find archival specs on the OCR, I _believe_ that the current Defy is very similar in design, if not identical, to the OCR. You could look that up online to get a comparison.

For pedals, don't sweat if it doesn't come with pedals. You can buy inexpensive flat pedals for very cheap and if you want to get a little better without going with clip-ins and dedicated cycling shoes, you can get a set of Power Grip straps (really work well) or some knobby BMX pedals which also really work well at holding your foot in position on the pedal without clipping or strapping in.


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

AbbyL said:


> My Schwinn was 52cm and it fit me well. However this Giant is labeled as a medium sized frame, the owner states the it would fit someone between 5'4 up to 5'9 at the time Giant did not label frame sizes in cm. I am having some issues looking up what the OCR1 medium frame size actually is in cm or inches. But I have not seen it in person yet or ridden it. And I would not buy it unless I was able to ride it so he better have some pedals on it when I go visit.


Hmm.. according to the Schwinn catalog (link below) the early 80's Le Tours were sized in inches, not cm's, so I'm a little confused why yours would be labeled a 52cm.

Schwinn Le Tour

That aside, I've ridden medium OCR's and IMO they wouldn't fit someone 5'4" very well. 5'9", maybe, depending on the riders proportions. FWIW, the current medium Defy has the effective top tube listed at 54.5cm's - likely too long in reach, IMO. 

Defy 1 (2013) - Bikes | Giant Bicycles | United States

If you're curious about the OCR, take some time out and go check it out. Doesn't cost anything to test ride a bike. :wink5:


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