# tcr composite 3 or ocr composite 3 ?



## edgeman (Nov 1, 2005)

new to this forum, great info provided. need help! cant decide between tcr or ocr? want to test ride both but wanted some input on riders who have riden these bikes. is the ocr ride that much more upright etc?


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## botto (Jul 22, 2005)

*need more info*

what type of rider are you? how much do you ride? how old are you? do you race, or plan to race? do you do group rides? etc, etc. 



edgeman said:


> new to this forum, great info provided. need help! cant decide between tcr or ocr? want to test ride both but wanted some input on riders who have riden these bikes. is the ocr ride that much more upright etc?


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## eayste (Jul 2, 2003)

edgeman said:


> new to this forum, great info provided. need help! cant decide between tcr or ocr? want to test ride both but wanted some input on riders who have riden these bikes. is the ocr ride that much more upright etc?



I work at a LBS that sells Giants and I have had the prevledge if test riding both and ended up buying a TCR.
I liked the handling and the fit of the TCR better than the OCR.
The wheelbase of the OCR is longer than the TCR so the handling is a little slower.
The OCR's front end is also up more . So your in a less aggressive position

The OCR is more comfort road bike . the TCR makes you want to GO! GO!GO!
Both have a nice smooth ride.
If you do or want to do . slower , longer rides , get the OCR. 
your back will thank you.
If you do more , shorter , fast paced rides.
Get the TCR.


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## edgeman (Nov 1, 2005)

botto said:


> what type of rider are you? how much do you ride? how old are you? do you race, or plan to race? do you do group rides? etc, etc.




i live in hawaii & where i plan to ride there are long straights which are actually on the highway in bike lanes with intersections here & there, so there is some stop & go, also their are some detours with some hills in residential areas, nice ride altogether with views of the ocean. i would say i do not plan to race, here in hawaii there are mostly century rides & triathalons. i plan to ride about 20-30 miles every other day because i swim on the other days. i am 45 and in pretty good shape & i might plan to do group rides. i have read on another thread that people who have the ocr simply took out the spacers on the head tube & flipped the stem, but since i plan to buy the bike new it wouldnt make any sense to do any modifications. i plan to purchase an 06 model & according to the giant site there seems to be a new silver color on the ocr3 composite.


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## edgeman (Nov 1, 2005)

eayste said:


> I work at a LBS that sells Giants and I have had the prevledge if test riding both and ended up buying a TCR.
> I liked the handling and the fit of the TCR better than the OCR.
> The wheelbase of the OCR is longer than the TCR so the handling is a little slower.
> The OCR's front end is also up more . So your in a less aggressive position
> ...



i live in honolulu, hawaii great place to ride with all year great weather & beautiful views but the one draw back is bike ways are on highways & residential areas have a bit of traffic, so the tcr sounds great if you live where you can rider forever. but i was concerned with all the stop & go here would the tcr defeat its purpose?


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## Spongedog (Aug 6, 2005)

*OCR is great ride*

I have a similar model to the OCR Comp 3 (mine is an OCR Limited, which is a great deal if you can still find one). I am 40 and in good shape, but with an old back. The OCR lets you ride for hours in comfort. I am able to move at a good clip and I have yet to have any trouble keeping up with riders on higher end bikes. The bike accelerates hard, and I don't really agree with the comments about the handling. I find that it handles very well. It steers predictably at all speeds

One other difference is that the TCR comes with a double and the OCR comes with a triple chainring. If you ride any steep hills, a triple really comes in handy.


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## edgeman (Nov 1, 2005)

Spongedog said:


> I have a similar model to the OCR Comp 3 (mine is an OCR Limited, which is a great deal if you can still find one). I am 40 and in good shape, but with an old back. The OCR lets you ride for hours in comfort. I am able to move at a good clip and I have yet to have any trouble keeping up with riders on higher end bikes. The bike accelerates hard, and I don't really agree with the comments about the handling. I find that it handles very well. It steers predictably at all speeds
> 
> One other difference is that the TCR comes with a double and the OCR comes with a triple chainring. If you ride any steep hills, a triple really comes in handy.



is your limited a composite frame? & do you use the stock size tires, i noticed the specs for the ocr has slightly wider tires.


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## Spongedog (Aug 6, 2005)

edgeman said:


> is your limited a composite frame? & do you use the stock size tires, i noticed the specs for the ocr has slightly wider tires.


At this point, the bike is absolutly stock. The limited is a composite frame. Forgetting the technology for a moment, it is really a beautiful frame if you like the look of the carbon fiber under clearcoat (which I do!). This is my first road bike in 20 years (I took a little vacation from road biking in favor of mountain biking), and so I am not really sure which components are quality and which ones are candidates for upgrades. It has Ultegra shifter/break leavers, but I don't know anything about the Tektro brakes. They seem to work nicely, but I don't know what the upside would be to upgrading the Tektros. The wheels are probably a bit on the heavy side, and if I was to upgrade anything in the next year, I might do that.

I have never ridden 100 miles at one time before, but I plan to do so over thanksgiving weekend. So far, my long rides on this have been up to about 55 miles and the bike is very comfortable, fast, and predictable. Had it not been for my new 5 month old daughter, longer rides would be no problem. On the rough roads and trails, I find the carbon frame almost acts like suspension, really smoothing out the road.


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## edgeman (Nov 1, 2005)

Spongedog said:


> At this point, the bike is absolutly stock. The limited is a composite frame. Forgetting the technology for a moment, it is really a beautiful frame if you like the look of the carbon fiber under clearcoat (which I do!). This is my first road bike in 20 years (I took a little vacation from road biking in favor of mountain biking), and so I am not really sure which components are quality and which ones are candidates for upgrades. It has Ultegra shifter/break leavers, but I don't know anything about the Tektro brakes. They seem to work nicely, but I don't know what the upside would be to upgrading the Tektros. The wheels are probably a bit on the heavy side, and if I was to upgrade anything in the next year, I might do that.
> 
> I have never ridden 100 miles at one time before, but I plan to do so over thanksgiving weekend. So far, my long rides on this have been up to about 55 miles and the bike is very comfortable, fast, and predictable. Had it not been for my new 5 month old daughter, longer rides would be no problem. On the rough roads and trails, I find the carbon frame almost acts like suspension, really smoothing out the road.


mahalo! spongedog for the great info, this will also be my first road bike in 17 years! will get the chance within a few days to test ride both bikes & will take a harder look at the ocr composite. i noticed on the 06 models their will be a new color added (silver). cant wait to start riding again! aloha! & bike on.


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## chrisjohn (Sep 15, 2005)

Wife went with the OCR and I went with the TCR.

Both are great bikes at the pricepoint, can't be beat. You'll be happy with either. The OCR is a little more upright and will handle a little slower, but you'll never notice it unless you're coming off a crazy race bike. 

Giant composites are just great rides, compared to my old Ti cross bike, it was like getting on a comfortable SR71.


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## olds_cool (Feb 14, 2005)

*get the one that fits the best....*

i have the ocr composite 3 frame. i gutted it and built it up with campy parts, etc. it is ever bit as "racy" as any bike i've owned. the difference between the two are this: the tcr is low and long accross the top tube, and the ocr has a short top tube and a higher head tube. i'm all legs and the ocr geometry fits me like a glove. it isn't too high in the front for me with the stem upside down, or what i consider the normal position, and all the spacers there. i am at the same racer type position as with any bike i've had that fit. personnaly, i couldn't make a tcr fit me. it would either be way too long and too low in the front, or way way too short in the front and about right in the length. didn't work, needless to say. also, as a heavier rider, at 210 pounds and six two, i could flex the crap out of the tcr frame, where as the ocr is much stiffer, abeit a bit heavier. as far as handling goes, it has normal race type head angle/rake/trail numbers. if you just look at numbers the tcr has the unusual configuration not the ocr. the tcr is probably faster handling, but the ocr is not a slow handling bike by any means. could you crit race the ocr? you bet, and it would be a blast. yes the chainstays and wheelbase are longer but they are shorter than the compareable specialized robaiux (sp) and would be similar to the classic lemond steel series, both of which have been raced in the professional peloton. in otherwords, it is more of a true stage race type bike, than a crit set up which most people in the united states end up purchasing. it makes the bike so stable ripping down the mountains in west virginia where i live. the only negitives i could see are that the bike takes long reach brakes. and i guess that is so you can run fatter tires, which is probably good for the off season where i live or for really bad roads, and that isn't as much a negitive as just a personal preference thing. i think that basically, giant covered the majority of body types with two different frame designs. one will definatly fit you better but both are awsome bikes. hope that helps some.


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## chowmeiniac (Oct 17, 2005)

Spongedog said:


> I have a similar model to the OCR Comp 3 (mine is an OCR Limited, which is a great deal if you can still find one). I am 40 and in good shape, but with an old back. The OCR lets you ride for hours in comfort. I am able to move at a good clip and I have yet to have any trouble keeping up with riders on higher end bikes. The bike accelerates hard, and I don't really agree with the comments about the handling. I find that it handles very well. It steers predictably at all speeds
> 
> One other difference is that the TCR comes with a double and the OCR comes with a triple chainring. If you ride any steep hills, a triple really comes in handy.


hey i have a question. i saw a few OCR Limited at my local bike shops but cant find any information on Giant's website. Whats the difference between the Limited and the regular OCR composite's? The store is selling it for $1650 and theres no sales tax. Is that a good deal?


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## Spongedog (Aug 6, 2005)

There is some info on the bike under the TCR limited. They basically have the same specs as far as components, but different frames. The giant site only has a photo of the frame.

I am pretty sure that the limited basically has a good component set at the price point. I paid 1800 bucks plus tax at performance, so I think 1650 is a good deal. If you like the ride, go for it!


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## edgeman (Nov 1, 2005)

olds_cool said:


> i have the ocr composite 3 frame. i gutted it and built it up with campy parts, etc. it is ever bit as "racy" as any bike i've owned. the difference between the two are this: the tcr is low and long accross the top tube, and the ocr has a short top tube and a higher head tube. i'm all legs and the ocr geometry fits me like a glove. it isn't too high in the front for me with the stem upside down, or what i consider the normal position, and all the spacers there. i am at the same racer type position as with any bike i've had that fit. personnaly, i couldn't make a tcr fit me. it would either be way too long and too low in the front, or way way too short in the front and about right in the length. didn't work, needless to say. also, as a heavier rider, at 210 pounds and six two, i could flex the crap out of the tcr frame, where as the ocr is much stiffer, abeit a bit heavier. as far as handling goes, it has normal race type head angle/rake/trail numbers. if you just look at numbers the tcr has the unusual configuration not the ocr. the tcr is probably faster handling, but the ocr is not a slow handling bike by any means. could you crit race the ocr? you bet, and it would be a blast. yes the chainstays and wheelbase are longer but they are shorter than the compareable specialized robaiux (sp) and would be similar to the classic lemond steel series, both of which have been raced in the professional peloton. in otherwords, it is more of a true stage race type bike, than a crit set up which most people in the united states end up purchasing. it makes the bike so stable ripping down the mountains in west virginia where i live. the only negitives i could see are that the bike takes long reach brakes. and i guess that is so you can run fatter tires, which is probably good for the off season where i live or for really bad roads, and that isn't as much a negitive as just a personal preference thing. i think that basically, giant covered the majority of body types with two different frame designs. one will definatly fit you better but both are awsome bikes. hope that helps some.


good info! i would like to know what you mean when you say you flipped the stem upside down! & if its something that i could easily do? are there also spacers that i could remove? beacause i would like a more comfortable ride with the ocr but the more racier position of the tcr. i heard on the 06 tcr & ocr composites that their would be a medium/large frame available, not too sure what i would fall under, im 6.0 & 180lbs. with a inseam of 32


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## Spongedog (Aug 6, 2005)

edgeman said:


> good info! i would like to know what you mean when you say you flipped the stem upside down! & if its something that i could easily do? are there also spacers that i could remove? beacause i would like a more comfortable ride with the ocr but the more racier position of the tcr. i heard on the 06 tcr & ocr composites that their would be a medium/large frame available, not too sure what i would fall under, im 6.0 & 180lbs. with a inseam of 32


I actually flipped the stem on my OCR to sit up more. When I need to get racy, I just drop down to the lower position on the bars. Flipping the stem is as simple as removing the bar, loosening the stem, flip it over, and then reattach the bar.

Also, you should experiment with the seat position. Move it forward and back. Try raising and lowering the bar. When I am trying to tune the riding position, bring your allen wrench with you on your ride and just keep tweaking until you get it just right.


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## xcandrew (May 30, 2002)

olds_cool said:


> i have the ocr composite 3 frame. i gutted it and built it up with campy parts, etc. it is ever bit as "racy" as any bike i've owned.


I agree with you on the OCR frame geometry. I also plan to buy one of the bikes and gut it completely except for the headset, though for dura-ace and ultegra double parts. I think I can get it down to sub 17 lbs with absolutely no stupid light or stupid expensive parts. I'm going to sell and buy parts on ebay and hopefully get it put together for under $2500. I actually discovered this frame when I was looking for a modern bike with long reach (= old standard reach) brake clearance with frame geometry that I would design for myself if I were getting something custom made. I have old Shimano 105 single pivot calipers (BR-1050, the ones Sheldon Brown claim are the best single pivots ever made over even the Dura-ace models of the time) that I've been saving up for a frame and the OCR pretty much hits all the points that I like:

In the medium, the top tube is right on for a perfect fit for ME with a 12 cm stem (my favorite length) and the 73 seat tube. The shorter top tube length is more Italian style (Colnago for instance, usually paired with a longer stem) than the longer top tubes on the TCR which are more american style.

The bottom bracket drop is on the lower side (76 mm) like I prefer.

The chainstays aren't too short and that's good for cornering (stage race like you say). Remember Jan descending on the short wheelbased Giants? :^) (or was that Bianchi?)

The head tube is higher, but I calculate that I can still get the bars down as low as I like (around 7 cm below the seat with a -6 degree stem, definitely race worthy, can get even lower if necessary with a -17 degree stem). My bike fit is well established since high school in the mid-'80s. My position was originally based on Hinault/Lemond fit recommendations, so it is certainly a raceworthy position and it has worked for me forever. That just means that I can go with minimal spacers compared to the TCR. The OCRs are set up with a shortish stem in the upright position, so people are saying that they are upright riding, but that is just the original set up. For those who like their bars 15 cm below the saddle, yes, the TCR is better.

Brake clearance for wider tires is important for me because there are local hill climb races that run up gravel roads. I also did a lot of off-road riding on my road bike in the past (it was cool to do discover that people like Tom Ritchey, Jobst Brandt, and Pineapple Bob of Bridgestone fame ;^) also indulge in this practice) and would like to have a versatile enough bike to make that work. There is just no negative at all to more clearance, I hated it when "short reach" became the new standard around 15 years ago. It's nice to see a bunch of new bikes going back to the longer reach now, modern bikes, not just the Rivendell type bikes.

The head tube angle is a tad shallower than typical, but this is probably a good thing. Colnagos have even shallower angles and they are known for good handling. There is NO handling advantage to a twitchy bike, even in a crit. If you think about it, aren't people supposed to be quiet on the bike in a pack anyway?

Nice to hear that the frame is stiff under your 210 lbs. It should be plenty stiff for my 150 lbs! Those horizontally flattened chainstays probably contribute... FEA analysis shows that chainstays are loaded primarily in lateral bending, so it's a smart design and most other frames (I'm thinking metal bikes mainly) get that ovalization backwards because of necessity for chain ring space.

Anyway, these are the reasons that I personally like the OCR better, but pick the one that works better for you - there are many valid opinions.


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## olds_cool (Feb 14, 2005)

*stem info....*



edgeman said:


> good info! i would like to know what you mean when you say you flipped the stem upside down! & if its something that i could easily do? are there also spacers that i could remove? beacause i would like a more comfortable ride with the ocr but the more racier position of the tcr. i heard on the 06 tcr & ocr composites that their would be a medium/large frame available, not too sure what i would fall under, im 6.0 & 180lbs. with a inseam of 32


both bikes come with a threadless stem that can be set up in a "highrise" position or the negitive rise position by flipping it over. negitive would look parallel to the ground. the logos are printed both ways, so it doesn't look upside down either way you position the stem. there were 2 cm of spacers on my bike that you can place on either the top or bottom of the stem to change the height of the bars. easy to do in a matter of seconds. the shop can show you. i read somewhere that in australia there was a med/large size, and maybe they are bringing it here this year. have not heard. i would definatly try both sizes of each bike (M and L) to see what fits best, and make sure the shop adjust the seat height properly for you when you demo.


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## olds_cool (Feb 14, 2005)

*difference is parts and paint...*



chowmeiniac said:


> hey i have a question. i saw a few OCR Limited at my local bike shops but cant find any information on Giant's website. Whats the difference between the Limited and the regular OCR composite's? The store is selling it for $1650 and theres no sales tax. Is that a good deal?



ocr limited has a different paint job and some different parts than speced on the ocr 2. my guess is that since it took so long to get the bikes out there, they didn't have enough parts to make the 2's, probalby because of shimano not being on the ball with the ultegra 10 sp groupe, and when they finally got everything together to build bikes, they had to take what they could find parts wise during the mid year run to get the frames out the door. wheels and cranks are different etc. paint is different. 1650.00 is a good deal as that is what the three retails for approximatly, and the limited is more like the two parts wise. retail on the limited is 1900.00 i believe. frames are actully the same according to giant's web site. there is a tcr advanced that is a different frame all together, but it ain't cheap.


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## olds_cool (Feb 14, 2005)

*so true....*

In the medium, the top tube is right on for a perfect fit for ME with a 12 cm stem (my favorite length) and the 73 seat tube. The shorter top tube length is more Italian style (Colnago for instance, usually paired with a longer stem) than the longer top tubes on the TCR which are more american style.

it is more like an italian bike. i was checking out an alloy colnago at the same time i bought the giant. i would ride a 59 nag and the head tube with a non integrated headset is actually taller on the nag than on the ocr. the stays aren't too long or short, and the handling is really nice on real road rides, as opposed to going around in circles in a crit race. which i have never done, so i can't comment on that aspect. the ride is really nice with 23 c tires, but i use standard 3x butted 32 spoke wheels, cause i'm too heavy for that fancy wheel crap. i get too much sway with minimal spoke wheels, or the rims are so thick to keep them stiff that the ride suffers. if you are used to older road racing type bikes, you will feel right at home on the ocr. i think you'll dig it.


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## edgeman (Nov 1, 2005)

olds_cool said:


> both bikes come with a threadless stem that can be set up in a "highrise" position or the negitive rise position by flipping it over. negitive would look parallel to the ground. the logos are printed both ways, so it doesn't look upside down either way you position the stem. there were 2 cm of spacers on my bike that you can place on either the top or bottom of the stem to change the height of the bars. easy to do in a matter of seconds. the shop can show you. i read somewhere that in australia there was a med/large size, and maybe they are bringing it here this year. have not heard. i would definatly try both sizes of each bike (M and L) to see what fits best, and make sure the shop adjust the seat height properly for you when you demo.


mahalo! olds cool for all your detailed info you provided, will be test riding in a few days, cant wait! aloha!


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## pdainsworth (Jun 6, 2004)

Ok, guess I'll weigh in. I have and OCR Comp2 that I bought last April. I came from a racing background, but due to some achilles problems, had quit riding for some years. I bought a generic aluminum/Ultegra bike, but wanted something more. I rode the Scott CR1, TCR2, some alu/carbon combos, and finally settled on the combination of comfort and performance that I felt the OCR provided. I have since changed out several of the parts (Ksyrium Elites, Airborne Ti seatpost, FSA bar and stem, Selle San Marco Era saddle, and I changed from a triple to a carbon compact double... much better shifting). The bike weighs about 18.5 lbs in a size L. (Of course I weigh 250 in a size very large.) All in all, I can't imagine much else that I could have been happier with. The bike is great.


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## edgeman (Nov 1, 2005)

pdainsworth said:


> Ok, guess I'll weigh in. I have and OCR Comp2 that I bought last April. I came from a racing background, but due to some achilles problems, had quit riding for some years. I bought a generic aluminum/Ultegra bike, but wanted something more. I rode the Scott CR1, TCR2, some alu/carbon combos, and finally settled on the combination of comfort and performance that I felt the OCR provided. I have since changed out several of the parts (Ksyrium Elites, Airborne Ti seatpost, FSA bar and stem, Selle San Marco Era saddle, and I changed from a triple to a carbon compact double... much better shifting). The bike weighs about 18.5 lbs in a size L. (Of course I weigh 250 in a size very large.) All in all, I can't imagine much else that I could have been happier with. The bike is great.


just wondering, is their a considerable comfort differance on the ocr vs the tcr? & is your FSA stem the same angle as the stock? & did you remove your headtube spacers? im trying to get the 05 ocr c2 at my LBS, but their out, i have to wait for the 06's which come in at the end of november, went the giant site to see if the colors are the same & their not! the 06 ocr c2 frame will be painted completey blue with white flames, IMO id rather have the composite look, oh whell cant have everydthing.


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## trottr (Oct 12, 2005)

I ride an OCR2 composite and find it to be outstanding. As an older(53) rider my back appreciates the more upright position but I can reverse the stem and rmove spacers for a lower riding position. I went from an old steel bike to this carbon bike and it was a great impovement. As for the 2005 bikes , if your LBS doesn,t have one then ask them to contact the giant rep as I have seen OCR 1 and OCR2 available for sale in various shops and a few at reduced prices especially as the 2006 are supposed to have an increase in the msrp as seen on the giant site.


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## pdainsworth (Jun 6, 2004)

edgeman said:


> just wondering, is their a considerable comfort differance on the ocr vs the tcr? & is your FSA stem the same angle as the stock? & did you remove your headtube spacers? im trying to get the 05 ocr c2 at my LBS, but their out, i have to wait for the 06's which come in at the end of november, went the giant site to see if the colors are the same & their not! the 06 ocr c2 frame will be painted completey blue with white flames, IMO id rather have the composite look, oh whell cant have everydthing.


Well, the "comfort difference" would be up to the individual. From the b.b. forward, the bike is shorter, so it is a bit more upright. I went with a lower, longer stem to fit my long torso and arms. (I didn't actually remove any spacers. I just moved some from below the stem to above the stem.) From the b.b. back, the longer shainstays on the OCR make for a bit more forgiving ride. The bike doesn't climb as aggressively as the tcr due to the longer shainstays, but it still does very well.


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