Giant OCR-2 Road Bike: Perfect for this penguin
Written: May 31 '04 (Updated May 31 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Light, shifts smoothly, second set of brake handles, adjustable handlebar angle, sloped center bar
Cons: No gear indicator, no suspension, no place for a mirror
The Bottom Line: I'm feeling my Bottom Line like never before. It has bones in it.
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| Penguinlady's Full Review: Giant OCR 2 |
When I retired, Penguinman gave me a bike. It was a lovely one, a Trek 300 Navigator, a hybrid mountain bike with hybrid tires on it. I rode it a few times but never really took to it, possibly because the wheels seemed smaller in diameter than I was used to, and it seemed heavy after my lightweight Peugeot. Penguins are supposed to be able to travel pretty fast and effortlessly, and I never felt that I was able to do that. I waddled on that bike.
On April 24, we participated in a century ride. Our friends did the full century, PM did 3/4 of it, and I managed the half. I say “managed” because the course was quite hilly, I hadn’t been on a bike in three months, and my bike weighed a TON. (I found out later that because of the weight of my bike, I expended as much energy as a road-bike rider going 200 miles. No wonder I was beat.)
Since it seems more likely that I’ll be riding on bike paths and other century rides than off-road, we decided that I needed a new bike. I knew I wanted a very light one, and I thought I wanted straight-bar, or sissy, handlebars. As a relative novice to “real” biking, I also wanted a gear shifter that would indicate what gear I’m in.
After testing about eight bikes, I made my choice: the Giant OCR-2.
Well, two out of three isn’t bad.
FEATURES
The list of features for this bike is pretty long, and I won’t bore you with all the details here. But if you click on “View details” above, you’ll see them all. I’m just discussing the ones that were relevant in my decision-making
• The Giant OCR-2 is an aluminum bike with a carbon-fiber fork for greater shock absorption. It also has a carbon-fiber seat support.
• This bike model comes in small, medium, large, and extra-large sizes. I’m between the small and medium sizes in terms of leg extension, but the dealer, who takes a very personal interest in his customers, insists on measuring them and matching them up with the perfect bike, and takes them out for road tests, decided that my reach was just a hair short for the medium and chose the small for me. I’ve lost about ½” in height in the last few years, and it seems likely that I’ll continue to get shorter, not taller.
• The center frame post - forgive me for not knowing the correct anatomical name for all the parts of a bike - the one you crash onto if you slip off your pedals while riding standing up - is sloped down toward the rear instead of being parallel to the ground. So it’s much easier for me to get on and off my bike.
• It has Shimano Tiagra Triple components.
• The tires are 700 mm, or 27½”, in diameter.
• The seat post is 15½” inches long.
• It has road-bike handlebars, the kind that cause the rider to lean forward rather than ride upright. Unlike some older versions of these handlebars, these also have a knob-like piece that rises up at the same point where the rest of the tube curves down. You can hold them in three positions: on the straight center bar, on the raised knob (it has a name but I can’t remember what it is,) or, for extreme aerodynamism, on the bottom section.
• The handlebars are mounted on an adjustable swivel rod, so you can swing them higher or lower, depending on how aerodynamic you want to be. Serious road racers will probably want them flat for less wind resistance, while other people will want to sit a little more upright.
• The gears shift by means of a small lever mounted under the curves of the handlebar; on the right side, push in to shift down. To shift up, push the brake handle in. The directions are reversed on the left side. There is no gear indicator.
• In addition to the usual brake handles mounted in front of the curved part of the handlebars, there is an additional set on each side of the center post, within easy reach if you’re riding with your hands on the straight upper part of the handlebars.
• The bike weighs about 20 lbs.
• My Giant OCR-2 cost $850. The dealer gave me all the accessories - water bottle and cage, speedo, on-board pump, scrotum, tools, and spare tire, all worth about $70 - for nothing. So even though the bike probably retails for about $820 or $830, I feel that I got a good deal.
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT
• It’s light. After struggling up a 12-mile upgrade in that half-century ride on my 30+- pound bike, I swore I’d get the lightest bike I could afford. I did. We live on a hill and while I still can’t get all the way up it without walking, I got a lot further on my Giant OCR-2 than I ever could have done on the Trek. And I wasn’t so exhausted. We purposely didn’t put a kickstand on this one, because it doesn’t make much sense to pay for a very light bike and then weight it down; every ounce makes a difference. Between me, the scrotum-like tool kit that hangs under the saddle, and my water bottle, that’s enough weight. I can easily lift it in and out of the van and onto and off the rack in the garage, so I don’t have to rely on PM to do that for me.
• I find the road handlebars more comfortable than I thought I would. I was pretty committed to more upright handlebars, because the thought of hunching over for hours wasn’t appealing to me, but it turns out that with these handlebars, I have a variety of places to hold them, so don’t have to sit in the same position all the time. And I love the adjustable angle feature; it enables me to decide how upright I want to be each time I ride.
• Narrower tires means less friction with the road, so I can ride with less effort. I’m not a speed demon, but on a long ride, the friction of the hybrid tires on my Trek really took a toll.
• That sloped middle bar makes a huge difference in my comfort and sense of security. I’ve ridden bikes that had a straight bar and getting on and off was a challenge. And we won’t even talk about what happened when I slipped off the pedals while standing up to ride up a hill. I haven’t been graced with long gorgeous American Beauty legs; mine are of the short stumpy variety instead. So that small angle makes all the difference to me.
WHAT I’M NOT CRAZY ABOUT
• The same narrow tires that make it so easy to ride also make riding on even or loose terrain more of an adventure than I really enjoy. We went riding on the Venice bike path, from Venice down to Hermosa Beach, a distance of about 10 or 12 miles. The path is set into the sand, and while it’s pretty clear in most places, it does get sand blown across it. Not a problem on the straightaways, but a bit slippery on the curves. There’s a reason that all those “beach bikes” you see at the rental places all have balloon tires; traction can be a challenge on these skinnies.
• While I have no problem shifting gears, I do miss having an indicator telling me what gear I’m in. I’ve been told that as I get more accustomed to it, I’ll just know, in some mystical way, but until then, I’m somewhat at a loss. I can look down at my right ankle and see which of my big left-hand gears I’m in, but I don’t dare look behind that to the hub of my rear tire to see which fine gear I’m in.
• Which brings up another point: the reason I don’t look behind me is that my sense of balance, not terrific under the best of circumstances, is quite different on this bike than on my chunkier Trek. I’ve had to relearn balancing. Here again, I’m assured that this will become second nature, in time, and it’s already happening.
• My old Trek, as a sorta-mountain bike, has suspension on the front fork and the seat post. My new Giant OCR-2 has neither. Even with an extra padded seat, I can tell the difference. I’ve now got bones in my tush that I never knew about before.
• There’s no good place to put a mirror. Road-bikes aren’t designed for mirrors, so the one I used on my Trek, which slipped over the end of the sissy handlebars and was kept in place with a piece of velcro, doesn’t work on this bike. The ear-pieces on my glasses are too thin to support a mirror, and my helmet isn’t well designed for one either. So I’m riding mirrorless. Not a problem on a bike bath, but on city streets, a little nerve-wracking.
SUMMARY AND VERDICT
Before I finish, I want to say a word about the merchant from whom you buy your bike. There are lots of bike shops in Pasadena, and I checked them all out. There’s also an REI nearby. They all had several bikes for me to ride, and they all knew a lot about their merchandise. But the man I finally bought from is a passionate evangelist of the glories of bike-riding. He’s built like a taller version of Danny deVito, so deals with the same issues “normal” city riders face. But he rides every morning, usually with his customers, and measures, goes the geometry, adjusts, tweaks, swaps out, and generally takes great care in ensuring that every customer winds up with the most nearly perfect bike he can provide. He spent at least two hours with me the first time I walked into his small shop. And I get his undivided attention each time I return. He provides two years of free service, in addition to the warranty that comes with the bike, and insists that “his” bikes be brought in for regular servicing. I feel completely confident that I have the best bike I could afford. (Well, I couldn’t really afford it, but I stretched to buy it.) I urge you to seek out such a merchant when you get ready to buy.
OK, back to business. I found several bikes that met my requirements for upright riding, gear indicators, and light weight, but I wound up with one that only had that third feature. My seller had several in stock that would have given me all three. But I chose the Giant OCR-2. Why? Because I liked enough of the other features of this bike to be willing to compromise. Weight was my #1 concern, and this one certainly has - or rather, doesn’t have - that. The adjustable handlebar rod alleviates some of my concerns about road-bike handlebars. And the gear indicator...? Well, I’m gradually getting used to not having that. I’m told that “real” riders don’t. And I love the slanted center bar. So all in all, I’m very happy with my bike, and find myself looking forward to riding in ways that I never did before. See you on the road! (And don’t forget your helmet.)
Four stars.
Recommended:
Yes
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