Giant 2005 OCR Zero Upgrades

Mark,

The bike as it comes should be OK. Peraonal taste in saddles, only if uncomfortable, can be indulged. Just enjoy the ride on a nice reliable bike.. 😎

MarkC77 said:

Hi guys, I am new to the road bike scene and have recently bought an '05 Giant OCR Zero. Now i will be honest and say that this bike is much more than I need and is too good for my current fitness but it went for a great price and was in the market for my first road bike so what the heck!

However I am interested to know what are the weak parts of the bike that should be upgraded early. Eg I notice that the brakes are not Ultegra, would putting ultegra brakes on make much difference?

What are the best bang for buck upgrades in my case?

Thanks.

It's a very good bike already (well, by my standards!), and, depending on your usage, there may be nothing that *SHOULD* be upgraded! The saddle is something that may not suit you, but there is no need to change it if it is already comfortable. You could pay a lot of money to get different wheels, since the Shimano's use proprietary spokes which may be difficult to replace in an emergency. I don't think that Ultegra brakes would make it stop much better, though they may be slightly lighter (don't know for sure).

roshea said:

It's a very good bike already (well, by my standards!), and, depending on your usage, there may be nothing that *SHOULD* be upgraded! The saddle is something that may not suit you, but there is no need to change it if it is already comfortable. You could pay a lot of money to get different wheels, since the Shimano's use proprietary spokes which may be difficult to replace in an emergency. I don't think that Ultegra brakes would make it stop much better, though they may be slightly lighter (don't know for sure).

Ok thanks guys, I think I will leave it the way it is. The wheels issue is a bit of a worry. i saw some some wheels when i was at the LBS and was quite shocked at the prices $1000+??? Is this the norm for good wheels?

If I was to change my wheels which ones have spokes that are relatively easy to obtain (and don't cost $1000 for a pair) and a worthwhile upgrade from the Shimany R550?

MarkC77 said:

Ok thanks guys, I think I will leave it the way it is. The wheels issue is a bit of a worry. i saw some some wheels when i was at the LBS and was quite shocked at the prices $1000+??? Is this the norm for good wheels?

If I was to change my wheels which ones have spokes that are relatively easy to obtain (and don't cost $1000 for a pair) and a worthwhile upgrade from the Shimany R550?

For most people, broken rear spokes are unusual and broken front spokes never occur. The R550 wheels suit the bike well and should not need to be upgraded. Think again if you start breaking a lot of spokes.

artemidorus said:

For most people, broken rear spokes are unusual and broken front spokes never occur. The R550 wheels suit the bike well and should not need to be upgraded. Think again if you start breaking a lot of spokes.

The R550 are pretty good wheels, light and strong. You really dont need to "upgrade", perhaps consider upgrading when parts just age and is ready for replacing.

Upgradetitis is a disease! When you get it, you dont really need any reasons to purchase upgrades!

MarkC77 said:

However I am interested to know what are the weak parts of the bike that should be upgraded early. Eg I notice that the brakes are not Ultegra, would putting ultegra brakes on make much difference?
Thanks.

I was just in this situation, tossing up between an 06 OCR Zero, and an 06 TCR 1. Besides the difference in frame geometry and handling, the TCR won hands down in the braking department.

There is a HUGE difference in the performance and feel of the two brakes. The Ultegra is much smoother, 'snappier' at the lever, and provides better feedback, whereas the Tektro ones just feel dead and spongey 🙁 There would be a number of reasons for this such as design, brake pad material etc.

However, if you're happy with the braking performance, then there is no need to change. FWIW, I also priced the OCR with an Ultegra caliper upgrade, and it came out to the same cost as the stock TCR.

I wouldn't upgrade anything straight away, except for things that are uncomfortable, e.g. saddle, handlebar width not right, stem length. Even though the Shimano wheelset is on the heavier side, they still have good ride characteristics, are pretty stiff, and as a result, have pretty decent acceleration. Save the money and upgrade things when they wear out or break.

My 2c

Cheers.

If the Tektro brakes are a problem, merely upgrading the brake pads could improve matters.

roshea said:

If the Tektro brakes are a problem, merely upgrading the brake pads could improve matters.

I test rode both 05 OCR Zero and TCR 1 and the difference in stopping power is huge. That's one of the reasons I got the TCR1 instead.

Brakes would be my 1st upgrade choice if I had an OCR 0.

Having said this....remember that upgradeitis only gets worse if not stopped early! (I know what I'm talking about!!)

Aramis7 said:

I test rode both 05 OCR Zero and TCR 1 and the difference in stopping power is huge. That's one of the reasons I got the TCR1 instead.

Brakes would be my 1st upgrade choice if I had an OCR 0.

Having said this....remember that upgradeitis only gets worse if not stopped early! (I know what I'm talking about!!)

I don't understand how anything but the brake pads would make such a huge difference.

Could somebody explain it in simple terms?

Thanks.

I'm no engineer, so someone with that background can make a more systematic and technical explanation, but things such as:

the actual design (or I guess geometry) of the brake caliper
material used in the caliper body
weight
quality of construction
quality of parts used e.g. springs, bushes, pivots etc

It could even be a case of Shimano lever/caliper compared to shimano lever/tektro caliper compatibility. All these little things can add up to make the large difference.

HTH

AzzaC said:

I'm no engineer, so someone with that background can make a more systematic and technical explanation, but things such as:

the actual design (or I guess geometry) of the brake caliper
material used in the caliper body
weight
quality of construction
quality of parts used e.g. springs, bushes, pivots etc

It could even be a case of Shimano lever/caliper compared to shimano lever/tektro caliper compatibility. All these little things can add up to make the large difference.

HTH

Seems like there are two model of Ultegra calipers, 6500 and 6600. Anybody know what the difference is?

WRT my brakes, I will leave them for now and when my first service is due (3 months) I will decide whether or not the current brakes are good enough.

AzzaC said:

I'm no engineer, so someone with that background can make a more systematic and technical explanation, but things such as:

the actual design (or I guess geometry) of the brake caliper
material used in the caliper body
weight
quality of construction
quality of parts used e.g. springs, bushes, pivots etc

It could even be a case of Shimano lever/caliper compared to shimano lever/tektro caliper compatibility. All these little things can add up to make the large difference.

HTH

The most important design feature of the brake calipers is the mechanical advantage. Basically, the smaller the distance that the pad moves for a given travel of the cable, the better the mechanical advantage, which is the ratio of the force applied to the cable over the force with which the calipers "crush" the rim.
The generic brakes may have a lower mechanical advantage than the ultegra ones. I am not certain of the extent to which the pads make a difference in dry conditions.

MarkC77 said:

Seems like there are two model of Ultegra calipers, 6500 and 6600. Anybody know what the difference is?

WRT my brakes, I will leave them for now and when my first service is due (3 months) I will decide whether or not the current brakes are good enough.

6500 = 9 speed
6600 = 10 speed

It seems to be just the finish..

gclark8 said:

6500 = 9 speed
6600 = 10 speed

It seems to be just the finish..

i notice other shimano components have a 9 speed or 10 speed version. With brakes what difference does it make if you've got a 7 or 10 speed?

I used to ride a Giant Cadex CFR1 with Shimano 600 (6400 series) brakes. These were pre Ultegra group set. I now ride a OCR composite with 10 spd Ultegra groupo.

Essentially I am comparing the current brakes to a group set that is 10 years older in technology.

I hardly noticed the difference in braking. So I am not really sure about the stark difference between the Tektro brakes on the OCR 0 and the ultegra ones on the TCR1. Surely the tektro brakes are not more than two generations in technology behind the 6600 groupset.

I think the latest Dura ace group was where Shimano featured a newly designed brake caliper, with stiffer material resulting in stronger braking power. I dont think that technology has yet to flow down to the other group sets.

I would say that the reported difference between brakes is mostly due to setup, assuming pads etc are in good condition. Setup can change a brake action from spongy to biting and everything in between. No point in upgrading, just learn to adjust those babies and make sure they are set up precisely. These things are more complex than you might think.

I believe once you have dual pivot brakes then its setup, pad material choice, alignment, cable routing, cable lubrication, Sheldon Brown has a good one on cables.....
http://sheldonbrown.com/cables.html
and brakes...
http://sheldonbrown.com/brakturn.html

I chose Promax dual pivot cartridge type for my tri bike project. (RC451F & R)

artemidorus said:

The most important design feature of the brake calipers is the mechanical advantage. Basically, the smaller the distance that the pad moves for a given travel of the cable, the better the mechanical advantage, which is the ratio of the force applied to the cable over the force with which the calipers "crush" the rim.
The generic brakes may have a lower mechanical advantage than the ultegra ones. I am not certain of the extent to which the pads make a difference in dry conditions.

Just realised I gave you the ratio for mechanical "disadvantage" 🙄 ; mechanical advantage is the ratio of the rim-grabbing force over the cable force.