Giant OCR 3 for first bike - any advice PLEASE

Quoted post said:

first entry level bike. I just rode one around the parking lot of the local bike shop and it Felt GREAT

Ah, there's the magic word, Felt, my GF (52) has a Felt F100 as her first road bike, it fitted her better than the OCR3. Give the Felt F100 or F90 some consideration in the decision makng process.

kek said:

Hello all, I'm VERY new to all this and I'm wondering if anyone can give me any opinions on the Giant OCR 3 for a first entry level bike. I just rode one around the parking lot of the local bike shop and it felt GREAT. It's a man's bike and I'm a woman ( and 40yr old woman 'thinking' of doing this )

Any advice / input / suggestions are gladly welcomed for this complete beginer.

thanks in advance.

There are many entry level bikes from the top manufacturers: Giant OCR3, Trek 1000, Felt F90, etc. The most important thing is FIT. Get a frame that fits you well, and work with an LBS that will spend the time to fine-tune the riding position that works for you.

I think at that level of bike, you'll find the components are all essentially the same. If the OCR3 is a good fit, and the shop will set it up right for you, buy it & ride it!

I ended up on a Trek 1000 two months ago after 20 years off the bike. I've logged 375 miles and dropped 20 pounds in 8 weeks ...

OK - I actually DID buy the bike today and I've just got back from my very first ride on it - I'm not quite sure how I feel to be honest. I fell in love with it riding around the parking lot at the shop and couldn't wait to get home and hit the bike trail that I've been riding on my VERY basic bike (the type you would get from Walmart). I'm not used to the position of a road bike so it's hard to tell how or what I feel as it's all new ..... I need more advice pleaseeee...

1. it hurts umm.... the area from where I pee (crotch?) ( is that being lady like enough?)
does that go away or is it a seat problem?
2. I think the seat is too low but how do I really tell? Where is it supposed to be? I never got any knee ache on the old cheap basic bike but I did on this tonight - not TOO bad but I did feel a twinge or ten.
3.I get a burning type pain between the two vertebra at just above shoulder blade level / shoulder height level ( I had this on the old Walmart like bike too so it must be something I'm doing) any ideas?
4. Oh! and wrist ache - is that normal ? are mine just weak?

I thought it would feel SO MUCH BETTER than the other bike but I feel somewhat let down - I spent a fortune and I'm not sure if I just need to get used to it (as it's SUCH A NEW ride for me ) or if I'm just not doing something right.

thanks in advance again - I do love being out there and I REALLY want to totally enjoy cycling (plus I've spent money that should have gone toward bills shhhhhh)

Did the bicycle shop fit the bike to you? All of your problems sound like they could be fit issues. Assuming you purchased the bike from a LBS that knows how to do a proper fit, your best bet might be to take the bike back to the shop and tell them what problems you are having. All of these should be correctable. My guesses as to what is going on are the following:

1. This could be a problem with the position of the saddle. Most women prefer the saddle to be level or with the nose very slightly downward. The other problem might be that you are sitting too far forward on the saddle. Your sit bones should be on the widest portion of the saddle. If not, move the saddle forward slightly.

2. Knee pain could be due to the saddle being too low or to the cleats being positioned incorrectly (assuming you have clipless pedals - if you have platform pedals, then this would not apply). A good starting point for pedal position would be that you are able to just reach the pedal with the heel when the pedal is in the downward most position. Be sure to check both sides (while someone holds up the bike) to be sure that both heels can touch the pedal without rocking back and forth. This is the starting point. If you have small feet, you might need to lower the saddle slightly from this position. If you have larger than average feet for your height, you might need to raise the saddle slightly. If you were not having problems with your old bike, measure the distance between the saddle and the lowest position of the pedal, and match that to your new bike.

Another possibile cause for knee pain is that you were trying to push too big a gear. If your pedal cadence was lower than 80 rpm, try using an easier gear. The third cause is that you tried to increase the amount you rode too quickly. I doubt that is the cause, since the pain occurred on your first ride, but if the pain did not start until late in the ride, and you rode more than you have been riding, it is a possibility.

3. This pain is probably because you are holding your head up while you are in a low position. Possible solutions are raising the bar, replacing the stem with a shorter one, or rotating the bar so that the hoods are higher.

4. Wrist ache could be another sign that that you are putting too much weight on your arms, which could also be caused by the bar being too low in relationship to the saddle or the bar is too far from the saddle. Assuming the saddle is not too high, (and based on problem 2, I doubt that it is) the same fixes suggested for problem 3 would apply. The other possibility is that you are just nervous riding a new bike for the first time and are griping the bar too tightly and have your arms locked.

All of these are just guesses on my part. Without seeing you on the bike, I cannot know for sure. That is why a professional fit is important. If the shop where you purchased the bike does not have anyone who can do a proper fit, then it would be worth it to find another shop, and pay them for a fitting. There is nothing worse than having a nice bike and not being able to enjoy it because it does not fit properly.

wow!! thanks Rickf for all that info - that's awesome and I truely appreciate it.
I think I am holding my head up/back too much and will try to work on that next ride. I guess I'm supposed to have my head down more than I am doing and then look upwards and forwards?

The wrists - putting too much weight on them is probably right too - I think I do have my arms locked and perhaps because I'm lacking in arm stregnth too - it's all too much on my wrists. Guess I need to watch that too.

Greattttt idea about measuring the old bike for the right seat height - THANK YOU again. I have highered it to fit the straightened leg while heel on pedal and tried it around the block and it already feels much better.

I did get the bike from a small local bike shop and the guy himself rides regularly (if his calf muscles are anything to go off anyway) - he seemed very knowledgable and I'm sure he would help me out more. I guess he figured I would move the seat and bars around to suit me - he fitted me with the correct size frame though.

I'll keep practicing and taking notes from in here and hopefully I will get it figured out. thanks for the tip on the seat position too - it is the front end of the seat that seems to be bothering me the most.

thanks again - I really appreciate your time/input 🙂

PS. goaliedad - congratulations on that weight loss - that's inspiring too! I need to lose a few pounds.

kek said:

I think I am holding my head up/back too much and will try to work on that next ride. I guess I'm supposed to have my head down more than I am doing and then look upwards and forwards?

Actually, you do need to be looking at the road ahead of you, but if your bars are so low or so far away from your saddle that looking up causes a strain on your neck and back, then something needs to be adjusted. On my new Specialized Roubaix Elite, I needed to replace the original 120mm stem with a 110mm stem to compensate for my short arms. It is amazing how small changes like that can improve the comfort of the ride.

I am glad the change in saddle height has helped. Unfortunately, raising the saddle might make the wrist and neck problem even worse, so check back with your LBS to see if you need a shorter stem or to have the bars raised. Good luck, and let us know how you are progressing.

OK then, well tonight was ride # 2 on the new Giant OCR and it was a MUCH better ride than the first. I did higher the seat by almost 2" and it made a huge difference - I bought my alen sp? keys and took them with me this time and actually stopped and highered it a tad more on the way back - wow !! amazing !! it felt sooooo much better.
I did call in the bike shop and he gave me a few more suggestions to try and said he would gladly spend some time with me 'fitting' me if I couldn't get it 'just' right myself.
I also bought a pair of shorts today and that made a huge difference too 🙂
I tried to keep my head down just a little to stop that burning feeling in my upper back/lower neck area and it seems to have worked quite a bit so I think I must have been holding my head up too far.

thanks very much for the suggestions. Glad I found this site. I know I'm probably viewed as a true novice - like the Freshmen on the 1st day at high school - but it's fine ....... I had a fantastic time out there tonight. I live in Florida so it's quite warm - went out just before the sun set - beautiful. I'm totally exilerated.

excuse the spelling mistakes. Thanks for the input.

You can also buy stem extensions to raise the overall height of the handle bars. I am considering this to help the strain on the neck as I am 52 and the body has taken a few knocks!

I have adjusted the tilt on the handle bars already, which did make a difference.

To reduce wrist ache, ensure that the line of your wrist, hand and arm are straight when riding.

Little Jackie said:

You can also buy stem extensions to raise the overall height of the handle bars. I am considering this to help the strain on the neck as I am 52 and the body has taken a few knocks!

I have adjusted the tilt on the handle bars already, which did make a difference.

To reduce wrist ache, ensure that the line of your wrist, hand and arm are straight when riding.

That bike name rang a bell in my brain. I once did a search on http://www.roadbikereview.com/ to check which road bike with lots of reviews had the highest user rating and it was Giant OCR 3,
So it must be a good choice!

Thanks for posting that Olden Crow - that makes me feel better considering I did buy the bike just from how it felt riding around the parking lot at the bike shop. I didn't do any research or the like - I rode it and really liked it. So, PHEW!

To anyone that reads this though. I've ridden this bike 3 times now since I got it 5 days ago and my lower back is aching (I rode last night too). I'm wondering if it's me - am I holding myself wrong position wise or is there some main set up that I may have incorrect?

I do have a slight bulging disc apparently on L4 so now I'm worried that cycling is not a good idea - I don't want that to be the answer as I love my bike and I love being out there. I'm trying to ease in to it slowly - after all I am also 40 years old.

I have been doing searches in the forum and also generally online, my LBS said they would also help me out with the fitting if I can't get it right on my own. But in the meantime I would really appreciate any suggestions for the very green novice of road bikes.

thank you 🙂

kek said:

Thanks for posting that Olden Crow - that makes me feel better considering I did buy the bike just from how it felt riding around the parking lot at the bike shop. I didn't do any research or the like - I rode it and really liked it. So, PHEW!

To anyone that reads this though. I've ridden this bike 3 times now since I got it 5 days ago and my lower back is aching (I rode last night too). I'm wondering if it's me - am I holding myself wrong position wise or is there some main set up that I may have incorrect?

I do have a slight bulging disc apparently on L4 so now I'm worried that cycling is not a good idea - I don't want that to be the answer as I love my bike and I love being out there. I'm trying to ease in to it slowly - after all I am also 40 years old.

I have been doing searches in the forum and also generally online, my LBS said they would also help me out with the fitting if I can't get it right on my own. But in the meantime I would really appreciate any suggestions for the very green novice of road bikes.

thank you 🙂

Have you tried adjusting the stem to a higher position (the OCR3 does have an adjustable stem, right?)? That may help your back pain by being in a more upright position.

Rob

I had some of these sames problems and I will tell you what I did to fix them.
1. Bought a gel seat to replace the stock one.
2. Raised the handle bars a hair higher than what the bike shop "fitted" me for and found the tendonitis I suffer from was barely noticable with the change.
3. Shift my hand position regularly while riding so my hands/wrists don't have a chance to cramp/go numb/hurt like hell.
4. Bought bike shorts - MUCH easier on the girly parts.
5. Lowered my seat to a level that FELT COMFORTABLE, rather than leave it at
the level the bike shop reccommended for me.

I also have a missing vertabrae in my lower back and experience some back pain so I ahve started doing core exercises to stregnthen this part of my body. The result? Still painful as I only just started but no where near as much.

I now have been riding about a month, average 12-14 miles a trip in an hour or less; avg speed of about 13 and change; and increasing each week........... Its AWESOME.

Hang in there - once you develop YOUR feel of comfortable versus what the bike shop says is supposed to feel comforable, you will find the ride to be much more enjoyable.🙂

me again 🙂 Thanks for the suggestions. I have raised the stem (there is still some room for further increase) and it does seem to have helped - my lower back doesn't ache AS much now.

A couple of things I do need to still work on though.

1. The saddle - I searched and read online and it was suggest that tilting the saddle nose downwards just a bit might help with the pressure (then pain) in the 'female only' area. That just made me have too much weight on my wrists and hands & I felt like I didn't have as much control over the bars - so I put it back - it did however help the saddle nose problem. I'm searching for a saddle that has the cut out in it - but keep reading so many suggestions. For every saddle that one woman loves - someone else hates it.

2. My other problem seems to be that I feel like I'm bearing too much weight on my hands/arms - I keep thinking while I'm riding about some guy (he's famous but new to me - Steve Hogg or someone like that? sorry if I'm offending people with my ignorance) well he said you should be able to hold your arms out to your side and not head butt the bars - I think I would head but my bars but I'm not sure if that's 'cause my abds are weak or if it's something to do with the bars or seat. I think he suggested moving the saddle back if that was the case - but wouldn't that make me lean forward more? and hence squish my 'parts' even more?

Sorry to sound so ignorant. I love being out there - I just feel like certain things should be more comfortable than they are.

ps. I have the padded shorts - all be it not the greatest pair. And I did get some gloves with padding and they help in areas too.

I only took my old cheapie bike in to be fixed - I never realised I would end up buying a bike for over $600 and then shorts, gloves, helmet, alen wrenches, water bottles etc etc etc.

thanks again everyone 🙂

Quick note on the wrists -

look at your wrists - are the even when they are on the bars? By this, I mean does the hand sit straight in line with the bones at the top of the wrist. [make a fist - off the bike - you'll naturally be in this position].
If you are pronating the wrist, & it's uneven, [rolls forward or back from this position] you'll need to adjust the handlebars to suit - and also maybe the brake hoods - so your resting hands are even. Change position of the bars and take pressure off the arms [see below].

Also - on the back - the best position is with your arms slightly bent, & your head facing forwards - chin up. [Look at a picture of a road racing professional & you;ll see what I mean...]

This takes some core strength in the back & stomach, but will relieve the "leaning" in the wrists, & also improve the exercise benefit of the cycling. Bad news is, it rolls the pelvis forward a little, and the pain in the perenium gets worse. A cutout seat is a good idea - also look at the width if your sit bones - as cutouts come in 133mm & 145mm widths [maybe wider]. Specialised dealers often have a gel pad with memory gel you sit on to measure the sit bones width.

Should make a good platform for your sit bones - bend in the arms takes pressure off the arms and your back will get stronger.

That's my 2c. Cheers.

kek said:

For every saddle that one woman loves - someone else hates it.

If there was a perfect saddle that fit everyone, it would be the only saddle to survive in the market. The saddle is a very individualized thing. Finding the saddle that is best for you is a challenge. My LBS offers a saddle trial program where you pay a deposit and check out different saddles until you find the one that works best. In addition to adjusting the height and the tilt, you can move the saddle forward and backward on its rails until you are sitting in the proper position. It sounds as if you might be sitting too far forward on the saddle, so you might try moving the saddle forward by about one-quarter inch to see if this helps.

kek said:

My other problem seems to be that I feel like I'm bearing too much weight on my hands/arms - I keep thinking while I'm riding about some guy (he's famous but new to me - Steve Hogg or someone like that? sorry if I'm offending people with my ignorance) well he said you should be able to hold your arms out to your side and not head butt the bars - I think I would head but my bars but I'm not sure if that's 'cause my abds are weak or if it's something to do with the bars or seat. I think he suggested moving the saddle back if that was the case - but wouldn't that make me lean forward more? and hence squish my 'parts' even more?

Moving the saddle back will either have you lean forward more or have you sit farther forward on the saddle. From your description of your problems, this does not seem like the correct approach; however, I have not seen you on the bike, so I might be wrong. Weak abdominal muscles are not the problem. Back muscles could be the problem, but I think you are probably having to reach too far. Rotating the bars so that the hoods are higher will bring the hoods slightly closer to the saddle and raise the hoods. This should result in a more upright position, but depending on from where you are starting, this might not be enough. The Giant OCR has an adjustable stem. You might put it in a higher position, which again would bring the hoods higher and closer to the saddle. If this still is not enough, you might need to take the bike back to the LBS and have them replace the stem with a shorter one.

I am 54 years old and have arthritis in my spine. I am riding a Specialized Roubaix, which has a similar geometry to the Giant OCR. I replaced the stock 120 mm stem with a 110 mm stem and have had no problems with my back or wrists. Your back problems should not have to force you off the bike. Core exercises, like the ones on this site - exercise.about.combl core.htmOpen ↗ - will help your back. Finding the right position on the bike will also help. It takes a while to get everything set just right, but once you do, you should be able to ride pain free.

kek said:

Sorry to sound so ignorant. I love being out there - I just feel like certain things should be more comfortable than they are.

You have two things going on here: 1) you need to be fit to the bike and 2) you need time on the bike for your body to get used to it. Even when you get #1 sorted out, things like your wrist pain may take some time to resolve. When I started back riding regularly on my bike after a long layoff, my right wrist hurt quite a bit after a ride. Over time, I learned where the best hand position was on the bar to prevent the pain and now I don't have much, if any, trouble with it (I had an injury years ago to that wrist which I think is contributing to the problem). Advil or Aleve will help a lot while you are figuring things out.

As for bike fit, I wouldn't necessarily trust your LBS to get it right. I know my LBS has a bunch of kids that work there and some are pretty knowledgeable and some aren't. What I would do (what I did, actually) was go to http://www.competitivecyclist.com and use their online fit calculator to figure out the size frame you should have, in particular the top tube length. Don't be put off by the "Competitive Cyclist" moniker, the fit calculator will tell you a couple of critical things like the height the top of your seat should be from the center of the bottom bracket given *your* measured inseam and the distance from the tip of the saddle to the back edge of the handlebars given *your* measured torso/arm length. If you get those two measurements right, and set your saddle level or *very* slightly tilted forward, your crotch pain should go away no matter the saddle brand unless you are just shaped differently than the average person. If that's the case, you'll have to hunt around until you find the saddle that works. A lot of folks like the Brooks leather saddles like the B-17 because the leather will conform to your body like leather shoes do and you'll, eventually, get the best fit possible.

Anyway, given the above two measurements, either set your saddle height, forward position and tilt accordingly or have your LBS do it. If your bike can't be adjusted properly or if it feels too big or too small, then the frame size is probably not right and you should lean on the LBS to get you into the right frame size. Once you get all this sorted out, and give your body time to adapt to biking, I think you'll find it really comfy and a great passtime. Good luck.

Hey KEK,

I'm new to biking and i'm 40 also, we have alot in common.
I went to my LBS and bought a 07 Trek 1500 the other day. When it came in they tried to fit the bike to me. Well after 3 hours they gave up, (long legs, short upper)anyway, now i'm waiting for my 07 Gaint OCR1 to come in.(sweet paint on the new ones) And they will fit this bike to me.
My point is, take the bike to them and have them get you up on a trainer with the bike. Have the bike fitted to you. I'm really surprized they didn't do that the first time. I have been to about 6 bike shops in the past 2 months and they ALL said they will fit the bike to me. Free of coarse. I would start their then make little adjustments if needed.

Good luck, Dan

Hi again & thanks so much for all the info. Proximo - thanks for that website, I'm just waiting for another person to be around to hold the tapemeasure for me. I will try that site out though.

Thank you also to RickF for all your time and advice. This bike has an adjustalbe stem so I have been playing with that. I've brought the bars closer to me bit by bit and I would say they are now over half way closer to me than they were when I bought the bike and it is making a huge difference. There is still room to bring the bars even closer but for the distances I'm riding this seems to be and feel right. I don't have weight forced on my wrists now and seem to be able to make a bend in my elbows and keep my shoulders more away from my neck etc.

I think my saddle is in the right place although I"m not too sure. I think it is and I just need a hole in it to stop me feeling like I'm being filleted sp? (how to you spell that word when you are being .... well you get the idea I'm sure) ........ this is more when I get down on the drop bars - which I'm building confidence with on each ride. I think better padding shorts would work for the regular positions though and I'm researching those - there are so many of them and so many prices. The ones I have now were $30 and while they do make some difference - I'm sure a greater difference could be felt. Any ideas?

Dan. My bike shop seems to think I should play around with one thing at a time making small adjustments to bars, then saddle etc. but he always said that if I have any problems or I'm just not getting the fit that I should take it back and they will fit me. I ride around with m allen wrench and ride a few miles or so and if I feel the bars are too low I stop and lift them. I did the same with the seat - kept lifting it higher and higher till it felt just right on the ride. That's what the bike shop suggested - till it felt just right for me.

Just for any other newbie out there reading this link on the Giant OCR 3 - it is a a starter bike and I'm sure anyone who REALLY gets in to road riding would iventually want to start making certain things lighter, better (ie. upgrading etc.) as we do with cars and computers and the like. But for me, for my very first road bike - I have to say I absolutley love it !!! For the level I'm at it's just great and I am very happy with it indeed. Having that adjustable stem has turned out to be a wonderful thing too.

🙂 ps. I'm up to 22 mile rides on certain nights (with 14 mile baby rides thrown in as I'm older and new to this) with average speeds of 15.5mph so the computer thingie ma bob says.

thanks everyone - I'm loving this bike !!!

Kek - the sensation you describe with the saddle is not uncommon - I had to get rid of the stock saddle on my bike - went for a fisik airione, but still the centre of the saddle would cut off the blood to my pirenium [sp?] especially once i'd roll down & forward into the drops. Bending my arms for good form] also rolled me forward onto the seat this way - and I experienced *extreme* loss of sensation for days after riding, in other bits that - well lets say they shouldn't be that numb!

My solution was a Selle Italia SLK Gel Flow seat with the centre cut right out of it. My mate's new Cinelli has the fisik - so it's all good! For a girl - the sit bones can be wider - and Specialised have those "body Geometry" seats with a full centre cut, and they come in 133mm and 145mm - maybe better for girls. The dealers have a gel pad that memorises the imnpression of your sit bones, and can help work out the best width.

Personally, the fisik is meant to be the best of the best of its type - my Selle is like an ironing board by comparison, but it works for me because of the center cut.

If you live in Sydney [your profile doesn't say] there are some good fitters around - don't just put your seat back! - it will just take power away from your downstroke. There is a really precise relationship between your knee and the ball of your foot on the half rotation, and also an ideal angle for the leg bones to determine your seat height.

🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂