Giant OCR1 vs. Elite

Here are the specs:
Elite

OCR1

keydates <[email hidden]> wrote in news:gaBFc.62743$Jz6.31920
@fe33.usenetserver.com:

Quoted message said:

Haven't had much luck getting this answered elsewhere, so
I'll try here. Is it worth the extra $500 for the Elite?
Is the full Ultegra groupset, slightly better wheels and
carbon-chainstays/seatstays/seatpost worth the money?
thanks in advance.

Depends on the kind of riding you do. A fast rider might
notice the difference. A slow rider probably will not.

I guess I should give some background. I'm a recreational rider, although racing hasn't been ruled out. I ride relatively fast, and for relatively long distances, although being on a mountain bike certainly impedes this. On a typical riding day, I ride 1.5-2 hours or 20-30 miles, depending on terrain, etc.

Do some charity rides, ie the MSTRAM (300 miles/5 days), and the Ironman bike ride (62 miles/1 day, haven't done 100 miles because of mountain bike).

keydates <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Haven't had much luck getting this answered elsewhere, so
I'll try here. Is it worth the extra $500 for the Elite?
Is the full Ultegra groupset, slightly better wheels and
carbon-chainstays/seatstays/seatpost worth the money?
thanks in advance.

I looked at the Giant website and I did not see a full
Ultegra group on the Elite model. I saw Ultegra rear
derailleur and shifters on both the OCR1 and Elite. And
some kind of Tru Vativ triple crank on both. The
difference between the two bikes is a few upgrades on a
few components that won't make any difference in the
world. And the carbon rear triangle on the Elite compared
to the full aluminum on the OCR1.

$500 difference? In reality no. But the carbon Elite is more
stylish. If having a new stylish bike gets you excited, go
for it. You can waste $500 on many other things and not end
up with a stylish bike.

But if you want an objective economic valuation of the
difference between the Elite and OCR1, there is not a $500
difference in performance or durability. Having a carbon
rear end on an aluminum bike does not add anything except
price and style. But the style might be worth the price.

russell-<< Having a carbon rear end on an aluminum bike does
not add anything except price and style. >><BR><BR>

Reality, what a concept.

Peter Chisholm Vecchio's Bicicletteria 1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535 vecchios.comvecchios.comOpen ↗ "Ruote convenzionali
costruite eccezionalmente bene"

[email hidden] (Qui si parla Campagnolo ) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

russell-<< Having a carbon rear end on an aluminum bike
does not add anything except price and style. >><BR><BR>

Reality, what a concept.

Peter Chisholm Vecchio's Bicicletteria 1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535 vecchios.comvecchios.comOpen ↗ "Ruote convenzionali
costruite eccezionalmente bene"

But this was the full quote:

"Having a carbon rear end on an aluminum bike does not add
anything except price and style. But the style might be
worth the price."

The stylish carbon fiber rear triangle may or may not be
worth the extra price. Bicycle buying isn't all rational and
objective. And as long as someone knows they are buying
style, and not performance, then there isn't anything wrong
with paying the extra money.

I bought Chorus instead of Athena a long time ago. Partly,
mostly, for style reasons. I could not rationalize an extra
$400 for Record style though. Although I probably should
have found the extra $100 or so for the Record crankset over
the Chorus crankset. The Record crankset is very stylish.