[email hidden] (calvin) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...
Quoted message said:Hi Folks, So I decided to check out the cycle store on my way doing some errands. My plan was to
wait until the fall and pick up a good deal on a road bike at the shows once I figured out my
riding style and preferences. I do know so far that I love the drop bar riding position.
So the salesguy tells me about the OCR3 and takes it down and I check it out. He tells me it will
be on sale in a few days for 800$CAD.
I checked some reviews and it seems to be a good bike but the Sora set didn't get good reviews. I
would be interested to hear what folks think of this particular bike as an entry level. I am in no
rush but would like to pick up a good deal if this represents one.
Thanks for your feedback. Joanne
I don't have experience with the specific bike, but the big problem with Sora is it's crappy STI
shift/brake levers, the only one in Shimano's line that has the inbound thumb switches that make
downshifting in back and upshifting in front only really accessible while riding on the brake hoods.
It's not a huge downfall, but is definitely enough to be annoying. As pricey as STI levers are, many
find it worth it to move up to the Tiagra one instead. Or just get a bike with bar-end shifters,
which have the advantage of being cheaper and not eventually breaking on a regular basis. Also,
Giant's "4 sizes fit all because we use adjustable stems" OCR geometry is billed as a magic bullet,
but is really just a hokey excuse to have to make fewer frame sizes. The cheaper shimano deraileurs
tend to work very adequately as long as they're set up and the drivetrain is maintained correctly.
The other big problem with entry level bikes is that frequently the wheels are skimped on and leave
the shop with spokes undertensioned and not properly stress relieved. This causes them to go out of
true quickly, which makes them hard to salvage if the problem is allowed to get bad enough before
it's properly corrected. Shop salespeople never admit this and rarely seem to be aware of what makes
a wheel last. The point with all this is that when buying an entry level bike, one way or another
you have to make sure the wheels leave the shop at max tension, but this requires some research and
knowledge on your part.
The sale price isn't a spectacular deal by any means. Usually it's a bad idea to get whatever the
salesperson initially wants to sell you on, given the amount of choices there are. Before you buy
you should research womens-specific designs and why they're so advantageous, especially if you're
shorter. Also, make sure the bike matches your intended purpose. You should make your decision
knowing that almost all of today's production road bikes are made to emulate racing bikes, at the
cost of many features useful for everday riding, such as comfort, appropriate gearing, ability to
use fenders and wider tires if desired, and durability.
