Giant OCR1 vs. Specialized Allez Elite

[louinge]

I want to get a bike to do triathlons and a century ride next year, and I am looking at the Specialized Allez Elite for $989 and the Giant OCR1 for $1000. Can anyone help me decide which one to get? I was told that the Specialized will be a bit lighter but the Giant comes with higher-end components, and I cannot decide which would be better for me for the price.

 

[OCRoadie]

I want to get a bike to do triathlons and a century ride next year, and I am looking at the Specialized Allez Elite for $989 and the Giant OCR1 for $1000. Can anyone help me decide which one to get? I was told that the Specialized will be a bit lighter but the Giant comes with higher-end components, and I cannot decide which would be better for me for the price.

Test ride them both and see what you like better, pick the frame that you're most comfortable on, you can always upgrade the components.

 

[bubber]

So, which one did you get? What made up your mind?

 

[louinge]

I ended up getting the Specialized because I loved the way it felt when I rode it and I decided that the components weren't going to make much of a difference in my riding any time soon since I'm just starting. Also, I liked the bike shop that was selling the Specialized better than the one selling the Giant. They were very helpful the whole time I was there, for a total of 2 or 3 hours while I was deciding. That was probably the biggest factor in my decision since both bikes were very nice.

 

[bubber]

How much did your Elite end up weighing? The OCR1 was measured at 22.0 pounds at the bike shop (with stock pedals). I try out the Elite this Friday. Both are nice bikes and both shops are great. Going to be a tough decision me thinks.

 

[louinge]

I don't know the exact weight of my bike but it is very close to that I think. The only thing that I have noticed with my bike is that the brakes are not very sensitive, which made it hard to stop at a red light at the bottom of a steep hill, but I am going to replace the brake pads and then it will be perfect. I am very happy with it overall. When I brought my bike in for its first tuneup the guy at the shop told me that he sold another extra small Elite a couple of hours after I bought mine. She was also looking at the Giant and when he told her that I had just been there it made up her mind. I thought that was funny, and it made the guys at the shop very happy. This is my first road bike, so I really have nothing to compare it to, but I am definitely happy with my decision after researching bikes for about 4 months.