Help with fitment on a Giant OCR



billoneill

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Aug 18, 2004
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Hi,

I'm new to the forum. I've been riding my mtb all summer on streets/paths and i think it is about time to get a road bike. I went to the local bike store to look at the Giant OCR 3. I reseached the bike here and I thought that it would be a good entry level bike.

So I'm at the LBS and I ask for a test drive. The salesman takes down the OCR3 on display and has me sit on it. Says that it is a great fit. I rode it and I will say that it felt ok if not a bit tight (which he later fixed by changing the angle on the bars).

I get back to the store and he tells me I was riding a size "small" and that it was proper for me. I was a bit shocked because nothing about me is small. I'm 6'0 and 250 lbs. I do have short legs (wear a 30" inseam pants). The cross bar on the frame was very close to my boys as I was standing over it.

What do you think about a small frame? I'm tempted to call up and order a medium, but I don't really know why. The bike felt good, and quick to me, but it is the first road bike that I've been on since the 80's..

Your opionions are appreciated!
 
billoneill said:
Hi,

I'm new to the forum. I've been riding my mtb all summer on streets/paths and i think it is about time to get a road bike. I went to the local bike store to look at the Giant OCR 3. I reseached the bike here and I thought that it would be a good entry level bike.

So I'm at the LBS and I ask for a test drive. The salesman takes down the OCR3 on display and has me sit on it. Says that it is a great fit. I rode it and I will say that it felt ok if not a bit tight (which he later fixed by changing the angle on the bars).

I get back to the store and he tells me I was riding a size "small" and that it was proper for me. I was a bit shocked because nothing about me is small. I'm 6'0 and 250 lbs. I do have short legs (wear a 30" inseam pants). The cross bar on the frame was very close to my boys as I was standing over it.

What do you think about a small frame? I'm tempted to call up and order a medium, but I don't really know why. The bike felt good, and quick to me, but it is the first road bike that I've been on since the 80's..

Your opionions are appreciated!
Standover clearance is only part of it. Toptube length is just as important if not more so. A small could lacking in toptube length for your dimensions. Try some others and maybe even a medium in comparable compact geometry before throwing down the clams.
 
I am a big guy 5'11'' 285lbs and have just bought a giant ocr2 with a medium frame size. This is my first venture into road riding, and so far it has been awesome. I also only have a 30/31 inch inseam, and the medium frame size fits great. Only issue i have had with it was a creaking sound for the first 80 miles. I tightened up the seat post and bracket, along with everything else, and noise disappeared. I recommend upgrading the pedals to road clipless, not the spd's it comes with. good luck:D
 
billoneill said:
Hi,

I'm new to the forum. I've been riding my mtb all summer on streets/paths and i think it is about time to get a road bike. I went to the local bike store to look at the Giant OCR 3. I reseached the bike here and I thought that it would be a good entry level bike.

So I'm at the LBS and I ask for a test drive. The salesman takes down the OCR3 on display and has me sit on it. Says that it is a great fit. I rode it and I will say that it felt ok if not a bit tight (which he later fixed by changing the angle on the bars).

I get back to the store and he tells me I was riding a size "small" and that it was proper for me. I was a bit shocked because nothing about me is small. I'm 6'0 and 250 lbs. I do have short legs (wear a 30" inseam pants). The cross bar on the frame was very close to my boys as I was standing over it.

What do you think about a small frame? I'm tempted to call up and order a medium, but I don't really know why. The bike felt good, and quick to me, but it is the first road bike that I've been on since the 80's..

Your opionions are appreciated!
Whoa you're 6' and they gave you a small? No way... I ride a TCR and I'm 6', and I ride a Medium. Get a medium.

On the Giant frames, you can't just go by stand over clearance. Its a compact geometry frame.

When I fit customers to an OCR, or any road bike, I also check cockpit length. When you get on the Medium have the employee adjust the seat height. Once that is adjusted, get on the bike and grab a hold of the hoods. Relax your elbows and pedals a few times. Now look straight ahead and drop your eye-sight. You want the front wheel hub to overlap with the stem and handlebar as much as possible when you look down. Kind of like a line-of-sight test. If the front hub is far in front of the handlebar then the size of the bike is much too small, if the hub is behind the handlebar its much to big. This is determing your cockpit length which is also determines the size of your frame.

This is how I got about fit. On my TCR the bar and stem cover the front hub up completely.

Hope this helps...
 
Thanks for all of your imput. I went to a shop over the weekend that used a wide array of devices to measure every part of my body. It was detirmined that a large was the best fit for me. A ride last night confirmed that. Now I just have to hope the rain holds back this week so I can put some miles on it.
 
billoneill said:
It was detirmined that a large was the best fit for me.
Glad you got the appropriate size. Even though body dimensions are unique for each individual, there's no way a Small was right for you. The salesman who tried to sell you on a Small is either a shyster or a moron. Probably both.
 
I had an OCR3 in a small size. It was a perfect size for me. I'm 5'5". There is no-way a size 'small' was the right size for you. The salesman was probably thick as two short planks or trying to sell you a bike he couldn't sell. There aren't many of us 'shortarses.':)
 
shannons dad said:
I had an OCR3 in a small size. It was a perfect size for me. I'm 5'5". There is no-way a size 'small' was the right size for you. The salesman was probably thick as two short planks or trying to sell you a bike he couldn't sell. There aren't many of us 'shortarses.':)
I once had a customer walk in and was looking to get a high-end mountain bike. I showed him what we had. I then went ahead and sized him. Keep in mind this guy was 5'5". I told him he should be riding about a 16". He responded with, "Really? No way Im a 23", that's what (wont say what shop's name) said." I laughed then asked him if he had ridden the 23". He said no because it was a sale bike that was on display in the window. I then pulled out a 23" and asked him to step over it.

Long story short, he ended up buying a bike from us.

You'd be surprised how many people get fitting on the wrong bike just for the shop to make a buck. I'm not saying all are like that, but I've seen so many people come in with the wrong size bike.

Such as the guy who bought a Madone 5.9 from a competing shop because it was on sale. Came in to order a new part for his bike, I asked why he didnt go back to the other shop. Turns out they sized him on a bike that was a 59cm he should have been a 56cm, and thats pushing it. He was ordering the smallest stem he could find to put on it so it would fit him. Ouch...
 

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