Road Bikes (Giant OCR2 and Malvern Star - Oppy Le Mauco)

Hey there!
Not sure how this will read but wanted to let people have my thoughts and comments on the new Malvern Star - Oppy Le Mauco.

To give you the background: I have always ridden an ATB but after moving to Australia two years ago I bought an Apollo flat bar commuter bike then proverbially got bitten by the road bike bug! At present I have two road bikes: a Giant OCR2 on which I do my daily 31km commute to/from work and a Malvern Star Oppy Le Mauco that I ride at the weekends.

If you are new to road riding (as I was) and want to give yourself a solid start then I would wholeheartedly recommend the Giant OCR2. Giant's website will give you the detail about the bike. When I started riding the OCR2 I went with the standard pedals with baskets that were on the bike but it was not long before I changed those for Shimano clip pedals and shoes.

A word of caution to those starting out with clip pedals and shoes ... until you become more confident riding with clip pedals loosen the clips so that you can easily slip your feet out of them.

With time and km's (some 3700 to date!) I have become more comfortable road riding so it was time to look for a new ride! By a stroke of luck (yes, it really was!) I saw the Malvern Star - Oppy Le Mauco in my local bike shop!

Whilst this bike will set you back quite a few $$'s (list price is $3995) I do not think that you will find a better value carbon bike ... yes, I did say carbon!

The Le Mauco is an excellent ride; smooth and comfortable although I expect that I will be changing the saddle for something a little more ergonomic in time. The bike handles and responds well which probably means that I need to step up my game to match the bike!

Over all I am totally happy with both bikes and they both serve their individual purposes extremely well.


I guess that it goes with out saying but whatever you do make sure that you find yourself a decent bike shop and speak with the staff there before making any purchase. Simple things like 12 months of free servicing (as with both of mine) make a heap of difference to your riding experience.

When you do purchase make sure that you are properly fitted for the bike; it will probably take a good 20/30 mins. to get you fitted for the bike and it will be time well spent.

Anyway, I hope that the above helps.

Regards
Mark