Giant SCR 2.0 - Any good?

specialboyuk

Hi... I've been riding around on a knackered old raleigh road bike for far too long now and have decided to fork out the cash for my first decent road bike whilst the weather is holding out (just).

In my research I have been drawn to the Giant SCR range of bikes (and in particular the 2006 SCR 2.0) but noticed that not many of you talk about Giant bikes despite their expansive range. What are people opinions of these, especially the cheaper ones like the SCRs? How do they compare to similarly priced bikes such as the Specialized Allez?

Also, i'm 5'6", with an inside leg measurement of approximate 78cm, apparently putting me right on the border line of the small (46.5cm) and medium (50cm) sized SCR frames. Bearing in mind my fairly limited road experience, could anyone suggest which one I should go for? Thanks.

Steveaps

hi i am 5ft 8 in just purchased the SCR 3.0 in medium great fit great bike

inchcape

Go for it i recently purchased the scr3.0 this is my first road bike as well.

graham_g

I've got slightly short arms and have found (through trial and error!) that I prefer going a size up but with a short stem for a slightly more relaxed, less racy riding position.

SOmeone also posted this great link for bike sizing:

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CC ... ATOR_INTRO

speedbump

Giant's are shite! Get a nice European bike.

purplemad

specialboyuk wrote:

Hi... I've been riding around on a knackered old raleigh road bike for far too long now and have decided to fork out the cash for my first decent road bike whilst the weather is holding out (just).

In my research I have been drawn to the Giant SCR range of bikes (and in particular the 2006 SCR 2.0) but noticed that not many of you talk about Giant bikes despite their expansive range. What are people opinions of these, especially the cheaper ones like the SCRs? How do they compare to similarly priced bikes such as the Specialized Allez?

Also, i'm 5'6", with an inside leg measurement of approximate 78cm, apparently putting me right on the border line of the small (46.5cm) and medium (50cm) sized SCR frames. Bearing in mind my fairly limited road experience, could anyone suggest which one I should go for? Thanks.

Hi, I have just bought an SCR 3.0, I am female, 5'6.5 with and inside leg of 79cm so not much different to you, and I have bought a small frame, I tried sitting on both and there wasn't a huge amount of difference between the too, the owner of the LBS said I would be fine with either frame, so I have gone for the smaller one, Just because I was in a more relaxed riding position on it. It's all personal choice, but a few people I know who have bought a bike in a slightly larger frame size have said they were never as comfortable on it. Please note I am quite new to this whole buying a road bike thing, so my opinion is only based on what I have been told and not what I have discovered myself yet, if that makes sense.

guilliano

I've just bought the SCR Ltd (same frame, different parts) and think it's a great ride. The SCR bikes are designed as a less racey bike, with a shorter top tube and a higher head tube (extends about an inch above the top tube join) and so is really comfortable for longer rides. The Giant range sells really well in my shop because of this. Personally I think they are great value for money, but the geometry is a love/hate thing. Stick some decent Conti tyres on a SCR (4 seasons or Force/Attack combo) and you have a really good bike for training and sportive rides

pw1brown

I love my SCR 2. I use it mainly for day tours in the country and I think it's just about perfect for that. I'm not sure, but I think the Allez might be set up to be a bit more racy, so probably slightly better if you want speed over comfort.

Above all, I'd say to try to test ride a few models before you decide.

keith-a

I tried both very recently, ended up getting the Allez and flipping the stem. Felt much more comfortable for me, a little more responsive and confidence inspiring.

But that's just me.

nolf

A friend of mine has the Giant Scr2 and I thnk it's a very nice bike.

The Spesh allez has a superior frame, so if you're thinking of getting a bike to upgrade in the future this may be a better choice.

However the Giant has a superior groupset (Tiagra instead of Sora) with a decent finishing kit and still a decent quality frame.

Personally I would go for the giant as it's very cheap for what it is, from a well respected manufactuere and handles/rides pretty well. Light and stiff for uphill with a triple chainset for those new to bike racing.
Seen people come out on a club ride with the Scr2 and isn't looked down on, good enough that you could start racing on it as well.

The differences aren't huge between the 2, but the Tiagra instead of Sora groupset tips the scales for me. Make sure you test ride them both and buy from a bike shop that way they can size the bike up for you and service it after a few weeks.

End of this summer I'm probably going to get a Giant Scr2 as a winter trainer/wet weather bike, as it's fast enough to keep up with a group and hard wearing enough for winter.

mea00csf

I've just bought an SCR 1 womens at a VERY bargainous price and can't fault it. Boyfriends got an OCR 2 which has been fantastic for him but is now looking at upgrading.

One thing i would say is try getting a bikefit if you can. Basically you stand on a jig and they take lots of measurements to get the ideal set up measurements for you dependent on the type of biking you want to do, racing/audax/timetrial etc. Then the shop will go through all the bikes they have and find bikes that will fit. Takes all the guesswork out for frame brand and size, particularly if like me you've never had a road bike before and don't know how it's supposed to feel. The bikefit for me came out with the Giant and Lemond being good fits, Bianchi being reasonable, and Trek would have been a nightmare for me.

Only cost £35 and i'd get that off the price of a bike if i bought it from the same bikeshop. They'd set it all up and change stems/bars etc for free to match what the bikefit came out with. I didn't in the end but from the same shopas i found the SCR 1 very cheap, too good to pass up.