Giant SCR 2.0 or not?!?

Lochy

Evening folks, 1st posting so be gentle. (Especially as it's kind of one of those 'which bike should i buy' posts).

My quandry is i've been out of cycling for 20ish years. I've tried MTBing, walking & climbing, but i'm desperate to get back on the tarmac.

It only hit home when i sold my beloved old 531 tubed Ribble, she used to sit in the garage unridden but stil loved.

Anyway, i'll cut to the chase......basically i need/want a new bike. I've been lurking and reading reviews etc and i've been looking at the Giant range. Made more appealing as i can get 12% off thanks to my affiliation to a social club. Making a SCR 2.0 £479.00! My only real concerns/thoughts, are that it has a triple ring and the cranks are TruVativ's (any good??). What's compounding my decision is that i can get a Ribble with full Tiagra kit for £515. The bike will basically be used for commuting (petrol too expensive) and clocking some miles up trying to get fit again.

What are peoples thoughts??

p.s. thanks for reading my ramblings!

Slipknotjonny

Lochy welcome to the board.

I would say that you are unlikely to be disappointed with either the Giant or the Ribble.

I work for a shop that sells Giant, they are consistently better value for money than the other brands that we stock(Trek/Spec/Genesis).

I personally ride a Giant SCR C4 which is basically the carbon version of the SCR 2, it is very comfortable for longer rides and the ride position/geometry is quite forgiving to the older/less flexible rider. The SCR2 is all Tiagra except for the cranks and Truvativ are absolutely fine.

I have no personal experience of Ribble, but those that I know who either own or have owned a Ribble have all been quite happy.

Van_Heerden

You can't go wrong on a Giant! I have an SCR and it has been great. I have been known to rave about them in other posts. Well put together with good spec for better prices than the other leaders as slipknotjohny says. Comfortable on longer rides and provide good frames for the taller among us. Truvativ on mine has has been good, no need to worry about them, they are SRAM parts. I also have Truvativ on my urban steed and no matter how hard i try haven't been able to break it.

As for Ribble I can't really say as I haven't had one. Do seem to pick up mixed reviews though, Some love them and some seem to have nothing but trouble in getting there bike.

choppertron

I have an SCR2 and couldn't recommend it enough, it's great, VERY comfortable as the above 2 posts state. The triple is one of the reasons I bought it, you can just ignore the granny ring if you don't want it but it comes in handy on the 20%'s. The Tiagra shifters on my 07 version will do double and triple setups with the same shifters so changing to a double down the line should be relatively inexpensive.
or
there's a few of these SCR2 LTD versions from 07 knocking about which have a compact double.

shmo

I bought a SCR 2.0 last year and recently upgraded the chainset to the hollowtech Tiagra triple because I had knackered it from repeated crashings. It's not a massive improvement but I think it does make a small difference to the ride. The tiagra cranks are definitely higher quality and virtually identical to the 105 ones on my other bike. Don't know if it was just me abusing it but the threads on the original cranks were gradually becoming damaged so that it was very hard to get pedals in. Also considering changing the brakes for the shimano ones with clearence for mudguards as the stock ones aren't that great.

Think that if you can get mudguards on the ribble then I'd go for that as it might save an upgrade in future, otherwise for me mudguards are critical for commuting so giant all the way.

ownworstenemy

Hi,

I'm also a first poster and I'm picking up my new SCR 2 tomorrow. Glad it's getting positive feedback here! It looked like a good choice as I don't need anything too racey - for now anyway.....

It's my first proper road bike and I can't wait - had enough of lumbering along the road on MTBs & hybrids.

XTCRider

I got the SC3 a couple of years ago as they were more expensive then and couldnt stretch to the SCR2. I love the bike . I have been upgrading bits as and when I can afford. It has 105 brakes, wheels and it has Shimano SPD pedals and a white selle italia leather saddle.

Richard891

I got one last year, this year's model has got a cool paint job. A work colleague also bought one at the same time as me, seemed to represent the best value at the price point. Very happy with mine, great entry level machine and very upgradeable. I've cycled 1000s of miles on it now, including a couple of 100 mile+ sportives. Hope you enjoy yours as much!

sem69

I have the 2008 SCR2 and I love it. Use it mainly for commuting and some longer rides.
I had a budget of around £500 and spent a long time researching which bike to get and doing test rides. Glad I chose the Giant.

petboo

had my scr2.0 for 12 months.£420 from tredz last june.used to commute on 5-6 days a week.no problems. changed the tyres to vittoria rubinos straight away as the michelins didnt look like they had much punture protection. fitted mudguards purchased from ribble for £12. excellent value for money, and only 2 puntures in 12 months!

faaj

Got my 2007 edition SCR 2, 1-2 months ago for £334 delivered from Je james cycles. I'e loved it since, upgraded the pedals to spd-sl 105's (toe straps that came with it ended up breaking) , ive got new tyres. Hopefully ill upgrade the cranks to tiagra hollowtech as they will match with the rest of the bike and pedals, and i guess will perform better. The brakes could be a bit better but overall its a lovely bike.

thamacdaddy

Definately go try one out. I was dead set on getting one myself then went and sat on one in the shop and got fitted. I liked it enough then and it felt alright but I ended up going for a cube peloton which is a German brand (chain reaction stock them as do surosa cycles) but the component mix for the 699 price tag was pretty nice (105 throughout with hollowtech FSA gossomer cranks).

The other options I looked at were the trek 1.5s and 1.7s and Specialized Allez Sport. I don't thin you can go wrong at all with any of those or the Giant but its all personal preference. I also checked out the Ribble's and was extremely close to ordering one of them over the SCR too.

I was a bit put off that for 530 you get a square taper Bottom bracket but only because I ended up hating the truvativ firex set on my MTB and upgraded to shimano hollowtech. I do use my bike for a minimum of 5 days a week in all weathers though and only recently switched to road bike (as 8 months road on a MTB was enough). I felt the extra was worth it in the long run for me but its all a matter of opinion....as long as you are totally happy it doesn't matter what everyone else thinks and honestly getting it makes you want to ride even more!

blorg

I have a Truvativ Elita crank on a Focus Cayo and it's fine. I wouldn't worry about the triple, indeed it is to be recommended if you are just getting back into cycling. I have one on all my bikes and I often get up mountains ahead of people with doubles.

simon_e

Another happy SCR 2 owner here. Mine's used for commuting, leisure and, since earlier this month, 10 mile time trials.

I don't find the seat especially comfortable, but overall it's great. Compared to a mtb or hybrid it's a LOT faster.

The granny ring is in reserve for the steepest roads, I find the 42T inner ring fine for steady rides on most gradients.

Lochy

Cheers for the reploes folks. Looks like i'll be making a trip to my LBS for a test ride and to see if they can match the price i can get it online for.

I suppose it'll also be saving me 40 odd quid to help go towards shoes and pedals.

wilkies80

You'll be very happy with the Giant Lochy. There have been loads of posts on here about the SCR 2. You'll be able to upgrade the componets as you go along or do as most of us in here do and buy the most expensive bike you can(or can't) afford then buy bits and pieces of gear that you don't really need and before you know it you be clearing out the garage and finding things you forgot you had . Seriously tho get down to your LBS and give it a whirl and enjoy. You might find that the LBS will match the price and then they will know your face the next time you're in more discounts !!!!

bornagaincycler

Excellent bike. A very good buy if it's your first foray into road bikes. It will last although you'll probably love it & the cycling so much you'll want something better in a years time. Enjoy it.

SCR Pedro

Hello, I bought a new SCR2 two weeks ago.

I've done roughly 300km on it, and I'm more than impressed with it. Particularly with the Tiagra gears. The gear range is perfect for the undulating area which I live in. I have rarely used the smaller ring, but there are some hills around here where I would definitely use it, as I like to keep a high cadence on the climbs.

The frame is excellent. It is really comfortable but stiff enough to tempt me into a few sprints every once in a while, and despite criticisms of the saddle, I've found it to be very comfortable. The brakes are also more than adequate for the level of rider the bike is pitched at.

I was in a similair position to you. I had few good reviews to work with, so I took a gamble and ordered one. Now that I've done so, I can tell you that it has been worth every penny I paid for it.

Except for one thing. Those 26mm tyres! I'll be replacing them with 23mm's when they wear out, which shouldn't be too long. Especially as the nice weather is coming in.

Cheers
Pedro

fugglestone

I've got a shop that will order a Scr2 for me on Monday, ready to view on Wednesday.
What size should I ask them to order?
I'm 5 ft 10" with a inside leg of 31"
Should I go for a 50cm or the 55.5cm?
Or should I ask them to order both & hope that they don't charge to send the wrong size back to Giant.
As it's a 40 mile round trip i would like to get it right first time.
Thanks.
Fuggs.

justa

I had an SCR 2.0 - I liked it but then tried an Allez

I thought the difference is handling was huge - the Allez gave me soooo much more confidence...

Just to balance things out a bit...

SCR Pedro

Hello.

I think the large frame is recommended for 5'10" to 6'1"

I have a large (55.5cm) frame. I have an inside leg measurement of 86cm (no idea what that would be in inches). I'm about 180cm tall, so 5'11" ish.

I think you would probably be fine with a large frame. I did 50 miles on mine yesterday and I had no comfort problems, so it seeems I chose the correct size.

From the official website, I can see that the bike is offered in the following sizes: 42, 46.5, 50, 55.5, 58.5cm

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/EN-GB/bik ... 399/29640/

Cheers
Pedro

SCR Pedro

justa wrote:

I had an SCR 2.0 - I liked it but then tried an Allez

I thought the difference is handling was huge - the Allez gave me soooo much more confidence...

Just to balance things out a bit...

Hello.

I have done the opposite. I had an Allez before the SCR2. While they are both similairly specced bikes, I have found the SCR to be more comfortable with no loss of speed. I was also sold on having Tiagra where my Allez was Sora.

No matter which one you'll chose, you'll have a good bike.

Cheers
Pedro

Denny69

Hi Lochy....I've got the SCR4 and that comes with Truvativ cranks....done 1000+ Kms and no problems, also I have a Giant XTC4 XC MTB which also has Truvativ cranks and they have to put up with a lot of abuse and they're fine.