New Carrera TDF £300 or Used Giant OCR 3 £250??

joonbooyuk

Hello all,

Please can you help me. I am buying my first road bike and seen as its my first I only want to spend around £300.00, I was going to buy the Carrera TDF which is on halfords reduced from £450 to £300, this looks to be a good a entry level bike from what i can see, but I've been offered a 6 year old Giant OCR 3 (thats done 1800 miles, needs pedals and a service) for £250. I've had Giants in my mountain biking days and always liked them.

i'm just not sure which to go for. A brand spanking new Carrera or a 6yr old Giant OCR??? :?

Thanks, John

Super Domestique

Not sure if this makes a difference but my dad recently bought the TdF and got it for £255 with a bit of bartering.

Ben6899

What are the specs of each bike?

joonbooyuk

hi ben, not got the spec of the OCR 3, below is the 2008 ocr3 spec not sure if the 2004/5 will be much different
,
frame ALUXX butted aluminum, Compact Road Design
fork formulaOne Composite w/aluminum steerer
handlebar 6061 AL anatomic bend, 31.8mm W: 6061 AL short reach / shallow drop
stem 6061 alloy Adjustable, 31.8mm
seatpost Alloy 27.2x350mm
saddle M: Selle Royal Viper W: Sell Royal Viper for Women
pedals Caged w/ Clips
shifters Shimano 2200
front derailleur Shimano FD-2203
rear derailleur Shimano 2200
brakes TK521AG, long reach
brake levers Shimano 2200
cassette SRAM PG850 11-28, 8-speed
chain KMC Z72
cranks FSA Vero Triple, 30/39/50
bb BB7420
rims DA22
hubs Alloy Sealed Bearing
spokes Stainless Stee

The Carerra is,

* Approximate Weight (KG): 10.9
* Brake Type: Caliper
* Chainset: Shimano
* Exact Frame Size: 54cm
* Frame Colour: Black and Yellow
* Frame Material: Lightweight 6061 aluminium
* Frame Size (cm): 51 - 54
* Front Brake: Tektro Alloy caliper brake
* Front Mech: Shimano FD-A050
* Gear Shifters: Shimano ST-2300 16 speed
* Handle Bars: Alloy
* Headset: Semi Integrated
* Hubs: Alloy with alloy QR
* Number of Gears: 16
* Pedals: Road pedals with toe clips
* Rear Brake: Tektro Alloy caliper brake
* Rear Mech: Shimano RD-2300
* Rims: Double wall alloy
* Saddle: Carrera
* Seatpost: Alloy 350mm x 27.2mm
* Stem: 105mm
* Tyre size: 700 x 23C
* Tyres: Kenda Road Tyre
* Wheel size: 700c

Ben6899

Not a great deal of discernible difference in those two, IMO. Is there any chance for you to have a sit/ride on them both to see which you find most comfortable?

That's the key, really. I can vouch for how nice Giant roadbike frames are though.

thefonz78

What about a raleigh airlite 100 reduced from £500 to £325 same spec as the giant but new with a warranty
http://www.discountcyclesdirect.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=9850

Mister W

IMHO the Giant is well overpriced. For £250 you should be able to pick up a 2 or 3 year old entry level bike.

saintdracula

I'd get the Carrera

rufus357rufus

Ive got a carrera virtuso in very good nick (prob 200-300 miles only) that is about to go on sale if you are interested?

retrobike007

I have the carrera valour, similar kind of spec, and the TDF will be painted yellow, but I am sure its the same frame.

Its OK on the track (castle combe) but it has the cro-mo forks and quite a stiff alloy frame, so you know when its getting bumpy, on the up side, the frame being stiff is nice on the climbs, Its not the lightest frame in the world. But its a good starter bike.

thefonz78

the giant is well overpriced. It would have cost £300 half a decade ago when they bought it. I would get the Raleigh its got a better frame carbon folk, Reduced from £500 and you don't have to deal with Halfords. Carrera is Halfords own brand Raleigh is much more respected name. Cycling active mag gave it a good review in Aug mag and that was at £500. Halfords are shit thats why the 3 big brands Giant, Trek and Specialized will not deal with them. They also refuse to pay into the UK bicycle industry levy fund.

Super Domestique

For the £300 mark then I'd go with the Raleigh I reckon, that said it will come boxed so some basic set up - easy enough if you are ok with bikes but if not you might have to factor the cost of a lbs to go over it.

However, for roughly £250 I'd grab the Carrera. It rides very nicely although I'd replace the stock bar tape with some padded tape when you can.

thefonz78

However, for roughly £250 I'd grab the Carrera. It rides very nicely although I'd replace the stock bar tape with some padded tape when you can.

The Carrera is not £250 its £300. So for £25 more you can get the Raleigh airlite 100 a £500 bike.

Super Domestique

thefonz78 wrote:

However, for roughly £250 I'd grab the Carrera. It rides very nicely although I'd replace the stock bar tape with some padded tape when you can.

The Carrera is not £250 its £300. So for £25 more you can get the Raleigh airlite 100 a £500 bike.

I bought my dad the Carrera for £255 as per my post earlier in the thread. Others on here have got them for £270 and one guy even £245. You just have to haggle instore.

The raleigh is a great bargain though, which is why I posted that ad in a thread the other day too.

joonbooyuk

cheers for your posts guys, i've been into a raleigh store and halfords today, while neither had any staff that had a clue what they were talking about i think i prefered the raleigh, especeially considering it has carbon forks, and at only £25 more than the carrera i reckon i'm gonna get it. made the mistake of going into a proper cycle shop too, i almost got the credit card out to buy an Orbea @ £550, i managed to resist though and will go for the more affordable raleigh.

Hrun

I bought the Carrera a couple of weeks ago and it is a nice ride.

But to be fair with my experience that is like comparing the driving experience of a new skoda compared to a 20 year old vauxhall. The new car is bound to be better.

But I like it and feel it is worth the notes.

fastbatard

I would go brand new with warranty etc. even if it is Halfords you have comeback if it goes wrong. I've had warranty issues with them and although they may not have sorted problems first time they have been sorted eventually.
Have you considered Decathlon's B'Twin Sport1 at £270 it's great value for money.
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/sport-1-54-57-69567468/

carl_p

joonbooyuk wrote:

cheers for your posts guys, i've been into a raleigh store and halfords today, while neither had any staff that had a clue what they were talking about i think i prefered the raleigh, especeially considering it has carbon forks, and at only £25 more than the carrera i reckon i'm gonna get it. made the mistake of going into a proper cycle shop too, i almost got the credit card out to buy an Orbea @ £550, i managed to resist though and will go for the more affordable raleigh.

Good choice. Did you intend to fit mudguards for winter use? The spec says it has clearance for mudguards, but it only has short reach brake calipers fitted. I would have expected long reach. Still might be okay although it could be very tight. Might be worth checking the clearance if that is an issue for you.