Giant OCR 3

[violette]

I'm so excited, I just bought my first Road Bike, Giant OCR 3. Took it for a ride on Saturday and the gears worked terribly. I tood it back to the bike shop and they told me I wasn't shifting well.

What experience did you have with your new bikes?

[wannaduacentury]

I'm so excited, I just bought my first Road Bike, Giant OCR 3. Took it for a ride on Saturday and the gears worked terribly. I tood it back to the bike shop and they told me I wasn't shifting well.

What experience did you have with your new bikes?

Hi Violette, I have the OCR 2(about a month now) and the rear shifts easier than the front for me. I have to work at it til I get used to it. If it keeps up, it may need adjusting. Congrats on the new bike, I love mine, it rides so nice. Jennifer

[paigette]

Heehee, I have a 2005 OCR 3 and there are still times when I shift wrong. You have to practice But I still think they are great 'starter' bikes. It serves me for what I need & its lower price has now given me the opp. to buy a mountain bike (got a call today that my 3 options are in!)!

That being said, if you still think something is wrong, maybe take it to another bike shop to see what they think.

[SouthernBelle]

I have the OCR C3 and had to have the front adjusted twice. Not unusual in a new bike from my understanding. I've had it for 2 months and never have trouble shifting now, but the chain slipped like crazy when I first got it.

[spokewench]

Does your bike have a triple or a double in front?

I'll talk about shifting with a double. The principles are the same with a triple chain ring in the front, but you have a little more latitude to shift with a triple since you have a gear in front that is in the middle range.

The trick about shifting in general is
1 you do not want to do too much cross over. Cross over what is that? Say you are in your little chain ring in front (which is closest to the bike) and you are in the little cog in back (farthest from the bike) that is cross over. So, if you have 10 -11 speed in the back then if you are in your little ring in the front you want dont want to shift any further to the outside on the back than say the 5th cog closest to your bike and vice versa.

2 when you are shifting, especially when you are on a hill under a load, you need to think ahead and shift a little early - so that you shift to the lower gear before your bike gets under a lot of load from the higher gear going up hill.

This stuff becomes second nature after a while, but at first, it takes somes thought and you will make mistakes. Hang in there on the learning curve.

Try these tips. If they don't work, your bike may need to be re-tuned. What can happen if the bike shop did not try to stretch your cable, or even if they did, sometimes, the cable can stretch in the first few rides and then the shifting will need to be adjusted because the cable that pulls the derailleurs is loose.

Hope that helps.

the Spoke

[Marangel]

Violet:

I have a 2005 OCR 3 and love it- I have over 5800 miles on it. However, most new bikes shift terribly because the cables are still stretching and most bike shops are aware new cables stretch and encourage you to come in the first few weeks for adjustments. Did your bike shop mention anything about the cables stretching? If not, I would take it in and ask. You're entitled to a good ride and the OCR 3 is a good entry level road bike. Good luck and never give up!