My first road/racing bike?

I'm not going to use it a lot, and dont want to spend much more than 拢300 on it. What about second hand? Are old (but still pretty good condition) racer bikes ok? Buying and old one for under 拢50 would be preferable because I'm short on money at the moment and have other things to buy.

The Giant OCR 4 seemed pretty good, but looking around the OCR 3 is supposed to be a lot better value for the money.

What are your opinions?

A second hand bike that your local bike shop has taken in trade could be the way to go. There's nothing wrong with a used bike that's been checked out by a qualified technician. Finding a used bike that fits you at a bike shop is a matter of being in the right place at the right time. You gotta be persistent.

If you are looking at Giant OCRs, see if the local shops have any of last year's models left over. That's another good way of stretching your money.

HTH

Spend the bulk of your money on components not the frame, try to get at least a 105 groupset since it has a larger range and has full compatability with ultegra and dura-ace. You can usually get an aluminum bike with 105 groupset for about $500 on ebay. There is a store "cyclespecific" that has alot of good deals. With road bikes there is a a very sharp buying curve up to a certain price you will get all of the money you put into it (about $2000) after that you are being showy.

Trek Madone 4.5, light great performance, good dealer support.

Do you want to race? join a team? are you looking for longevity or weight? I love giant bikes, they hold up well, and are a good choice for beginners to experts because they offer a range of component grades. I presonnally have a TCR1 but had looked at the OCRs because of cost. It is a good idea to see if a shop has some last year models, with an intermediate gruppo like 105s and that will bring down the price. I got mine in the fall/winter and saved $1000CDN.
Used depends on who's used it and what for. The quality of a used bike is based on how well it is maintained. look at the gears for wear as well as break pads. Generally stay away from used carbon as failure is hard to detect.
It's possible to find a bike in any price range, just keep in mind what you plan on using it for and if you can compromise getting exactly what you want, for what you need or can get.

I've got last year's OCR 3. I always rode a hybrid before I got the Giant, so when I first rode it home, I was just blown away by it's speed and responsiveness. It felt like a little rocket!

I'd say, for a first road bike, you can't do much better. It's geared and fitted like a touring bike, but you can ride it light at about 23 lbs (well, mine is a small women's model, mind).

If youre looking for a good racing bike the brand of the frame is not the most important.

A good group of Material is very important. The less expensive groups are:
Schimano Tiagra or Sora, i should not buy these.
Shimano 105 or Camangolo Xenon are a little more expensive but the quality is a lot better. so look for that!

There are Good racingbikes with these groups wich are not to expensive.

new bikes look for:

-Bianchi model: Via nirone (beautifull design, good quality not expensive!)
-Cube racingbikes
-Redbull racingbikes

2nd hand, you should look for a bike with material of Shimano Utegra or Dura Ace or Campangolo Record/Xenon

and make sure you buy the right size!

Xx.