Scott or Obea Choice?

Derrick Li from Singapore has narrowed down his choice of new bike between a Scott CR1 Team and an Orbea Opal Ultegra SL. We have looked at and ridden the Scott CR1 many times and like its looks and handling, so we have run our eyes over the Orbea for a comparison

Question:
Hi, after reading Bicycling, magazine, I have narrowed my choice of a road bike down to 2 models and I am having a hard time deciding between the SCOTT CR1 Team road bike and the ORBEA OPAL Ultegra SL road bike, any suggestions as to which would be better?
Thanks a lot
Derrick.

Hi Derrick.

We used a Scott CR1 as a test bike before we stepped up to the Scott Addict, if you can afford the Addict I would suggest you go for it, but the CR1 is a very good bike, one of the lightest on the market and depending on the group set it is hard to be beaten.

The Orbea Opal Ultegra SL is a class act; the carbon frame is comfortable and well built for smooth handling and a smooth ride on the longer routes. The Reynolds wheels are a comparable to the Mavic Askium fitted to the Scott CR1 and all the other parts are very similar.

Now if the Scott has the Shimano 105 group set and the Orbea Opal has the Shimano Ultegra SL then based on the equipment I think the Orbea gets the edge as the Ultegra is that bit lighter and works just that little bit more smoothly. Between the frames the Scott would get our vote, but not by much! The Scott frame is lighter and the feel of both frames is very similar, although the Scott has a very “crisp” feel when cornering, not to say the Orbea is “dull” but, the Scott gets the vote by a small amount on all accounts, unless the Orbea is fitted with Shimano Dura-Ace!

Orbea

So, in conclusion; if the Scott has Shimano 105 and the Orbea has Ultegra then I would go for the Orbea, but only just. If the both have Shimano Ultegra then the Scott gets the vote. You could get the Scott and up-grade from the Shimano 105 to Ultegra or Dura-Ace at a later date, but then it’s better and cheaper to start with the best you can afford. I hope this helps Derrick?

You can read a similar question with an  Orbea Onix with Mavic Aksium Race wheels

Scott