The mid-level Advanced Pro is also available with three disc models and one rim option, plus a disc brake ready frameset. The top level Advanced SL is only available fully built with disc brakes, however the frameset can be bought in either disc or rim brake variants. Aero development and testing were conducted at the GST wind tunnel in Germany with a proprietary dynamic mannequin to best replicate real-world racing conditions by factoring in the drag of a rider and bike together.
These bikes both came equipped with Shimano Ultegra components, which is usually a selling point, but neither if us felt the gears changed very smoothly nor easily. The gaps between gears seems inconsistent, and clattery, whilst changing on the fly was something we soon learned to avoid. Click the button below to be notified when a particular bike becomes available. Pricing is therefore unconfirmed at this stage, however, Cyclingnews is told the range-topping Advanced SL 0, with Cadex 42 tubeless wheels and SRAM Red eTap AXS groupset, will retail at $11,000. In all there are 10 models of the new TCR, plus three frameset options available. The frameset also retains the ISP , for which two seatmasts will be included.
The frame’s compact geometry was so different from other bikes at the time that the UCI had to confirm it was legal to race. The interesting thing about hire bikes is the relative lack of fiddling about you can do. We were able to request the brakes changing from left to right, for a small fee. But beyond that, get the bike set up as best you can, and just go and ride it. If you’re on for the climbs, then the light weight is an obvious benefit, and it is comfortable for long rides.
The carbon wheels are the lightest and most expensive of the four sets here. There’s no obvious area where corners have been cut and money has been saved – it all feels like quality kit. This is something that’s not strictly essential but really nice to have.
UCI mandates race bikes weight at least fifteen pounds and the giant ROAD BIKES can easily get there with a few changes. Along with the shifters are the hydraulic brakes and we will be hardpressed to ever go back to rim brakes. Despite hardly bedding in the brakes, a process to wear discs and pads together, we have been squeak-free with predictable stoppage. Here in Bucks County disc brakes are essential due to the amount of stop signs at the bottom of steep descents. The TCR’s hydraulic brakes stop reliably early in rides as well as late and have a comfortable tension to them. They have performed spotlessly in summer heat as well as seasonal rainstorms.
Thankfully, Giant hasn’t messed around too much with the TCR’s sorted geometry, which I’m pleased about considering the previous generation model is a bike I bought, own, ride a lot and love. The more affordable Pro and Advanced bikes use a standard, although still aero-shaped, seatpost. This creates a slight difference in the silhouette between the SL and the rest of the range because the seat tube is deeper on the non-SL bikes to incorporate a traditional post. Some riders will worry about using an integrated seatpost, with the need to cut to size, so Giant has addressed this by including two clamps with every SL frameset and bike. Also, in a quite surprising move for a 2021 range, there are rim brake models for each level, so there’s something for the die-hard caliper fan to celebrate, too. The head tube retains the ‘Overdrive 2’ design, which combines a 1.5in lower bearing and a 1-1/4in upper bearing.
As you’d expect, the TCR’s geometry is race focused, but it’s not unusually aggressive. My L-sized bike was fitted with a 110mm stem and a Giant Contact SL handlebar with a 44cm width and I could easily get into a flat-backed ‘attack’ position that felt efficient. These relatively minor differences mean Giant’s aero claims Giant for the Advanced SL don’t apply to the Advanced Pro. The Advanced Pro’s giant KIDS BIKES performance in the wind tunnel is unlikely to be vastly different, but we can’t put figures on it. The fork and seat stays sit well wide of the wheel and tyre, the idea being to improve airflow efficiency as well as increasing tyre clearance. The down tube is designed to work aerodynamically with a water bottle in place, the majority of us riding with a bottle most of the time, after all.
Giant’s High Performance Grade raw carbon material is used to produce this custom frame material in our own composite factory with a high stiffness-to-weight ratio. The front triangle of these framesets is assembled and molded as one continuous piece in a proprietary manufacturing process called Modified Monocoque Construction. A massively oversized bottom-bracket/chainstay area features a fully integrated, 86-millimeter-wide bottom-bracket design. Symmetric chainstays provide additional stiffness on the driveside and stability on the non-drivesides.