Giant TCR Advanced SL - Got new wheels!!!

Cubic

Here is my hot new steed. I got the frame and groupset from my LBS, built up with the wheels from my old aluminium Cube.
The photos are from her maiden voyage in Richmond Park (the wind!)









Frame: Giant TCR Advanced SL ISP (medium)
Forks: Giant TCR ...
Bars: 3T Ergonova Pro 42cm
Stem: 3T ARX Pro 10cm

Front Brake Lever: Ultegra 6700
Front Caliper: Ultegra 6700
Rear Brake Lever: Ultegra 6700
Rear Caliper: Ultegra 6700

Front Mech: Ultegra 6700
Rear Mech: Ultegra 6700

Seat: Fizik Aliante Kium
Seat Post: Integrated

Cranks: Ultegra 6700
Chainring(s): 50-34
Chain: Ultegra 6700
Cassette: Ultegra 6700 11-25
Pedals: Speedplay Zero Stainless Steel

Front Wheel: Shimano RS80
Tire: Schwalbe Durano S

Back Wheel: Shimano RS80
Tire: Schwalbe Durano S

Accessories: Garmin Edge 500, Elite Bottle cages

Weight: 7.2kg (including pedals, cages etc.)

Squillinossett

Nice,

Sadly my new Giant is lower down the food chain than yours! I never really liked Giant bikes before, but I seem to have done a U turn of recent!

Cubic

Squillinossett wrote:

Nice,

Sadly my new Giant is lower down the food chain than yours! I never really liked Giant bikes before, but I seem to have done a U turn of recent!

Thanks. I didn't think I'd be able to get such a high end bike, but the shop made me a good deal!

The Giants have really grown on me too over the last few months. The more I saw them in the shop and researched them, the more I liked them. Then getting the chance to test one out was enough to convince me for good! Very happy with it!

Nairnster

Lovely!!

Giants get a lot of stick because they are so highly mass produced and Giant are a massive (giant!!) company as opposed to a more specialised road bike manufacturer.

Thing is, their bikes are always pretty well specced and their hydroforming of aluminium frames is great.

I am on my third Giant now, and again, its lower down the line than yours, but I love it.


Your bike looks awesome, cant imagine how good it rides.

FransJacques

Now that's bike set up: bars are a nice angle, levers are not reaching for the sky, not too many spacers, sensible saddle to bar drop. Well done. I like that fact that you did this yourself and made it fit the way you ride and didn't let some shop boffin use their "experience".

elliotlipski

Just out of interest it looks as though the left break cable cuts across the headtube before travelling along the top tube. might look a bit neater if it didn't cut across...But i'm probably being picky for the sake of it. Very nice bike though, I love the frame, and colours are smart too.

FransJacques

What's a break cable? "But i'm probably being picky for the sake of it". That works on a couple levels :-)

rozzer32

Left brake should be for the front brake anyway

elliotlipski

FransJacques wrote:

What's a break cable? "But i'm probably being picky for the sake of it". That works on a couple levels :-)

DOH! :oops:

Cubic

Thanks for all the nice comments on my bike!

I'm looking forward to getting some slightly less windy rides in now - I almost toppled over into the headwinds before :shock: . Hopefully get out after work today.

road ronin

love the black and white colour scheme its a real beauty

i use a defy 2 as a winter ride and love it

crom7

Lovely looking bike...really like the black and white. You should bring it down to Wales to try it out on some decent hills.

tlw1

looks good

siamon

When only the very best will do!

You are obviously a very discerning cyclist and a man of the most impeccable taste.

noiseboyfeetman

Nice bike, but I think they could've written "Giant" on the frame a couple more times to really finish it off

Cubic

I like a bike with lots of logos

Speaking of which, does anyone want to lend me some Zipp 303 Firecrests? They'd go really well with my bike. Just for a photo or two. I'd give them back, honest...

fuzzbear

Looks great but, can you please not refer to it as your steed.. this is just plain wrong.

saintdracula

Meh, I don't see owt wrong with using the word 'steed'?! Of course no literalism was implied and probably the comparison between an organic and an obviously inorganic creation of artifice is quite jarring, but I think that the point of an analogy is that we merely highlight the similarities and don't try to completely assimilate the two things into one single category.

And I think that 'steed' is quite an evocative word, totally apt when you consider the emotional and physical journey its rider will undertake with it. Yes, the bike will serve as a horse serves its master, it will take every punishment and only respond with indifference to pain. It will in a way promise undying loyalty and will be rewarded with the noble love of a master

Pseudonym

saintdracula wrote:

Meh, I don't see owt wrong with using the word 'steed'?! Of course no literalism was implied and probably the comparison between an organic and an obviously inorganic creation of artifice is quite jarring, but I think that the point of an analogy is that we merely highlight the similarities and don't try to completely assimilate the two things into one single category.

And I think that 'steed' is quite an evocative word, totally apt when you consider the emotional and physical journey its rider will undertake with it. Yes, the bike will serve as a horse serves its master, it will take every punishment and only respond with indifference to pain. It will in a way promise undying loyalty and will be rewarded with the noble love of a master

have you ever read 'Pseud's Corner' in Private Eye..?? If not, you should....you'd love it...

fuzzbear

saintdracula wrote:

Meh, I don't see owt wrong with using the word 'steed'?! Of course no literalism was implied and probably the comparison between an organic and an obviously inorganic creation of artifice is quite jarring, but I think that the point of an analogy is that we merely highlight the similarities and don't try to completely assimilate the two things into one single category.

And I think that 'steed' is quite an evocative word, totally apt when you consider the emotional and physical journey its rider will undertake with it. Yes, the bike will serve as a horse serves its master, it will take every punishment and only respond with indifference to pain. It will in a way promise undying loyalty and will be rewarded with the noble love of a master

Sorry - I don't understand any of this, I'm just a plain speaking bloke who calls a bike a bike.

saintdracula

Pseudonym wrote:

saintdracula wrote:

Meh, I don't see owt wrong with using the word 'steed'?! Of course no literalism was implied and probably the comparison between an organic and an obviously inorganic creation of artifice is quite jarring, but I think that the point of an analogy is that we merely highlight the similarities and don't try to completely assimilate the two things into one single category.

And I think that 'steed' is quite an evocative word, totally apt when you consider the emotional and physical journey its rider will undertake with it. Yes, the bike will serve as a horse serves its master, it will take every punishment and only respond with indifference to pain. It will in a way promise undying loyalty and will be rewarded with the noble love of a master

have you ever read 'Pseud's Corner' in Private Eye..?? If not, you should....you'd love it...

Hey, that's not fair! I mean, I do like the Private Eye, but although there was an element of sincerity in what I said I wasn't totally lacking in self-consciousness about the [purported]:

"pomposity, pretentiousness and pseudo-intellectualism in writing"

And I would argue that my stylistic features were not merely, as it were, gaudy, kitschy tinsel. It was kinda cool in a way.

Actually, I think that I would appreciate 'Pseud's Corner' - but at least from my vantage point, the implicit comparison's not entirely fair.

Edit: Stunning bike, by the way.

Cubic

I bought some Fulcrum Racing Zero - Dark Label editions recently. They are very nice!

si2k2000

Very nice, was thinking of getting some of these (to go on my TCR Advanced SL) as a are more lightweight all-round wheel set to compliment my Cosmic Carbone SLE's. Would be interested to hear how they ride. Also where did you get them from and how much. (sorry sounds a bit like an interrogation lol)

Cubic

Interrogate away, haha!

The Fulcrums are very good. It feels like they are taunting me, begging to be treated roughly and then laughing at my attempts to punish them. They are very stiff and they accelerate and ascend most satisfyingly Coming downhill feels smooth, stable and inspires confidence.

I upgraded from some RS80s, which were very comfortable. I was a little worried that the Fulcrums would be jarring over long distances, but they feel just as smooth and comfortable.

Something else I noticed, while out with my riding with my brother, was that they accelerate and keep rolling very well when freewheeling. I was consistently freewheeling faster than my brother on little downhills (whereas on my RS80s our speed would be the same). I guess that could be down to the ceramic bearings.

I bought mine from Bike-Discount.de for about £580, which was the cheapest I could find (and about £400 less than the RRP). Got some Ultremo ZXs for about £21 there too. I was a little reluctant to buy from a foreign online shop, but they were really good - delivered quickly and without any hassles.

In summary: thumbs up!

RideOnTime

Squillinossett wrote:

Nice,

Sadly my new Giant is lower down the food chain than yours! I never really liked Giant bikes before, but I seem to have done a U turn of recent!

me too...