if you could choose Cannondale CAAD 12 v Giant TCR Advanced

riggsy81

Dilemma time...new bike on a budget of £1100 as going cyclescheme

narrowed it down to:
Giant TCR Advanced 2 or Cannondale CAAD12

both are Shimano 105 and both similar price, both will have the wheels upgraded too

what would you choose?

fat daddy

CAAD12 ...... I just love the top tube

and having a CAAD10 if its anything like that the bike will just be begging you to abuse it .. ARRRGH harder, pedal harder, no harder, that's it more more .. HARDER GRRRRRR punish me !

at least that's what mine says

Matthewfalle

Dale.

dannbodge

CAAD12

imposter2.0

I'd go TCR, if only because it has Shimano press-fit rather than BB30. Both are fine frames with a long pedigree, but the TCR edges it for me.

w00dster

CAAD all day for me. Awesome bikes.
Had a TCR a few years ago (2014 Ultegra TCR I think). Wasn't impressed with it to be honest. To be fair though I had my eyes on a different bike but was offered the TCR very cheap, had it about a month before I realised I should have bought the bike I originally wanted. Sold the TCR and bought the other one.

timothyw

Just to add a bit more bias, TCR for me... well, literally. Got a TCR Advanced on cyclescheme late 2015.

Took it for it's first outing of the year last week, and it was amazeballs. It was so good, that if I didn't already own it, I would have bought it. I was tempted to buy another to make absolutely sure.

Unfortunately I've never ridden a caad 12 so can't compare.

Worth pointing out though, that as well as the TCR having the shimano pressfit instead of dreaded bb30 bottom bracket, it also features the proper 105 brake calipers, instead of the cheap tektro's that Cannondale give you.

They both in theory have lifetime frame warranty, although I'm sure you can find stories of both manufacturers letting people down with those if you look hard enough.

ovi

I ha no problem with a Giant Warranty claim and would buy another just for that reason. I can fit 28mm tyres on the TCR if that helps your decision and some of the steerer tube sizes are 1 1/4" compared to the usual 1 1/8" but you can get Giant branded stems easy enough and are good quality.

daniel_b

CAAD for me.

Man Of Lard

TCR for me. You can stick your BB30...

ugo.santalucia

CAAD has great tyre clearance... you get the TCR and then moan that you canot fit the tyres you want

mamil314

CAAD and Supersix would be near perfect bikes if majority weren't marred with FSA junk and silly bottom bracket.
TCR is nice and stiff, you cannot go wrong with either; you'd even be safe buying based on looks, or can compare components.

riggsy81

cheers for the wise words and advice all

had a Supersix and the BB30 creak was the reason I sold it tbh

mamil314

One difference that might make actual difference is Cannondale's skinnier 27mm seat post, it's the second most effective factor affecting comfort, after tyres, imo

daniel_b

mamil314 wrote:

One difference that might make actual difference is Cannondale's skinnier 27mm seat post, it's the second most effective factor affecting comfort, after tyres, imo

Does the current one not go even further and take a 25.4? Same as the Synapse.

timothyw

So, if you need to get a replacement seatpost you have to hunt out a 25.4mm one... perfect.

I don't think you can really reduce the complexities of two different bikes relative comfort levels to which one has the skinnier seatpost - not least because the caad has aluminium seatpost and frame, whereas the TCR is carbon seatpost and frame.

To be fair, the TCR uses a shaped aero carbon seatpost which isn't particularly easy to replace (much like a 25.4 in that regard).

I could point out that the sloping geometry of the TCR means that more seatpost is showing, which also improves the comfort of the ride.

I don't think there's an easy answer on this one - I think to have an answer a test ride on both would be required.

bmxboy10

Caad then the Rotor or Praxis bb conversion if or when needed.

img_87

CAAD for me too but i am slightly biased as i own 3 cannondales. But... I've never had any problems with the bottom brackets on any of them.

I also have a friend who rides a TCR and he loves that bike.

So really, i am no help at all.

Buy the one that excites you the most.

nicklong

CAAD.

I've had a CAAD 10 for 3 years, 25000 kms and it has been outstanding. Of the 4 road bikes I own, the Cannondale is certainly the most "alive" and fun to ride. Strong resale following too I'd expect.

ryan_w-2

CAAD12. Awesome bikes.

Mathelo

riggsy81 wrote:

cheers for the wise words and advice all

had a Supersix and the BB30 creak was the reason I sold it tbh

Easy to address creaking BB30 with Praxis kit.

timothyw

Easy and expensive...

Mathelo

TimothyW wrote:

Easy and expensive...

Expensive depends on your price sensitivity. $100 or so is not so much to transform your BB.

The poster said he sold the bike because of the BB30. I Imagine he took a loss greater than the cost of this fix although he may have had other reasons for getting another bike.

Louis

ryan_w-2

My CAAD12 was silent with a 100kg + power rider stomping away on it.

trivial_poursuivant

I would choose the TCR. It's just a more versatile bike and as good as the CAAD is it's not on par with the Giant. I compare the frame and forget the rest and a top carbon frame beats a top aluminium frame.

bigmul

CAAD12....because I have one (albeit ultegra) and it's fantastic! To be fair it did go back to cannondale because of the BB!

Tiesetrotter

CAAD12 ...... proper bike design. None of this slopey top tube stuff. Especially on a small frame.

Although I'd get a Bowman. Support your country and use a UK based bike bits importer.

2wheelzgood

Currently also undecided on a TCR disc or others. I had talked myself into a Bowman Pilgrims but does anyone know what after sales and warranty they provide? Bit of a gamble compared to lifetime warranty on big brands.
Looks a great alternative though.

stealth_rider1

Mathelo wrote:

TimothyW wrote:

Easy and expensive...

Expensive depends on your price sensitivity. $100 or so is not so much to transform your BB.

The poster said he sold the bike because of the BB30. I Imagine he took a loss greater than the cost of this fix although he may have had other reasons for getting another bike.

Louis

Caad12 comes with BB30a, praxis kit doesn't work chap

warrior4life

I owned both at one time and there's nothing between them on ride.
The Caad was little louder with road vibration etc.

Both fantastic bikes. If I were buying today I think I'd go Caad purely on them being a little cheaper.
Not to many issues with Caad BB's either due to the bearings pressing in the alloy frame, its more the Supersix that creaks.

Like said above though if it does creak use a Wheels MFG or Praxis converter.