TCR or Propel?

warrior4life

Has anyone ridden both? If so what are your thoughts?

I had a Defy Advanced and TCR Advanced and both were fantastic. At the time I was all about speed and I was racing (at a low level) and surprisingly I think I preferred the Defy.
I’ve had more carbon bikes than I can remember over the last 10+ years and Giant seemed the best.
Just sold my Hi-Mod supersix, was all set on a specific TCR but non are available until 2019 bikes are released, debating the equivalent Propel but just not sure.
Not overly keen on the Defy, don’t want disc brakes. I love them on the CX bike which I currently ride on the road but I have rim brake best wheels I want to use.
Any feedback from those who’ve ridden the Propel is much appreciated.

e17blade

I had to make the same choice. I did the sensible thing and took both for a proper test ride (Advanced SL versions).

I really liked the Propel a lot - it compared favourably to my previous bike (Canyon Aeroad) - but as soon as I rode the TCR I was sold on it. It’s fast and light, but most of all I was sold by the handling - which I find to be outstanding. I did the test rides with a friend, and he said after the TCR test that I had a massive smile on my face the whole time. It’s such a great fun bike to ride.

warrior4life

I loved the TCR I had in the past and I’m not keen on the looks of the propel so i’ll wait and get a 2019 TCR.
Thanks for the insight.

Indigo Gorilla

Why can't you just buy a 2018 TCR? Plenty seem to be available unless I'm missing something....

bristolpete

Hi bud,

I have a TCR ADV PRO SL and a Propel ADV.

Both great bikes and remarkable machines. They do ride differently. The TCR is to my mind very stiff, very efficient, very fast and a great climbing bike that returns every pedal stroke up - it is a bike that responds to cadence really well as Giant cite is as a long climb / grand tour climbing bike and I would agree. I live in very hilly terrain and chose the TCR for this.

The propel on the other hand seems to ride in a different way and loves rolling over the big ring 53 or 52 turning smooth circles at speed 20 mph+. Last week I got my best Devon 40 miler on rolling roads solo - 4 minutes faster than on my TCR and the propel is great on 5/6/7 percent where as the TCR loves steeper longer climbs.

The biggest caveat of course is weather and wind can ruin a ride on both bikes !!!!

Oh and finally, in the quest for 'speed' I sold my 2014 Defy SL to fund something else in early 2016 and in many ways that was the perfect bike. Planted, stiff, fast, smooth - absolute dream on bad tarmac and descended wonderfully.' Should have just kept it

markwb79

I have also owned both in the past.

In the rim version they both look great in my opinion. I am a massive fan of a horizontal top tube, so the propel wins on that front.

After having the propel for 2 years I then moved back to a TCR. It felt so much stiffer (I though I wonder if all new bikes give that impression).
A year on, it still feels great. The TCR just feels nimble and fast all the time. And with the right set up, it can easily rival the looks of the Propel.

The brakes.....I just could never get on with the Propel's brakes, getting them set up perfectly was a pain in the arse for me. Plus the performance of then having Dura-ace ones on the TCR make it win hands down for me I think.

TCR every day for me.

svetty

What was wrong with the SS Evo - apart from it not saying 'Giant' on the down-tube ??

rieko

Like some others on here I test road both the TCR and the Propel. Both brilliant bikes but the TCR jut felt 'right'. Light, snappy, responsive, quick, comfortable.

I ended up purchasing the TCR and I don't regret it one bit.

warrior4life

Indigo Gorilla wrote:

Why can't you just buy a 2018 TCR? Plenty seem to be available unless I'm missing something....

I have a good friend who works in a Giant dealers and he looks after me so I can only get what the shop has access to.

warrior4life

Svetty wrote:

What was wrong with the SS Evo - apart from it not saying 'Giant' on the down-tube ??

Honestly it wasn’t that stuff, there seemed to be a lot of flex in the B.B. area.
Also tyre clearance was tight. On my carbon wheels I could only run 23’s.
It was a nice light bike but my old Defy and TCR were faster.
My Dale weighed around 6kg, I had a repaired Addict HMX with a mix of parts that weighed 7.7kg and I was always faster on that than the Dale. Probably should have held on to it.
It’s a shame as I love the Cannondale brand.

bristolpete

warrior4life wrote:

Indigo Gorilla wrote:

Why can't you just buy a 2018 TCR? Plenty seem to be available unless I'm missing something....

I have a good friend who works in a Giant dealers and he looks after me so I can only get what the shop has access to.

TCR sales have been buoyant since the Tour success of last year along with consistent reviews and of course bike of the year accolade so they are certainly selling out in certain options based on B2B sales forecasting / UK stock. That said, some of the 2019 colours may be an improvement over the 18 which compared to the Langma are somewhat dull / muted.

warrior4life

bristolpete wrote:

warrior4life wrote:

Indigo Gorilla wrote:

Why can't you just buy a 2018 TCR? Plenty seem to be available unless I'm missing something....

I have a good friend who works in a Giant dealers and he looks after me so I can only get what the shop has access to.

TCR sales have been buoyant since the Tour success of last year along with consistent reviews and of course bike of the year accolade so they are certainly selling out in certain options based on B2B sales forecasting / UK stock. That said, some of the 2019 colours may be an improvement over the 18 which compared to the Langma are somewhat dull / muted.

I think the 2018 TCR’s are pretty cool, especially the Pro disc 2.
Not keen on the Propels at all.

vegas76

I like the loud 2017 TCR Advanced 1 disc... If that's not visible, god knows what is!

DavidJB

I have the TCR advanced SL0 rim (integrated seatpost) and TCR Disc (non integrated seatpost) for sure the SL0 feels markedly stiffer and nicer than the lower level frame set.

warrior4life

I’ve gone with TCR Pro Ultegra disc. Ticks all the boxes.
After riding my CX bike on the road the advantage of discs couldn’t be ignored.
I live in a hilly area and was always hesitant when descending on carbon rims, virtually everyone I know in this area has warped a rim.