New Bike Advice - Giant TCR Advanced Pro vs Canyon Ultimate CF 8.0 vs Canyon Aeroad

majster

Hi there

Thinking of getting my first road carbon bike to complement my alloy endurance bike (Domane with discs). The Trek is lovely and comfortable but a bit slow especially on hills. Looking for something fast, light, comfortable and a nice contrast to my Trek. I do go on some longer rides, sometimes 100 milers (max once per month). Looking for good value and quality

I'm currently looking at the following

Giant TCR Advanced Pro 1 - full ultegra/rim brakes
Canyon Ultimate 8.0 CF - can get ultegra Di2 and rim at same price as above

Also not too sure how the Ultimate compares to the Aeroad.

Would be grateful for any advice and any pointers

Many thanks

bonzo_banana

The pro's of the Giant that come to mind is they actually manufacture their own frames and are generally regarded as the best most advanced high volume bicycle frame manufacturer in the world which is also why I guess they have the longest warranty and highest weight limits. You also get them from local bicycle shops so have good access to support etc which might save you money and time and give you more legal protection.

I can't really give any advice about the bikes themselves but the Canyon would have to be a much better bike in spec in order to consider it over a Giant model. I've seen many issues with Canyon reported both with the bikes and their customer service plus all the inconvenience of dealing with a direct seller. I have no idea who makes Canyon frames at the moment. Last I heard it was Quest Composites for their carbon frames and Giant for their aluminium frames but that was a year or so back and don't know who they use today it could be different now. I know many companies do not use Giant anymore for OEM work as they have become too expensive and moved to factories in Bangladesh and Cambodia to save money plus avoid paying EU high duties on goods direct from China. For me a Giant bike is a far better quality bike than Canyon but of course that doesn't mean the Giant bike is equal in performance to the Canyon model you are considering.

cookeeemonster

Canyon every day!!

You wont go wrong with either brand but thats my personal opinion. The ultimate is a fantastic allround bike...the aeroad is more of a focused speed machine...Canyon do demo days a number of times throughout the year, you might wanna check the website and give them a test ride.

I love my ultimate, other people will like their Giants

agnello

Love to know what all these Canyon issues are?
Had an Ultimate SLX for 4 years and it is completely inscutable. Rigid, light, solid. Nothing like the plasticcy Giants I've ridden. I don't understand Cycling Plus' infatuation with Giant at all. Apart for anything else I couldnt live with the aesthetics of their very sloping top tubes.
Aren't Canyon the only people who scan all of their carbon frames for defects before release?

Either Giant is higher quality or it isn't. Not sure what 'for me' means in this context.

Bonzo Banana wrote:

The pro's of the Giant that come to mind is they actually manufacture their own frames and are generally regarded as the best most advanced high volume bicycle frame manufacturer in the world which is also why I guess they have the longest warranty and highest weight limits. You also get them from local bicycle shops so have good access to support etc which might save you money and time and give you more legal protection.

I can't really give any advice about the bikes themselves but the Canyon would have to be a much better bike in spec in order to consider it over a Giant model. I've seen many issues with Canyon reported both with the bikes and their customer service plus all the inconvenience of dealing with a direct seller. I have no idea who makes Canyon frames at the moment. Last I heard it was Quest Composites for their carbon frames and Giant for their aluminium frames but that was a year or so back and don't know who they use today it could be different now. I know many companies do not use Giant anymore for OEM work as they have become too expensive and moved to factories in Bangladesh and Cambodia to save money plus avoid paying EU high duties on goods direct from China. For me a Giant bike is a far better quality bike than Canyon but of course that doesn't mean the Giant bike is equal in performance to the Canyon model you are considering.

sloppyschleckonds

Majster wrote:

The Trek is lovely and comfortable but a bit slow especially on hills.

Its not about the bike

imposter2.0

Canyon - great when it all goes well. Absolutely fckin terrible, shameful incompetence when it doesn't. Caveat Emptor.

w00dster

Bit of a long post - hopefully some useful info for you though.
I have a Domane and an Aeroad. I actually really like both bikes. My preference is the Aeroad, but I don't find the Domane slow up hill.
I also had a Giant TCR, purchased from a Giant store in London a few years back (2015 or 2016). Last 3 weeks on it before selling it on. Customer service in the Giant store was dreadful, I still can't understand why I actually ordered it. (The bike itself I'm sure would have been fine, but it always felt too big, so the bike just never felt comfortable in relation to what it replaced). It almost had a wallowy feel to it. It replaced a medium spec Madone, I ended up selling it to my brother and getting a higher end Madone.
The Aeroad is a really nice bike to ride. I find it comfortable, in terms of a road bike with 25mm tyres running at 80/90 psi. It feels and sounds fast. I did 80 miles on Sunday, with even a couple of miles over gravel (I got lost!). No issues with comfort. I'm 47, not the most flexible person in the world. The bars and stem are comfortable and on the Di2 models the cabling is neatly tucked away.
OK so niggles with the Aeroad. I had no issues with delivery, it was in stock when I ordered and it arrived when they said with good comms. But because of the negative history with Canyon orders it felt like a gamble. The tubeless Reynolds strike wheels, 65mm deep, if I ever get a flat on the rear wheel then its a lift home. I run them tubeless and take a tubeless repair kit. The rear tyre is a proper fight to get off, I have injuries to my shoulder that stop me from having much grip or strength in my left arm, so that doesn't help - but they are still a nightmare.
The DI2 charging port, located under the stem. It shares the same bolts as my Wahoo mount. This is fiddly as feck to get back on after a charge, not often, only had to do it twice since I get the back last August (when I first got it and when it came out of winter hibernation).
Weird niggle. The seatpost and saddle are at an angle, sticking slightly up. It wasn't always like this and I have photo's of when it was perfectly flat, but I can't see how it has changed as the seatpost bolts appear to be welded into position. Contacted Canyon, not sure what I expected, but they asked me to send my seatpost back off to them. As I'm going on holiday with the bike soon I've not followed them up on that. The saddle isn't uncomfortably sticking up, just noticeable.
Compared to my local Trek dealer, I know the seatpost issue would have been resolved within days of it occurring. When I purchased the Aeroad last year I had been given a good budget from Mr W, the intention was to spend about £7k and get a Madone. But as that is a lot of money for us, I've had years of brilliant service from Trek so wanted to stay with them, but £7k is a lot. I then just happened to get an email from Canyon saying they were having a sale last August. I ended up getting the CF SLX Aeroad Di2 Ultegra for under £3k. I also looked at the System Six, managed to test ride one (hired on a holiday). Was a great bike, but I would have had to purchase through somewhere that I'd rather not have done.
So I saved a load of cash, got a bike I really like with the components I wanted. It looks good and rides like a dream. But, next time I'll be back buying local.

mrb123

Nice post Woodster. Lots of helpful information and feedback for anyone following this thread.

bendertherobot

My Giant TCR is the best bike I've owned. But, it's the 2018 Blue one and it was £2k not £3k. At that price, for me, it was a better bet than the 105 Aeroad, though that featured highly.

At £3k, it's really hard to choose the 2019 Giant over the Di2 Canyon unless the Giant is considerably better framewise. I'm not sure us mortals would ever really know.

majster

Thank you for the advice. It seems Canyon are great but if they go wrong the experience can be a bit variable. Giant seem to have far less negative reviews, not many poor reviews of the TCR other than loads have them and not very exclusive (however in some ways this is reassuring for me). Hence I am leaning towards the Giant

What are the standard carbon wheels on the TCR advanced Pro like, are they decent? Looking at the Advanced pro and Advanced main difference is carbon wheels and carbon steerer on the pro.

Can't decide whether to go for the pro or get the advanced and purchase wheel upgrade seperately - however also loose the carbon steerer with this approach - not sure how much difference that makes

imposter2.0

Majster wrote:

Thank you for the advice. It seems Canyon are great but if they go wrong the experience can be a bit variable. Giant seem to have far less negative reviews, not many poor reviews of the TCR other than loads have them and not very exclusive (however in some ways this is reassuring for me). Hence I am leaning towards the Giant

Bear in mind that people are more likely to publish a bad experience than a good one. Having said that, Canyon's reliance on automated scheduling and batch production means that when things go wrong (which they often do, despite what they might claim) they are simply not equipped to deal with it effectively. Which is why people that have had a bad experience with Canyon end up adopting a kind of evangelical hatred of them...

vegas76

Majster wrote:

Can't decide whether to go for the pro or get the advanced and purchase wheel upgrade seperately - however also loose the carbon steerer with this approach - not sure how much difference that makes

I've done this - have a 2017 TCR advanced 1 disc and got some Prime RP-38 wheels. They have transformed the bike. It is brilliant! Very speedy and probably about 8.5kgs now, which isn't featherweight but it's not bad either.

Not sure what difference the oversize steerer makes...

minnnt

I have the Giant TCR Advanced Pro 1 from last year (black and orange) and it’s really nice to ride. The R8000 is a dream to use. Weighs in at 7.5 with pedals and cage. I considered the Canyon Endurace disc at the time but wanted something from a local shop in case of any issues.

No experience with Canyons so can’t comment.

matomp9

I've just ordered my TCR Advanced 0 2018 (last years Di2 model) for £1,800 which I was happy with. Was about to purchase a Canyon Endurace 8.0 before that but, upon reading poor trustpilot reviews of the customer service, I decided to raise the matter with the online chat personnel. When I mentioned that some folk had been waiting 6 months for a bike according to reviews and I was worried I'd experience likewise, the customer service assistance told me, "there's only one way to find out"!!! I'm sure he was a wrong'un rather then it being reflective of the company as a whole but it was enough to put me off I'm afraid.

Looking forward to seeing how the TCR goes - it's due for delivery tomorrow ! It test road lovely...

-Dash

Where did you snag that for £1800? Nice deal. I saw it on Pauls Cycles for £2k. Not keen on the yellow decals but they could probably be stripped off...

matomp9

-Dash wrote:

Where did you snag that for £1800? Nice deal. I saw it on Pauls Cycles for £2k. Not keen on the yellow decals but they could probably be stripped off...

Yes, yellow not ideal, but I can live with it. A bit of a hark back to the Once team edition ... or so i tell myself. Road it for the first time proper today. Very please with my decision.

I got it here (but I think it was the last one as now showing out of stock): https://www.bikesheduk.com/giant-tcr-ad ... ywords=tcr

They knocked £100 off when I asked given that I was picking up in person.

To be fair, I recently purchased another bike (which has since been returned) from Paul's Cycles who also knocked £100 the advertised price.

ZaWing

w00dster wrote:

The DI2 charging port, located under the stem. It shares the same bolts as my Wahoo mount. This is fiddly as feck to get back on after a charge, not often, only had to do it twice since I get the back last August (when I first got it and when it came out of winter hibernation).
Weird niggle. The seatpost and saddle are at an angle, sticking slightly up. It wasn't always like this and I have photo's of when it was perfectly flat, but I can't see how it has changed as the seatpost bolts appear to be welded into position. Contacted Canyon, not sure what I expected, but they asked me to send my seatpost back off to them. As I'm going on holiday with the bike soon I've not followed them up on that. The saddle isn't uncomfortably sticking up, just noticeable.

Ive had an Aeroad for about 1.5 years now and no complaints here. Rides and looks like a dream. Bit of OT but..
What year model do you have? You dont need to take the di2 junction box cover off. Atleast mine just slides enough towards headset so i can plug in the charger in seconds.

My saddle started pointing up aswell after few months. You can adjust the tilt on the seatpost. Theres a big hole on top of the seatpost where 2 clamps meet on both sides. I had to hit the other side carefully thru the hole with a cushioned screwdriver and it came off. Its really thight. Some carbon paste and it comes off easier in the future.
So the only screw off, saddle off, the 2 parts that come loose. Then you have the "wings" left. Hit the other side carefully with something soft (rubber mallet etc)

bendertherobot

Majster wrote:

Thank you for the advice. It seems Canyon are great but if they go wrong the experience can be a bit variable. Giant seem to have far less negative reviews, not many poor reviews of the TCR other than loads have them and not very exclusive (however in some ways this is reassuring for me). Hence I am leaning towards the Giant

What are the standard carbon wheels on the TCR advanced Pro like, are they decent? Looking at the Advanced pro and Advanced main difference is carbon wheels and carbon steerer on the pro.

Can't decide whether to go for the pro or get the advanced and purchase wheel upgrade seperately - however also loose the carbon steerer with this approach - not sure how much difference that makes

For me the standard wheels seem great. Mine are the SLR1 Disc 30mm where this year's has the 42mm which I would have preferred but, there we are.

They're carbon, DT swiss hubs, 1508g the pair and tubeless and £1k to buy separately. So unless they're crap rims then there's no point changing to save any weight. I've had a lot of bikes and always change the wheels, I won't be changing these

neilr4

MrB123 wrote:

Nice post Woodster. Lots of helpful information and feedback for anyone following this thread.

Agree