FIRST LOOK: Giant’s All-New TCR Advanced SL

It’s been five long years since Giant’s road line has received a major upgrade and so it is that 2009 is accordingly referred to as “the year of the road bike” by the world’s largest bike maker (Giant not only produces their own expansive line of bikes, but they are also the builder of choice for a number of top name bike brands around the globe). Just to make sure that their 2009 lineup was given the necessary attention, Giant flew over 50 journalists to the Spanish island of Mallorca for a few days of tech seminars, riding and yes, lounging poolside while being fed a steady supply of sweet cakes and coffee.

Giant is probably best known for introducing compact frame designs into the Euro peloton when the ONCE team debuted an aluminum version at the Ruta del Sol in 1998. The untraditional look alone was enough to get the UCI into a tizzy as they sought to ban the bike for no real reason than that it was new and different. With its sloping top tube and new age reliance on the simple small/medium/large and XL frame sizing platform, it definitely took awhile for Giant’s TCR (Total Compact Road) design to gain acceptance.

Fast forward ten years and there we were gathered on the sunny isle located off the Spanish coast witnessing Giant’s earnest attempt at “recapturing the leadership position in road cycling” with the introduction of seven new models.

A key part of Giant’s tech message is that the amount of ownership they take in designing and building their bikes. As one Giant employee said referring to Giant’s in-house production capabilities, “If the frame says Giant you know it was only handled by people who work for Giant.” That’s an especially impressive statement when you factor in that beyond just assembling bikes, the Giant factory in Taiwan is also responsible for blending their own resins and weaving their own carbon fabric.

THE FLAGSHIP TCR SL
The 2009 TCR Advanced SL is all new from the ground up. No more simple round tubes here (after all, round carbon tubes are so 2006!). Though not as radically shaped as some other bikes (some which seem to be shaped for no better reason than they can be), from the box-section down tube to the triangular shaped seat stays, the TCR SL can now be considered a shapely bike for a reason.

As one journo quipped as we looked over the bikes, “You have to figure that at some point there’s going to be only so many carbon designs that work.” And so it is that you’ll find some visual similarities between the SL and various other high-end carbon bikes. What does standout are the huge “Mega-Drive” box section downtube and top tube combo, the 86mm wide “Powercore” bottom bracket, the 1.125 to 1.125 inch tapered “Overdrive” headtube and a longer seat clamp which now provides 45mm of adjustment (25mm more than last year).

Of course the key number we always care about most is the weight and Giant offered a claimed a painted medium frame (with an un-cut mast and fork) weighed just less than 1500 grams (a 200 gram weight saving over last year’s bike). No, these aren’t the sort of numbers to make the weight geeks start spitting up their energy gels, but as Giant marketing man (and rabid BMW adventure rider) Andrew Juskaitis said, “Giant isn’t in the business of building the world’s lightest bike, but the bike with the most balanced ride.”

Andrew added that the new TCR went through 56 different versions of FEA analysis before they settled on the final design. Smart details include a pre-drilled downtube for internal SRM/Powertap cable routing and a single cable guide that is centered on the underside of the top tube to allow for even keeled routing whether the cable is run from the left or right side. Giant also claimed the bike runs asymmetrical chainstays, but a close examination revealed something less than the radically displaced “asymmetrical” design usually found on mountain bikes. Giant’s version speaks more to slight shaping differences between the drive and non-drive side stays and more to the internal diameter of the tubes.

Ss proud of the finished product as they are, the Giants are also happy to crow about the manufacturing process used to make the bike. Hand built at the Giant factory in Taiwan, the SL model uses what they call their “Fusion” technique where the frame endures a second round of mold time after the tubes have initially been molded and co-wrapped together. Knowing that Giant makes bikes for a whole host of top brand companies, it’s with a sly smile and wink that they admit to saving their best technology for themselves. Giant employees may be making frames that read Trek and Specialized, but Giant’s premier brand of technology is specific to the house brand.

AS FOR THE OTHERS


For 2009 Giant is also introducing a new lower-priced TCR Advance bike which uses a completely different frame design, material and construction process. Where the SL model distinguishes itself by using a higher grade carbon, more involved manufacturing process and more performance oriented frame features and components, the standard Advance is a simple monocoque frame.

Giant also showed off new bikes in the their Trinity tri bike series, the Alliance group of bikes which are notable for their carbon top half/aluminum bottom half frame design, the entry level Defy series which included a very cool looking aluminum – yes, aluminum bike.

Of course not that many of the media men present cared, but Giant was also proud to show-off an expanded line of women specific bikes in all the represented categories.

As the Mallorca meeting came to a close, we were told that while they’ll be raced in the coming weeks at the Tour, production carbon bikes would be available sometime in August. We look forward to riding the bike on the home front and seeing how it compares to last years bike which we already rated highly.