Giant TCR Advanced SL0 Disc Review

Introduced in 2020, the new Giant TCR is presented here in its top-of-the-range version: Giant Advanced SL0 Disc, at €10,200. Always lighter, stiffer, more responsive, and offering absolute and exhilarating ride quality and a sense of efficiency, the Giant TCR lives up to the arguments that have built its solid reputation as a pure competition bike, very high-performance, yet accessible to a wide range of riders.

By Sébastien Jacquet – photos: @3bikes.fr

The new Giant TCR is available in 10 different models and build versions. Here, the TCR Advanced SL0 Disc with its ThinLine finish sits at the top of the range.

A true icon of the peloton, first appearing in 1998 with the Once team, the Giant TCR has built its reputation over the years through its performance. And it returns for 2021 in a ninth generation that will only further enhance its solid reputation. We’ll come back to it later, but we’ll tell you right away: we had a blast with this pure race bike, designed for competition but not exclusively. Super light, stiff, responsive, far from uncomfortable, easy to handle, and offering incredibly refined performance and ride qualities… One of the best bikes we’ve had the pleasure of trying since we were old enough to ride. We expected no less from this superb high-end model, with a price tag that frankly tickles the wallet, and given the glowing reviews we had heard about previous versions.

Lightness, stiffness, responsiveness, and dynamism for total efficiency and high-flying performance!

Efficiency, Aerodynamics, and Ride Control

Before going into detail about the test model provided here by Giant France and picked up at the end of the summer at the Giant Store in Antony, Paris region – the top-of-the-range Giant TCR Advanced SL0 Disc – let’s briefly recall the innovations and new foundations of the Taiwanese firm’s flagship model (which we should have discovered last March at Giant’s headquarters in Asia, before the Coronavirus took us all out of the wheel on a much too aggressive relay…). For its new TCR, Giant focused on developing its frame with three performance objectives and areas of work, with the ambition of giving it: extraordinary efficiency, optimized aerodynamics, and total control.

TCR: a name recognized by all pelotons. The flagship of the world’s leading bicycle manufacturer returns in its ninth version.

New Carbon Composition

To maintain the model’s excellent weight-to-stiffness ratio, the new TCR Advanced SL benefits from a new composite carbon (T1100 (70%) and T800 carbon fibers), woven in Giant’s factories. The layers are impregnated with a specific CNT (Carbon NanoTube Technology) resin to form a very high-performance Advanced composite assembly.

The Giant TCR in its Advanced SL0 Disc version benefits from a new carbon composition (T1100 (70%) and T800 carbon fibers) in order to maintain the weight/stiffness ratio that is the model’s reputation.

The carbon fiber layers of the new TCR are laser-cut, whereas the previous generation used a press system, in order to obtain extremely precise cuts, reduce excess material, and maximize lightness on the final frame structure.

The new Giant TCR features a more traditional frame shape that will delight riders with a more conservative mindset.

The new frame assembly process is robot-assisted for the most sensitive areas and allows for surgical precision in assembling the parts that make up the new TCR’s frame and fork. The result is a 765g frame (330g for the fork) integrating disc braking.

The new TCR Advanced SL relies on a new carbon composition, woven in Giant’s factories in Taiwan.

Drag Reduction

While it hasn’t gone as far as some competing models, Giant has focused on improving the aerodynamics of its new TCR, seeing aerodynamic drag reduction as one of the best ways to achieve marginal gains. While comments have flown regarding the exposed brake cables and their integration among observers we’ve met, and some will see this external cabling as a slight hindrance, lost milliseconds, and an unaesthetic appearance compared to competitors’ designs, one can also see it as a desire to preserve simplicity (in the case of a handlebar change, for example) and easier access for maintenance.

While it has reduced drag and improved the aerodynamics of its new TCR, Giant has chosen to leave the cabling exposed at the front to facilitate maintenance.

Giant has equipped its new TCR with truncated ellipse-shaped profiled tubes of remarkable thinness (the seatstays are surely the best example here). The brand also drew on lessons learned from the development of the Propel Advanced SL in integrating disc brakes, to further reduce aerodynamic drag compared to a standard rim brake caliper.

Disc or rim brakes? The new Giant TCR maintains both options to allow everyone to meet their user preferences.

Also more aero, the fork from axle to steerer tube has been redesigned to increase steering precision (boasting a result of 35% stiffer than the previous model) and offer wider clearance allowing for tires up to 32mm. That covers all the model’s features, to which we can add the choice of a slim integrated ISP seatpost.

The Giant TCR remains faithful to its integrated ISP seatpost. Some will see it as a valuable aesthetic and technical asset. Others, a risk in case of a fall…

Top of the Range

Weighed at 6.2 kg at the Giant Store in Antony straight out of the box without pedals (with a Giant bottle cage), the Giant TCR Advanced SL0 Disc sits at the top of the new 2021 range, with a slightly excessive price exceeding €10,000. The sensation when you lift it is quite astonishing at first for a disc bike, which often gives us the impression with “their 8 kg” of handling a bike from the 90s…

The TCR in its Advanced SL0 Disc version is equipped with a SRAM Red eTap AXS 12-speed drivetrain, delivered with a Quarq power meter.

At this price, the Giant TCR Advanced SL0 Disc logically benefits from equipment perfectly matched to the level of performance sought and offered by the frame. It is equipped with a SRAM Red eTap AXS 12V groupset (48-35 crankset with Quarq power meter, 10-28 cassette) with hydraulic disc braking (160/140 mm).

The SRAM Red eTap AXS 12-speed groupset and its hydraulic disc braking proved reliable and up to par with the rest of the bike.

It relies on Cadex Disc 42mm wheels and Cadex Race Tubeless 25mm tires, ideally suited to bring out the model’s strengths in action. The bike also features a Giant Fleet SLR saddle with a central channel.

The TCR Advanced SL comes with a new ISP saddle clamp (-5/+25 Offset), to offer optimal position adjustment according to each user’s morphology and preferences.

New Handlebar and Stem

For its new TCR, Giant has also developed a new Contact SLR stem and handlebar (available in an aluminum SL version). These elements provide weight savings, and above all, superior aerodynamics and improved ergonomics.

Precision and finesse of steering are among the model’s major assets, for a sharp riding sensation!

Note that a new bike computer mount that integrates onto the cap of the new SLR/SL stems is supplied with the Advanced SL and Advanced Pro versions (adjustable and lightweight, compatible with Giant, Garmin, Wahoo GPS devices and also with GoPro cameras).

The new Contact SLR or SL handlebar comes with a bike computer mount.

Removable, the mount is compatible with Giant, Garmin, Wahoo GPS devices and GoPro cameras.

A ThinLine Finish

The Giant TCR Advanced SL0 Disc here benefits from an elegant ThinLine finish thanks to Giant’s new technology, allowing for a weight saving of up to 50g compared to the usual 7 layers of paint.

The most advanced version in Advanced SL carbon composition is built around two models, both with disc braking: the Advanced SL0 tested here, and the less expensive Advanced SL1.

The 2021 Giant TCR Range

While our test model is the most expensive in the collection, note that the 2021 Giant TCR range is organized with ten available models, built around three versions: TCR Advanced SL, TCR Advanced Pro, and TCR Advanced, ranging from €1,800 to €10,200, offered with disc or rim brakes. Thus, the TCR Advanced SL is available in SL0 Disc version (our test model at €10,200) and SL1 Disc with Sram Force eTap AXS and Giant SLR1 wheels, at €7,300. Six sizes are offered from XS to XL. And a TCR Advanced SL frame kit is available for €3,000.

The Geometry Charts for TCR Advanced, TCR Advanced Pro, and TCR Advanced SL

For example, a Giant TCR Pro 0 Disc with Shimano Ultegra Di2 and Giant SLR1 wheels is sold for €5,000 (€3,750 for the Pro 1 version with mechanical Ultegra, or €3,600 for the same Pro 1 version with rim brakes).

Whether on the flats or in the hills of the Chevreuse Valley, this Giant TCR Advanced SL0 Disc demonstrated excellent rolling qualities and formidable efficiency.

Joy in Action

As soon as you start riding, you quickly appreciate the initial sensations and especially the ease of handling thanks to an excellent lightness/stiffness ratio. Very stiff and responsive, the bike is easy to tame and brilliantly accompanies the demands placed on it. Whether on the flats, on false flats, or short climbs in the southwest of the Paris region, the bike never seems to falter and offers a most appealing sense of efficiency.

Less aero and with less integrated cabling than some competitors, the Giant TCR nevertheless boasts aerodynamic advantages.

The mileage and average speeds of our rides reinforce the feeling every time we get off the bike: this Giant TCR Advanced SL0 Disc is formidable, dynamic, and very fast on any terrain. A pure joy. It quickly appears to us as a tireless player, whether you launch it, relaunch it, ride it at a steady pace, or with more aggressive accelerations, according to your desires, abilities, and reserves. We savor the super level of performance, telling ourselves that it will obviously suit a pure competitor looking for maximum efficiency, but we also tell ourselves that its behavior can suit many profiles, as it seems easy, depending on the use and the chosen setup/price.

The Giant TCR Advanced SL0 Disc quickly appears to us as a tireless player, whether you launch it, relaunch it, ride it at a steady pace, or with more aggressive accelerations, according to your desires, abilities, and reserves.

Aside from aesthetics, the exposed cables at the front did not seem to hinder our efforts…

Comfort?

Bottom bracket shell, rear triangle, down tube… Nothing seems to budge or “sag” when you pedal more or less aggressively. And although it demonstrates remarkable stiffness, this Giant TCR Advanced SL0 Disc is not uncomfortable. Of course, the tapping sensation is more present at the front, without us finding it too demanding. The rear, on the other hand, has a good capacity to absorb vibrations and shocks. The seating and comfort offered by the Giant Fleet SLR saddle combined with the ISP seatpost (always very personal to each rider) won us over here and contributed to its strengths in this area. Skeptics will always have the option of mounting tires up to 32mm to improve this parameter according to their tastes. The test version mounted with 25mm tires by Giant seems to us the most judicious and best adapted choice for the model.

Light, lively, and precise: the Giant TCR Advanced SL0 Disc proves to be incredibly nimble and very refined to ride.

Riding Precision

The finesse and precision of the steering also contribute to the excellent overall handling. Lively and precise, the bike is easy to ride and can be placed wherever you want on the road, reinforcing the feeling of efficiency and safety. However, be aware of the lightness of the whole, which makes it very, very nimble, but which may also surprise some users and require them to remain very vigilant.

The 42mm Cadex wheels fitted with 25mm Cadex Race Tubeless tires impress with their excellent weight/stiffness ratio and efficiency.

Wheels Up to the Task

Tubeless compatible, the Cadex 42mm rim depth wheels (width: 19.4mm internal/24mm external) are a very pleasant discovery here. 1,327g per pair empty, for very stiff, stable wheels whose performance combines wonderfully with the frame’s assets. These wheels benefit from a high-strength carbon fiber hookless design, which allows for a perfect connection between the rim and the tire. The shape of the carbon aero spokes has been specially designed to improve aerodynamics and stability. With the frame, the wheels form a brilliantly efficient ensemble!

The associated Cadex Race Tubeless 25mm section tires (270g per tire) also proved to be a very pleasant surprise: efficiency and low rolling resistance, reassuring grip on greasy autumn roads, and puncture resistance on frankly dirty forest or country roads, or when encountering debris along the roadside. No punctures were noted during our test, and no cuts were observed on the tires after more than 2,000 km.

From design to component choice, including manufacturing and finish quality: this Giant TCR Advanced SL0 Disc is almost flawless.

Conclusion

Disc or rim braking depending on the chosen configuration, more classic frame lines and shape in the eyes of some: the new Giant TCR respects a form of tradition in its design and aims to satisfy and meet the expectations of many user profiles. Its behavior in action reinforces the very good feedback we had heard about its predecessors, with an absolutely brilliant playful and easy side. Even more so, of course, in its high-end version at €10,200, the Giant TCR Advanced SL0 Disc. A very light, stiff, nimble, lively bike that will prove effective and comfortable everywhere. Our only regret is not having been able to test it on a high mountain pass. We won’t tell you here that a €10,200 model is fortunately very high-performing… But that the new Giant TCR harbors qualities and subtleties that place it among the best on the market!

THE GIANT TCR ADVANCED SL0 DISC IN BRIEF…

RATING :*

Pros : Efficiency and overall handling, performance on all terrains, accessibility, bike supplied with power meter
Cons : exposed cables at the front, price

Frame: Advanced SL Composite Disc – Fork: Advanced SL Composite SL – OD2 Carbon Steerer – Cockpit: GIANT Contact SLR – Stem: GIANT Contact SLR – Brakes: SRAM Red hydraulic – Front Derailleur: SRAM Red eTap AXS 12s – Rear Derailleur: SRAM Red eTap AXS 12s – Levers: SRAM Red eTap AXS 12s Shimano Ultegra hydraulic Di2 – Cassette: SRAM Red eTap AXS 10-28 – Chain: SRAM Red – Crankset: SRAM Red eTap AXS 48/35 – Wheels: CADEX Disc 42mm – Tires: CADEX Race Tubeless 25C – Saddle: GIANT Fleet SLR – Seatpost: GIANT Integrated ISP – Accessory: GPS Mount – Weight: 6.2 kg in size ML without pedals – Number of sizes: 6 – Price: €10,200