By The Takeaway: The redesigned TCR Advanced SL 0 Disc is a stiff, light, and silly-fast racing bike that’s also all-day comfortable.
- Light enough for climbers, stiff enough for sprinters
- SRAM RED eTap AXS drivetrain with pre-installed power meter
- 42mm Cadex carbon wheels with a hookless bead rim and carbon spokes
Price: $11,000
Weight: 14.5 lb. (size L)
At first glance, the 2021 Giant TCR Advanced SL 0 Disc might not appear much different than its predecessor—after all, it retains the same sloping top tube (a hallmark of Giant road bikes) and integrated seatpost. But a closer look reveals that this ninth-generation TCR has been completely redesigned.
The new TCR’s main triangle got a makeover to aid airflow and, thus, increase aerodynamics. The head tube, down tube, seat tube, and integrated seatpost (ISP) are in the shape of what Giant engineers call a truncated (meaning the trailing edge has been cut off) ellipse, a term other brands might refer to as a truncated airfoil, which you’ll find on the Specialized Tarmac, Cannondale SuperSix EVO, and BMC Teammachine.
Where a traditional teardrop shape is fastest at zero degrees yaw (the angle between a cyclist’s direction of motion and the relative wind vector), a truncated ellipse is not. For this reason, and to achieve optimal aerodynamics, Giant engineered the TCR’s frame with -15 to +15 degrees of yaw, which it says most closely replicates the yaw angles riders experience in the real world. According to Giant’s senior product marketing manager, Andrew Juskaitis, this realization had a massive impact of the TCR’s design. And like the BMC Timemachine Road, the frame was designed for maximum aerodynamics with two bottles mounted inside the frame. But unlike the BMC, the Giant does not have proprietary water bottle cages.
Generous Tire Clearance
The new TCR will accommodate tires up to 32mm wide.
Super Fast Hoops
42mm-deep carbon rims are laced with carbon spokes.
Room For Adjustment
The ISP topper allows up to 50mm of saddle height adjustment.
Simple Cockpit
No proprietary parts makes it easy to find the right bar and stem combo.
Lust-Worthy Components
A power meter is pre-installed on the SRAM RED eTap AXS cranks.
Despite aerodynamics playing a strong role in its design, the TCR is not a dedicated aero bike—in the same way the Specialized Venge or Cannondale SystemSix. It’s more in line with the Specialized Tarmac and Cannondale SuperSix EVO, which are road bikes that are aerodynamic but also versatile (read: lighter and better for climbing).
Giant’s primary goal in creating its newest TCR was to design the most efficient—lightest, stiffest, fastest—bike possible, which it’s in a position to do. Unlike other brands that outsource manufacturing to third-party factories, Giant has complete ownership of its process, from producing the raw materials to laying up the carbon and assembling finished bicycles.
Thanks to this control, updates to the TCR are more than skin deep. Not content to use the same carbon as the previous TCR, Giant manufactured new, lighter raw carbon. The fibers are woven into swatches that, rather than being stamped by a machine, are cut with a laser, a far more precise process that eliminates excess material.
Most of the frame layup is still done by hand, but 150 of the smaller composite swatches are woven via robotic layup assembly, which allows the carbon fibers to be cut to a tighter tolerance, trimming weight. Even the paint job was taken into consideration: Where the previous model used seven layers of paint, the new TCR is finished with a process called ThinLine, which uses less paint and saves 50 grams.
At such a granular level, it may feel like Giant is splitting hairs, but all said and done, 140 grams were trimmed from the frameset. Even at the top end of the size range, the TCR is a veritable featherweight: My size large test bike tipped the scales at a scant 14.5 pounds.
This review would not be complete without also calling out the wheels as part of what makes the TCR such a great bike. Cadex, a subsidiary brand under the Giant umbrella, upped the ante with these understated but high-tech hoops. The 42mm-deep carbon rims have an internal width of 19mm and boast a hookless bead (note that only a small handful of tires are compatible with hookless beads). And if you look closely, you’ll see those spokes aren’t black to match the bike; they’re actually carbon. But unlike boutique wheels, like those from Lightweight, which have one-piece carbon spokes that are all but unserviceable, the aero-bladed carbon spokes on the Cadex models are serviceable just like standard alloy spokes. Besides looking cool, those carbon spokes increase the power transfer from the hub to the rim as well as add vibration damping.
Now, about that integrated seatpost, a feature many riders were happy to see other brands abandon. Despite some obvious downsides, such as facing your own fear of taking a hacksaw to it and the complicating factor of packing the bike for travel, an integrated seatpost does offer tangible performance benefits. For one, it’s lighter because there is no overlapping material (seatpost inside the seat tube). From a performance aspect, it allows engineers to micro-tune the amount of flex throughout the length of the extension. “A traditional seatpost is almost always straight-gauge, meaning it will flex at a single rate,” says Juskaitis. “Our size small frame features an ISP that is ‘tuned’ differently than [the ISP] on our size XL—providing true performance integration and not just bolting on a one-size-fits-(or doesn’t fit)all solution.” And if cutting the ISP to fit makes you apprehensive, rest assured: You get two ISP toppers that offer 25mm and 50mm of adjustment, so you have some wiggle room to adjust your saddle height.
Giant touts the new TCR as a general racing bike and, though it makes some modest claims about its aerodynamics, is quick to point out that it’s not an aero race bike. With regard to the bike’s light weight, the company is also proud to assert the TCR’s dominance over the Specialized S-Works Tarmac Disc, Trek Emonda SLR Disc, and Cervélo R5 Disc. And though stiffness and stiffness-to-weight claims are harder to verify, Giant assumes victory over those categories, as well.
Style: Road
Material: Carbon
Drivetrain: SRAM RED eTap AXS
Cranks: SRAM RED eTap AXS w/ power meter
Chainring: 48/35
Cassette: 10-33
Brakes: SRAM RED hydaulic disc
Wheels: Cadex 42 Disc Tubeless
Tires: Cadex Race 25 Tubeless
Saddle: Cadex Boost
Handlebar: Giant Contact SLR
Stem: Giant Contact SLR
Tire clearance: 32mm
Here’s my take: From the TCR’s carbon wheels and carbon Giant Contact SLR stem and handlebar, not to mention the insanely light frame (14.5 pounds for our size large) with oversize bottom bracket shell, I experienced no perceptible flex when standing up out of the saddle and stepping on the gas. In fact, the TCR danced with the ease of a lightweight climbing bike. But for a bike to turn well, it needs some lateral flexion so you can stand on the outside pedal and push it into the pavement to carve through high-speed turns. The TCR does just that, stays planted on the road through hard turns in a way that belies its 14 pounds. And because of that minimal heft, it easily flips from one side to the other when navigating tight, back-to-back turns.
A phenomenal bike like this doesn’t come cheap, however—$11,000 is a lot to fork over. But this isn’t the only model in the line. The TCR family comprises 10 other bikes, ranging from the $1,900 TCR Advanced Pro Disc up to the highest-prcied bike reviewed here. It means there’s a Giant TCR for every budget. Now that’s something worth touting.
