Giant updates its long-serving race bike

The latest version of the TCR is light, stiff and extremely aero

- Rupert Radley

Now in its ninth iteration, the Giant TCR has received updates that, while maybe not the most overt, make it lighter, stiffer and more aerodynamic. Much of Giant’s R&D time was spent giving the bike a huge aerodynamic facelift without a radical design change.

With a testing range from -15 to +15 yaw angles, as well as testing the bike with both bottles and cages, the TCR is a claimed seven to eight watts faster than the old model when tested at 40kph with a dynamic mannequin. This, the brand says, makes it equal in performance to the Specialized S-Works Tarmac, Cervélo R5, and significantly faster than the Trek Emonda.

The new TCR has truncated elliptical tubing shapes that have flat backs like Giant’s aero bike, the Propel. According to Giant, the biggest aero savings come from the flat-back forks and head tube area; in addition, a bigger down tube has also bolstered stiffness, as has an oversized bottom bracket.

The brand also asserts that steering stiffness has been increased by 35 per cent thanks to its Overdrive 2 steerer tube and fork. The new fork further optimises the aerodynamics and, as an added bonus, can now accommodate 32mm tyres on disc brake bikes.

The bike’s weight has been dropped, with Giant saying that it has taken 140g out of the frame, saving 65g in paint weight alone. Its ThinLine finishing technology on the top-end models has allowed it to cut the number of paint layers from eight to just three. The carbon sheets used for the TCR are all made in its own factory and have a higher modulus than the previous model; decreasing weight while increasing stiffness.