RIDDEN AND REVIEWED - GIANT TCR ADVANCED SL O ₤11.999

A superlative climber that also flies on the flat

- Joe Baker

The 10th-generation Giant TCR was crowned Best Climbing Bike in Cycling Weekly's recent Race Bike of the Year awards, and for good reason. In the latest TCR, Giant has created a bike that embodies all of the cycling industry's buzzwords, with aero improvements, lower weight and increased stiffness all enhancing the performance of an iconic race machine.

So, with those high expectations setting the tone, it's time to show our workings and delve into the detail of exactly why the TCR topped our test when the gradients got steep - here is all you need to know about the new Giant TCR, and how it rides.

THE BUILD

Twenty-eight years after its debut with the Spanish team ONCE, the Giant TCR is now in its 10th generation, evolving from groundbreaking designer Mike Burrow's initial concept as the first bike with a sloping top tube, into a sophisticated racing machine. For 2024 the familiar silhouette has been refined underneath the paint and boasts new manufacturing techniques and design.

The most noticeable change in the latest model is the full internal cable routing. The combination of a 10% lighter frameset and five-watt aero saving leads to a claimed improvement in overall 'total system efficiency' - the bike industry's favourite term for cumulative performance gains -making the new TCR up to 12 watts faster than its predecessor.

Giant has switched from laser cutting to 'cold-blade' cutting for the carbon sheets, enhancing precision and reducing deformation risk for the new TCR. This method allows for fewer carbon pieces, helping to achieve a lower weight and higher stiffness.

In addition, Giant now constructs the front triangle from a single carbon piece using a single bladder mold, eliminating joins and further reducing weight while increasing stiffness.