Press Release
Giant introduce the 10th generation of its iconic TCR road bike range. Carrying on a tradition that began 28 years ago and pioneered a new era of road bike design, the new TCR combines its legendary ride quality with new system integration and construction methods to make it faster than ever.
The new range of this proven race machine includes three series—TCR Advanced SL, TCR Advanced Pro, and TCR Advanced—and is the result of a collaborative effort involving product developers, an in-house aerodynamics team, and athletes and technicians from Team Jayco-AlUla, Giant’s partner WorldTour team.
“This tenth generation TCR is truly representative of where we have been and where we are going as a brand,” said Giant Global Marketing Director An Le. “Ever since that first TCR changed the look and feel of modern road racing bikes, we have continued to evolve and bring game-changing innovations to road racing with this bike. That’s the DNA of Giant as a brand—we are innovators and makers, always looking to push new limits and never satisfied with the status quo. The ‘Generation X’ TCR embodies that spirit. It combines best-in-class performance when it comes to things like aerodynamics and efficiency, but above all else it is made to give racers a real advantage on the road.”
Team Jayco-AlUla riders have been working with Giant to provide input on final iterations of pre-production TCR Advanced SL bicycles.
“We’ve had a chance to ride the new TCR bikes at our recent training camp in Spain, and I’m super impressed with how this bike climbs, accelerates and feels out on the road,” said Filippo Zana, a rising star of the squad who won a stage at the Giro d’Italia last year. “It’s a great all-rounder bike and will be a top option for many races, from the one-day classics to tough mountain stages. I can’t wait to kick-off the race season with this machine.”
System Optimization
The frameset, wheels, cockpit and other key details on the new TCR range have been designed, developed and tested together to function as a system. The most impactful update from the previous generation is at the front end of the bike, where the down tube, head tube, and cockpit components have been thoroughly reengineered.
The composite fork has a new crown and aerodynamic leg shape that was developed in conjunction with the down tube, which also features a new rectangular shape for improved airflow. The OverDrive Aero steerer tube used on the TCR Advanced SL and Advanced Pro series is combined with a Contact SLR/SL AeroLight stem and Contact SLR/SL handlebar with internal cable routing. The top cap, cables and spacers are unified and integrated for a more aerodynamic and user-friendly setup. The new cockpit setup adds flexibility by allowing extra cable length during assembly, making it easy to adjust height using the headset spacers.
The TCR Advanced series uses a semi-integrated cable routing design via its Contact AeroLight stem and Contact handlebar. All the handlebars (Contact SLR, Contact SL and Contact) have flattened tops and gently raised edges to help riders maintain an aero position while on the hoods, which can be easily adjusted and positioned. Compact geometry and slightly flared drops allow for rapid transitions between hand positions and greater control while descending and cornering.
The new range includes two different seatpost systems, depending on the series. The TCR Advanced SL is crafted with an integrated seatpost design that saves 40g, improves aerodynamics, and adds more road-smoothing compliance over the previous generation ISP. The TCR Advanced Pro and Advanced series use the Variant composite seatpost—a movable post that offers greater ease of adjustment and fit, but also has a proprietary shape that’s integrated with the frameset for aerodynamics and compliance.
Most TCR models feature new CADEX or Giant WheelSystems that have been developed and tested for an optimal balance of efficiency, control and overall aerodynamic improvement. The WheelSystems are tubeless ready and fitted with either CADEX or Giant 28mm tubeless tires, while the redesigned fork has increased clearance for tires up to 33mm.
Winning Efficiency
The new flagship TCR Advanced SL frameset is not only one of the lightest in its category, but it also has greater pedaling stiffness than the previous generation — the result of several new state-of-the-art production techniques.
Proprietary composite material is created using premium raw carbon fiber that’s woven in Giant’s own production facility. A new, ultra-precise cold blade composite cutting technique replaces the laser cutting process from the previous generation, which leads to fewer and more precise swatches being used for a lighter overall frame weight. A single inner bladder is used to create a one-piece front triangle, further minimizing frame weight without sacrificing stiffness and aerodynamics.
When determining the precise tubing shapes and diameters, along with the layup of the composite material used to create the frame and fork, Giant engineers focused on two key areas of stiffness: frame stiffness, which determines the amount of overall frame and fork torsional flex under load; and pedaling stiffness, which measures the lateral flex of the bottom bracket area under load.
Most of the gains in stiffness come from modified sections of the head tube, down tube, and bottom bracket area. The net result is an uncompromising race bike that delivers explosive acceleration and unyielding pedaling stiffness.
Integrated Aerodynamics
All tube shapes were engineered and developed using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling and wind-tunnel testing to create new airfoil sections that consistently lower drag coefficients at a wider range of yaw angles compared to traditional “teardrop” frameset shaping.
The entire system including frame, fork, cockpit and WheelSystem was refined at the GST wind tunnel in Immenstaad, Germany, using a 24mph (40kph) wind speed and a dynamic mannequin. While most brands use a static mannequin, the dynamic version more accurately reveals the aerodynamic effects of a rider while pedaling.
From the truncated ellipse shape of frameset tubing to a new cockpit design and full component integration, it all adds up to a more streamlined profile. The net result is that the new TCR Advanced SL frameset has a 2.28-watt aero advantage over the previous generation frameset, and the complete new TCR Advanced SL 0 bike has a 4.19-watt advantage over the previous generation.
For more information on the new TCR range, including all the details on features and technologies, go to giant-bicycles.com/tcr.
