Affordable rocketship
GIANT TCR Composite 0
The frame honed under ONCE and now ridden by T-Mobile is available as a bike in four specifications and at rather reasonable prices.
Giant's range of carbon fibre road bikes comprises four models: TCR Composite Team; TCR Composite 0; TCR Composite 1 and TCR Composite 2. The TCR Composite 1 uses the same monocoque carbon fiber frame as the rest of the range, but keeps its price under control with a Shimano Ultegra component group in place of the TCR 0's Shimano Dura-Ace and the Team's Campagnolo Record.
Giant has been working with carbon fiber since the nineties when its bonded, lugged Cadex bikes were a value-for-money hit among riders looking for modern technology at a bargain price. But gluing carbon tubes into aluminium lugs isn't the best way to take advantage of carbon's qualities; lugs are heavy, and one of the theoretical advantages of carbon is that you can make a frame any shape you like, distributing the stresses of riding in ways that are impossible with tubes.
While the UCI's regulations about bike shape shoot down some of the more extreme things you might want to do with a carbon frame, Giant has gone down the path of making the whole frame in one piece anyway, in what's known as 'monocoque' construction. This is an extremely efficient way to make a bike frame, in terms of the amount of material needed, but it does have a limitation: you have to make a mould for every frame size, and moulds are pricey.
Giant's compact frame design is a straightforward way of dealing with this. Make a frame that is low-slung and you can fit the rider by changing seatpost and stem dimensions, so you need make fewer frames. Giant offers four sizes (S, M, L and XL) and claims it can fit "virtually every size of rider", with a little tinkering with bars, stems and seatposts.
The TCR Composite 1's frame comes with a fairly standard set of fixtures and fittings: two sets of bottle bosses, slotted gear cable stops on the down tube; slotted brake cable stops on the top tube; an external seatpost clamp; a bolt-on front derailleur hanger; and a replaceable rear derailleur hanger. There's also a threaded hole for a race number under the top tube; a nice touch.
Ok, Let's Cut to the Chase!
After watching an international short-course triathlon whilst sitting
on the steps at Sydney Opera House, I finally realised how much I had
missed my cycle racing. This prompted me into taking a look in some
of the bike shops in the Sydney area, and I was pleasantly suprised
in the price that the bikes were, especially when compared to UK equivalents!.
Hence, after much deliberation, I decided to take the plunge and purchase
a bike from Woollys Wheels on Oxford Street - Sydney. Obviously I then
had to import the bike into the UK.
I opted for the TCR 0 which had a full Dura-Ace groupset, Mavic Kysrium
SL's, Dave Burrows Aero Seatpost and Ritchey stem. I had used Dura-Ace
in the past and I am big fan of Shimano's flag ship groupset.
On getting the bike into the UK, I had to fit a pair of pedals to it,
and since
the spec
was so
high,
I couldn't
scrimp
and
had to order some Dura-Ace SPD-R's via the internet.
My first thoughts about this bike are about the stiffness of the ride. This bike is extremely fast and agile. The ride is certainly hard which was not helped by use of a Flite Trans Am Titanium Saddle. This saddle has an insert cut out (on principle is a good idea), but what it results in are two very hard edges that don't provide a comfortable ride. This has subsequently been removed and replaced with a much comfier Octavia saddle.
This said, there is not one thing I can criticise this bike about.
The Dura-Ace groupset works like a dream, and is extremely precise especially under stress. Shimano's flagship groupset is unbelievably good, and it is no surprise that the vast majority of Professional teams choose it for their bikes. The dual pivot braking system provides great stopping power, and it still sets the standards that other copy - including the more expensive Campagnolo Record!
I have also fitted a set of Mavic Open Pro wheels using Dura-Ace hubs, and these are tried and tested and certainly have never let me down. Continental Ultra Gator Duraskin tyres (23mm) are excellent value for money and are great for training on.
The James Burrows Aero Seat post is a luxury and the Ritchey handlebar stem is excellent.
Five stars no problems!
