Training, racing, pushing it to the limit. Whether you’re attacking the field or digging deep for a new PR, the new TCR Advanced Disc is lighter, stiffer and faster with strategic aero tube shaping, added tyre clearance and integrated disc brake technology.
The Giant TCR is no stranger to going against convention, its arrival heralded a new dawn for bike design and most bike brands in the world have some form of their compact geometry derived from Giant who pioneered the path with the Total Compact Racing (TCR) bike. Prior to this bikes were all standard geometry which required the manufacturers to have many more sizes than the modern day 2-3cm increment we see, or small through to extra-large. The sloping toptube allowed for a wider range of riders per size and it positively affected the handing and weight of the bike. Aesthetically the TCR with its extended seatpost was far “racier looking” with a generous saddle to handlebar drop (something we have come to accept as standard these days) than the almost square looking bikes that stretched out the rider but maintained an almost neutral drop to the handlebar.
Since its inception Giant have not stopped pushing the boundaries and improving on the benchmark they had already set. Giant introduced the Integrated Seat Post (ISP) to their top carbon models increasing the stiffness of the bike while reducing the weight. Giant also went against conventional steerer tube diameters and bottom bracket designs, all with their eye on increasing performance at the pinnacle of racing.
It is with this drive to excel and a substantial palmares of results at the highest level that Giant introduce the brand new Giant TCR, the 9th and finest generation to date.
So what could they improve from the 8th generation of the TCR? It was a challenge to take an already incredible bike and improve it, however the engineers at Giant sought to make the TCR bike more EFFICIENT. They improved on an already class-leading stiffness-to-weight ratio by utilizing unique raw materials and even the paint was created to minimise weight. Giant worked hand-in-hand with legendary riders such as Greg Van Avermaet to make sure their technical gains translated into real life speed and improvement. The aspect of the new TCR that brought about the most change in terms of optimization of power was a whole redesign of the aerodynamics of the bicycle and no tube, bar or stem was not considered to make sure that on top of all the other improvements that this would be the most aerodynamic TCR by a country mile.
As with previous iterations of the Giant TCR, the TCR Advanced SL remains the flagship model, however every version of the 2021 Giant TCR revolves around the following principals:
Class-leading efficiency: As mentioned above, Giant have left no stone unturned in seeking out the best stiffness-to-weight setup. Using new cutting edge composite materials, reengineered tubing shapes and advanced robotic layup techniques the results have been staggering.
The challenge the engineers faced was that often in order to improve the aerodynamics it means increasing the weight as the tube sizes are generally larger and heavier. Some parts of the frame needed to be expanded and this made it imperative to trim down every possible excess they could and this was achieved by an all-new production process.
Giant used an all-new Professional Grade raw carbon. As with all Giant carbon this is woven in-house and with this new carbon and Giant’s extensive experience of working their carbon magic they were able to produce a frame that was both lighter and stiffer. Together with this new carbon Giant used their Carbon Nanotube Technology resin to improve impact resistance.
Previous TCR models used machine-stamped composite swatches however the 9th generation uses new laser technology to increase the accuracy of the cutting which results in smaller and more exacting swatches and this results in a lighter weight frame. Making the swatches smaller and more accurate would be lost without the ability to lay them efficiently and Giant invested in a new robotic layup assembly to allow for ultra-precise layering of 150 of these smaller swatches resulting in no excess carbon being needed in those areas.
To finish off the process Giant used their ThinLine paint process on the TCR Advanced SL saving up to 50 grams over the traditional 7 layer paint application. The ISP on the Advnaced SL also sees a propriety 3M adhesive protector for where the saddle clamp is installed, again saving more weight.
Advanced Aerodynamics: This is the part where the most quantifiable gains over the 8th generation TCR can be found. Giant spent countless hours testing in wind tunnels to redesign every tube shape to reduce drag significantly at a wider range of yaw angles. What surprised many was that these gains were found in maintaining the rear triangle shape and not dropping the rear seatstay as many manufacturers have done. Again a sign that Giant will not follow a convention but rather forge a path they have tried and tested themselves.
These days with minimum bike weights easily attainable much of the quantifiable gains come down to aerodynamic efficiency, overcoming drag and maximizing power. Giant combined Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) with real time wind tunnel tests to create shapes to cut through wind and minimize drag both in the wind tunnel and in the outside world where racing happens.
To this end Giant created new airfoil sections on the TCR, they did this by using truncated ellipse tubing to produce a lower drag coefficient at a wider variety of yaw angles, as opposed to just using a traditional teardrop shape that measures most efficient if the wind were only head-on but would suffer in situations such as a crosswind. This step cannot be overstated, Giant chose to move away from traditional bike aerodynamics and challenge themselves to test at wider yaw angles to maximize real world gains. With real world gains top of mind Giant designed their aerodynamic flow design around both the downtube and seat tube equipped with a standard 22oz water bottle. Once this was dialled in the whole ecosystem including the frame, fork, cockpit and WheelSystem was refined at the GST wind tunnel in Germany.
One of the bigger challenges with regard to aerodynamics comes with the consideration of brakes. Traditional callipers caused dirty air and increased the drag coefficient, whereas moving to a clean integration of disc brakes means that the leading edge of the tyre/wheel had already disrupted airflow and the brakes added no extra drag to the equation. This aerodynamic advantage is made greater by the use of the TCR’s new symmetric fork that helps smooth out airflow over the calliper. As the front-end of the bike is paramount in aerodynamic gains, Giant created a new “aero-influenced” Contact SLR handlebar with modified cable routing to increase aerodynamics, ergonomics and ease of maintenance (a massive factor when working with hydraulics and internal routing).
To put the proverbial cherry on the cake, Giant refined their aerodynamic masterpiece by using a dynamic mannequin on the bike in the wind tunnel to gain consistent lifelike results without the inaccuracies associated with the variability in using a human subject. Most brands use static mannequins which produces results that will only be consistent in laboratory conditions. With the dynamic mannequin, the “rider”, wheels and drivetrain move as they would in the outside world and with using yaw angles ranging from -15 to 15 degrees this is by far the most life like simulation possible while maintaining consistent variables from the “rider”.