Giant TCR Composite Time Trial

There is only one way to describe this bike; solid. It feels like it is molded from a single piece of carbon fiber. The Giant has virtually no metal in or on it. Even the brake calipers and handles are carbon fiber; they definitely pulled out all the stops on this one. The Composite comes with a set of Mavic Cosmic Carbone SL wheels and the FSA K Force crankset- their top of the line. You will not find too many bicycles under 5k with a set of high quality carbon wheels included. In fact, you will not find too many bikes under 5k with this level of components.

The Giant was around 18 pounds in a small which was a bit heavier than my road bike. I noticed it did not spin up quite as fast or climb like a billy goat, but as the road leveled out this bike was wicked fast. The aerobars have very little padding and are designed for time trialing. A multi-sport athlete may want to swap these out for distance races. There is virtually no flex, lateral or otherwise to this cycle. You feel as if all of your power is going to the pedals. The pink color would not be my first choice but I figured if it was good enough for T-Mobile and Jan I could live with it. Overall I think it is the best value in a top shelf time trial bike out there.

Matt Russ

Matt Russ has coached and trained elite athletes from around the country and internationally for over ten years. He currently holds expert licenses from USA Triathlon, USA Cycling (Elite), and is a licensed USA Track and Field Coach. Matt is head coach and owner of The Sport Factory, and works with athletes of all levels full time. He is a free lance author and his articles are regularly featured in a variety of magazines such as Inside Triathlon, and Triathlete. Visit www.thesportfactory.com for more information or email him at coachmatt@thesportfactory.com

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