2016 Giant TCR

[Xavi]

I'm Xavier, from Spain, and this is my 2016 Giant TCR Advanced 2.
It has a Shimano 105 5800 groupset and I've changed the stock wheels for a set of Campagnolo Zonda. There's some other minor modifications beyond the wheelset, mainly a KCNC top cap and bolt, UNO 100mm stem, aluminium jockey wheels, Dura-Ace cables and housings, a Vertu seat and Ultegra chain (instead of the KMC original). As soon as the tired wore out I swapped them for Continental GP4000 SII in 25mm width.

That's brought down the overall weight, but it still isn't a light bike by any stretch of the imagination, as it comes in at 7792g with Look pedals, Elite bottle cages, a Garmin mount and both speed and cadence sensors.







I'm planning on getting a new seat before next season comes, probably a Selle Italia SLR Kit Carbonio, and I'll be cutting the steerer tube next week (it's an eyesore, I know... ).
While it's not a light bike, it's outstandingly stiff and responsibe under load, quite stable descending and I really like the way it handles. It has let me reach the top of the Angliru, so it can't be that bad

Weight list:

Dura-Ace barrel adjuster: 3,0
KCNC top cap bolt: 3,0
KCNC top cap: 4,9
Bottle cage bolts: 6,9
Elite bottle cages (2): 86,0
Vittoria Ultralite inner tubes (2): 183,0
Campagnolo QR: 115,7
Garmin mount: 38,3
Garmin cadence sensor: 10,0
Garmin speed sensor: 16,6
UNO stem: 107,8
Stem bolts: 20,0
Alu spacers: 20,4
Cable ends: 0,5
Vertu seat: 183,4
Giant seatpost: 180,7
Giant seatpost clamp: 37,2
Giant TCR fork: 469,4
Giant TCR Frame + BB: 1004,4
Headset: 73,3
Look pedals: 263,7
5800 crankset: 737,0
5800 casette (11-28): 279,0
5800 chain 242,0
5800 FD: 89,0
5800 RD: 229,5
5800 brakes: 390,9
5800 shifters: 492,1
5800 crank bolt: 5,1
9000 cables and housings: 149,3
Giant bar plugs: 5,5
Massi gel bar tape: 63,4
Giant handlebars: 300,5
Campagnolo Zonda wheelset: 1550,0
Continental GP4000SII (2): 430,2

Total: 7792,0g

[KCookie]

You could always loose some weight by changing the bar tape, bottle cages, stem bolts, end plugs and inner tubes, these would be the cheapest method for now, before the WW bug really hits home. . Just ride and enjoy for now.

[Xavi]

That's what I was thinking about, I could drop some weight by switching to latex inner tubes, titanium stem bolts, titanium QR, SLR seat, carbon bottle cages and carbon spacers. Still, the bike would be about 7500g, which isn't really light.

When talking about weight, what really sets this bike back is the frameset and groupset. To get it under 7000g I'd have to change the whole groupset, and even then I'd be dealing with a 950g frame and a 470g fork, which isn't good.

I'd like to ride this bike for another season and then sell it to build a real WW machine (well, on a budget). I'm thinking about a Ribble Ultimate SL frame (FM 686), Sram Red and Campagnolo Shamal Mille, but that will have to wait until I pick up some more coins...

[kidrob]

I wouldn't change stem bolts (due to security reasons) while the handlebar is quite heavy (with 300g) and worth changing to save like 100g or so (even a cheap aluminium one from Deda/Ritchey or so will save a lot).
Also yeah, bottle cages (check Alibaba for cheap stuff).
You could also consider some Ultegra crank or so off Ebay or so to save another 100g.
Dura Ace Brakes are about 200 bucks off Ebay for about 200g.
One of the more expensive but super effective methods to save weight (and maybe also improve bike feel) would be to invest in some new wheels...

Nice bike wall mount btw

[istigatrice]

I like it, are you sure the fork is ~470g? Would have thought it would be heavier? Is it the alloy steerer version?

[Xavi]

Yes, I weighted it twice on a precision scale. I'm gonna shave a few grams once I cut it, but it won't be light by a long shot.

[sawyer]

As others have said change ...

handlebar
QRs
cages

I'd swap in a DA chainset as it will be a keeper for your WW build ...

Also, get some high end Look pedals and that's another 70g off, and again, they will be keepers carried over to the next bike ... it's those items you want to aim for

7000g ish should be doable here and enjoyable

[alpinestar]

Hi

Nice ride I am building a TRC myself Is the 2016 model not with overdrive? I am courious to see a kalloy stem on this!

[damond]

overdrive steerers are used on the TCR advanced Pro and Advanced SL. TCR Advanced uses a regular 1.1/8'' fork

[alpinestar]

Ahh Thanks for clearing that up!!


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[istigatrice]

Thanks! Hmm this makes the Advanced (non pro) much more appealing now - alloy fork steerer means I don't have to be as careful when changing the stem - I'm liking the TCR Adv more and more, especially this colour scheme.

Pity the M/L is a little on the tall side and the M is a little on the short side. Grr...

[sawyer]

Thanks! Hmm this makes the Advanced (non pro) much more appealing now - alloy fork steerer means I don't have to be as careful when changing the stem - I'm liking the TCR Adv more and more, especially this colour scheme.

Pity the M/L is a little on the tall side and the M is a little on the short side. Grr...

Carbon steerers are strong, which doesn't mean you can set about them with abandon, but honestly we'd be hearing about far more failures if they weren't reasonably idiot proof

And alloy steerers add a ton of weight in a place it's particularly unwelcome

[istigatrice]

If it's only 470g that's not too bad in my books. Some full carbon forks IIRC come to around 400g so it's 70g (compare that to the 3-400g weight penalty you pay for Shimano 105 vs SRAM Rival). But yes, this is weightweenies!

[Ade83]

If it's only 470g that's not too bad in my books. Some full carbon forks IIRC come to around 400g so it's 70g (compare that to the 3-400g weight penalty you pay for Shimano 105 vs SRAM Rival). But yes, this is weightweenies!

I'm amazed its 470g, I've seen weights of 700g quoted on another forum. My local giant dealer said the difference between the full carbon steerer and the alloy was around 100g. I didn't believe him! Guess I owe him an apology..........

[Xavi]

As others have said change ...

handlebar
QRs
cages

I'd swap in a DA chainset as it will be a keeper for your WW build ...

Also, get some high end Look pedals and that's another 70g off, and again, they will be keepers carried over to the next bike ... it's those items you want to aim for

7000g ish should be doable here and enjoyable

Definitely, I'll focus on improvements that I can carry over to my next bike. For example, the SLR saddle, carbon bars, carbon bottle cages and new pedals.

Thanks! Hmm this makes the Advanced (non pro) much more appealing now - alloy fork steerer means I don't have to be as careful when changing the stem - I'm liking the TCR Adv more and more, especially this colour scheme.

Pity the M/L is a little on the tall side and the M is a little on the short side. Grr...

You're absolutely right about the color scheme, it's gorgeous.

I probably won't be changing the groupset on this bike since I'm not planning on having it for a lot of years. But who knows, maybe I'll end up upgrading it to Sram Red and swapping it on my next bike.
Either way, I like this bike and especially the way it handles. It feels quite stiff and planted when you're climbing out of the saddle or sprinting, but the thin chainstays and the generous section of exposed seatpost makes the ride more comfortable than I'd expect when the road conditions are less than ideal.

But I must say that the wheels that came with the bike were absolute rubbish. They were definitely heavy (over 2000g) and after a few hundred km the rear hub developed a squeal that wouldn't be silenced. I checked the bearings, the axle, even the pawls, thoroughly cleaning and re-greasing each part, but it didn't make a difference. I even checked the spoke tension with a Park Tool meter, but that wasn't the cause of the dreaded noise.
I was planning on changing the wheelset anyway, so I sold them (warning the buyer about the noisy issue) for about 30€ and I bought a pair of Zonda's. They came up at exactly 1550g and I must say that I was impressed.

I've built my fair share of wheels, both carbon and alloy, and the build quality of the Campagnolo Zonda was a pleasant surprise. I've rarely seen machine-built wheels coming in so true and, what's more important, with even and high spoke tension. Building a wheel that's true isn't hard, what's hard is building a wheel that will stay true. The hubs run smooth and the braking track was nicely machined. As for the looks, I love them.