Specialized tarmac sl5 vs Giant tcr sl1

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MCJ1991
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Feb 04, 2019 8:25 pm

by MCJ1991

So, im in a bit of a dilemma. Bought a road bike last year (caad10 black inc) and fell in love after years of mtb dabling, I've started taking cycling seriously in the last year and therefore want to invest in a new bike.
I am a student however with limited budget. I've managed to save up around 3k. So now I need to decide which bike I buy with my jump to carbon.

The tarmac expert sl5 is £2299 with dura ace groupset (105 cassette) and roval c30 wheels which I understand are not the best.

The tcr is the sl version and costs £2999 with giants tubeless wheelsystem and ultegra di2.

Both are new but 2018 models.
Could anybody tell me which is the better buy and which is likely the lightest?

I could potentially upgrade the wheels on the tarmac and would spend around 900 max on wheels.

My dream bike is something racey yet relatively comfortable and durable. So what are you guys thoughts on my selection?
Do you have alternative bikes which trump both of these in the price range? and thanks in advance for your time to reply. Ive spent over a month trawling for deals so this means a lot to me, therefore any replies are appreciated.

by Weenie


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dim
Posts: 596
Joined: Fri Oct 13, 2017 11:25 am
Location: Cambridge UK

by dim

both very nice bikes .... if you are planning on riding lots of hills, I'd get the Giant Tcr

If you are planning on riding lots and lots of hills, I'd get a Trek Emonda

I have Emonda, and I have TCR but I also want a Tarmac, aswell as a Madone (but my wife won't let me) :lol:

try them on demo, and see which one excites you the most (and make sure that it fits you proper)
Trek Emonda SL6
Miyata One Thousand

ChiZ01
Posts: 477
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2014 6:20 pm

by ChiZ01

if you ever travel with your bike, the TCR's fixed seatpost will be harder to pack

markdjr
Posts: 250
Joined: Sun Sep 17, 2017 10:21 pm

by markdjr

I'd throw in the idea that you should consider shopping used to stretch your budget.

dastott
Posts: 189
Joined: Wed Jun 17, 2015 12:35 pm

by dastott

The CAAD10 is a pretty decent bike already. What is the reason to upgrade? I would be tempted to upgrade parts of the CAAD10 with better wheels etc.

GothicCastle
Posts: 302
Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2016 1:52 am

by GothicCastle

Why not just ride the CAAD and upgrade the wheels and tires (or some other part)? Your CAAD is a great frame.

chiefspinninggear
Posts: 29
Joined: Tue May 15, 2018 11:56 am

by chiefspinninggear

Is the tcr sl that good? I keep finding ny way back to look at the di2 model

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peted76
Posts: 433
Joined: Mon Jun 23, 2014 10:30 pm

by peted76

I love my TCR SL0.
If you can get 'this' https://www.giant-bicycles.com/gb/tcr-advanced-sl-1 for £3k, then get it, you won't be disappointed, that's a steal.

I agree however that your CAAD10 could be made amazing with £3k, get some decent wheels (decisions!), aero bars (£200), upgrade the groupset to Ultegra Di2 (£1200) and you've got yourself a good enough for anything superbike which you could then use all the parts from to build up a new frame as and when you save up a bit more. Look at some of the CAAD10 build on this forum for inspiration, there's loads!

pedale
Posts: 60
Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2018 1:06 pm

by pedale

Yes, which wheels and group do you have on your CAAD? Otherwise tought choice, both are great bikes! Are you satisfied of your contact points?

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



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