GIANT TCR ADVANCED PRO 1 DISC £2999

DISC VERSION OF 2018’ SB IKE OF THE YEAR

At CyclingPlus, we’ve always been fans of the TCR’s no-nonsense approach and racy outlook – 10 years ago it won the Bike of the Year crown, a feat it repeated in 2018 in its rim-braked guise.

This model uses Giant’s second-tier Pro chassis, which combines a full carbon fork with Giant’s signature oversized ‘overdrive’ head tube and headset design. This large test bike has a 1007mm wheelbase, parallel 73° angles, a stack of 581mm and a reach of 402mm, putting it squarely in the racing camp when it comes to ride position. The TCR is firm, but it’s mighty fast too, and the excellent SLR1 deep-section carbon wheels, set up with plush 25c Tubeless GAVIA AC1 tyres, deliver a simply superb ride.

So the TCR has a great chassis and an excellent wheel and tyre combo but the icing on the cake is the brilliant Shimano Ultegra disc groupset, which gives snappy shifts across a wide 11-30 cassette that itself creates a well-balanced range when matched to the 52/36 chainset.

Ultegra brakes offer great power and superb control and the TCR is a master on fast descents: the positive, connected feel of the steering means pitch-perfect lines through corners, enabling you to nail the apex and maintain your line and speed.

The bike is finished with a great cockpit from Giant’s own Contact SL range, a stiff stem and a great ovalised-profile compact drop bar.

The TCR is a stunner: light, lively and with great comfort levels for a race bike – and it’s brilliant on value too.