GIANT CONTEND SL1
Giant’s all-rounder is a serious contender again
As with the Canyon, Boardman and others, Giant’s Contend SL1 is making a re-appearance in the upper reaches of our Bike of the Year review. Also similar to other bikes in this test, the changes between the 2019 and 2020 Contend SL1 models are minor – though oddly there is a slight air of contradiction about some of the tweaks. That said, these don’t stop the Giant being one of the very best £1000 road bikes around.
The 2020 Contend has the familiar-looking compact Giant frame with its small main triangle, while the dropped seatstays and the long, exposed length of Giant’s own composite D-Fuse seatpost ensure it’s pretty comfortable. Giant developed the D-Fuse back in 2014 for its pro-level cyclocross bikes, and its D-shape is designed to be more compliant than a round post.
In spite of looking the same, the frame’s geometry has been tweaked slightly, becoming even less aggressive and getting more of an endurance bias. The chainstays are 2mm longer and the wheelbase has gained an extra 5mm, which will make the bike more stable and slow down the handling so it’s ideal for day-long, noncompetitive rides. However, this is paired with a head tube that is 12mm shorter than in 2019; in fact, the stack has gone down from 586mm to 577mm. This shorter head tube is also backed up by gearing that’s higher than last year’s.
The 2019 Contend had a 50/34 chainset while this year’s has the pro-compact 52/36. The result is a 32-126in gear range, which will suit the sprinters but make climbs a little harder – a 36x30 bailout gear is noticeably harder than 34x30 when you hit steeper inclines.
At a shade over 9kg it’s slightly heavier than some of its competitors but a few hundred
grams make no performance difference and the same is true of the Giant’s Shimano’s RS510 chainset, rather than 105. The only other deviations from Shimano 105 are the Tektro brakes, but with their “better finish, cartridge brake shoes” these are effective – if not quite 105’s equal.
Giant continues its tubeless-ready wheel and tyre pairing, which is very good to see on a bike at this price, especially with 28mm tyres. Finally, after years of hesitation, road tubeless is gaining a real presence. Giant’s P-R3s are decent tyres too, better than a lot of rubber found on £1000 bikes, reasonably supple and grippy and with FlatGuard puncture protection. These add comfort over 25mm rubber and will contribute even more plushness if you go tubeless.
What really impresses with the Contend SL1, as you’d expect from Giant, is the handling. Okay, so it’s not ultra-racy like Giant’s TCR but even with its just-over-a-metre wheelbase and 28mm tyres you can throw it into corners with absolute confidence, very much like a race bike.
If you generally ride up to 20mph this will get you up to speed smoothly and effortlessly, even with its 9kg weight – which is one of the very few downsides to the Giant – and even that weight you won’t notice until you hit the climbs. What you do notice is that this Giant offers exceptional comfort as well as excellent control and that’s down to all of the Giant’s components working as one, the frame at the heart of it, the excellent vibration-damping seatpost that soaks up road buzz, wide tyres and even Giant’s own-brand saddle.
Giant’s Contend SL1 is still one of the go-to £1000 road bikes – smooth, compliant and comfortable. Maybe not as racy as Cannondale’s CAAD Optimo 105, or as light as Canyon’s Endurace, and it’s not the most exciting-looking bike at this price, but the all-round appeal of the Contend is alluring and it’s a superb, day-long cycling companion, sharp longhaul commuter, trainer or sportive-type bike. Its excellent handling and controlled descending deliver fantastic all-round fun. If it could just lose a few grams in its next incarnation it could be the winner…
“Excellent handling and controlled descending deliver all-round fun. If it could just lose a few grams”