After some major changes last year – including the launch of the Trinity time trial bike and Omnium track frameset – Giant's road line-up has received just minor tweaks for 2011, with a focus on new colours and equipment choices.
Here we check out the new range, including the aero Trinity, racey TCR, entry-level Defy, Bowery fixie and more. (For an in-depth look at Giant’s latest mountain bikes, click here.)
Trinity
Starting at the top, we have Giant’s €9,999.90 Trinity Advanced SL0. This shares all the same aero features as team Rabobank's time trial bikes, including an inline stem/top tube, vertical deep-section seat tube, proprietary brake system and neat internal cable routing. For more information, check out our technical editor James Huang’s first look article. An Advanced SL frameset is also available.
Next down the line is the slightly more attainable Trinity Advanced SL2 (main image), which has a full-carbon frame and fork, a mix of Shimano Ultegra and Dura-Ace for shifting, and Giant’s own-brand Carbon Matrix SL wheelset.
The Trinity sits at the entry level of Giant’s time trial bikes. It has an AluxX SL aluminium frame with carbon fork, Ultegra and Dura-Ace for shifting and an own-brand alloy wheelset.
TCR
The TCR series of bikes are really versatile machines, whether you’re banging out 100 miles on the local sportive or entering your first ‘proper’ road race.
Made from Giant’s FluidForming aluminium tubing, the TCR 0 uses Shimano’s Ultegra 6700 groupset and a carbon fork. Colour co-ordination of the components is a nice touch, which appears to be all the rage with 2011 bikes across the board.
Defy
Popular with drop-handlebar virgins, who want a taste of the tarmac without spending their annual earnings, the Defy looks like another brilliant-value-for-money bike. The aluminium frame is paired with a carbon fork, shifting is courtesy of Shimano Sora and brakes are Tektro’s R340 models.
Avail
This year’s women-specific Avail gets a colour change and some minor component swaps. It retains the rack and mudguard mounts, so this still looks like a solid commuting, light touring or first-time race bike.
City Speed
Speaking of commuting, Giant’s City Speed CS urban bike was still turning heads at the Giant stand, two years after it won the Eurobike Gold award for its clever design and component integration – the front light, stem and handlebars all form one unit, for example.
Bowery
If you’re after something a bit more niche, then Giant might have something for you in the shape of the Bowery 72. It’s a fixed gear machine built to celebrate the year the company was founded. Giant say it’s a “timeless track bike, updated with modern function and style”.
The Bowery Mashup – apparently a clash where track racing heritage and urban style collide – is made of butted chromoly steel, has a flat bar and can be run fixed or singlespeed with brakes.
Want more? Be sure to check out our video coverage of Giant at Eurobike.