Here's Giant's cyclocross race bike for 2017, the TCX Advanced Pro 1. With a full composite frame, thru-axles front and rear, Schwalbe tubeless tires and a 1x11 electronic Ultegra drivetrain, this rig is ready for going fast in not-so-nice conditions.
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The Taiwanese company Giant makes bikes for every type of riding and sponsors some of the biggest names and teams in the world. They're considered the world's largest bicycle manufacturer and are known to leverage that weight in offering some incredible bikes with even more incredible specs. At $4,400, the 2017 TCX Advanced Pro 1 is a prime example.
Giant TCX Advanced Pro 1 spec overview
- Advanced-grade composite frame with D-Fuse SL composite seatpost
- Advanced-grade composite fork with full-composite OverDrive 2 steerer and 12mm thru-axle
- Giant CXR 1 WheelSystem with Schwalbe X-One tubeless tires
- Shimano Ultegra Di2 1x11-speed electronic shifting
- FSA SLK Light crankset, 40T
- Shimano RS805 hydraulic disc brakes
- Giant Contact SL stem, bars, saddle
- Giant D-Fuse SL composite seatpost
Giant makes four TCX cyclocross models, three in composite (Giant-speak for carbon fiber) and one in ALUXX SLR (again, Giant-speak for aluminum). All the models share the same geometry, 12mm thru-axles front and rear, and Giant's unique D-Fuse composite seatpost that's designed to damp vibrations and is impossible to line up crooked in the frame.
The TCX Advanced Pro 1 is the top of the line race machine and looks the part with a mini chainguide wrapping a single 40T ring partnering with Shimano's Ultegra Di2 rear gear changer. Tiny 140mm disc brake rotors keep the weight low, especially when shouldering the bike, and are clamped down by Shimano hydraulic calipers.
Up front, Giant's full-composite fork features its OverDrive 2 tapered steerer. Interestingly, it tapers from the standard 1 1/2in base to 1 1/4in at the stem, instead of the hugely more common 1 1/8in standard. Swapping stems won't be easy on this one, but maybe the stiffness will make up for it. We'll see...
Giant's own CXR 1 wheels are aluminum and have a nice 24mm width to spread out the 33mm Schwalbe X-One tires. The whole set up is tubeless ready and Giant thoughtfully included valves for just such purpose. The 28-spoke wheelset's weight is a claimed 1,755g/pair which is nothing to write home about, but we'll see how they fare in use and abuse.
We'll rack up the miles and the laps on this TCX and report back. And by the way, Giant calls the color Lime Green, but all my eyes see is bumblebee.