Team Sunweb to race Giant wheels in 2018

Giant follows Trek/Bontrager and Specialized/Roval into pro peloton

2017 Giro d’Italia champion Tom Dumoulin tests new Giant wheels and a pair of prototype Giant shoes at the team’s recent winter training camp in Spain

Courtesy Giant

Ben Delaney

Published: January 5, 2018 at 12:11 am
Courtesy Giant
Courtesy Giant
Courtesy Giant
Courtesy Giant
Courtesy Giant
Courtesy Giant
Courtesy Giant

This season WorldTour squad Team Sunweb will not only be racing Giant bikes, but also Giant wheels — along with Giant helmets, Giant shoes, Giant stems, Giant bars and more. The move to house-brand wheels under elite pro teams represents a trend among major bike brands.

Team Sunweb also has a women's team and a Continental development team, which will also race on Giant bikes and equipment. Those two squads already raced on Giant's wheels last year, including during a win at the women's Tour of Flanders.

This year, the development team will also use Giant's tubeless wheels and tires. The WorldTour team will likely continue with its use of Vittoria tubulars.

This year Team Sunweb will be racing Giant wheels - Courtesy Giant

Getting its wheels under the team that won the Giro d'Italia and the points and mountains jerseys at the Tour de France is a coup of sorts for Giant. Last year Sunweb raced on Shimano wheels. Trek already has its Bontrager hoops as the official wheels of Trek Factory Racing, and Specialized had Peter Sagan and Bora-Hansgrohe on Roval wheels in 2017. Each of these cases is notable as bike brands have historically used house-brand wheels for lower-priced bikes, not high-end race machines. In each case, the brands will argue that their wheels are now on par if not superior to third-party wheels.

Cycling house brands: Saving money or adding value?

Giant shoes will likely be seen more in 2018. Also, note the old magnet from a Pioneer power meter. Sunweb will be using Shimano meters in 2018 - Courtesy Giant

Team Sunweb will have other Giant products literally head to toe, ranging from Rev, Rivet and Pursuit helmets down to prototype and production shoes. In between Giant will also have branded bottles and cages on Sunweb's bikes.

As for the bikes, the big news is the Propel Advanced SL Disc. Disc bikes hit the Tour de France for the first time in 2017, including the Giant Propel Disc under Michael Matthews. But while other disc bikes like Marcel Kittel's Venge ViAS are an option to the rim-brake version, Giant went all in on discs with the Propel; there is no rim-brake 2018 Propel in Giant's lineup. Will we see a pro-only Propel with rim brakes at the races this year? We will have to wait and see.

Giant has multiple helmet styles, including this Rev - Courtesy Giant

Ben Delaney

Contributor

Ben Delaney is a journalist with more than two decades of experience writing for and editing some of the biggest publications in cycling. Having studied journalism at the University of New Mexico, Ben has worked for Bicycle Retailer & Industry News, VeloNews and BikeRadar. He has also previously worked as Global Brand Communications Manager for Specialized. Ben covers all things road and gravel, and can be found logging big miles in the Rocky Mountains that nestle alongside his home in Boulder, Colorado. He has covered the most important bike races in the sport, from the Tour de France and Tour of Flanders, to the Unbound gravel race, and specialises in tech content, showcasing what the pros are riding and putting everyday equipment through its paces.
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