As the world of bike design is influenced more and more by computational fluid dynamics, wind tunnel testing and, well, data, while being bound by the UCI’s rulebook, it feels as though the available gains are getting smaller and smaller. Aero bikes appear to be converging on a single final form, and lightweight bikes, hamstrung by the UCI’s 6.8kg minimum weight limit, are for the most part simply getting marginally better aero credentials courtesy of faster wheels, minimally refined tube shapes and integrated cockpits.
With that in mind, today is the day that Giant, the biggest bike brand in the world with a claimed factory capacity of a million bikes per year, launches the 10th generation of its flagship lightweight race bike, the TCR.
At first glance – and second glance, if we’re being truthful – it looks remarkably like the old one. The only obvious clue suggesting it’s new is the lack of cables at the cockpit, which tells us Giant has finally caught up with the competitors and given the TCR an integrated front end.
Of course, according to the brand’s release, hiding the cables away is just one of a multitude of improvements that its engineers have found, and it wouldn’t be a bike launch without some superlative claims of better aerodynamics, stiffness, compliance and weight, so let’s get stuck into the details to see what Giant has been up to for the past three years.
Headline figures
Giant says the 2025 TCR is the “lightest, stiffest and most aerodynamic” TCR to date.
The headline figures are a 2.28-watt aerodynamic improvement for the Advanced SL frame, rising to 4.19 watts for a full bike.
There’s a 75-gram weight saving for the same frame, with a 56cm frame tipping the scales at 690g. However, this saving drops to 38 grams when you look at the frame and fork together, and take into account the newly redesigned headset and spacers. Combined, the TCR Advanced SL module tips the scales at 1,359g.
There’s also a claimed stiffness-to-weight ratio improvement of 3.38%, which comes as a combination of the aforementioned weight saving and a 0.53% increase in pedalling stiffness.
Giant also says the tyre clearance has grown slightly to 33mm, up from 32mm on the outgoing model.
The range will continue to boast three model levels. The top-tier Advanced SL will retain the integrated seatmast, while the second-tier Advanced Pro and third-tier Advanced models will…
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