Whilst mine is down.
I’ve just borrowed an old but unused Giant TCR, not sure of the model, but equiped with Dura Ace and DT Swiss lightweight wheels (same as the old T-Mobile pro bikes) And made from Torray T800 which I think is as good as you can get.

Just done my usual 43 mile pre race ride, and compared to my Planet X SL Pro it felt akin to cheating.
First of all, absolute zero waste when pulling away or coming out of a corner. Then when I hit Ivinghoe Beacon it just went straight up in the big ring.
The difference is that although hills are still work, the bike felt like it was doing what I wanted it to do, it was coming up the hills with me without feeling like I was dragging it up. And once at the tops…bang off you go no need for any recovery.
The wheels are just under 500g lighter than mine, and are standard not deep section.
The frame is the exact size as my PX a small which I now know to be too small. Shame as I could have had this frame cheap.
After all these years I didn’t think the difference would be so obvious to someone like me.
Definately going to buy well and have another pop in the LVRC.

used to be pretty popular round my way with the TT boys.
Managed to bend the rear mech hanger on my Ti Raleigh yesterday when a jockey wheel dropped out and everything wrapped itself into a ball 😥

Now you know why your planet x was so cheap, the big brands are more expensive for a reason lots more R @ D and better materials and it sounds like its an old one, take a new one out on demo.

Checking it out properly for fit as it is actually bigger than my PX.
The frames going cheap cheap, never raced or ridden much at all.

The deal might be the frame for £600 plus some nice new 1329g scandium Giant wheels and new Ultegra groupset at cost all from the nice Giant people.

Sounds like a good deal those new giant wheels are made with all DT Swiss components so should be top quality.

Now you know why your planet x was so cheap, the big brands are more expensive for a reason lots more R @ D and better materials

😆

Sweet..

I suspect the 500g weight saving for the wheels was the biggest factor. That and perhaps the stiffness? I think that the original Giant TCR is a classic bike. First compact road frame. I almost bought one, but eventually chose something a little more traditional.

OP when did you last ride a decent road bike?

i was actually thinking of saving for one of these http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bikes/model/tcr.composite.2/9310/49807/ £1,499.99 for my first proper road bike.have decided to go for a new guitar/amp instead though (as i don’t have my own guitar/amp).they do look very nice though 😀

I found a decent road bike, my size, in a river, dumped off a bridge by whoever stole it and smashed the rear wheel. Gave it to the Police who gave it back a month later and since then I’ve ridden it 3500 miles while the poor old mountain bike has done less than 100.

There is nothing like a good road bike for thrills and fitness.

In my shed I’ve got the original aluminium giant tcr frame that did the rounds of pro cycling and cycling weekly for review, introducing compact frame geometry to the masses (Roberts got there first but giant/Burrows got the headlines). Raced it for a few years but it’s now my wife’s road bike gathering dust. I’ve also got one of the first carbon pre production TCRs that was an unused spare for ONCE in the 2002 tour. That one is now my turbo bike. I’m uncooth with no sense of history!

My friend also bought from Mike Burrows a frame originally made for Jalabert for a mountain stage of the tdf (or more strictly the last climb). It was so acid etched (what they used to make the tube walls thinner after welding prior to carbon frames to get the weight down pre minimum weight limits) they rated it as rideable for a couple of hundred miles max. It was so thin you could press the walls of the downtube in with your fingers. He managed to get a whole season out of it before it fell apart.

convert – Member
It was so thin you could press the walls of the downtube in with your fingers

Some Prinicpias had this characteristic, I bet quite a few other brands also.

what wheels are on the SL pro?

Some Prinicpias had this characteristic, I bet quite a few other brands also.

I was sponsored by Principia (or their UK importer/part owner) in 1999 and had an off the shelf Rex Pro (the acid etched one) but this Giant was in another league of taking it to an extreme. No way they would have sold it to the public. Jalebert hoped off his standard bike, rode this version for a short uphill section of a stage and then they were junked and he had a new one for the next time it was appropriate. Surprisingly stiff though (as was the Rex pro come to that).

al, when I raced in the 70/80/90s they were all shop steel custom fits i.e Shorters, Don Farrell, Roy Thame. Then I did ten years of MTB. When I returned race bikes had changed so much, and their claims were in hindsight a little misleading.
I’ve done two seasons on the PX, but this is a different league.

Sefton, Aksiums and Shimanos.

Love my ribble, but I do avoid at all costs riding a proper race frame, cause I know I will want to upgrade (even more then I do now).

Think I’d love one of these..

http://www.canyon.com/_en/roadbikes/bike.html?b=2531

Or a SL4, or a King3…

Oldgit, I’d be getting a Scott Addict if I were you; they very nice bikes…

and while picasa is open…

Is that yours?
Put a leg over a few Scotts actually, but this is nice and the cost deal is tempting.
Your old frame is going to become a club bike for new riders wanting to try the road.

Yes, it was a ‘Oh my Dad is dying, I’ll buy a new bike and maybe get some cash to pay it off’ purchase. He survived, so I’ve had to pay for it myself, much to his amusement..

Excellent news about that old frame, I’m glad it’s going on to hopefully faster things!

There is nothing like a good road bike for thrills and fitness

+1

Nothing like the feeling you get from a proper decent road bike… it’s so nice to really feel just about 100% of your power going into forward motion, I find it genuinely inspiring! Makes you want to get fitter just so you can go faster for longer…

Seeing as we’re posting pics… here’s my road bike:

IMG_3268 by ten_sim, on Flickr

My current ‘training plan’ involves me improving my ‘power to weight’ ratio by dropping around 15 odd kilograms… that should make a maa-hoosive difference to my riding 😆

At least you didn’t go for an expensive mistress and a Ferrari 🙂

Bike’s are my mistress, definitely… can’t afford a Ferrari, but I can (just) afford expensive bikes! 😀

Here’s my other more ‘classic’ road bike, SLX steel De Rosa from the ’90’s I believe…

DSCF4083 by ten_sim, on Flickr

Um, I didn’t go for a Ferrari, and she turned out less expensive than she could have been… 😯

WTF is that saddle??

That IF doesn’t look as awful as I thought it was going to when you posted up the shop drawings.

http://www.ismseat.com/saddles/adamo-racing-ii

Not keen myself, but each to their own perineum..

It does work for me… worth a go if you have trouble with numb nuts…

I notice the Addict is no more for 2012 – just the Foil and the CR1. Always wanted to like them, but just can’t get excited. Crikey’s looks too small, all a bit wrong.

That IF doesn’t look great IMO, although I can see the appeal!

Still want to replace my ageing Madone SL, but it just works, and still rides really nicely! Particularly compared o the POS Allez I commute on!

So it’s an aggressive position time trial saddle? And it’s actually comfortable on that bike? They look proper weird lol 😯

Crikey’s looks too small, all a bit wrong.

I’ve got little legs but a long upper body, so I buy bikes for the length rather than the height. It makes them look like the bike is too big for me, but otherwise I end up with a stem about 130-140 mm and struggle to get far enough back. 🙂

So it’s an aggressive position time trial saddle? And it’s actually comfortable on that bike?

Mine’s the ‘Road’ version, more padding and not for such an aggressive TT position. I’ve used it for 4-5hr rides and it’s great (for me), you do have to get used to it though…

Going to get a Rido RLt to try out as well, doesn’t look quite as weird as the Adamo…

I’ve got one of these….and 50mm carbon tubs….and a dura ace groupo.

but I can’t ride it till I get a stem…that is’nt coming till January 1st.
AAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Bike with 1lb lighter wheels climbs hills quick shocker.

Road.cc were out on this today and seemed happy on the 100k ride.
http://www.shedfire.com/2011/11/19/new-planet-x-n2/

but I can’t ride it till I get a stem…that is’nt coming till January 1st.

I wouldn’t be taking that outside until around April time lol.. But why can’t you just get a cheapy stem for now if you really want to ride it?

Thanks to giants new overdrive 2 1&1/4″ headset standard there’s only giant stems available to fit…which don’t land till week 1 2012 (I’ve already had the frame for a month…frustration overload!!)

That looks niiice Brant….which catalogue?

Thanks to giants new overdrive 2 1&1/4″ headset standard there’s only giant stems available to fit…which don’t land till week 1 2012 (I’ve already had the frame for a month…frustration overload!!)

Oh yeah, forgot about those lol. Unlucky.

It won’t touch tarmac till crit season starts anyhoo….would still like to play with it though 😳