UPDATE: Reviews section refreshed, redesigned, searchable: Go take a look
I have spent hours, maybe even days researching this, and if my company dares look at my CoPilot history they will not be happy.
Anyway, narrowed it down to 2 bikes:
Giant TCR Advance Pro 0 Di2, Giant TCR Advanced Pro 0 Di2 Road Bike - Mercury (2025) | Westbrook Cycles
Van Rysel RCR-R pro 2, Road Bike RCR-R Pro Shimano Ultegra DI2 with Power Sensor - Raw Carbon | Decathlon
Accepting some will suggest alternatives (yes, I have looked at Canyon, Boardman, Spec, whoever else. Yes, I've also looked at spending more/less and building my own and 2nd hand), of those 2 where would your money go?
What are you planning to do with it? Race, all day pootles, alpine passes?
Have Giant improved their warranty reputation? There was a long thread on here relatively recently about a very protracted case that they initially refused any liability on, citing ridiculous limitations that basically meant if you so much as fixed a puncture yourself, you were voiding the warranty.
Van Rysel seem to get good reviews once you get past the fact that they're sold next to £299 Rockrider full suspension BSOs.
I don't know anything about the Van Rysel but the TCR is really fun to ride and still comfortable on long rides. Be aware that the TCR comes with hookless wheels, it bothers some people but mine have been faultless for 4 years and Giant has sold millions of them on the Defy, Propel and TCR. But ultimately which one do you like the look of most?
TCR all day long. nailed on road bike geometry, grand tour stage winning pedigree and the biggest carbon bike maker in the world who make their own carbon fibre and do their own R&D. New one is Gen 10 and the geometry’s has never changed. I’ve had an alloy TCR and still have an alloy Defy, a Defy SL and two Propels (SL and an Advanced). All have been outstanding to ride. Personally, I prefer SRAM for the shifting experience, but the TCR is super. If you are heavy be cautious of the light carbon wheels. A club mate has snapped a couple of spokes and he is over 100 kilos.
I assume you've checked the geometry charts, but just as a heads up I chatted to someone about their Van Rysel (same model you linked) and they said it was a bit longer than they'd anticipated and they had to get a smaller stem to compensate. IIRC he'd some from an old tarmac.
That TCR is only showing XL in stock. How tall are you?
I bought a TCR Advanced Pro with Ultegra Di2 years ago and have generally been pretty happy with it, though in some very specific circumstances it has terrible high speed stability. The death wobble can kick in as low as 45kmh...🤔
When I bought mine, I was slap bang in the middle of the L and the XL on their size chart. I opted for the L but in retrospect I should have got the XL (I'm 6'3"'or 191cm). I'm not sure whether the XL size would have made a difference to the wobble.
Other than that, it's been great and I'm not concerned about Giants supposedly rubbish warranty.
Having said that, at 62 years old, the geometry is waaaay too racy for me now and id rather ride something more relaxing....
Edited to add: the stock Giant carbon rims mine came with are an absolute bastard to fit new tubeless tyres to. So much so that it's an LBS job to swap tyres, and even seasoned mechanics struggle. Conti GP5000s will not go on my rims at the side of the road.
I've also got a later model Giant Revolt with their current CXR1 rims and they seem a LOT easier to mount new tyres
Assuming you can get the right fit on both I’d say the Van Rysal will be faster. The TCR is more an all rounder. I reckon you could go about 1mph quicker on the Van Rysal for the same effort.
The geometry does look pretty close https://bikeinsights.com/compare?geometries=66e9d7826e3dbf001b3a68ed,6a14461d7614ec001b09bc34
Personally I'd go with the Van Rysel out of those two, mostly because it's a bit different and there's a Giant store near me so loads of them about. The wheels are a bit heavy on the Van Rysel though, that said even if the Giant's were 200g lighter (no clue) I'd still prefer hooked on a road bike if keeping the 28's on, maybe if I switched to 32's it would be OK but it's still a stupid decision Giant made and have dug their heels in whilst everyone else seems to at least be going to mini hooked. Maybe Giant still have a warehouse full of hookless wheels to get rid of...
There's not enough info to make any recommendations. Both are race bikes, do you have the flexibility for them? I would suggest going to a good bike shop and trying out a few. I would expect a good shop will be more helpful than most decathlon stores.
Nice to see a consensus!
I need an XL and have spent far too much time with geometry charts for both those 2 and my current bike. They’d all need a small tweak, but nothing that can’t be done easily enough.
I think the Van Rysel is faster, but has a worse power meter. The Giant is the safer choice but has worse wheels.
And that there is the dilemma!
I'd pick the Giant - probably a bit more refined and certainly sleeker looking. I'd also be slightly concerned about the ride being too harsh on the VR, but that's only from looking at the photos. Plus there's lots of parts available for Giants, if you need to swap bars or stem etc. I think those Giant wheels are probably reasonably light, and wide internally, but probably a bit narrow externally. I would run a 28mm on the front and a 30mm on the rear.
Van Rysel simply because I think it looks better. That is more important than most people realise...
Giant warranty-replaced my TCR frame a couple of years ago without any questions and within a few days when it had a mystery creak.
No offence, OP, but as others have suggested, a race bike is a young person's ride - You've been here quite a long time so I assume you're not 25 any more. Are you SURE you want a full on race bike ?
I am 58 and happy on a race bike. If I had never ridden one before I am not sure I would be spending £3,500 on one to find out if they were for me but then I have never spent more than a £1,000 on any bike so far so not the target audience.
No offence, OP, but as others have suggested, a race bike is a young person's ride - You've been here quite a long time so I assume you're not 25 any more. Are you SURE you want a full on race bike ?
That's fair. But, I've always had race bikes and my position has always been quite aggressive (currently 145mm saddle to bar drop). Both of the linked bikes can get to the position I want with a tweak or 2 to the stem.
The Giant is the safer choice but has worse wheels.
Not sure about that. SLR 0s are a serious wheel set (£1700) and those are the latest versions. Swiss Side are much less well known, cheaper and heavier. I know which ones I'd prefer.
My riding buddy has that TCR, albeit the model down with 105 di2 and he's really happy with it. He's a long-term road rider and always had racier bikes (S-Works Tarmac and the likes), he gets on well with it and finds it very comfy for all-day rides running 32mm tyres and faster than his old race bikes in terms of feeling and actual speeds/PR's. It's the favourite of all bikes he's owned, even a couple of years down the line.
I also think the TCR looks better personally as I feel like everyone else has moved to dropped stays and look a bit samey, but ultimately whichever you like the most is probably the one to go for as they'll both be good bikes.
